Downtown Fort Myers

Ahh Downtown. When I think of this word, I imagine this:

And well, this too...

Not so much this...

Downtown Fort Myers doesn't exactly evoke the "city" feel that I am used to. I get more of a Mainstreet USA vibe from it. It is a beautiful town city, but it will never create the same emotions of downtown that I am used to. I imagine massive high rises, being able to walk anywhere and everywhere, and expansive cultural highlights.
I will say that Fort Myers does seem to be attempting to improve their surroundings. Many "islands" have been planted in the streets to bring some more green to the streets. However, on one of them I did notice a "this park is maintained by (enter abc company name here)". I very much disagree that one 2'x5' piece of land constitutes a park that needs to be taken care of. But hey, they are trying. At least it doesn't look like this:

It was very interesting to venture our via foot, around downtown Fort Myers. This was a place I had never been and had never planned to visit. Again, it's not my idea of downtown, so I just assumed it would be lame. I was surprised. The 1950's architecture mixed with modern updates was a nice change. One building that I found fascinating had coral built into its construction. Nothing screams Florida like a coral foundation, right?
Another part that was unexpected was the Olympic Art Museum. Located on the waterfront, is a building housing art that has been made by Olympic athletes. I was pleasantly surprised with the work. I would buy some of them in a heart beat had things not been over $1000!
Here are some highlights in photos!