Hoo-ray for Hollywood - Florida - not the other one

Yesterday, in an attempt to escape the craziness of Miami, I thought it would be a good idea to head north. I was going to trek further but instead thought - hey, I haven't been to Hollywood in like a year, so it's time to see what's going on there. I was mighty surprised in a good way to see that there are way more restaurants and bars and other establishments than I remember, and the beach front was all fixed up with the new Broadwalk and looked all purdy. Hollywood has a smalltown feel yet it has such a mix of ethnicities and randoms that you feel like you are in some small European town/yet know in the back of your mind that you're still in South Fla. I ate at this really good restaurant that was super cheap - I think it's called Chocolada or something - and they feature live music every night which is a plus in my book. And everyone who ran the joint was Eastern European (Romanian I believe). But I did know that they are not from South Fla.

Another thing that is really cool is that Hollywood's really fixed up their small downtown. Upon arrival, you go by the usual boarded up, empty store fronts that are more reminicent of a northern town, but once you enter their strip, it's really nice. Someone in Hollywood is paying attention and is incorporating small parks and gardens for the community, and there are lots of plantings and arty things around. I know they have their own version of the art walk like we have in Midtown, so I may try to go sometime.

My favorite additions are the "tree people" as I call them. These topiary wonders are neat - I didn't see them the first drive down the street, but saw them the second time around. They add some uniqueness to the strip, remind me of Edward Scissorhands, and could cause young children to have nightmares about tree people who might come to life and eat them (I have an overactive imagination). But I liked them in all their untree-like poses. Here are the pics:

The Ballerina:

The Waiter (I thought this was an appropriate tree person to have in South Fla. since there are SO MANY ;):

The sax (saxamaphone) player :

Kudos, Hollywood. Keep it up! I will be visiting again hopefully sometime soon!