Worth Avenue: Still Pretty, But A Bit On The Pretentious Side

My sister Susan and I walked down Worth Avenue in Palm Beach this past Sunday afternoon. It is a very pretty street, perfectly landscaped, but a bit on the pretentious side. I counted 2 Ferraris, a Bentley convertible, and a Rolls Royce while walking past shops such as Chanel, Gucci, Lilly Pulitzer, Tiffany & Co. and Versace. This may surprise you, but I have never shopped at any of those stores, and the only thing I know about the Pulitzers is from Hunter S. Thompson's article titled "A Dog Took My Place," about the divorce trial of Herbert Pulitzer Jr. and his wife Roxanne, which certainly opened my eyes concerning what happens behind the front doors of some of the wealthy and super wealthy. That was over 40 years ago, of course, but being the cynic that I am, I firmly believe that some things never change.

The thing I like best about Worth Avenue are the interior courtyards that run behind the shops fronting the street, with many more pricey stores and restaurants flanking them. I took the photograph on the right of one of those courtyards, which, surprisingly, did not have all that many people walking through it. There was only one couple dining outside at one of the restaurants we passed, but perhaps it was just too warm and humid for patios, and the restaurant itself was filled with diners, running up bills that no doubt would force the average person to dip into their children's college fund. 

I read in the paper recently that Palm Beach is a great place to see Christmas lights. Since it was mid-afternoon, we did not get a chance to view them, but we did see the official Palm Beach Christmas tree on the corner of Worth and Hibiscus Avenues, as seen in the photograph on the left. And so, after an hour, we left Worth Avenue and on the way home drove through downtown West Palm Beach and the CityPlace neighborhood, which were much livelier - and more real - than Palm Beach. The restaurant patios were crowded, as was the open-air plaza at CityPlace, where people were listening to a free concert while their children played in the fountain. A very nice afternoon for all.