Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Lake Worth and net worth - lots of it!

We decided to change our routine once we reached Lake Worth and to tie up at the brand new Palm Harbour Marina instead of anchoring at the north end of the lake. The shops of Palm Beach, and particularly Worth Avenue, had always been of some interest to one of us, so we needed to be in walking distance to see for ourselves if the streets really were paved with gold!
They probably were.....but it was well hidden inside the vaults of the stately trust companies and brash 'Wealth Management' facades which line both sides of 'Royal Palm Way' - the front door of this wealthy enclave.
Our walk that day took us along West Palm Beach's recently remodelled lake side trail between Flagler Memorial Bridge and Royal Park Bridge. The previous night we had discovered the lively restaurant and bar area on 'Clematis Street'. Our meal on the sidewalk of a Mexican Restaurant was tasty, though our table seemed to become the focus of groups of small dogs whose owners prided themselves in their ability to extend their pooches' leashes to the full to test the athletic abilities of the passing crowd!
We walked across the island of Palm Beach visiting the lovely sculpture garden of the Museum of the 'Society of the Four Arts'. And so to Worth Avenue. The big designer names are all present and correct, from 'Dior' to 'Gucci' to lots we should probable have heard of but had somehow missed. It was fun to watch the rich at play - though as it was only noon there weren't too many around. The rich are different from you and me........apart from the obvious, they are extremely thin! We discovered this while browsing some of the ladies' designer boutiques - there was very little to be had over a size 8. We felt almost elephantine and we could see the eyes of the store assistants glaze over on our approach. Admittedly we were wearing our cut off shorts and sailing shoes...!
We had a delicious lunch in a small cafe in one of the many little alleys leading off the avenue, and wandered back admiring the lovely houses in the residential area. As our feet were dragging, we left a visit to the famous 'Breakers Hotel' until next time.
The next morning we left the marina just before dawn to avoid the strong currents which can catch unwary boaters around this part of the lake, and headed south on the ICW to Fort Lauderdale. We had 18 bridges to get through - each on request to the sometimes grumpy Bridge Captains! This year the winner of the Grumps award was the guardian of the 'George Bush' bridge - very appropriate we thought!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed the Rolls, but did not see the refurbished Sebring! Keep on Bloggin``!