Things to do on unusual Memorial Day weekend
Like anxious meerkats, many South Florida residents are looking for reasons to safely come out of their nests during the long Memorial Day weekend, both for a mental health break and to support businesses owned by friends and neighbors.
Here are some things to know as you survey a vaguely familiar, yet baffling, landscape.
Every facet of public life has been touched by the state’s Phase 1 social-distancing requirements, in place to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, which has reached nearly 50,000 cases across the state. But your experience may vary.
Your weekend plans can include a day at the beach in Palm Beach County, but not in Broward and MiamiDade counties. Broward beaches will open Tuesday.
Your favorite restaurant may not look the same, as tables and seating may
have been removed to allow them to meet the 50% capacity limit. If they show you to a table in the parking lot, it’s not a sign of disrespect — many restaurants have been allowed to use sidewalks and parking spaces to add outdoor seating.
About that outdoor seating, the National Weather Service is predicting a pretty decent Saturday and an increasing chance of showers the closer we get to Monday.
In Boca Raton, Al Poliak is bringing live music back to his restaurant, the Funky Biscuit, which has been reconfigured to meet new spacing guidelines. The Fort Lauderdale resident has been out and about recently in Broward and Palm Beach counties and is concerned with what he has witnessed.
“I’ve seen some places that could care less about the rules, could care less about social distancing,” Poliak says. “Some people are coming back into this world in the proper fashion, and some people ... it’s the wild, wild west.”
Memorial Day celebrates those lost serving in the U.S. military, so let’s agree to handle ourselves this weekend as they would, to “treat others with dignity and respect while expecting others to do the same,” to quote one of the Seven Core Army Values.
Below are some places to go and experience humanity again. Out of respect for the most vulnerable in your family, follow the rules and urge others to do likewise. Wear a mask, if requested. Keep your distance. Tip big.
Movie nights
FLIFF Drive-In Cinema is a new drive-in movie location making its debut this weekend in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s MASS District with screenings of Quentin Tarantino’s influential “Pulp Fiction” on Saturday and the family-friendlier “Teen Wolf” on Sunday. The films will be shown at 8:15 p.m. each night in a parking lot at 895 NE Fifth Ave., adjacent to Searstown, with gates open at 7 p.m. Admission costs $20 per car and must be purchased in advance at FLIFF.com. There will be pre-bagged popcorn, water and soda for sale and food trucks nearby. You’ll need a mask if you venture outside your car.
Live from Boca Raton
The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton gets back into live music with five shows in three days featuring South Florida blues-guitar master Albert Castiglia, with special guests including JP Soars, Shaw Davis and Mike Zito. These are the first performances by Castiglia since his critically lauded release “Masterpiece” won the best bluesrock album award at the Blues Music Awards in Memphis. Shows are at 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 p.m. Monday. With social distancing guidelines in mind, there are fewer seats in the restaurant than usual, and tickets will be sold only in groups of two, three, four and six. They cost $40 per seat, with a $25 food/drink minimum. Visit FunkyBiscuit.com.
Big yellow taxi
For getting out and seeing the sights in the fresh air, it’s hard to beat the Water Taxi, which returns to the waterways around Fort Lauderdale through Monday. The boats will operate at reduced capacity and all manner of other safety precautions will be in place, including temperature checks for all customers. All-day passes cost $28, ages 5-11 $14, military and seniors (65 and older) $23. Happy-hour fare valid 5 p.m. to closing costs $18. For information on safety measures, schedules and more, visit WaterTaxi.com.
King Tiger
The most buzzed-about sports event since the virus took over, The Match: Champions for Charity features Tiger Woods, Phil
Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning playing 18 holes against at 3 p.m. Sunday. Beginning at 2 p.m., you can watch the proceedings on the new Jumbotron screen at Galuppi’s restaurant in Pompano Beach, overlooking the Greg Norman-designed Pompano Beach Golf Course. Visit Galuppis.com.
Old friends, new beer
The hunkering down kept us all from our favorite places, but also from our favorite people. Being part of the chill crowd at Julian and Lisa Siegel’s Tarpon River Brewing was at the top of my Phase 1 bucket list. As it happens, the downtown Fort Lauderdale brewery/eatery on Friday released cans of their newest New England Style IPA called Curbside Motorboat. Says it all. Visit Facebook.com/TarponRiverBrewing.
Patio BOGO
One of South Florida’s most inviting outdoor spots to eat, Dada in Delray Beach this weekend is offering even more incentive for early diners. They open at 5 p.m. and those seated by 6 p.m. get a buy-one-get-one deal on nearly all entrees (up to $18 in value). If your second entrée is over $18, you just pay the difference. That 6 p.m. seating seems early, but time has become such an elastic concept. Visit Facebook.com/ DadaDelray.
Millar time
The Field Irish Pub & Eatery in Fort Lauderdale is one of those magical places where you feel surrounded by old friends even in a roomful of strangers. On Saturday, personable singerguitarist Ian Millar, of Irish Rovers fame, will perform from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Because of social-distancing restrictions, seats will be in short supply and dinner reservations are recommended. Call 954-964-5979 or visit TheFieldFL.com.
Buns up
The annual Riverwalk Burger Battle XI is happening in a virus-altered form — you taste burgers on your own at 16 local restaurants and vote for your favorites in a Facebook poll that runs through May 31. Winners will be announced June 1. The field is filled with respected burger masters (American Social, Bamboo Beach Tiki Bar, Bokamper’s, Bravo Peruvian Cuisine, Del Frisco’s Grille, the Downtowner, Green Bar & Kitchen, Hardy Park Bistro, Henry’s Sandwich Station, Holy Mackerel, Parrot Lounge, Riverside Market South, Shuck ‘N Dive, Tarpon River Brewing, Wild Sea Oyster Bar & Grille and YOLO). But can you have a best-burger contest without Gilbert’s? Just saying. Visit Facebook.com/RiverwalkTrust.
Locals Monday
Johnnie Brown’s on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach will have a full slate of locals playing live music on the outdoor stage on Monday, with singer-guitarist Michelle “Wolfie” Wolf at 1-4 p.m., the acoustic rock trio Steel House 5-8 p.m. and rock-cover experimentalists the Flyers (yes, check ’em out) 9 p.m.-midnight. Visit JohnnieBrowns.com.