Shall we do lunch?

In Palm Beach?

Yes please.  Because, thankfully this is confined to the more northerly states.  Here in Florida today it was around 70F, pleasantly warm, we thought.

So, after an orientation tour and running a couple of errands on the way, we headed to the ocean.

All looked so placid, it was hard to imagine that a few hundred miles north of here, the snow was falling and another Winter storm had blown in.

Here on Worth Avenue – the Rodeo Drive of Palm Beach – life was good.  As we walked along, we scrutinised the people passing by; the face lifts, the reconstructions and the toupees.  One young woman walked towards us looked rather different, somewhat eye-catching, even, and we remarked on the card she was carrying ostentatiously.  I wasn’t brave enough to take her photograph as she walked towards us but waited until she’d passed us by and turned around to snap.  There she is above, with the blonde ponytail, dressed in black.

She was working as a model, advertising a jewellery store and yes, she was dripping with the stuff!

We were heading to Taboo for lunch and going inside, we entered the world of the smart people; the ladies who lunch and the elderly elite of the town.  The most ridiculous toupee so far was to be seen on an adjacent table, too, which proved quite entertaining.

Then, who should come in and “work the tables” but the model we’d see earlier.  Sure enough, she was advertising “jewellery that accents your style” and presumably, they sell purple plastic handbags too.  I thought it a bit of an imposition that, whilst sitting and enjoying a relaxing (and delicious) lunch in a great restaurant, someone is permitted to solicit for business.  First time I’ve seen anything like it.

After lunch, we explored the small piazzas and courtyards which could be accessed from Worth Avenue.  We strolled into a rather interesting art gallery where we were fascinated by the work of Carole A Feuerman, who creates “hyper-realistic” sculptures.  Several of these pieces were on show there and we spent some time admiring the detail and learning more about the artist. Oh, and I nearly forgot, there was an original Andy Warhol Mao print on the wall, too!

Strolling back to the car, we appreciated the attractions of this small corner of Palm Beach.  How lovely to come here for ”the season”, to escape the winter up north and to spend the days pottering about amongst the privileged few.

By the time we left, the weather was coming in a little and though we stopped for a photo across the Intra-Coastal Waterway, we couldn’t linger.  I had an appointment to keep.

Nevertheless, I had to have a good look at this place

Situated on a small site in between the waterway and the ocean, this private and very exclusive club was quite the landmark.  As we passed the airport a little further along the road, the private plane on the tarmac suggested that the man himself was in residence.  Maybe another hairstyle to prompt a conversation?

Anyway, it was approaching 3pm and a decision had to be made at the nail salon down the road.

In just over half an hour, Kim had worked magic on my care-worn and rather battered nails, applying Nex-Gen expertly whilst we sat and chatted.

Nice work, Kim!