Lazy River rides that replace roads and get Boca residents to wherever they need to go? Sure! It sounds fun. Doesn’t it?
If you’re looking for the lazy river in Boca today you’re probably looking for the Boca Resort. They just added a new lazy river to their pool area. This article is about turning the entire city into a giant lazy river connected municipality.
Would any city ever do this? Could any city ever replace a portion of its roads and create a practical lazy river infrastructure? If any city could do it, it’s likely it’s Boca.
This idea originally came from a Boca kid named Jonathan Kolbe in some local political group on Facebook that I’m likely blocked from now. I’ll give him credit for getting me excited about the idea. Here are some AI generated images that tap into the soulful imagination of machines to help us envision the concept.
What’s important to point out, how this would be different from what’s happening in the Intracoastal is:
the water would be treated, clarified and sterilized in a system engineered to minimize water loss
vehicles allowed in the water cannot have heads, combustion motors or carry business to business shipping
there would be no giant fish like hammerhead sharks (I seen em) and larger unidentified sea-monster type beasts (I seen it too) but alligators would probably need to be removed from time to time
Residents and visitors would use the lazy river infrastructure to come and go from their single family homes, townhomes and condos.
Some kids commuting to school.
Jaw dropping opulence in art and architecture will be visible in whole new ways.
People hang on tight when the water jets fast.
Getting lost in new neighborhoods won’t just be fun – it will be unavoidable. Just be cool about it.
Riverway designs are fun below water and above.
Floating around town with your friend is almost as easy as staying home.
It’s easier to keep it real in this deal.
Lazy riverways would pass under existing roads in certain places.
City clarification plants keep the water clean with the use of minimum chlorination.
Wouldn’t we all be better people if we had this?
Park your car and jump in!
Boca Raton:: A City Within a Lazy River
A kayaker getting to work.
Floats parked waiting for their owners to return.
Newer homes leave big areas on the ground floor to store floats and rafts.
You can float here, and go there.
Some people make out on floats – that gets the old folks upset.
An Intra-Intracoastal Waterway for tubes and swimmers
The only thing to fish for will be smiles.
Water taxis and ferries are convenient ways that people keep their feet dry.
Traditional boats will be replaced with all-electric newer models. This is a ferry.
Tiny motors that attach to floats become very popular.
Just let the current pull you along.
Underwater lighting highlights the beauty of homes on the lazy river.
Only electric boats are tolerated – but cost lots to license.
Sometimes a part of the river gets roped off to make a chill zone.
The river would be close enough to everyone’s homes that walking barefoot to it is no problem.
Bumpers help in areas where the current is fast and tubes need protection.
Riverfront residence takes on a new meaning.
A float with a motor dares to oppose the flow.
Nobody can hide in their cars, so looking fabulous is necessary.
Aesthetically designed piping helps move the high pressure flows necessary .
A real estate agent shows a new couple some homes.
Separate directions with separate currents are necessary.
A fancier electric watercraft.
An autonomous water taxi heading to pick up a new passenger.
Waterproof bags, accessories and skin products will be more in demand.
A lone float breaks free but will be rounded up by the end of the day.
New styles of architecture will be designed for ultra-low perspective viewing.
A serene riverway through a neighborhood west of the Turnpike
Getting interiors as close to the river as possible is popular in new homes.
Bridges and walkways cross over riverways.
Some existing canals get converted.
A school pickup.
Some people just float around all day pretending they’re running errands.
Sunset on a westbouund lazy riverway.
A beautiful view from your float as you are carried down the river.
Everyone loves straight-aways where the current s are strong.
Kids love to paddle, kick and splash in an effort to go faster.
Literally bumping into friends a lot.
Who’s driving? Nobody! It’s awesome.
LED lights on the bottom of floats add a cool effect.
Shopping would be a little different – so would parking – if people used lazy rivers instead of roads in Boca.
Here we reach the end of a lazy river, a cul-de-sac of sorts.
New inland destinations will gain new life and new value on the tax rolls.
For some people floating is a way of life.
Old guys who don’t want to get wet up to their shorts don’t have to.
People won’t go to amusement parks any more. They’ll just spend all their money here.
Floating through the mall on a Sunday afternoon.
Some stores take advantage of the spots where people float the most.
Local businesses, particularly hotels, devise clever ways for their guests to enter and exit the lazy rivers.
You don’t really need a float to travel along nor does the float need to be a tube.
Bring on the fancy waterfall elements. We’re ready.
Look at that gold float! You want one!
Students in an FAU Orientation Day event.
This place is known for its chunky smoothies.
Vend-o-mats become more and more popular along lazy riverways.
Waterlifts are like reverse waterfalls and propel tubes and riders upwards.
This is where we are going. Kick kick kick!
A mom heads out to pick up her kid from school and then to Publix.
A lone float waits patiently outside a convenience store while its owner gets some sunscreen.
Shiny tubes and glowing tubes will be popular.
You better bring a cool hat because you won’t want to get out of the river.
You better have a patch kit if your vinyl ain’t thicc.
Float stores are all over the place.
Float on up for a hot dog. Yum!
Friends going out to lunch together in Boca.
There was an ice cream place down this way.
The flows are very calm inside the mall compared to outside.
Turning this corner, the smell of pizza is overwhelming.
Places where the rivers begin will be referred to as the river heads, like springs, but artificial.
Would you support the conversion of roads to lazy rivers if the issue comes up for a vote? Leave a comment below.
