Seventeen years ago I made the sunny state of Florida my home and there are no regrets. I still enjoy our “Sunshine State” and all the benefits it offers: no state income tax, inexpensive housing, lots of sun, beautiful views and a variety of nationalities living together.
Last Friday my friend Yvonne and I embarked upon a new adventure: driving to South Florida together. Yvonne had lived in Pennsylvania, California and Italy. She also traveled the world as a Flight Attendant with World Airways. Recently she moved to St. Augustine, FL but discovered six months later that this historic city is too small and a little too quiet for her liking. She invited me join her and experience together some more of our beautiful home state.
We left Orlando on Friday afternoon and taking the Beachline Expressway (or State Road 528, formerly known as Bee Line Expressway) we reached Interstate 95 (I-95) after just a half an hour drive and two $1 tolls.
The first city of interest on our list was West Palm Beach and it took us about a 2.5 to 3 hour drive to reach it.
We drove by tall and modern buildings, many of them with green palm trees on the top. The canal that separated the city from the Atlantic Ocean beaches was enchanting, with its docks and white yachts. Crossing the bridge we found ourselves in the land of riches, as the Palm Beach area is full of multi-million dollar mansions. We drove up and down South Ocean Boulevard, admiring the imposing structures of varied styles and the green layered fences and perfect landscapes surrounding them.
Eventually we returned over the bridge and found the downtown area of West Palm Beach. A nice and modern place, redone in the past 15 years, the downtown is a great place for a stroll, shopping and finding a restaurant with a nice patio for a meal.
We stopped at the Publix grocery store located on the main road downtown and got some food for the road. Even this well known chain store was more modern and stylish, so we could not pass up the opportunity to get a bite to eat right there an use the store’s patio for eating and admiring the view and the people passing by.
The city’s colorful buses were another nice touch and the few old historic homes that remained in place were in perfect shape and beautifully colored.
The impression this city makes is of a safe, clean, modern and wealthy area.
From here we drove along State Road A1A, the scenic route by beaches all the way down to Fort Lauderdale and Hollywood. As it was already dark when we got there, we left all the rest of our visits for the next day. I used to live in this area for seven years (before moving to Orlando) we were lucky to be able to use the condominium I used to live in for the next three nights.
Ceau draga, ma bucur sa te vad, la voi e deja vara, timp de sandale si tricou…Parul tau a crescut si arati foarte bine zambind ! Frumoasa iesire, arata patriarhal orasul, vesel, ca in filme. Pe de alta parte unde sunt oamnenii de pe trotuare ? doar voi si cuplul in roz si rosu. Drum bun si sa va distrati !
Da, nu a prea fost multa lume acolo dar era inca vineri, in timpul normal pentru servici. As fi si eu curioasa cum e acest oras bogat in week-end si cit sint de preitenosi oamenii. Parul, da, a crescut ceva. LOL Merci de compliment.