The Florida Land Boom of the 1920s ushered in the Ft. Lauderdale we know today. Still it took awhile for the city to form. World War II stabilized the area as a naval base. From then on Ft. Lauderdale shared in the destiny of the entire state of Florida, which emerged as a popular vacation spot for the eastern half of the United States. The 1960 movie, "Where the Boys Are," certainly didn’t hurt with the advent of the spring-break, college-age, tourist trade.

Times change. Ft. Lauderdale now has lost some of that spring-break crowd. The city has all the services, education, and culture that other cities have. But, a couple of features remain as standouts: The Fort Lauderdale swap shop is a huge flea market, too large to be only an indoor shop. Also, the International Swimming Hall of Fame is here with all the usual facilities any hall of fame would have. But, I’m still trying to comprehend what the research library looks like there.

Come visit. Once a pleasure capitol, always a pleasure capitol. Famous people include Jaco Pastorius, Kelsey Grammer, and Dave Thomas. Today, after a $26 million beautification project, the city's seven miles of beautiful beach off Highway A1A are lined with towering hotels like the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 with its revolving rooftop lounge, restaurants, cafes, dance clubs and upscale shops. Enjoy the sun, plus boating, surfing, scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, and jet skiing.