LOCAL "TASTE HISTORY CULTURAL TOURS OF HISTORIC PALM BEACH" PROVIDES HISTORIC, ART, CULTURE AND TRAVEL INFORMATION

This multi-cultural culinary tour is for history buffs and foodies.  The Culture Trip, an international news agency cited this tour among their Florida’s 10 Best Food Festivals and Fiestas.   TripBuzz ranked this tour as #7 out of 118 nearby activities.  South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival recognize this tour.

Visit 3 to 4 restaurants for hearty food tastings and trips to historic districts, unique restaurants, historic buildings, art districts and art galleries.  

Areas toured include Northwood Village/West Palm Beach; Lake Worth and Lantana; Delray Beach and Boynton Beach and private tours can be arranged. These local tours are available year-round and go on, rain or shine.

These guide-narrated 4-hour tours are done by bus for 15-20 people.  In Delray Beach, it’s early history is described from its first Midwest founders, William Linton and David Swinton, to early landowners including Henry Flagler and William and Sara Gleason.

Some eating experiences are standing-only.  Dietary restrictions and substitutions cannot be provided.  Some eateries are cafes, restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops, markets, food stands, an urban farm, historic buildings, cultural centers and art galleries.  See their facebook page for pix.

Tours are held on 2^nd, 3^rd and4th Saturdays at 11 a.m.  There is about 4-6 blocks of walking.  Tours travel through historic districts and neighborhoods.  Each tour varies its stops. 

Pre-payment of $40 per person is required; children under 18 are free when accompanied by an adult, but you must call to verify that space is available.  After February 15, 2015, the new tour rate will be $45 per person for Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth and Lantana; $50 per person for West Palm Beach as bus rental and insurance fees have gone up. 

Tours board at Macy’s outside east entrance at the Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach.  The tours are sponsored partly by Macy’s, famous for its culinary tools department, and discounts are given to trip participants.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BECOMING A CONDO CONVERSION sez THE REAL DEAL

As a condo conversion, it would be hard to find the privacy, security and exclusivity plus the historic feeling and water views... and it is a landmark!

The article states that parking will be featured at the base of the statue along with high-end retail stores, a five star restaurants and maids quarters.  Affordable housing would be limited.  Applicants just have to pass the reasonable credit check.

See more including layout of condos and prices at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/10/12/what-if-
the-statue-of-liberty-was-condo-conversion/#sthash.SFI2GuqF.dpuf

(THIS IS A SATIRE BUT CLICK THE LINK TO SEE THE 

IDEAS FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE STATUE) 

PALM BEACH COUNTY CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ARE FORGING AHEAD WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Dreher Park Zoo and Science Center are planning an ecotourism complex that is estimated to attract 2.2MM annual visitors, and to be the largest destination in the US focused on conservation and environment.  Cost slated to range between $93MM and $123MM, and result after 10 years, in an annual impact of $300MM. Joint venture agreement discussions to lay out roles and responsibilities are being held.  Plans call for a butterfly haven, rope canopy tour, IMAX theatre, outdoor Everglades exhibit, environment education center, and more.  Next February, completion is scheduled for the science center’s west wing, doubling its usable space over the past four years to 40,000 sq ft.  It’s last fiscal year ended with a $30,000 surplus.  By the end of the year, the zoo will have doubled the size of its Malayan tiger habitat.

 

 

The Norton Museum has begun rehabbing six historic houses it owns on Cranesnest Way and is planning an expansion to reorient the Dixie Highway entrance, and to add 15,000 sq ft of new or renovated gallery space.

Palm Beach Atlantic University’s 78-acre Marshall and Vera Lee Rinker Athletic Campus has raised more than $15MM to benefit the athletic campus, academic programs and scholarships.  The President of the College stated that the school’s economic impact on the community is $345MM.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR TO ATTEND “AN AFTERNOON WITH ANN ROMNEY”

A most accomplished woman who focuses on being a wife, mother and grandmother, she also works with community and faith-based organizations and served a First Lady of Massachusetts when husband Mitt was Governor.

In 1998 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and volunteers time to raise awareness of this disease.

Mrs. Romney is a beautiful woman in so many ways.  The Romneys just celebrated their 45^th wedding anniversary, have 5 sons and 5 daughters-in-law and 22 grandchildren.

As part of the Esther B. O ‘Keeffe Speaker Series, this presentation will be held at 3  pm on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at The Four Arts’ Gubelmann Auditorium.    Show Membership Card (admits 2) at door; non-members pay$35 each and tickets are available one hour before the lecture (cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are all accepted).

BOCA RATON VOTED 7TH MOST EXCITING CITY IN FLORIDA BY MOVOTO REAL ESTATE BLOG

Cities with at least 30,000 residents were considered, and 99 were found.  Boca Raton was the 4^th place active life and arts ranking with nightlife and music venues scoring high too.  Boca placed third in non-fast food restaurants.

GREAT AMERICAN PLACES NAMES WEST PALM BEACH'S HISTORIC CLEMATIS STREET AMONG TOP 10 BEST STREETS IN AMERICA

Since the 1890’s, Clematis Street has been the commercial district for Palm Beach County.  Initial surveyors and engineers for Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad (1893) planned the area’s configuration.  Since 1990 it has been a two-way street.  The 500 block is listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.  A waterfront park and pavilion connects the waterfront to Clematis Street.  From the park you can walk the waterfront and admire the really big boats docked there. Since 2009, there is a new library and city hall complex.

Locals and visitors are drawn to the street with festivals, annual events and concerts.  Catch the trolley that connects CityPlace, train and bus stations, Palm Beach Atlantic University and downtown West Palm Beach.  Some call it, “Main Street,” and “the entertainment center of West Palm Beach”, a living room, where people relax, have fun, shop, dine and do business.  There are antique shops to browse, colorful boutiques to find that one-of-a-kind item, nightclubs, a movie plex and some upscale stores and restaurants nearby. Have a drink and dine at Bradleys across from the Intracoastal Waterway and enjoy crowd watching.  Architecture is authentic and eclectic, evolving over the last century, including every era and style. 

Historic buildings abound with shops and restaurants on the ground floors of historic buildings.  On higher floors you can find startups, small tech companies, and artists.  Residents’ non –traditional work schedules activate and energize the street, often in the later hours. Some retailers have been there for 100 years.  Drop in to Segway Tours, “the best way to see the area”, and voted # 1 by Trip Advisor of 24 West Palm Beach Activities.  Rent a self-balancing “Personal Transporter,” a motorized “scooter” that changes direction by leaning that way.  Modern dance clubs and health food emporiums are included.  “Clematis by Night” offers a fountain-side concert series, food art and children’s activities.  .  After browsing an art gallery, sit outside and have coffee or wine and cheese.  “SunFest,” the annual boat show and “Corvettes on Clematis” are well attended events with the area drawing about 80,000 visitors a week.

Nearby places to enjoy are The Kravis Center where top stars perform, the Convention Center with art, antiques and jewelry shows, and lots of interesting street browsing.  The area encompasses 5 blocks from Flagler Drive to Rosemary Avenue.

Next time you are looking to have fun, head over to Clematis Street!

PALM BEACH FOUR ARTS SOCIETY HAS NEW COLORFUL NATURE MURALS IN GUBELMANN AUDITORIUM

A 1930's building originally designed by Addison Mizner as The Embassy Club now houses the Four Arts Society, which includes the fabulous Gubelmann Auditorium.

Electrifying red colors that echo the Auditorium’s dominant color, and a newly exposed row of arches, add an illusion of looking through arched windows at a Florida sunset, according to the Palm Beach Daily News (“Shiny Sheet”). The previous “plain” look was said to be drab.  Budget surplus was used for these improvements.  The Auditorium seats 700 and features state-of-the-art electronics to ensure that the sound of a symphony playing in the Gubelmann Auditorium can be heard with great detail – even for those with severe hearing loss.

Included in the new arched murals are Florida-local birds and plants such as ibis, roseate spoonbill, hibiscus, magnolia, sea grape, palms and pines.  Mixed acrylic paint and casein were used to produce surface resonance for improved acoustics.

Presentations in the auditorium and within the complex include concerts, art exhibits, films, lecture series, library series, events in the botanical and sculpture gardens, classes on painting and art, and other cultural offerings.  There is a popular Children’s Library.  The Campus on the Lake offers cultural education lectures, workshops, classes and field trips exploring art, music, literature, drama and the art of living well.

The original 1930’s building was the Addison Mizner-designed Embassy Club. 

For more information: http://www.fourarts.org/

1925 WYETH MEDITERRANEAN LANDMARKED HOME, Center of town, one block to beach, shop, dine

PHIPPS PLAZA 3-story Landmarked Mediterranean style home that can be single family, or have rental units and owner still live there.  Right now there are 3 long term renters in units.  One block to ocean.  fireplaces, high pecky cypress ceilings, frog fountain, courtyard with park view, master upstairs, no HOA.  Located in center of town, walk to shop, dine et al.  $3,595,000.

 

 

 

 

If you would like to see the property

call MARILYN FARBER JACOBS, 561-638-9818

 

LOCATION!   LOCATION!   LOCATION!



 

FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION RELEASES ALL ABOARD FLORIDA STUDY

All Aboard Florida plans to run an express passenger rail service using 32 passenger trains a day from Miami to Orlando International Airport on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, with Miami to West Palm Beach service expected to begin in late 2016 and West Palm Beach to Orlando to start in 2017.  The 235 mile route would take about three hours.  Over the next 8 years, $6.4BB will have a direct positive economic impact to Florida’s economy with $653MM in federal, state and local government tax revenue through 2021.  Construction will add 10,000+ jobs between 2014 and 2016 and more than 5,000 jobs on average per year after completion of rail line through 2021.

The 522-page study, required by All Aboard Florida’s request for a $1.6BB federal loan, concluded that:

·       the All Aboard Florida’s passenger train service between West Palm Beach and Orlando will have a minimal environmental impact, while improving air quality and reducing noise in surrounding communities with wait time at crossings between 1.7 minutes for passenger crossings and 2.8 minutes for freight

·       the  corridor will be shared with existing freight trains traveling between PortMiami and Jacksonville

·       if measures are not taken to reduce its impact, it could affect wildlife, traffic and the marine industry;  but, the report says that the trains are not expected to have “significant adverse impacts” on protected species or habitat

·       All Aboard Florida has proposed measures to reduce negative impacts, including efforts to minimize bridge closures, vibrations and noise

·       the 128-mile stretch of the Florida East Coast Railway tracks from West Palm Beach to Cocoa Beach could reduce noise by installation of less-noisy horns at rail crossing or implementation of quiet zones along the corridor

·       Encouraging mass transit would reduce vehicle emissions across South Florida should improve air quality with about 3MM less vehicles on the roads

·       Approvals are also required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service

While estimation is that 1100 jobs per year will be created by 2021 with labor income valued at almost $294MM, there is concern from opponents that, “They talk about the creation of jobs, but they are going to build a railroad and leave.” 

The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has been asked to investigate whether the plan is financially viable with concerns of the Treasure Coast-Palm Beach Community, including the effect on the drawbridges that allow recreational and commercial boaters access to the ocean.  There are 18 locations that need either to be rehabilitated or to replace original bridges and improve two over the St. Lucie River and Loxahatchee River.  Plans are to mitigate boat bottlenecks by managing train schedules to two trains crossing at once and making the schedules public to boaters.  At most rail crossings, the service would result in about 3 new closures an hour or 54 closures a date with an increase of about 2 minutes over current conditions.

Tourism will increase with more easily reached destinations along the southeast Florida coast currently there are 95MM+ visitors to the state with 50MM currently making the planned route.  Florida will become the third most populated state in the US.  No ongoing taxpayer subsidies required.  Siemens will be the Train Manufacturer.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statements predicts:

·       3.5MM annual ridership per year by 2019

·       4 MM by 2030

·       69%, ridership diverted from cars

·       10%, riders diverted from air travel

·       10%, riders diverted from bus service

·       2%, ridership diverted from Amtrak

The public has 75 days to comment on the study, which ends on December 3^rd; there will be 8 public hearings from Miami to Orlando.  One public hearing will be on Oct 29 at 3:30 pm to 7 pm at the West Palm Beach Marriott at 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

ISRAELIS DEVELOP BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER

Eventus Diagnostics, and Israeli life-sciences company, has produced a blood test for early detection of breast cancer, after 8 years of painstaking research.  Breast  cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.6MM new cases diagnosed in 2010. 

Called the Octavia Pink test, this first ever blood test to reveal cancer is available now in Israel and Italy and is undergoing clinical trials to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval.  It identifies markers that might indicate cancer or something else.  Its innovations also lie in its examination of antibodies in the blood to pinpoint this specific cancer.

The company released a peer-reviewed study that confirms the diagnostic accuracy of its Octava(TM) blood tests designed for use with screening mammography. The study showed that the Octava(TM) Blue test has excellent sensitivity and good specificity in helping to identify whether or not women who have had an abnormal mammography result actually have breast cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at Eventus Diagnostics and at major cancer centers in the U.S., Italy and Israel.

Galit Yahalom, Head of the 15-member Research Team, is a 43-year old Israeli mother of two who has worked on this project since its inception.  She says, “We know that it recognizes cancer as an external enemy that must be destroyed. It is possible that each of us has had instances of cancer we were unaware of, because our immune systems killed it when it was still very small. For whatever reason, the immune system of people with cancer is not functioning properly.” She also states, “For the last decade, we have known that there is a connection between cancer and the immune system.”

The Octava breast cancer tests are the first in a new class of rapid, accurate and cost-effective immune system-based blood tests that detect the presence or absence of cancer by measuring ratios of autoantibodies produced by the body in response to the presence of tumor-specific antigens.

For more information: http://www.israel21c.org/health/israelis-develop-first-blood-test-for-breast-cancer/

1909 TOWNHOUSE BUILT FOR DOUGLAS ELLIMAN SOLD FOR $14.8MM

 

Upper East Side Neo-Federal townhouse built in 1909 for Douglas Elliman at 177 E 71^st St just sold for $14.8MM.  It is 6 stories high

Architect was S.E. Gage.  It was built two years before Elliman opened his real estate agency.

Twenty feet wide, there are 8 bedrooms, 6700 sq ft and has a gym, movie theatre, roof deck and garden and six fireplaces.   There are 6 full and 3 half bathrooms.

COME AND FIND YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND...

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MOVE to YOUR NEW HOME

·      Plan ahead: Start about 6 weeks before the move with a file and calendar handy.  Keep details for utility turn ons, copy of contract, lease or mortgage, and other important papers.

·      Get organized: Start with boxes and mark on the outsides which room the items will go to.  List furniture and which room they will go to.  Share with movers.

·      Don't crack under pressure: Keep plates in one piece by stacking Styrofoam plates between each one. Protect glasses by putting them inside pairs of clean socks.

·      Think of the little things: Keep sandwich bags handy to hold small items that must be taken apart, such as screws for a mounted flat-screen television or a bed frame, and tape the bag to the back of the object. Label bags in case they get separated.

·      Sweet dreams: If it's time to replace an item, do so during the move to avoid extra packing. It might be a good time, for example, to replace an older mattress, pillows and sheets.

·      Green thumb: Transport plants delicately by using a plastic bag to keep all of the appendages safe and prevent snapping.

·      Survival kit: Pack an overnight kit to take and use your first day in the new home.  Put in night clothes, a change of clothes for the next day, toiletries and towels.  Include moving staples, such as a box cutter, paper towels, trash bags and power strips.  Be sure to pack pet’s necessities and a few cans or bags of pet food along with their favorite toys.

 

·      Vacuum seal out-of-season clothing: Save space, and put into a storage shelf in your new home.

 

BEST WISHES IN YOUR NEW HOME!

APPARENTLY I'VE BEEN DOING IT WRONG ALL THESE YEARS...

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/0_u0r71mg5

WHAT IS LOCK BUMPING AND WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

1964 HISTORIC BEACH HOUSE FOR SALE OR RENT RIGHT NOW!

Life is a beach!

  

Buy ($6MM), or rent ($25,000 annually, $45,000 seasonally)

Quintessential beach house

3 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths and private guest bath and bedroom

   

 

25’x19’ living room. Open floor plan with many windows providing light in major rooms.  East exposure boasts sweeping ocean and beach views from all major rooms.  Private direct beachfront gazebo and sunning deck, with stairs to wide sandy beach and ocean in Esplanade Estates, near desirable quiet north end of Palm Beach Island.

3828 living sq ft. 

 

Private pool, 2 car garage, circular and long driveway

21’x13’ eat-in-kitchen

21'x16' master bedroom - DIRECT OCEAN VIEW and bath

 

Possibility of purchasing adjacent property

to have a family compound or built to suit

 Come and see this wonderful getaway...

make it your major property!