A Visit To West Palm Beach

My sister Susan and I drove down to West Palm Beach from Stuart, Florida Tuesday afternoon to have a look around. Back in the 1890s Henry Flagler built hotels and resorts in Palm Beach, as well as a railroad to get tourists there, but originally intended for West Palm Beach to be a residential area for the workers in his hotels. It has grown quite a bit since then and is now filled with expensive high-rise condos along the shores of Lake Worth. Clematis Street seems to be the city's nightclub district, with a lot of bars and restaurants, although there was not much activity this past Tuesday afternoon, as seen in the photograph on the left. I guess something about temperatures in the 90s and 100% humidity just discourages people from strolling around the streets. Although I must say, there is a really nice ambiance to the area.

Just to the west of Clematis Street is a large park space that leads to the waterfront, which also did not seem to be attracting many people, as seen in the photo on the right. It is much livelier on Thursdays, when a weekly event called Clematis by Night takes place, not to mention SunFest, a major festival that takes place every May. But I have to say that West Palm Beach is a real city, with a downtown, interesting neighborhoods, and lots of amenities, such as the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Norton Museum. Port St. Lucie may have twice the population, but can you really call a place that has a street of strip malls, fast food outlets and big box stores as its downtown, and is made up entirely of subdivisions that extend out into the Everglades, a city? I think not.

West Palm Beach sits along the shore of Lake Worth, with a view of Palm Beach beyond. There are a lot of marinas along the lakefront, too, as seen in the photograph on the left. That yacht in the background is the Lady Elaine, a luxury motor yacht charter. It sleeps 12 in 6 cabins and comes with a crew of 9. You can rent it for $225,000 a week (plus expenses, such as fuel, food, PBRs, etc.). That might seem expensive, but if you break it down per person, it will cost only $18,750 each (plus those pesky expenses - perhaps you could make do with Busch Beer instead). Of course, single people will still have a roommate, perhaps one who snores, or has insomnia, but what difference does it make when you are living the dream on the Lady Elaine? Be sure to book soon. I am sure that boat is in great demand.