HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Downtown Hollywood was like a ghost town Friday night.
Businesses along Hollywood Boulevard were mostly shuttered in anticipation of Hurricane Irma.
Then there was Octopus Garden, where Joe Manser and Lacey Malone were drinking at an outside table.
They have a home close to the Intracoastal Waterway.
"Being in South Florida, we know about the storms, we know about the weather, but the storm surge from the big hurricane as it is, it's concerning, so we decided to move a little bit west," Manser said.
They have a home close to the Intracoastal Waterway and didn't want to take any chances, so they decided to pack up and stay with Malone's family at a nearby Ramada Inn.
"We don't want to be swimming to get out of our house," Malone said.
Asked why they decided to spend their evening at the bar, Malone was quick to answer.
"What else is there to do?" she said.
Manser said they boarded up their home and placed sandbags throughout. He was relieved Irma seemed to be tracking farther west, but he anticipated plenty of rain.
"We're next to the Intracoastal, so we're hoping for the best," he said.