The New Fort Myers
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The New Fort Myers
The Fort Myers River District is the place to be on a Friday night. I discovered this on a recent trip to the city that sits on the Caloosahatchee River in Southwest Florida. I arrived on a Friday night when Music Walk was underway and happily joined the toe-tapping crowd. We meandered First Street, the downtown’s main drag, stopping to listen to a rock band, a jazz quartet and steel drum musicians, before pausing at a bar-on-wheels for libations. An hour later I headed to the Sydney & Berne Davis Art Center, where the Naples Philharmonic Brass Quintet was performing Duke Ellington tunes for a ticketed event. Back on the street I was lured into the Patio de Leon plaza when I heard an Elvis crooner singing “Heartache Begins” and wrapped the evening at Lush French Bakery as I sipped an espresso while listening to an accordion player’s rendition of “Sous le Ciel de Paris.”
Besides the music, the street’s architecture was amazing. Buildings, dating from 1905 to 1920, were recently restored and freshly painted moss green, burnt orange and mustard yellow. The brick-paved streets added a pedestrian-friendly touch to the district. The next Music Walk is April 20 at 7 p.m., followed by May 18, June 15, July 20, Aug. 17, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16 and Dec. 21. Mark your calendars.
Tags: Fort Myers
