Fort Lauderdale's SW 7 Street starts at Hardy Park and runs for about 12 blocks, ending at the front lawn of a house on the banks of the New River. It is a mostly residential street whose most distinguishing feature for years was the house with the airboat and Confederate flag in the backyard. (Not long ago the family added two new lawn ornaments: a little Dutch boy and Dutch girl leaning toward a kiss.)
But then a month or so ago the little bridge over the Tarpon River (what those in other states might call a creek) got a paint job, which consisted of a handsome blue mural of fish. A few weeks ago the space left vacant by the Downtown Pizzeria reopened as Texas Hold 'Em barbecue. Hania and stopped there last Thursday for a delicious pulled pork dinner with collard greens and potato salad. (Nothing like having good barbecue in your neighborhood.)
And now the long-abandoned house that sat in a jungly lot at the corner of SW 9 Avenue has been razed for what a neighbor told me will be a city park. This is another encouraging sign - the property sits on the south bank of the New River - but every time I go past I seem to see more trees cut down. There are some stately live oaks there, and it would be a crime to see them cleared for something as soothing, as unobtrusive, as welcome as a park.
