Travel Blog

The New Times’ Best of Miami issue, which we picked up a few weeks ago at Savor Cinema in downtown Fort Lauderdale, listed the Hollywood Art Walk as the best in South Florida, better than Wynwood’s and better than FAT Village’s. So Saturday evening we drove down to Hollywood Boulevard. Booths were set up to the south and north on 20^th Avenue, selling cookies and various crafts. When we reached Harrison Street, we asked a policeman where we might find art. He pointed to the block to our right, where, he was sure, there was at least one gallery.

 There were two. One was closed – for the monthly art walk – while the other featured mostly pottery. We checked a few places for dinner, settling finally on A La Turca.

 While waiting for our food – stuffed eggplant and Beyti kebab – I noticed that the music was emanating from a DJ station in the back of the restaurant. The DJ was about four decades older than most people in that profession. A sign below him carried a list of languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew. He picked up the microphone and sang an old Spanish ballad. Then another. And another. After the fourth one, a few diners applauded. I walked up to give him a tip.

 “Where are you from?” I asked him.

 “I grew up in Bulgaria and then lived in Israel,” he said. I noticed now that the sign included even more languages, including Bulgarian and Russian. He sang Moscow Nights and then Kalinka. The table of Georgians next to us applauded loudly.

 Often at restaurants the music is overpowering and resented, because it intrudes into people’s conversations. This gentleman’s singing was just the opposite, mellow and appreciated. It made up nicely for the absence of art.