2005 Ft. Lauderdale - post Hurricane Katrina While she devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Katrina was only a category one when it swept over the southern tip of Florida. While Katrina gained strength over the gulf, I made my first trip ever to the state of Florida. My pal Martin bought a place in Ft. Lauderdale two years ago and he's been chatting it up ever since. My father plans to retire there so I thought it was a good time to check things out and see the place for myself. It might be nice for them, but it's just so not me. My general impression of SoFla is that it is a combination of the worst parts of La melted into the worst parts of New York and grafted onto some flat, foetid sub tropical island. Some of the people seemed nice enough, but given my research on their job market, I can't see myself ever considering a move there. Maybe I'll check it out again when the place is "In Season" though I wasn't particularly bothered by the humidity. I was prepared for it and able to cool off in a swimming pool or air conditioned interior - both of which never seemed in short supply.

Churching

On sunday morning, I went to the cute little Unity Church of Fort Lauderdale. The minister had a thick cuban accent and she was a really enthralling speaker. For me, the highlight of the service was hearing this great little combo. The first number they did was a disco song. It reminded me of Rev Matt's Disco Church in San Francisco - while that service often devolved into pure theatre, the Ft. Lauderdale combo never let it get too heavy handed. They had two vocalists, one male and one female who complimented each other quite well. All in all it was everything a really good service should be, uplifting and inspiring. Though it did little to prepare me for Miami's South Beach.

Versace's House

After church, Martin took me down to Miami's South Beach for a short stroll and some lunch. We walked past Versace's house and I saw the step where he died. The blood is gone, but the memories linger. I was never much of a fan, but I am so grateful for Versace for creating such gaudy, garrish garments because it has often served as a bold sign of who to steer clear of in clubs and bars. I've found that certain personality types are drawn to his designs and I like to keep the drama in my life to a minimum.

Reconnecting

While checking out some of the clubs, I met quite a few locals and a few vacationing New Yorkers. I was totally shocked to run into my old friend Joe. We met a couple of years ago at Southern Decadence in New Orleans. I still had Joe's number in my mobile phone but as ye do with far away friends, we hadn't talked for over a year. He bought a condo in Ft. Lauderdale recently and is fixing it up. I'm glad he didn't wait for the Labour Day weekend to go down there, because running into him gave us a chance to hang out and reconnect again. Spending the afternoon at a little pool party in his condo complex was the perfect way to end my short vacation to South Florida.