The Intracoastal Waterway runs from the Florida Keys to Boston, but nowhere along its 3,000-mile course is it a bigger part of life than in Fort Lauderdale, where stunning luxury homes line its edges, beautiful yachts ply its waters, and more than 160 miles of navigable waterways branch out to wend their way through the city itself. It's from the deck of a boat along these waters that the charms of Fort Lauderdale are most easily appreciated. Steer your craft from the Intracoastal into the mouth of the New River, and follow its deep, clear channel past lush residential neighborhoods up into downtown. On shore, it's a short walk to the shops of Las Olas Boulevard, but back on the river there are miles of navigable water ahead, along with beautiful parks and neighborhoods that make this city, long known as the Venice of America, one of Florida's most attractive places to live.