Palm Beach

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The Flagler Mansion and The Breakers in Palm Beach have long been on our "to do short list!" Both were worth the wait and anticipation. We had toured Flagler College and the Flagler Museum in St. Augustine a few years ago but loved hearing more about Mr. Flagler from Don our impeccably dressed docent with Gucci loafers and no socks. Henry Flagler was John D. Rockefeller's partner. It was his "new idea" to incorporate Standard oil across state lines. He was the visionery who made Florida the agriculture and tourism center that it is today. He was quite the businessman and very generous. His method of philanthropy was to build towns - total infrasturctures with utilities, schools, hospitals, libraries, parks, municiple buildings, etc. - and turn them over to the people. The Palm Beach mansion, Whitehall, was build as a wedding gift for Mr. Flagler's third wife. The craftsmanship is incredible; as is the art. The mansion was almost destroyed by a developer and was purchased and saved as a museum by one of Henry's grandaughters, Jean Flagler Matthews. The mansion is fascinating, especially considering that the Flaglers only used it for 6 weeks of the year. A handsome and fairly new pavilion, built in the style of a huge glass solarium, houses Flagler's private rail car and a restaurant. Admission to the house museum was $16.

We skipped the uber fab Worth Ave. shops and saved them for another trip. It was on to The Breakers where the price of admission was a the price of a drink at the Ocean Bar and a tip for valet parking. The bar, with a great Atlantic Ocean view, is a very comfortable "low bar" with regular arm chairs. This furniture arrangement is especially nice for vertically challenged gals like me who have to be hoisted up when a regular bar stool is the only option. The glass bar surface contains a saltwater aquarium with all manner of shorelife; coral, colorful fish and even eels that must get even more startling with subsequent cocktails! One sufficed for us. The hotel itself is gorgeous and elegant with great public rooms, ballrooms, adjacent golf course, beach, amazing grounds and gardens, and more!

We met up with friends in Jupiter for drinks and wings at the funky Square Grouper and took in the charming harbor view of the lighthouse across the bay. On to dinner where we waited in the bar at the Crab Shack with a "buzzer" from the hostess station of both the Jetty and the Crab Shack - the Crab Shack lit up first. Very nice meal; very spotty service; very nice re-coup on the part of the manager - a free round of drinks and desserts all around to make up for a very long wait!

A party at the outdoor resort featured the Caribbean Chillers. We both highly recomment this group which tours Florida as a Jimmy Buffet tribute band. Great chicken, ribs, and fixins and open beer wine bar - all for $10 per. And we were allowed guests. Met up with friends from home for St. Paddy's Day corned beef and cabbage in Jensen Beach where Jammin on Jensen is a Thursday night tradition with tons of craft vendors.

On to St. Augustine in the morning. We are s-l-o-w-l-y making our way north!

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Photos

Whitehall, Flagler's Winter Home
The Flaglers spend six weeks of each year in Palm Beach. The mansion was a wedding gift from Henry Flagler to his third wife, Mary Lily.

She Saved the Flagler Mansion
Jean Flagler Matthews, a grandaughter of Henry Flagler, saved the Palm Beach Flagler Mansion, Whitehall, from the wrecker's ball and established it as a museum.

View from The Breakers Bar
Fish and sea creatures swim beneath the cocktail napkins!

Comments

[jeff deets]

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Great shots looks like alot of fun!