By Paul Rubio

 

Bordered by two of the world’s most popular GLBT cities, Hollywood, Florida is often tossed aside as a sleepy side city, far removed from the queer Miami-Fort Lauderdale limelight.  However, a burgeoning arts scene, an extreme beach overhaul, downtown gentrification, and a booming restaurant scene has finally ushered in some much-deserved TLC for this underdog city. Those tired of Miami and Fort Lauderdale’s more predictable scenes will find Hollywood a breath of fresh air – a city more about tradition, community and enrichment than cheap booze or standing and posing.

 

Hollywood’s redux has unfolded on two main fronts – the beach and downtown. Hollywood beach continues to evolve as a more upscale destination with new construction set to unveil several trendsetting hotels in the coming years. These new hotels will delicately balance the traditional, old school throw back feel of the Broadwalk, where mom and pop ice cream shops and outdoor ethnic eateries reign supreme to commercial chains. Don’t expect Hollywood’s overly tanned old-timers to retire their 1940s clunky bicycles anytime soon. Embracing the full gamut of generations is one of Hollywood’s most charming factors. It’s the beach’s no-frills fun and frivolity that unites people of all ages, races, shapes, genders, and sizes. So it should come as no surprise that gays here do not need to confine themselves to a separate “gay” beach; singles, couples, and alternative families can readily enjoy the beach’s downy sands in harmony with the French Canadian tourists, sun starved vacationers, and eclectic locals.

 

To both the north and west of Hollywood beach, Florida’s environmental heritage has been sensationally preserved within the mangroves and virgin habitats surrounding Anne Kolb Nature Center and John U. Lloyd Beach State Park. A hop, skip, and a jump from the city’s oceanfront action, old Florida awaits with endless opportunity for canoeing, kayaking, boating, picnicking, and wildlife viewing.  If you’re lucky, you may even spot manatees or while kayaking through this pristine area. And at John Lloyd State Park, there’s ample space for picnics, grilling, or just chilling along the sugarloaf sand banks.

 

Heading west from the beach on Hollywood Boulevard, the circular Young Circle Arts Park segue ways from beachfront bliss to downtown delights. With a sprawling mega playground, a state of the art amphitheatre hosting fabulous concerts, educational workshop spaces, and lots of green space for quintessential outdoor fun, this urban park has become wildly popular with families from all parts of South Florida. The park hosts fabulous events on a regular basis – like Food Truck Monday evenings, Friday glassblowing workshops for adults and kids alike, scheduled jewelry making classes as well as a regular concert series which recently included gay favorites En Vogue and Expose in a free concert sponsored by the City of Hollywood.

 

At the western edge of Young Arts Park, downtown Hollywood’s blossoming bar and restaurant scene commences along both Hollywood Boulevard and Harrison Street, leading to insider favorites like Mickey Byrne’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, upscale modern French dinging at Sage Café & Oyster Bar, sensational Merlots at Harrisons Wine Bar, and decadent desserts at Sweetz Chocolate & Treats Café. Those looking for exceptional originality should definitely begin their citywide gastronomy tour with the restaurant leading the city’s foodie revolution - Lola’s on Harrison. Lola’s menu teems with innovative mouth-watering dishes like short ribs (or Portobello mushroom steaks for vegetarians like me) smothered in homemade Coca Cola BBQ sauce, topped by a tower of buttermilk onion rings alongside a helping of creamed corn; fresh ricotta gnocchi in a hearty wild mushroom cream sauce that melts in your mouth as you eat it; and the best crab cakes you’ll have outside of Baltimore! Three separate drink menus complement the food experience- an awesome and enormous beer menu with several dozen American Hand Crafted and Imported Hand Crafted Beers; an extensive affordable wine list; and a book of artisanal cocktails full of muddled, fruity goodness!

 

Beyond a day or evening trip to dabble in Hollywood’s beach and downtown offerings, the spectacular Hollywood Westin Diplomat is idyllic for a Hollywood vacation or staycation. With everything and anything you’d want from a grand hotel, combined with jaw-dropping views, quick beach access, plenty of swimming pools, excellent restaurants and bars (including one of my South Florida favorites – the Asian-inspired Azia), stellar service, a social vibe and a central location for enjoying Hollywood, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale- the Hollywood Westin Diplomat is one of South Florida’s best and most affordable hotel options.