Moving to Ft. Lauderdale
 

Hi!<BR> I currently live in NYC and was thinking about re-locating to the Ft. Lauderdale area (broward county). I know there are alot of activities for Seniors there, but I was wondering how the social scene is for people in the 25-45 yrs old age bracket?<BR> Nightlife? Bars? Music? Arts and other Culture stuff? How about meeting other singles other then the "bar scene"?<BR> Being from NYC I am used to having alot to do...do you find there is enough intersting activities to keep you busy???<BR> Thanks in advance to all the reply!

A few friends of mine got relocated there last year and love it. They're in their mid 30's and feel that the gay social scene is alive and thriving. Not sure how it would be for a straight male.

Well I live in Orlando and I'm only 14 but I'll tell you this much. Ft. Lauderdale is a thiriving gay communtity but there are lots of night clubs and bars and if you go on Spring Break and anytime in the summer you are sure to have in time of your life!!!

Thanks...appreciate the info, but just to clarify, I am single straight male and would be looking to meet women.<BR>I am intereted in hearing about both the social scene and general activities of interest to keep busy, as outlined in my initial post....

Pay no attention to Aubrey definite troll. What 14 year old writes like that? None. Some perverted adult without a life.<BR><BR>Craig-Do a text search on Ft. Lauderdale above and you will find tons of info. Great city and it is not all gays!

JJ is right ignore the troll. Here's a ling for FLL. http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us <BR>A friend of mine (40) just moved there and loves it. They have a performing arts center, kayaking is big, boating etc. If you like the outdoors FLL is the place to be. Pro Sports teams the Marlins, Dolphins in Miami, Panthers pro hockey team. Lots of nightlife, good restaurants etc. You can always drive to South Beach and the Keys if you get bored.

Craig, take advantage of your position. It is true that there are more and more young professionals in Ft. Lauderdale, many of them active on the straight dating scene. But to be perfectly honest, most of us girls have a hard time meeting up with worthwhile guys who aren't gay -- it seems there are a lot of them. So if you are attractive, well mannered, and a "catch" come on down. We need you in our "dating pool".

Thanks JJ, Jill, & XXX for your posts and the encouragement (I needed that!..lol) And XXX if I may be immodest for a sec, I think I am a "Catch" (a GOOD, decent guy)...<BR>Appreciate the info, and anybody else reading, who would like to add their comments...by all means, continue.....

Craig: There is plenty of activities for singles in your age group in Broward Co. Las Olas Blvd. and the Himmarshee areas have good restaurants and bars. Good culture, but only one of each type (and certainly not at the same level as NYC). If you like outdoor activities, there will be more here than you can take advantage of. The biggest adjustment is that many activities require a commute, and public transportation is worthless in South Fla. (with the possible exception of Miami's metromover system).

Thanks for the info, Danny....glad to hear it. Well, unfortunately I know what you mean about the public transit there. My father lives in Deerfield (near Boca) and I tried it the last time I was there. The busses are real nice, but it's really bad news...long "headways" between buses (as much as 45 minutes) many routes shut down early, like 5 PM or 8 PM, just not practical to use. A real shame! I've been carless in Manhattan and realize that if I make the move to Ft Lauderdale, I wil absolutely HAVE to get a car again. San Diego has a much more usuable bus system (as well as light rail) but I was going more toward the Fla move because of the lower cost of living there.....<BR>Anyone else with comments are welcome to post!!!

Craig,<BR>Our transit system is the best in Florida and the second best in the Southeast. I know that is not saying alot compared to NY but I use it every day. Yes, you must have a car. But you can incorporate public transit into your daily commute. We have Tri-Rail commuter rail which runs from West Palm Beach to Miami, stopping every few miles with parking lots at each stop. Each stop has feeder buses that run throughout the counties, so you can catch the feeder bus to the commuter rail station. These are PalmTran in Palm Beach County, the "B" Broward Transit in Broward and MetroBus in Miami-Dade. I park my car at the commuter rail and head down to Miami on the train. In Miami-Dade, where most of the higher paying jobs are, you can connect with the Metrorail, an elevated rail system that runs from Hialeah through downtown and down to Dadeland and UM. Downtown you can connect with the Metromover and this will take you all over downtown,stopping at most major office buildings. There are no other rail systems in Florida besides these. They are currently working to add more capacity to Tri-Rail so things are looking better every day. Good Luck on your move. Shawn

Craig, Ft Lauderdale is a happening place! And straight males are very VERY welcomed. No slight to gays meant. I've had occasion to visit Ft Lauderdale (& Plantation, Davie, Hollywood, etc) over the past 20 years and find it to be fun for all ages but most recently for that 25-45 group you mention. The Hispanic population is increasing and with them the restaurants and clubs as well. There are lots of concerts of all stripes, art galleries, in fact - too much going on. The restaurants are fantastic, with sidewalk dining becoming more popular. I really like the area and am also looking at relocation. The sea breezes call me every time I visit. High growth area - with traffic that can drive you crazy. Not Miami or DC, but still pretty bad. Generally Broward County has well maintained roads and it seems that even small business have plantings outside. Pride of place. It's growing so fast - you'd better hurry before all the bargains are gone.

Excellent info Shawn and Shanna! Thanks... Well, Shawn I would agree with you that tri-rail is excellent (many of the locals have told me so) and Broward County Transit is without doubt the best public transit in Florida, it needs ALOT of improvement if they are really serious about getting people to use it for general getting around and not just for commuting. If you take a look at the San Diego Transit site, you'll see a system they should be modelling theirs after (and San Diego is plenty sprawled out...yet their buses make excellent connections, run every 15 or 30 min and up until midnight, and the trolly light rail runs up to 1 AM and is even faster then the buses.<BR>I like BCT's buses and the drivers are pretty nice, just wish they would "zip up" their service.<BR>And thanks Shanna for the info about the social scene and entertainment...sounds great! I love the weather (am a real warm weather fan...hate cold weather). Glad to hear that a nice single straight male such as myself will be very welcome there... I had been considering San Diego also, but Fla seems to have a much lower cost of living, including apt rentals and your purchasing power seems to go much further there. And I like the fact that you can go swimming in an outdoor pool in January....I was enjoying being "carless" though, but I guess I can get used to having a car again...While there is alot of traffic, it doesn't seem have as bad as California's and people seem to driving a little bit less wild in Florida....

This is not a Relo-Forum. <BR><BR>Dial 1-800-RELO-FT-LAUDERDALE

Seems like Steve (from another post about San Diego vs. Ft. Lauderdale) & Craig are the same poster. Both are the same age, both from NYC and both are interested in a "carless" community and a good dating scene. Why bother us with two posts when both seem to ask for the same answers?

I meant Mike (not Steve)

Hey Hmmm, you have nothing better to do then compare posts? What are you, the "poster police?" Get A Life, My Friend.....

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