Video Postcard from Hollywood, FL

Spring Break snowbirds were not going to be denied their time on the beach despite a wind that occasionally sent stinging sand across their calves and ankles.  Most long- term residents seemed content to walk on the “Broadwalk”, or settle into seats in the cafes and benches along the edges and watch the world go by.

Hollywood is a mix of new and old, much like it’s East Coast cousin, St Augustine to the North. The beachfront still has the remnants of its time when Route One was new, when it was a sleepy coastal town with simple one and two story mid-century modern homes along the beach.  Some of these houses have been lovingly preserved and are decorated with quirky ornaments in their yards that look out to the Atlantic Ocean, one of the small places in the town where you find creativity, preservation and adaptive reuse.  In the south end of town, the public Broadwalk abruptly stops and the older buildings have been mostly replaced by cold and aloof condominiums and resorts.  Resembling cruise ships aground on the dunes, some of the gated high-rises cast a shadow across the beach to the ocean by mid-afternoon.  Pedestrians can still walk on the sand, but bicyclists and those pushing strollers must use the sidewalks along chichi Ocean Boulevard (Route A1A). The only water features in this section of Ocean Blvd are the fountains that separate the street from the private lobby entrances, and the motionless mega-yachts docked on the West side of the Boulevard on the Inter Coastal Waterway.  There are several public oases in this stretch; parks dotted in between the towers that retain a taste of the ethnic groups that settled here.  There are bocce courts and Cuban bistros among the trees, shady benches, comfort stations and play spaces for children.

South Hollywood has a distinct and bitter “Them and Us” flavor for a beach town.  The exclusivity of the towers breeds contempt among those who would like to see a public Broadwalk along the entire peninsula and would approve if the “No Beach Access! No Trespassing!” signs were removed from the walls of the shiny towers.  Woody Guthrie would have walked right by them, but most people here tend to follow the rules. (read on…)

Then again, most people you encounter aren’t from around here.  In addition to the transient sunburned tourists, I met people who had just settled in Hollywood in the last few months from Philadelphia, Havana, Metuchen, NJ and Albuquerque, NM.  The melting pot I experienced in Hollywood seemed low on creative energy, led by the tourists who wanted to play it safe, plunk down, recharge and vedge out.  Resorts like Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville cater to those who are happy to find all of their entertainment, lite beer and gastric satisfaction in one place.  There’s no need for guests to get out of their comfort zone.  It has the same vibe as a cruise ship, as if Hollywood was a harbor.

Most of the offerings in Broadwalk stores were copycat stuff, the same refrigerator magnets, tee shirts, keychains and painted wood signs that you could find in an airport in Chicago or Seattle only with Hollywood or Ft Lauderdale or Florida emblazoned on them.  These derivative wares are sold to people who arrive here from all over, seeking a common experience  that feels a little like home, but a titch exotic.  Sort of like getting a Big Mac while in Amsterdam.

There were a few volleyball nets mixed in along the beach and even a few rollerbladers on the Broadwalk, leading me to try to compare the place with Venice Beach.  But there’s no graffiti storefronts or skate parks!   Could it be the Hollywood name that attracts these LA behaviors?  At the other extreme, there were line dancers all stepping in sync to country music.  There seemed to be a little bit of culture from many corners of the U.S. here, enough to make everyone feel almost at home.

Anti-vaxxers and mask-resisters have been making waves in Florida, lately.  The same stubborn resistance to rules is not evident on the Broadwalk or the beach in Hollywood, where there is an enormous list of “NOs” posted every few hundred yards and flying from lampposts on banners.  No pets, no electric bikes, no overnight camping, and so on.  It all seemed to work, though.  There was nobody misbehaving, no one expressing their need for freedom from the oppressive rules of the beach, and no talk of Socialism.  Maybe the local voters realize that the enactment and enforcement of these rules is crucial to their wellbeing.  Vacationers need to be made felt safe, since tourism is the overwhelming source of revenue in Hollywood.

The economy of South Florida has been hit hard by COVID.  While not as evident as in off-the-beach locations along US 1, there was a clear loss of business along the Broadwalk, with small shops and entire malls and resorts shuttered, awaiting a re-do.  Ft Lauderdale is one of the busiest centers for the cruise ship industry, which went into free-fall when COVID hit, and is just beginning to recover.  While I would no sooner go on a cruise than swim in a sewer, people are being lured back to luxury liners by bargain prices and stringent COVID testing for passengers and crew.

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