Yes - it has been exactly 130 years since Standard Oil tycoon Henry Flagler extended his Florida East Coast Railroad to Palm Beach and started building hotels there for the wealthy, including the Royal Poinciana and The Breakers. He also founded what is now West Palm Beach, on the other side of Lake Worth, to house hotel workers and other laborers. These days West Palm Beach has some pretty damn expensive neighborhoods itself, and its downtown area, including Clematis Street and CityPlace, are, for me, much more fun. My sister Susan and I visited Palm Beach last Saturday, and although the beach itself was pretty crowded, there weren't too many people on Worth Avenue, its famous shopping district, as seen in the photograph on the left.
If I want to dine at a bar or restaurant, or do some shopping, it sure as hell wouldn't be in Palm Beach. It is WAY out of my price range. But I must admit, it is very pretty around there. Behind the shops fronting Worth Avenue are all kinds of beautifully landscaped courtyards, such as the one in the photograph on the right. It is fun just to walk down the street and pop into each of those spaces, which of course are filled with expensive restaurants and fancy shops which sell God knows what for God knows how much. After a day of soaking up all the tropical atmosphere of Palm Beach, it might be a good idea to head back to Clematis Street in West Palm Beach and have dinner at a much livelier restaurant or bar, or even better, an outdoor tiki bar, especially during Clematis by Night, a street festival and open-air concert that takes place every Thursday night. Much better than sitting around an expensive bistro with only one other occupied table and an entire restaurant staff standing around waiting on your every need. That kind of thing makes me damn nervous. And do I have to tip them ALL?
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