Time Shifts and Hollywood

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One of the stupid things about life is Daylight Savings. And we got to experience it on this trip. Fortunately for us, we got to experience it during the first weekend of Spring Break instead of the last, so our bodies get a whole week to acclimatize to the new time before actually being back on a schedule. So we were expecting things to shift forward an hour. I will say that I had figured incorrectly about the time the sun would rise; I was thinking it would rise an hour earlier, but I was very happy to get another hour of darkness in the morning, since my body thinks it's time to get up as soon as it sees the sun. So that was a very pleasant surprise.

What I was NOT expecting was for south Florida to shift ahead an entire week instead of just an hour. What am I talking about, you may be asking? Well, I can attest to the fact that I was quite flabbergasted by all of the Saint Patrick's Day festivals occurring on March 10th. I could understand having it on the weekend before the holiday if the actual day was on Tuesday or Wednesday. But an entire week early? When the holiday itself already occurs over a weekend? And this was not a solitary occurrence.

Our Sunday plans including hitting up Hollywood, FL, before going to the Panthers NHL game in nearby Sunrise in the evening. Since I am a big Art Deco fan, I had searched for places that might include larger collections of that kind of architecture. The obvious place around here is South Beach in Miami Beach, but the fabulous internet told me that Hollywood had the second largest collection of Art Deco buildings in Florida outside of Miami Beach. I couldn't find any pictures, but assurances were made. So this was our first goal on Sunday. Let's just say that the entire experience was a disappointment. When we got close to the town, traffic slowed to a standstill about 2 miles outside of the main downtown area. On a Sunday afternoon. It turns out, the town center was shut down to traffic because of the open-air St. Patrick's Day festival they were having. We were a bit surprised to say the least. At least I was wearing a green shirt, so I didn't stand out. Frankly I had expected to stand out very much at the hockey game, since their colors (nor those of the opponents) are not green. But here I was, serendipitously dressed in the appropriate colors for an unexpected party, a whole week early.

So we found a place to park and walked around. Aside from the screwball party going on, there was no real directory of Art Deco buildings, so we had to just meander around the streets until we found them at random. Unfortunately, most of them were basic Art Deco, so not much special about that in my opinion, and they usually appeared to be in some state of disrepair. Some were in use, others were basically abandoned. And the majority of them were NOT on the main thoroughfare where the party was going down. So we looked pretty lost, wandering on the side streets and definitely like we didn't belong. It was also getting pretty hot, and neither Jack nor I remain very dry in such conditions. So we looked hot and sweaty after only an hour of wandering around this messed-up town. Can I recommend a visit to Hollywood, FL? Absolutely not.

The Florida Panthers, the NHL team in Sunrise, I can highly recommend. Long sleeves are appropriate, since there is an ice rink at the center of the stadium. But parking was easy (though expensive--$20) and the tickets were easily acquired at the ticket booth. Everything inside is clearly marked inside the venue, and aside from their overpriced swag store, everything else is about what you would expect in a major professional sporting arena. The seats we got, which were in the top level, were not bad at all. We even managed to get a "first game" certificate and a little button to wear, to let people know it was our first game. I think that last part is mainly for kids. We did not wear the buttons. I also managed to score a free soda since I signed up to be a designated driver at the same little kiosk. That was a lifesaver after all that sweating in Hollywood.

And then the Florida Panthers absolutely destroyed the Detroit Red Wings, which I thought was a good team. I would definitely recommend attending a hockey game here, and if I ever come back, it will be my primary sports destination in the area.

One thing to mention is that I've had foot problems again, mainly because I was stupid enough to bring only a pair of boots to wear on this trip. I could certainly have worn them with my shorts, but I imagine that would look weird and would probably be less than comfortable. So on Saturday morning, we ventured forth into West Palm Beach, to the City Palace area, where we intended to watch Captain Marvel. While we were there, we walked around the outdoor mall area, and I found a couple of local stores that sold fun Spring Break-y shirts with West Palm Beach on them (so I got them, and good for that too). I was also on the lookout for some cheap low-top shoes, or sandals. I should've got sandals, but since I had brought low-cut socks with me, I intended to be able to use them. Stupid. Anyway, the shoes I bought look nice--dark blue, faux leather kind of things. Almost like Sperry's or any boat shoes. The point was to get something that wouldn't get messed up when wet. So far, they have gotten wet a few times and still do well. Unfortunately, though, they cut into the backs of my heels, and so I've had to invest in different kinds of bandaids to keep the cutting and blistering to a minimum, and this has certainly mitigated the cheap price for the shoes. Anyway, after walking around Hollywood, my heels were like mincemeat. It was my first big test of the new shoes, and they failed in that regard. Otherwise, they were just fine. But by the time we got to our seats at the hockey game, I was holding my shoes in my hand and just walking around in socks. And good thing I had socks, too, because otherwise I would've had bare feet, and that stadium floor was not particularly clean.

One last fun experience, that happened right after I bought the shoes. We were headed back to our car in the parking deck and decided to take the elevator. Big mistake. We hit the 3 button to go to the 3rd floor, but when the elevator arrived at the 3rd floor, it failed to open the doors. And we sat there for a few seconds, maybe a minute. That's when claustrophobia began to set in for one of us. Not me. Upon trying to pry open the doors, we discovered that we were moving very slowly. Downward. So we waited another minute or two, and we pressed the open button a few times. Then it opened, finally, and we were back on the ground floor. What a weird ride.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Architecture and more
Looks like you are having a great time. Strange having the St. Patrick's celebration a week early.