Magic Between the ICW and the Atlantic Ocean: A1A Land

There is a magic land in Florida. A place where people live only to enjoy the wonders of ocean, and sand and plants never cease to amaze . Contrary to popular belief, that place isn't located in the center of the state.  It's on the Atlantic coast between the Ocean and the Intercoastal Waterway. I like to call it A1A Land, after the road that runs mainly through the center end-to-end.

Last week, S.D. and I left the cold, wet, still-melting snow piles of New England, and found ourselves under the sun in the day and the full moon at night - in A1A Land. It was the perfect place to celebrate the marriage of two very fine people, happy to be with each other, and happy to be in love. Because that's what magic lands are for.

And yes, like the other magic kingdom in Florida, it is mostly man-made.  Created by various canal companies in exchange for huge tracts of land. Canal construction began in 1854 as part of the same canal building phase in U.S. history that followed the successful completion of the Erie Canal. Major construction however, took place between 1880 and 1910 and included lots of competition and cooperation with Flagler's railroad which vied for land on on the same route.  Finally by the 1930's the canal went from private ownership to public and development of the resulting strip of land between the canal and the ocean boomed with wealthy elites snapping up the pristine ocean beach-front property! http://www.aicw.org/pdfs/browardlegacy.pdf

But the exclusiveness and artificialness aside, I love it. Love that it celebrates the tropics, ocean, sand, and weather. Crossing over any of one-hundred or more drawbridges from the mainland to A1A land is a passage from a world of asphalt and neon to one of coconut,  date trees, royal palms, sea grapes, oleander and millions of other lush tropic plants.  Heavy, humid air changes to tropic breezes. Even the smell of the ocean is cleaner in this land. And then there, often, is the sound of the crashing waves.  A place and experience shaped by the weather (more so than other parts of Florida), celebrates the tropical life, public parks, it's man-made but really did a nice job.These days there are even bike lanes! (that magically appear in the middle of the road just on the other side of the drawbridge.)