Fort Lauderdale Segway for fun, frolic and adventure

Enjoying their Segway's Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers are Segway devotees, thanks to a terrific guide and a beautiful venue.

CALM YET EXCITING: FUN IN FLORIDA AS COOKIE CONQUERS HER FEAR OF SEGWAY  

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Confident after her lesson, Cookie takes off, following guide Michael on Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale.

I'D BEEN on a Segway once --  22 years ago when they were first coming into vogue. It didn't go well.

I was with a large group of travel writers in Florida and we didn't have a proper lesson. Midway through, I lost my balance and careened into a ditch. Fortunately it was a small ditch, and not deep. But both my body and my ego were bruised. So I took a break from the this unique two-wheeled mode of transportation, and didn't take the sport up again until recently.

Segway fans show how easy it is to find balance, by proper foot placement.

HAPPILY, I had a fun, safe experience thanks to Michael, who taught me how to operate and ride my new friend with a thorough 20-minute lesson. He was patient and encouraging and I had an entirely different experience than that first adventure. Bruce Keller, a natural born athlete, was at ease from the get-go. But I needed Michael's assistance.

Michael is a terrific guide, here patiently instructing a nervous Cookie.

His tutoring gave me courage and calmed my frayed nerves. I can't wait to do it again. He made our Segway experience a treat, and soon I had graduated from the parking lot and back roads to the city's winding Riverwalk. 

He guided us past glistening yachts, towering skyscrapers, opulent mansions, and celebrity homes in this gorgeous, well manicured corner of south Florida.

Michael is a skilled and patient guide with knowledge of his home town, including the rainbow eucalyptus.

THE KEY to my success this second time around on a Segway was good coaching. Michael took time to make sure I understood how important it is to balance my feet properly. He gave careful instructions on starting, stopping and turning. Soon I was confident, no longer the cowardly lion of my first experience.

ONE MAY choose from several tours. We booked the yacht and mansion tour, which gave us close-up looks of some of the spectacular homes in Fort Lauderdale and a nature park. Other tours highlight the beach, comedy clubs, restaurants.

One may also customize a private tour to highlight a specific fancy, perhaps food. Both one and two-hour tours are available, and small groups are welcome.

Fort Lauderdale Segway Trek For You?

Michael insists one does not need to have experience, balance, or coordination. He complimented cowardly me and I felt good on my machine. "Anyone with reasonable co-ordination can learn it in just minutes," he said. When we return, we'll look into Michael's eco/nature tours. He also offers vespa scooter tours lasting 2.5 miles.

Fort Lauderdale's Riverwalk is lovely at dusk with a light rain, photographed from our Segways.

Fort Lauderdale's famed 17th Street Bridge forms a dramatic backdrop.

 SINCE YOU'RE on wheels, you’re obviously going much faster than you would by walking. You are guaranteed to cover a greater amount of space in a shorter amount of time, thus the Segway rider is able to see more of the sights you've heard about,

If you’re pressed for time, Michael and his fellow Segway tour guides will tailor a tour to the specific places you want to see so you can customize your tour in a shorter period of time.  

We can't stress our guide's talents enough. He was simply terrific, and we're tour veterans -- on horses, camels and mules, in helicopters, kayaks and speed boats. Michael knew everyone in Fort Lauderdale, so we were greeted with waves and a friendly "Hi, how are you?" at every stop. 

THERE ARE a couple stops, for brief rests and a little local lore. We learned about the city's beautiful rainbow eucalyptus trees, gleaned details about the fancy yachts and who owns them, and got permission for a photo shoot on the 17th Street Bridge because Michael knows the bridge operator.

Segway riders in Fort Lauderdale keep a safe distance from one another as they transit the pathways.

Fort Lauderdale's famed 17th Street Bridge opens to allow tall traffic to enter and exit.

He lively commentary and history anecdotes about the city greatly enriched the two hours. We salute him for making sure we saw the hotels, park and museums we wanted to revisit and photograph.

He is a proud native of the city and his stories and observations gave us information we'd never find in a guide book. We'd never heard of the rainbow eucalyptus, and Michael pointed one out. It's a beautiful tree with a multi-colored bark. Fun to learn something new.

We're Fort Lauderdale fans, Segway devotees -- grateful for Michael!

www.segwayfortlauderdale.com  (Seven days a week, by reservation.)

We have fun with our photographs of bathrooms abroad. Come with us to enjoy our "toilets on the road" yarn with some tips for dealing with the sometimes perplexing protocol of bathrooms abroad.

COMING SOON:  We're having fun with bathrooms abroad.  We've photographed them for years and so we're taking a light hearted look at bathroom protocol while traveling abroad. Look for our tips on dealing with the perplexing protocol of "toilets on the road." 

Then we commune with the unique art of Salvador Dali, visit Antoni Gaudi's spectacular Guell Park in Barcelona and tour New York City's prettiest places -- Central Park, the High Line and Museum of Modern Art. 

Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on nature, performance, travel, family, breaking news and more:

www.whereiscookie.com