Our room was spacious, clean and comfortable.  Few outside noises penetrated.  We slept ten hours.  I got up first and went for a walk while Margie got ready for the day.  Since the John Ringling House and museum were only two blocks away, I decided to get a preview and walked over there.  I was able to explore the lovely grounds without a ticket.  The rose garden was especially lovely.  The roses were dormant, but the Italian statues that lined the garden were charming.  I was anxious to see the rest.

Back at the motel the manager had set out a delightful continental breakfast.  Since there was no dining area, he provided trays so folks could take their food and drink to their rooms. 

The Ringling Mansion/Museum

Margie and I got to the museum just in time for the 11 a.m. Tour of Ca'd Zan, the House of John (John Ringling and his wife, Mable).  It is patterned after a Venetian villa and houses an extensive collection of art and artifacts collected by this couple.  Since they were childless, they left their Florida holdings to the people of Florida.  The Ringlings had had financial reversals and died just as their creditors we moving in for the kill.  The people of Florida were able to snatch the holdings from their jaws.

A volunteer named Chris was our guide and told us all sorts of wonderful tales about the family and the things in the house.  It seems that there were seven Ringling Brothers, but it was mainly only five of them who were involved in the circus business.  John was the wealthiest and best-known of the bunch.  When the tour ended Margie and I got a cup of coffee and sat on the huge front verandah overlooking Sarasota Bay imagining what life was like for this remarkable couple.

Mr. and Mrs. Ringling

From there we walked to the Rose Garden then on to the museum.  On our way we passed many banyon trees then ate lunch in the charming Banyon Restaurant.  It was housed in a circular (or maybe it was octagonal) building with an outer screened porch and an inner area with floor-to-ceiling windows, so everyone had great views.  The food we had was good and reasonably priced.

The Circus Museum was fascinating, and we had a guide for that too – Scott.  Sarasota is a real circus town.  It is a wintering place for owners and performers alike.  In fact, a large part of the city was set aside just for them and became the precursor to Disneyland.  Even when "on vacation" the animals were on exhibit.  Some of the former headliners are still alive and well and living in this area.  Others who have passed on are fondly remembered.

I took a quick pass through a third exhibit – a huge art museum built by the Ringlings in about 1925 to house more of their art collection.  Most of the paintings were huge religious scenes by the likes of Rubens.  I wasn't much in the mood to dwell on them.

Our drive over to Orlando was unremarkable.  We talked about whether or not evil exists.  (Margie believes it does not.)  I believe it does and wonder about its relation to good. I've heard it said they are horns on the same goat – or flip sides of the same coin.  We ran into a lot of slow-downs and the trip that should have taken only two hours took three and a half instead.  On the way we stopped in Lakeland to get directions to our hotel and confirm our reservations.  When we arrived at the motel the gal at the desk said that our reservation had been canceled at 4 p.m.  Happily she had a room for us.  We were back in the $50 price range.  Almost all of the patrons we saw were black.  One of them asked Margie if we realized that we were at a Red Carpet not a Red Roof.  (We had noticed that, but did not realize the significance.)  As we approached our room we saw two guys trying to get into a car with a coat hanger, but we did not see any signs about no refunds after 10 minutes. 

Our room was on a corner on the second floor and was very much like the one we had the night before.  The AC/heater worked just fine, so we were happy.  After settling in we went in search of food armed with some suggestions from the nice gal at the front desk.  The first two we tried were too crowded.  Finally we stumbled on a small, quiet, family-style Mexican restaurant called San Jose's.  The service was good and the food was delicious - and cheap.

Back at the motel we re-evaluated our plan to visit Epcott.  The weather report promised  a nice day.  The guide books were full of suggestions for beating the crowds at Epcott.  Margie was tired today by 1 p.m. despite getting ten hours sleep and waking up feeling great.  The idea of being inside all day trying to beat the crowds did not appeal to us at all.  We noted that there were a lot of other fascinating attractions in the area.  The Lonely Planet Guide Book had some particularly funny descriptions of a few of the other theme parks in the area.  For example:  Reige's Firearms "rents hand guns and semi-automatic weapons out to anyone – anyone – over age 21.  Children over ten can play too, as long as they are accompanied by and adult ---Blamitty-blam-blam."

Holy Land Experience – "Orlando's only Christian theme park....It's designed to look like Jerusalem circa 33 A.D. And the staff is mostly Israeli imports....Rules are strict...anyone yelling about gay rights, evolution, or abortion will be escorted to the parking lot."

With places like this to pick from, how could we spend all that time at Epcott?

Sunday March 6  Orlando

It was an interesting night.  At 2 a.m. The phone rang.  Margie answered and got no response.  Within five minutes a man called saying he was on the front desk and wanted to notify us that someone was calling rooms and saying nothing.  We could prevent further call by leaving our phone off the hook – so Margie did.

Later, at about 4 p.m., a person was singing outside our door.  After awhile Margie called the front desk to complain.  Within ten minutes all was quiet.

We got up at about 7:30 a.m.  I went to the office to get coffee.  Everyone there was white.  A young Italian woman and her husband were checking out and were on their way to the motorcycle races in Daytona.  Rodney, the white desk clerk (and maybe general manager) was checking out another man who was also white.  On the counter there was a big coffee dispenser, a jug of orange juice and some little powdered donuts – not bad for a $50-per-night place.

Before we left Rodney was very helpful in giving us directions to the different places we wanted to go.  He was most apologetic for the events of the previous night.  He explained that they have a phone prankster who calls rooms randomly.  He made both calls to our room.  If we want to prevent such calls, we can ask the front desk to put our phone on "do not disturb".  He assured us we ha nothing to fear from the guy.

As we drove into Winter park, the upscale, revitalized place we wanted to visit, we passed Bakeley's Family Restaurant.  It looked like a hot spot for breakfast.  We were right.  We had a very good breakfast and planned our day.

First we took a scenic boat ride around two of the local lakes that are connected by a canal.  Allen, our guide, showed us all the homes that the rich and famous have owned or visited.  I was a beautiful day for a boat ride and any other outdoor activity.  Nonetheless, we decided to do an indoor activity next – visit the Morris Museum to see a collection of Tiffany glass and tile work....SPECTACULAR!

We wanted to get back outdoors, so we went to the Menello Museum of American Folk Art.  As luck would have it, there was a folk art festival in progress on the grounds outside the museum.  We enjoyed the music and the story-tellers as well as the art for sale at the different booths.  At 4 p.m. we joined in the contra dancing which was great fun and good exercise.  We also worked up an appetite. 

We stopped to eat at The Green Fiddle, a fairly authentic Irish pub with a few Irish/English-sounding guys standing around drinking.  Margie bought my dinner – an early birthday present.  What a sweetie!

Monday March 7  Orlando to Ft. Lauderdale

Last night was different – no singer or phantom phone-caller, just a fight between a man and a woman at about midnight.  It did not last long.

In the morning before we left, Rodney and the maintenance man were very helpful in planning our route to Ft. Lauderdale.  They agreed that A1A would be slow but much more scenic than I-95.

It took us two hours to get to the coast.  By then we were pretty hungry.  Margie, good- restaurant-spotter extraordinaire, pulled up in front of a dandy.  As we got out of our car and walked toward it, a couple parked behind us told us that it was closed on Mondays.  They said that they were from out of state and have tried a lot of restaurants in the area.  This one is their favorite.  We got back in our car, and Margie drove as if she was being pulled by a magnet.  She turned off the main drag, explored two possibilities and zeroed in on the perfect spot – and there was a parking space right by the front door.  We sat out on the deck in comfortable chairs and enjoyed a fabulous lunch and a lovely view.  I had a grilled fresh fish sandwich, and Margie had a mixed seafood salad wrap.

A couple of hours later we were ready for a drink.  We also wanted to call our motel to say we'd be running late.  Again Margie found a great spot with a deck overlooking the water.  We got good drinks and the waitress brought a phone to our table so we could call our motel.

As we drove on we developed a yen for ice cream.  As the yearning increased, we watched more and more intently for an ice cream store.  Finally Margie pulled into a shopping center, again, as if pulled by a magnet, and suggested that we just go into any restaurant and get our ice cream.  I was just thinking how I would not like that when she spotted an Italian deli.  It had a great selection of gelatos and ice cream.  We each got an ice cream – for the calcium. - Yea!?  (Gelatos are water and fruit-based – no dairy.)

As we drove along A1A the area became more populated with very big homes.  When we got to Lake Worth it was a little after 5 p.m., and the sun was setting, so we went to the public beach to watch it.  We'd seen better, so we left before it was over.

As we continued on down the coast we marveled at how many very wealthy folks there are who own the huge homes and condos we were seeing.  AND these are probably not their only homes.

As we approached Ft. Lauderdale we began to wonder what our next $50-per-night room  would be like and briefly discussed the possibility of splurging on a better place if it was really bad.  To our surprise and delight it was just fine.  As we drove around to the office we passed dozens of 18-wheelers.  At the check-in desk we were behind a group of five young people with back packs (spring breakers?).

Once again Red Carpet got our reservation wrong.  We were down for the night of March 8 only.  Luckily it was no problem.  They had a room for us at the cheapest rate - $50.  Our room was by the pool on the first floor.  It was about the size of the ones in last two places.  We had two queen beds, a table and two chairs plus a dresser with a TV on top and a clean bathroom with plenty of nice towels.

By the time we got settled in it was past 8 o'clock, so we went to the restaurant/bar next door.  The first thing we noticed was the loud music, but at least it was country western and not rap or hard rock.  The next thing we noticed was a gal in high gold platform heels and a skimpy lingerie.  Later she came to our table and explained that she was modeling the outfit and asked if we wanted to buy some chances on something or other.  We couldn't understand her due to the loud music and her accent.  She changed outfits two more times while we were there, and each one was skimpier than the one before.

Margie and I decided to get with the program and had two big draft beers each.  We shared an order of one dozen cold boiled shrimp that was served with a great red horseradish sauce followed by four huge fresh fish fingers battered and fried.  It was all delicious and cost only $17.00. 

By 11 we were in bed and asleep.

Tuesday March 8  Ft. Lauderdale

Last night I got a good sleep with no outside interruptions despite being near the pool.  It was too cool for anyone to be interested in swimming.  When I opened our door I found that the two local newspapers had been delivered – complementary.  I sat by the side of the pool and read about Martha Stewart being released from prison after five months. 

When Margie was ready we went to the same restaurant for breakfast.  It was much quieter.

The sun tried to come out, but the rain clouds won, so we spent the first part of the day driving around to see some of the outlying neighborhoods.  Margie did not see anything she liked AND could afford.  When we came to a Border's Book store on the river, we decided to take a break and plan our afternoon.  After awhile we noticed that the rain had let up, so we decided to take a scenic riverboat cruise.  It cost $15.

Our guide told us that Ft. Lauderdale is known as "the Venice of America" because there are so many waterways.  We passed mansion after mansion most with huge yachts parked in front.  I asked how owners get crews for them.  The guide said there are crew agencies.  Folks who want to work on yachts submit their resumes to them.  The captain and owner make the final decision from the applicants the agency sends them. When they get to the various ports the crew members usually stay in a special part of town in very nice accommodations.

The captain of our ship pointed out homes of the rich and famous – entertainers, sports figures, business tycoons etc..  However, by far and away the vast majority of these owners are merely rich and not famous.  South Florida has a whole lot of people with a whole lot of money.

By the time our tour ended at 4 we were very hungry.  We decided on a cute place called The Ugly Tuna Saloon.  It was upstairs in an open area of the river front shopping/restaurant area.  Our table was the most unusual I have ever seen.  The table and attached benches were built on wheels which were set in a frame that allowed us to sort of rock ourselves back and forth – table and all.  We had a great view of the tree tops at eye level and the river walk below.

The food was good too.  They served our shrimp cocktail in a martini glass. We shared an order of fabulous jambalya and were plenty full. To help settle our dinner we walked up and down the river walk.  It's not quite as nice as the one in San Antonio, but lovely just the same.  We took one last drive up and down the Ft. Lauderdale beaches then returned to our motel and made ready to leave the next day.

Wednesday March 9  Ft. Lauderdale – Home

Margie and I turned our car in at the airport without a hitch. We said our good-byes and flew to our home cities – Margie back to cold and blustery Chicago and me to Houston where the weather had been pretty much the same as south Florida the whole two weeks.

We made some observations:

Margie noticed that businesses in Florida use name-play in their names and advertising.  Unfortunately we did not write any of them down and cannot think of an example.

The fancier and more expensive motels/hotels were not nearly as interesting as the cheapies.  They were definitely not worth all the extra money.  e.g. Our splurge in Naples ($150) was definitely not worth 3x's what we paid here.

Our favorite guidebook was Lonely Planet.  The maps were the best, and the information was comprehensive and accurate.  The authors presented their facts with great good humor.  Our second favorite was the DK Guide.  The photos were especially excellent as were the diagrams of buildings.  Our least favorite was Frommer's.

The Florida Travel Saver was also very valuable.  It is produced by Burger King and is available for free at all of their locations as well as other places. It has coupons for cheap rates at hotels, motels and some tourist attractions.  We found that some of the deals were a bait and switch, but we were able to avoid them by calling ahead and insisting on a reservation with the rate confirmed.  The maps in this publication were also excellent.

Margie had a cell phone, but because of the terms of her plan, she had to put it on "roam" which meant that calls in or out cost 50 cents per minute. We used my calling card and paid 3 cents per minute.

We saw little evidence of spring break – probably because we did not do the night life.  However, we did do beaches and found that they were not overly crowded with young people – or any age group for that matter.  Once in awhile we were told a place had no vacancies because of it.

The different cities had distinct personalities: South Beach is "hot" with lots of sexually dressed young people – especially girls.  It is very international.  Almost everyone we talked to was bi-lingual in Spanish or some other language.  It was common to hear three or four different languages being spoken in a restaurant.  Fabulous Art Deco is everywhere.

Naples appeared to be more conservative and sedate.  The majority of the residents seemed to be white, over 60 and well-off.

Sarasota is very posh.  Its lovely white beaches are covered with sand made of crushed quartz that moved there from Appalachia many millennia ago.  Siesta Beach is the favorite.  There is a large population of older, wealthy, white folks and a big emphasis on art – most of it supported by the Ringling family trust.  A circus feeling is in the air too.

Tampa was our least favorite city.  It was shabby – a city that had not grown well.  Ugly architecture was placed next to something lovely with no evidence of a long-term plan.  However, the university is lovely, and they seem to be doing a good job of revitalizing Ybor city, the "Old Town" area.

St. Petersburg seems to be developing its downtown.  We were not drawn to it as a place to live.

Clearwater has some less expensive hotels on the beach.  There is not much emphasis on historical development.  We were not drawn to it either.

Orlando is an area of citrus orchards the fruits of which we did not see.  Even the grocery store where we stopped for snacks for the road had only California oranges.  Maybe the four hurricanes that hit Florida in the past year damaged the orchards.  It seems like a clean city devoted to tourism as evidenced by the number of theme parks – about 12 as I remember. Small inland lakes abound.  The area north of the city is more scenic.  The south side is flat – the perfect place for Disney World.

Everywhere we noticed that there were few boats out on the water even when the weather was nice.  Most were parked in front of a mansion or in a marina.

THE END