Palm Beach Impressions

I have visited Palm Beach, Florida many times, and I must say, it is a pretty interesting place to explore. Worth Avenue, seen in the photograph on the left, is filled with exclusive shops, and just behind them are a series of beautifully landscaped, fountain-filled courtyards, many of which have pricey, but interesting looking restaurants. Not that I would ever consider dining at one, but it makes for great peoplewatching. However, I do find it annoying to see Rolls Royces parked on Worth Avenue that you know must cost $400,000 at the very least, and then keep driving until you reach Lake Worth, where there are mega yachts docked there that can cost $85 million or more. And we won't even begin to discuss the cost of those massive mansions along the ocean, occupied by billionaires that have more money than they will ever need. What the hell do they do with all that space, anyway? We have definitely entered a new Gilded Age, with Exhibit A being our beloved president, Donald Trump.

Speaking of Donald Trump, I have noticed that when he is not in residence at Mar-a-Lago, the entrance to that famous club is wide open, as seen in the photograph on the right. I imagine that means the place is open to the public for viewing, kind of like the British nobility throwing open their homes to tourists to help defray expenses. I myself did not have time to stop, but I suggest that anyone in the area and curious about the place should pull up and tell the secret service guy at the gate that you want to walk around the grounds and the house and is there a fee? I am sure he will be happy to tell you where to go.

Of course, not everyone on Palm Beach is a billionaire, or for that matter, a measly millionaire. Palm Beach actually has a beach, as seen in the photograph on the left, and this is the beach that residents of West Palm Beach use when they want to head to the ocean. It is so popular that getting a parking space on South Ocean Boulevard can be very tough. And if you do snag a spot, you can only pay for parking by downloading some damn app onto your smartphone. Not a single ugly pay station in sight. Talk about a pain. In any case, I read in the paper recently that billionaires are now pricing millionaires off the island, forcing them into buying a place in West Palm Beach, with the result that WPB has been transformed into a real estate hotspot over the past few years. Someone should definitely set up a Go Fund Me Page to help keep those poor millionaires on the island.  Perhaps one of you could put up a notice about it on the bulletin board at Mar-a-Lago when you visit.