I grew up in snowbird country—Arizona, to be specific. It was always fun to laugh at the crazies who thought it was fine to swim in 70-degree weather (freezing cold to me!). The lifestyle held no allure—that is, until I relocated to Long Island, New York, for a job where one of my bosses thought it would be funny to send me on an assignment in the middle of a snowstorm. The job I loved, the weather not so much.
For 40 years give or take, I survived, learning the fine art of clearing frozen windshields, walking on ice, and triple layering. Escaping the cold came in blessed two-week bursts—the Caribbean, Hawaii, even back home to Arizona once or twice. But not Florida, that’s where you go to visit in-laws. Nothing about the place appealed to me—that is, until I hit the appropriate demographic.
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Once I “sort of” retired, we started spending time in Palm Beach Gardens, initially a long weekend, then a week. The place was growing on me. Last year we went for a month, arriving home in early March. It was still darn cold in New York. Here are some of the things (along with the weather) that led us to book for three months next winter. We’ll probably be house hunting any minute.
Food
We’re foodies and can be snotty about things like bagels, pizza, and sushi. But you can find decent renditions of all in Palm Beach Gardens (D’Angelo’s, Brooklyn Water Bagel, and Asian Fin, if you must know). Beyond that, there are some terrific restaurants. We love the River House, a charming spot right on the water, and Stage, an interesting Indian/Spanish hybrid where a variety of curries share the menu with things like churrasco. And for a great breakfast, you can’t argue with the crowds always waiting at Juno Beach Café, where along with the excellent pancakes and the like you’ll find Hush-Wee, a Lebanese breakfast that combines ground beef, onions, pine nuts and scrambled eggs.
If you want to stay in, complete dinners are available (with great prices) at two specialty grocery stores. At Carmine’s Gourmet Market a dinner for two includes an entrée (chicken piccata, pork chops, crab cakes), plus two sides and a Caesar or house salad. Joseph’s Classic Market throws in a simple dessert.
Culture
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We’re spoiled, culturally speaking. Living so close to New York City we have our pick of Broadway shows, concerts and the like. Sitting home at night watching Netflix won’t cut it. Happily, we found significant places to get our culture fix in the Palm Beach area. The Kravis Center is a stunning arts complex that offers a steady schedule of concerts and touring shows, including some still on Broadway. It was a mixed bag for us last year—we went to a brilliant performance of the Cleveland Orchestra and saw the Blue Man Group (they really work better in a smaller venue). We were beyond excited to see the Miami Ballet on the schedule.
Since we’re willing to risk the Florida highways (perhaps not the best decision), we can drive about an hour to the impressive Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, where we caught the 25th anniversary performance of River Dance. The Maltz Theatre in Jupiter is a beautifully renovated facility that was once home to the Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater (regret that I missed that).
Nature
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You go to Florida to escape the cold, so being outside is kind of important. We don’t golf or play tennis, so we find simply walking the Juno Beach pier a fine way to spend a couple of hours. My favorite spot in this regard though is the Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach. True, the giant sea cows are not as abundant as they are on the state’s west coast, but we always manage to see a few of the imposing creatures as they gather near the warm waters of the nearby Clean Energy Center. Plus there’s a cool store (the manatee merch rocks) and several picnic tables perfect for an al fresco lunch.
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On next year’s agenda, we want to visit the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, offering tours to see the sea turtles, and the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, featuring an art museum, stroll garden and a terrace café serving bento boxes and other Japanese delicacies. And maybe a trip to McCathy’s Wildlife Sanctuary in West Palm Beach, where small group tours of the rescued animals can be arranged. That one might have just a few too many reptiles on the premises for some of us, but if you like creepy, crawly things, this is your spot.
Shopping
You can’t expect to go three months without some wardrobe emergency, right? No worries, the Garden Mall in Palm Beach Gardens has it all—Saks, Bloomingdale’s, Chanel, Gucci, Vuitton. Find more designer boutiques—and some jaw-dropping architecture—on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach. And for more artsy shops, there’s downtown West Palm Beach, with its impressive array of murals—Tristan Eaton’s “Spirit of Communication” honoring Alexander Graham Bell is one of the largest murals in the United States.
