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