Averaging 271 sunny or partly sunny days per year, Fort Myers has the highest number of sunny days in Florida.  The city was founded in 1885, and named after Colonel Abraham Myers.  It is considered the gateway to Southwest Florida, and Thomas Edison and Henry Ford wintered here on an estate which is now a museum open to the public.  In 1898, Edison brought electric light to the city.  Known now as the city of palms, it was Thomas Edison who imported royal palms to line the street known as McGregor Boulevard.  Amazingly, from this city, it is possible to boat to Palm Beach on the east coast by traveling along the Caloosahatchee River to the Okeechobee Waterway then continuing east to reach the Intracoastal Waterway.

We traveled down to Fort Myer today to explore the city a bit and have lunch.  We started by driving through the neighborhood near the Edison & Ford Winter Estates.  The royal palms were exquisite, as were the homes they graced.  The neighborhood borders the waterfront, and the homes reflect the upscale locale we traveled through.  Even the smaller homes reflected an elegance with a style that reminded me of parts of San Diego.  In other areas the southern oak trees grew over the road.

 

We saved the tour of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates for a later date, but did stop in at the entrance where we saw a gift shop, plants for sale, huge banyan trees, and statues of the former residents.  It will be an interesting place to tour.

   

Lunch at The Original Ford Garage provided an interesting decor and the food and service were very good.  There were multiple restaurants along the downtown district we were in.  Sculptures and murals were bountiful along the sidewalk.  There's an art museum and a theater converted into shops which all looked enticing.   Plenty of reason to return, especially with an Italian restaurant that's reportedly good as well.  

 

The "people" in the sculpture above are playing dominos.  The car in our restaurant appeared authentic.  We traveled home before the afternoon showers began for "siesta time" and concluded another good day.  We'll expand on the details of this area soon I suspect...Cheers for now!