Celeb City Guide:
Dan Renzi's Fort Lauderdale

MTV's former "Real World" star chats about a few of his favorite local places, events and things.

Image courtesy Dan Renzi

Name: Dan Renzi
Age: 33
Profession: Writer
City: Fort Lauderdale, FL

What are some of the things you love most about Ft. Lauderdale?

The city, like much of the Florida coast, is very, very beautiful. Fort Lauderdale is built around canals — people have canals in their backyards, where they park their yachts. Or you can toss a little boat into the water and paddle around. If you like architecture, then take a riverboat tour of the canals, and see all the homes. I love that stuff.

What are some of your least favorite things about Ft. Lauderdale?

People from Florida tend to not leave Florida — it's the negative side of being a peninsula in the middle of the ocean, I guess — so the local residents can become a bit rough around the edges. People often come on vacation to Florida, see the nice hotels, and think that's what life is like down here. It's not. And on top of it, there is a prevailing attitude amongst residents that because they live in Florida, their lives are better than others just because of Florida's glamorous reputation. Meanwhile, these are the people who live in trailer parks. No offense to people who live in trailer parks. But seriously. If you ever wonder where all the sketchy people who operate carnival rides come from, come to Fort Lauderdale and look around. This place breeds them.

What gym do you like most in Ft. Lauderdale? Why?

Gyms aren't very glamorous down here; the best fitness centers are in condo buildings, but you have to know someone to get into them. And my friends and I are all too poor to live in any of the good buildings. When I work out, I go to the beach and swim against the waves. I last about 15 minutes. Or try running through waist-deep water — that's the best.

What are some great restaurants for a night out with gay friends in Ft. Lauderdale?

Everyone goes to Rosie's, which used to be Hamburger Mary's, until the owners grew tired of paying the franchise fees, I guess. Regardless, the food is good and the service is surprisingly attentive for a "gay" restaurant. There's also a diner called Simply Delish that is cute, if you want to sit amongst chintz curtains and eat quiche. Sometimes that's fun, I don't care how much of a sissy people think I am.

What are some great restaurants for a romantic gay date in Ft. Lauderdale? What about these restaurants appeals to you?

15th Street Fisheries is excellent seafood — very pricey, but I think it's worth it once in a while, just to get the experience. Mancini's, on Las Olas, is the best Italian food in town. It's northern Italian, so it's not pasta and meatballs, it's more meat dishes and, like...whatever, just try it. But at either place, skip dessert and go to Galler Chocolates. Get the gelato. MY GOD.

What are your favorite gay bars and/or dance clubs in Ft. Lauderdale? What do you like about them?

I don't do drugs, I don't take off my shirt. So...the options are limited down here. But on Thursdays, I like Georgie's Alibi — they serve $3 Long Island Iced Teas. People pack in, get ripped on horrible gut-rot liquor, and play grab-ass all night.

What are your favorite gay parties or events in Ft. Lauderdale, if any? What is the crowd or scene like at those places?

There is always some fundraiser going on, at someone's house or at an art gallery somewhere, that's serving free wine and hosting an array of wealthy eligible men. That's big fun.

Where is the best public place for a gay person to make out in Ft. Lauderdale?

The beach, of course. Hide behind an umbrella and go for it. The gay beach is St. Sebastian, but if I wanted to see a fat hairy guy in a speedo two sizes too small, I would just put one on myself and look in the mirror. Instead, I like the state park at Dania Beach — on a weekday, it's not too crowded, and the beach is so nice. Not to be cheesy — but the most romantic night of my life was spent at Dania Beach, late at night, watching a storm roll in, with the crashing waves...

What is the gay community like in Ft. Lauderdale? Do you consider yourself to be part of any particular "scene"?

Scene? Nah, my friends and I just go out and have fun wherever we feel like at the moment. I don't get into the whole "gay ghetto" thing that happens in big cities — here we have Wilton Manors, which is a separate little town inside Fort Lauderdale, and the residents of the 'hood sometimes forget to leave once in a while. I guess they like hanging out with each other and showing off their collections of jeans shorts.

Are you involved with any LGBT community organizations in Ft. Lauderdale? Which ones? What do you like about those groups?

Every major organization has fundraising offices down here — GLAAD, HRC, NGLTF, etc. etc. Personally, I like Equality Florida. I know the big organizations do benefit our community, but Equality Florida does great work on a grass-roots level. In a conservative state like Florida, sometimes the small-scale, grass-roots efforts are the most important.

What do you think of the annual LGBT pride celebration in Ft. Lauderdale? Do you usually attend? What are the highlights for you? What do you like least about it?

For some reason, there are about 12 different Pride Parades in Fort Lauderdale. The people who organize them apparently all hate each other and refuse to merge. So there really isn't one good one. I went to one in Fort Lauderdale, saw a guy shaving another guy's butt right on the street, and I immediately left and never returned.

Do you have a particular fashion style? Where do you shop for clothes?

There's this really fashionable designer that's very exclusive: it's called The Gap. I live in their clothes. Although I should say Fort Lauderdale is all about outlet shopping — and this isn't the fake outlets, like those "company stores" where major brands sell cheap knock-offs of their own stuff. There are real outlets here— The Sawgrass Mills Shopping Center is an enormous juggernaut of disorganized bargain-hunting. The Saks Off-Fifth and the Nieman Marcus Last Call bring tears to my eyes. Bring comfortable walking shoes, the place is huge.

Where do you go for other forms of entertainment — live theater, concerts, movies, art exhibits? Are there any local gay performance groups, bands, or artists that you're a fan of?

The Gateway Theater on Sunrise shows indie films, which is such a refreshing benefit to the city here. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts hosts Broadway touring companies, and people go to the Broward Center a lot. I love that about life here; people really get out and see stuff. As for live music, the Hard Rock Live theater is about 15 minutes west, on the Seminole Indian reservation (the Seminoles bought the Hard Rock corporation) and they get some really randomly good shows. I just saw Liza Minnelli there! Liza Minnelli at the Hard Rock?!? And she, I swear, was excellent.

If you had gay friends visiting from out of town for the first time, what are some "musts" that you'd recommend they see or do?

There are no "musts" down here. If you want to come and float around in the pool for a week, then you go ahead and do it.

What city (or cities) in America would you most like to visit next, and why? Are there any specific spots there (theaters, nightclubs, historic sites, etc.) that you'd really like to see?

When I started working with MTV, I made it a goal to see every major city in the US — so I found jobs pretty much everywhere. I haven't been to the states of South Dakota, Montana, or Oregon yet. So I want to go there. I would love to see what life is like in Montana.

Dan Renzi is an A&E writer for the New Times newspapers, both the Miami and the Broward/Palm Beach editions, and has written for The Advocate, New York Press, and TV Guide. Dan also travels the U.S. as a speaker on LGBT issues. He is best remembered as a cast member on "The Real World" and "Real World/Road Rules Challenges." To find out more about Dan, please visit his blog, How Was Your Day, Dan? at http://danrenzi.typepad.com/

Celeb City Guide: Dan Renzi's Fort Lauderdale