Take the whole gang to the IMAX and check out one of there awe inspiring 5 story films with fantastic 15,000 watt, 6 channel, 42 speaker digital  surround sound.  From Nature documentaries to Avatar 3 D animation, to Shrek..the Final Chapter…. you really cannot go wrong.  Check out the current shows here.  To make it a fantastic night, go to one of the many restaurants on Las Olas Boulevard or SW 2nd Street before or after the show for lunch or dinner.  Tarpon Bend is a local favorite; as is the Himmarshee Grill…both withing walking distance to the IMAX theatre.

Enjoy!

Hands down the very best free fun activity you can enjoy with your family is a quick trip to Hollywood Beach.  My family and friends have been going for years and it only gets better with time. The kids can never get bored of digging in the sand, making sand castles, body surfing, skim boarding, boogie boarding, snorkeling, shell collecting.  We all love to play football, paddleball and catch on the sand.  There is nothing quite like it.  The  North Beach section of Hollywood Beach  is our favorite.  Generally less crowded, arrive early and you can easily find a one dollar per hour  meter on one of the many side streets leading down to the beach and enjoy the room to spread out, picnic and play games.  If you do not have luck with the meter, there is a very large beach parking lot at Sheridan and A1A which at press time is $7 for all day parking $5 after 3pm til dusk. At the south end of that lot, by the observation tower, there is a little restaurant called the Turtle Cafe and decently clean public bathrooms.

Beautiful Hollywood Beach afternoon stroll

We live in a place where accessing a resort quality beach is easy year round.  Hollywood beach has won the prestigious Blue Wave award by the non-profit Clean Beaches Council.
According to the Clean Beaches website:

:  “Hollywood Beach is rated as the Best Boardwalk Beach, Hollywood Beach is home to a 27-foot wide “Broadwalk” thatextends for two and a half miles and is populated with multitudes of walkers, joggers, roller bladders, bicyclists, unicyclists, jugglers, and skateboarders. Hollywood Beach, which has been a very popular spot for beachlovers for yea

rs, is also one of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s five “Blue Wave Beaches,” as certified by the Clean Beaches Council, designating it as one of the cleanest, safest and environmentally friendly beaches in the country. The long stretch of wide sandy beach includes the quieter North Beach, the bustling Central Beach and the residential South Beach.”

People spend thousands of dollars to come enjoy for a week what we have year round. For the price of a gallon of gas and a few dollars to park at a meter (less than $10) you can have a memorable mini-vacation!  Splurge and enjoy an ice cream or a pizza on

Enjoying the sites and aromas at Hollywood Beach

beautifully bricked Hollywood Beach Broadwalk (that’s right broad-walk not board walk..no wood here–bricks!) Bring your rollerblades or bicycle and get a nice long workout. The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk has been named one of America’s top ten nostalgic promenades by USA Today.  The Hollywood Beach Broadwalk is more than 2 miles long, featuring a pavered car-free pedestrian promenade that combines breath-taking  coastal views of award-winning Blue Wave beaches with the nostalgic feel of a cafe lined small town  thoroughfare.

A friend brought over some Kim chee for us to try a couple of weeks ago and we loved the unique texture and spiciness of it.

I have a feeling I will love Myung Ga Tofu & Barbecue  because I love authentic international food, especially the varied seasonings.  Exotic spices are  something everyone should try..mix it up a bit..get out of your comfort zone.  In my humble opinion, it makes for a more interesting life experience.  After all, you know what they say: “Variety is the Spice of Life.”

I have recently read that the Doral location of this restaurant has closed.  I hope the Weston location stays around for a while.

We finally went last weekend.  First impression, the place was pretty busy with mostly Korean customers… a good sign when seeking  authentic cuisine.  The restaurant was nicely decorated  and the waitstaff wore traditional Korean clothing.  At first, I felt a little intimidated by the menu because I’ve never experienced Korean food before.  Our waiter wasn’t overly anxious to help us out with any kind of brief introduction to the cuisine (an introduction would have been greatly appreciated and probably would have made for a 4 star experience).  I attributed this to our waiter’s limited English which was a little difficult to understand.
My 12 year old daughter enjoyed a big bowl of dumpling soup. For appetizers, we tried a Kim-chee pancake, pumpkin soup; both were delicious.  For entrees, we enjoyed the fabulous short ribs and a squid dish (that was a little too spicy- I think we said medium..next time I will say low spice) The entrees came with many small sides: rice,  ice burg lettuce salad, seaweed salad, beansprouts, cucumber salad and potato salad.  Overall, Myung ga Tofu and Barbecue was a nice diversion from the ordinary.  3/4 stars.

While picking up the kids, we decided to tour  the facility.  It is impressive.  All very modern, clean, light and bright. The family center is fabulous.  They have 2 full size basketball courts, teen center with fusball table and video games, family room with rock climbing wall, cycling room, aerobics studio.  The gymnasium is very well equipped with modern treadmills, eliptical machines, bicycles, freeweights, and Nautilus equipment circuit.  The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly.

We joined on the spot. The registration fee was waived that day.  Very often they have this promotion or one like it…so if a special is not going on, ask for it or wait for a deal.

You can go on line and get a free 7 day pass if you would like to try out the club.  I don’t think it will disappoint.  In my opinion, it is  much cleaner and more modern than many fitness centers in the area.  The facility offers an aquatics area that has an Olympic Size competition pool, a family recreation area and a zero depth entry family plunge pool. The Weston Y offers swim classes, water fitness classes, CPR training, first aid training, and have competitive aquatics (including water polo and several swim teams).

The Y has many classes and teams you or your family can join.  The opportunities are endless. For more information please go to:

http://www.ymcabroward.org/Locations/Sheinberg/ scroll to the bottom of the page and download the programs guide.

My teenage children love it. They ask to go every other day. I’m happy that we have found a family activity that bonds us and makes us stronger both physically and as a family.

Ask anyone who belongs what they think of the Sheinberg Family YMCA..I’m sure you will here more positive reviews.

The restaurant is on the expensive side, but as we found, worth every penny.  Extraordinary service, spectacular cuisine, and an ambiance  that takes you on a quick jaunt to an authentic gourmet restaurante en Mexico (no small feat, considering it is located in a strip mall on East Commercial Blvd.) not far from the beach. The waitstaff is top notch(especially Rafael) and super professional (something very difficult to find in South Florida).

We started with two appetizers  a Herb oil grilled Cactus paddle bocadillo filled with an achiote marinated  pork medalion accented with guajillo chile sauce  and a Roasted Poblano pepper stuffed with Fresh  Florida Bluecrab pickled jalapeno peppers, green olives, tomatoes and sweet roasted onions.  The appetizers alone would have been a satisfying meal.  We teamed that with our Rafael’s recommended 16 yr old Don Jacobo Gran Reserva Wine- which was one of the most smooth and satisfying reds I’ve ever had the pleasure of sipping.  Definitely a special occasion type of dinner.

My entree was the Pan Seared beef tenderloin filet mignon stuffed with stewed roasted poblano peppers and sweet onions and goat and monterey jack cheese. Served with a sauce of smoked chipotle chiles spiked with puebla style mole.  A memorable meal..

Almost forgot to mention the Cilantro soup which was divine.  Except for overeating that night…I wouldn’t change a thing…It’s difficult to just have a little-it’s soooo good..but probably we could afford to go more often if we did.

I am not alone in my opinion, on the way out we all admired the wall of awards the restaurant has been honored with.

Reservations are recommended..it is an intimate place with a total of about 10 tables in 3 rooms.

To see the outstanding menu click here:  http://www.eduardodesanangel.com/menu.htm

Heron Park, next to Country Isles Elementary, is devoted primarily to sports activities, while Village Park at Arvida Parkway and Country Isles Road is a playground.  Oscar Wind Park on New River Circle in nearby Sunrise offers playground, ballfields and volleyball courts, while Markham Park, in nearby Sunrise at State Road 84 and Weston Road, is a full-scale county park with wilderness camping area, pools, and playgrounds. Favorite activities at Markham include the Target Range, Fox Observatory, and an area dedicated to model plane enthusiasts. There are also two boat ramps popular with Everglades fisherfolk, and jet skiers.

Several other neighborhoods boast their own small parks as well, including Windmill Ranches and Emerald Estates, the newly developed parcel south of Arvida Parkway. Gator Run Elementary and Eagle Point Elementary both have neighborhood sports parks as well.

Weston Regional Park is now in full swing, offering several baseball fields, hockey rinks and basketball courts as well as soccer and football fields. The park is the new home to the

West Broward YMCA. The soccer fields are home to the Weston Soccer Club (http://www.westonsoccer.net/)  A concession stand and tot lot provide everything but shade at this sports park on the edge of the Everglades at 20200 Saddle Club Road.

For a great link to a brochure put out by the City of Weston click here!

The local movie theater, Weston8 is a great little theater to see new releases, also nearby is: the 20-screen Muvico to the south in Davie at Sheridan and I75, and another mega-theater just northeast of Weston at Sawgrass Mills Mall. A $5 theater can be found about five miles east at Nob Hill Road and State Road 84.

Weston residents can join the Athletic Club for fitness facilities, located at the Weston Community Center which also offers interesting classes in a variety of subjects ranging from drama to computers, plus pool, tennis courts, and band shell.   A bit northwest finds The Bonaventure Town Center, which offers pools, indoor skating rink, fitness center, racquetball and tennis courts plus meeting rooms. Cliff Drysdale’s Weston Tennis Center can be found at Bonaventure Boulevard and Racquet Club Road.

Weston’s business community has grown dramatically as well, helped along, no doubt by the tireless efforts of the Weston Chamber of Commerce, whose purpose is to help build and strengthen the underlying economic fabric of the community. Headed by President Jack Miller, the organization boasts more than 600 members at this time. Miller has helped several businesses make the decision to select a Weston address.

Other businesses anchoring the Weston Parks of Commerce along Arvida Parkway are Levi Strauss, Nabisco and the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, which has a satelitte office and distribution center here.  The United States Post Office and the Broward County Library also have Weston Branches.