Across our canal, a handful of houses stretch along a private road. I drive down it once a year to see the elaborate Christmas display put up by one of the homeowners, who puts out a bench for people to sit on. The other day I rode my bike to see if the decorations were up yet and, for the first time, noticed the old-fashioned lampposts that line the road. At the base of each post were four small figureheads (facing north, east, south, and west) and above them were the words: THE MIAMI RIVIERA – FLA – CORAL GABLES. Apparently, they are old streetlamps from The City Beautiful that someone, at some point, brought to Fort Lauderdale. These are the things you discover when you get out of your car.
