Marina Millionaire Row
Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America with its waterways. We took the Water Taxi to see the area and learned some interesting information about the mansions on Millionaire Row. They are spectacular; each one is on waterfront property valued from 8 to 30 million dollars. The homes are on seven islands connected by bridges. Some of the rich and famous who live here are: the inventor of Alka Seltzer; the owner of the Doubletree Hotel Chain; Tom Bodette (owns Motel 6); Wendy Thomas (daughter of the Wendy’s Chain); the CEOs of Seagram’s, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Anheiser Busch, and SunGlass Hut. One of the houses, valued at 18.5 million, is worth less than their 22 million dollar megayacht parked at their dock. Bob was particularly impressed by the house that belongs to the CEO of SunGlass Hut; it is 18,500 square feet - and only two people live in it. They must see each other once every few weeks! Two megayachts are tied up in front of the house; their third is too large to fit there, so they dock it at a marina for $15,000 per month.
We saw two 40 million dollar Palmer Johnson megayachts, manufactured in Michigan, which intrigued Bob. They are designed to run at 55 mph with jet drives and burn 275 gallons per hour. A typical megayacht in this area holds up to 30,000 gallons of fuel. Most of the megayachts are registered in Georgetown, Cayman Islands or in Bikini, Marshall Islands to avoid paying luxury taxes.
Hyatt Pier 66
My Laundromat experiences have been widespread in terms of equipment, cost, and cleanliness. This morning I came to the realization that the Harpswell Laundromat is a luxury facility. It must be, since it charges the same as the Hyatt Regency Pier 66!!
We spent the afternoon poolside - very nice. Pool boys bring cool towels smelling of eucalyptus to refresh patrons, and the poolside bar makes great frozen Pina Coladas.
The Hyatt Pier 66 Resort was built by Mr. Phillips, of Phillips Oil. He drilled 65 unproductive oil wells before becoming an instant billionaire on his 66th. The hotel is a six-sided building with 66 floors and 66 windows on each floor. The six elevators each go top to bottom in 66 seconds. The 26th floor is a restaurant overlooking the ocean and Fort Lauderdale; it completes a rotation every 66 minutes. The angle of the 66 spirals off the top of the building are - you guessed it, 66 degrees.
We are looking forward to fair winds and calm seas tomorrow to make the offshore trip to Biscayne Bay, or beyond if the weather and sea conditions permit.
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