Story by LoAnn Halden
Who doesn't have a love-hate relationship with their city of residence? Spend enough years in one spot and you're bound to start getting nitpicky -- hence, my complicated relationship withFort Lauderdale, home for the past (shocking!) 17 years.
I love the beach, palm trees, and year-round warmth, the easy parking and convenient shopping. But architecturally, well, it's a seaside homage to the strip mall. When Fort Lauderdale Beach started its big transition from spring break hangout to land of the luxury high-rise, I held my breath. Could it herald the arrival of style to these laid-back, sandy shores?
The answer has been a mixed bag. We now have the Ritz-Carlton and Starwood's Atlantic but from a design standpoint they're more chill than white-hot. And then the W Hotel, after months of delays, finally opened on Fort Lauderdale Beach just a few blocks north of Sebastian Street, our gay sunbathing hotspot. I felt a burst of optimism: it added a little something extra to the plush parade -- a sexy, sassy energy that was lacking. Could this be Fort Lauderdale Beach's gay fabulous moment?
From the June opening party with Cindy Crawford, the ubiquitous Kardashian sisters, and athletic girls contorting inside oversized beach balls to the sleek, see-through stairwell that passes from the Living Room lobby bar to the oceanview deck through the swimming pool, it definitely generated buzz. On weekends, the bars are packed and its signature restaurant, Steak 954(from the creator of Buddakan), is earning raves.
I just wish the W's evening bar crowd weren't so hetero-cruisy, like an older, dressed-up version of yesteryear's spring breakers. Fort Lauderdale is slowly shedding its old-school image, but will it ever truly become a cosmopolitan urban playground?
My fingers are crossed, because I want to love Lauderdale. I really do.
Contributing editor LoAnn Halden divides her time between South Florida and the rest of the world.
