by Miguel Bravo | Nov 28, 2011 | Fort Lauderdale
by K47
It’s that time of year again, and FTL residents will be coming out in masses to kick-off the holiday season. On Tuesday November 29th, our famous boulevard will be closed down to traffic and filled with Christmas Spirit. Here are our tips for making the best of it:
- Walk, bike, or teleport to this event because parking anywhere near Las Olas will be a bitch.
- Wear close-toed shoes. Trust us on this one. There will be more strollers than you have ever seen in your life and they WILL run you over.
- Dress up your dog (or cat). You don’t want him/her to feel left out and naked. Animals who attend Christmas on Las Olas are known for their keen Christmas fashion sense.
- Bring cash. Various vendors will have food and drink carts/tables set-up but, not credit card machines. ATM’s can be hard to come by in the crowd.
- Brush up on your Tanya Harding skills. No, not clubbing people in the knee….ice skating! Skate Las Olas, an artificial ice rink, is up and running in the lawn next to the Riverside Hotel. Rent some skates for $6 and get working on that triple axel.
- Pack a thermos of your favorite holiday themed beverage. A recent favorite of ours is Mulled Wine:
- 1 bottle of red wine (really any will do)
- ¼ cup Brandy
- 1 package of cider spice (or a combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger)
- Simmer these ingredients on the stove-top for 10-20 minutes and enjoy.
Christmas On Las Olas
On Las Olas Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale
Between Southeast 6th Avenue and Southeast 10th Avenue
Around 5 PM – 10 PM
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
by Fat Hand | Nov 25, 2011 | Local Business
by Fat Hand
While Black Friday is supposedly the biggest shopping day of the year, the day following the day following Thanksgiving has been declared a day to shop at small businesses. Saturday, November 26 is Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express (I can’t decide if that sponsorship is ironic or not).
As we begin our holiday shopping, Small Business Saturday is a reminder that although the BestBuys and Targets of the world offer convenience, many of us would rather purchase our gifts at small, locally owned businesses. So here are a number of gift ideas from some of the region’s locally owned businesses:
1. Check out Discount Train & Hobby on Oakland Park Blvd. for an unbelievable selection of models and trains (211 E. Oakland Park Boulevard).
2. Buy your favorite blogger a record album from Radioactive Records, now located just south of Searstown (845 N. Federal Highway).
3. Quirky and artsy gifts geared toward girls at the funky Jezebel (1980 E. Sunrise Boulevard, in Gateway Plaza).
4. Give the gift of transportation by picking up a bike at George’s Cycle Shop (1029 S.E. 17th Street).
5. For that friend of yours that needs to relax, pick up a gift certificate for yoga classes or massage at Red Pearl Yoga (918 N.E. 20th Avenue).
6. If you must give a gift to a co-worker, pick up a bottle of wine at the wonderful and helpful 7th Street Wine Company (701 S. Federal Highway).
7. Be locally and globally conscious in one fell swoop by checking out the fair trade products of all kinds at Mission Gifts (1200 E. Las Olas Boulevard).
This list is just a starter of course, as there are many wonderful small and local businesses in our medium-sized city. So as you are out there looking for the perfect retail items to show your loved ones how you feel, give a small business a shot.
by Miguel Bravo | Nov 23, 2011 | Music
Say what you will about this Saturday’s 2nd annual Dancegiving Festival, a tri-venue smorgasbord of some of the world’s top DJs held at Revolution Live, but some FTLC staffers are pretty excited about this year’s festivities. With the cancellation of Identity Festival for a bogus hurricane, this event couldn’t come at a better time. After this weekend’s party, we’ll have nearly 4 months to recover until Miami gets invaded by WMC and Ultra in mid-March. Upping the ante, this year’s version of the fest expands to 5 stages total, which includes 2 new outdoor stages.
We’d be kidding ourselves if we said we weren’t looking forward the most to catching the bigger national headliners (hello MSTRKRFT), but it’s worth noting that there are 35 Florida DJs on the lineup. For FTLC blogging purposes we’re only concerned with the DJs with 954, 754, 305, 786, & 561 area codes. We found 23, but I’m sure we missed a few because A) half the names are hard to Google (looking at you Elements), and B) a handful of potentially local DJs decided that they’d rather rep a fake city (“Schwagville”, really?). That being said, this is what I was able to round up (all my favorites are in the first 7, after that it’s random order). Check the festival schedule set times.
Afrobeta – Play House (Brass Knuckles Remix)
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/10430454″]
Phoenix – Fences (GTA Bootleg)
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/15877395″]
Renegades Of Funk – Dancegiving Promo Mix
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/23644982″]
Jay Z & Kanye West – NI**AS In Paris (Caligula Remix)
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/22168665″]
Juan Basshead – Live from Get Low WMC ’11
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/12419364″]
Arias – Bass Invaders
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/13863415″]
Modest Mouse – Float On (Landis Remix)
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/21216192″]
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by Strawberry Jam | Nov 22, 2011 | Art
Do you like art? How about a real-deal scavenger hunt? What if it’s all free, too? This Saturday, you can partake in that trifecta of awesomeness by participating in the annual Art Scavenger Huntin Downtown FTL. How does it work? On Saturday, November 26th, arrive at Laser Wolf at 8pm sharp to pick up your map, then head out on your quest, and return to the same location to get any pieces you find signed by the artist(s). It’s 100% free and 100% fun and local.
There’s quite a bit of history behind the hunt dating back to the old Chili Peper (now Revolution) where Hunt founder and organizer Steve Sticht (yes, the same guy behind the blue bikes) began anonymously leaving art around the venue. When friend and fellow artist Jeff Holmes found out Sticht was behind thes street art after telling him about the mysterious art that was beginning to spook the owners, the two thought of the idea of a “pirate art show”. After it’s success and the eventual departure of Holmes, that show evolved into what the Art Scavenger Hunt is today and is said to get “bigger and better each year”.
Last year, 21 artists participated and an estimated 160 maps were distributed (some of which were shared). The trail has even had to be changed because people were arriving early and grabbing the art before the official start of the Hunt (there is a 2 piece maximum to make sure everyone has a fair chance at getting something- Sticht makes a good portion of the art to ensure there’s enough to go around). See why we say get there at 8pm sharp?
Last year, the hunt was dedicated to Brad Stewart (Gidget Gein of Marilyn Manson), who despite living in California the past three years, would ship art for the Hunt every year. This year the Hunt will be dedicated to Peter Giovenco, one of the earliest artists and participants, who passed away a few months ago.
Check out this album from last year’s hunt: Art Scavenger Hunt 2010.
Some pieces you might find at this year's hunt
A piece from the 2010 Hunt that was never found
Art Scavenger Hunt is Saturday, November 26th, 2011, starting point at Laser Wolf at 8pm. Check out the Facebook page here.
by Miguel Bravo | Nov 18, 2011 | Local Business
by Fat Hand
I’d like to apologize for the FTLC’s blogging hiatus: we were stuck in traffic. But like the Beatles in the USSR, we’re back.
This past Wednesday was opening night for Tap 42, the new beer bar south of downtown Fort Lauderdale (located on S. Andrews Avenue two blocks north of 17th Street). I, along with what seemed like everybody else in Fort Lauderdale between the ages of 25-40, wanted to be first to check it out. It was crowded on opening night my friends. Actually, I didn’t arrive until 9:30 and people said it was way more crowded earlier in the evening, which hardly seems possible.
As the name suggests, Tap 42 has 42 beers on tap. Plus it has another 103 bottled choices. But if that does not satisfy you, there are also 50 different bourbons to enjoy. One interesting thing I noted about Tap 42’s menu is that it does not list prices of the beers or bourbons. For beer that’s probably not a big deal, as most are in the $5-$6 dollar range that one would expect (although a bartender told me a few are priced as high as $11), but if you are ordering bourbon, choose wisely. A friend of mine was all excited about his $17 glass of the outstanding Pappy Van Winkle, which is great as long as you know what you are ordering. Just saying, be careful.
Tap 42 has what appears to be a good menu with a variety of appetizers, a few salads, some tacos, and a promising list of burgers. I enjoyed the mole chicken tacos and I heard raves about the burgers and sweet potato fries.
Tap 42 took over the spot of the old Brownie’s, which hosted legends such as Louie Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald way back in the day. Sadly I never visited Brownie’s before it closed, but from what I have heard it had gone downhill a bit, and was not the sparkling swinging spot it had been in its heyday. But the new place looks wonderful, from the reclaimed parquet wall running the length of the room, to the copper colored background behind the taps (which on closer inspection is a bunch of pennies glued to the wall), to the concrete flooring installed by local green-friendly hardware and construction company Eco Simplista. The décor is classy and the bar feels very comfortable.
Outside is a huge patio with plenty of tables and space to enjoy the fresh air of Andrews Ave., plus tons of free parking. No bands played while I was on scene, but supposedly Tap 42 will have live music.
The bar has about 5 flat-screens but this is not a sports bar. This is a place to drink good beer and great bourbon and to hunker down with your friends to plan your shady real estate deals or your PIP scams or whatever it is you are doing in this shitty economy. This is a bar to drunkenly describe your next great conquest, and to even more drunkenly find yourself in a good old-timey duel. Indeed, the parking lot outside of Tap 42 is sure to become the official dueling spot of Fort Lauderdale, which is ok because Broward General is only a block away.
The FTLC raises its collective glass to the new and exciting Tap 42.
Some more photos, after the jump…
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