18.- Fort Lauderdale, Fishing

A boat like this is set up for fishing in the Gulf Stream. The stream flows from the Caribbean, north to New York and Boston, then across the Atlantic to Ireland. The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico keep the British Isles and much of Europe much warmer. The path of the stream shifts east or west, but surprising research by Florida Atlantic University (where I earned my Master's Degree in Public Administration) has discovered that the stream sometimes goes south! If you are interested in fishing, you can find a boat at Bahia Mar (south of Las Olas Blvd. on A1A (Ocean Drive)

With three hooks in the water, I hope this guy catches something! It takes about an hour to get to the best part of the Gulf Stream, but it's worth it (according to serious fishermen). In Fort Lauderdale, the place to start is at Bahia Mar, where an author named John D. MacDonald decided to place one of his characters (sleuth Travis McGee) on Slip F18 (the Busted Flush was the name of the boat). If you are interested in learning more about the way of life of Fort Lauderdale before it was "Where the Boys Are" (the beach destination for college kids in the spring), then read John D.'s books, starting with "The Deep Blue Good Bye." [Next »]