Palm Beach is for bosses. Across the Intracoastal Waterway, the city locals know as West Palm offers fun and relaxation for any budget.
Where to Eat
If you’ve attended the Palm Beach International Boat Show, you’ve likely at least seen Elisabetta’s. The large, waterfront Italian restaurant offers generous plates that will take care of your carb needs for a week, as well as good steaks and a quality wine list.
If the meal you seek is breakfast and the vibe you seek is Northern European, caffeinate at Johan’s Joe. Open for breakfast and lunch, the Swedish café offers all kinds of baked goods and sweet treats as well as a lunchtime menu heavy on generous open-faced sandwiches with Sweden-themed names. (Try the Six-Hour Workday.) This is one corner of Florida where the Swedish tradition of fika — the short, communal break for coffee and a sweet treat — is alive and well.
For a dining experience that’s all-American, hit Okeechobee Steakhouse. The place bills itself as Florida’s oldest steakhouse; when it opened in 1947, its section of Okeechobee Boulevard was swampy woods outside of town. There’s no prize for guessing what the specialty is here, although the local seafood options are also strong. Knowledgeable staff can also walk you through the expansive, impressive wine list.
Where to Drink
Clematis Street is the throbbing heart of a fun, compact downtown; stay on it or within a couple blocks and you’ll struggle to run out of options. If you want your beverage with a side of music, Respectable Street offers a diverse lineup of touring acts and local music nights. Garden District Taproom is a pour-your-own-beer joint with a big garden, while O’Shea’s Irish Pub offers a pleasantly downmarket pub experience that frequently features live music and always features a lively crowd.
What to Do
The Norton Museum of Art offers a more substantial collection than you might have been expecting from the city art museum of a midsize Florida city. The permanent collection includes works by Thomas Gainsborough and Peter Paul Rubens as well as modern artists like Matthew Barney, Nan Goldin, Damien Hirst and Ed Ruscha. There’s a sculpture garden and an interesting series of talks and other events.
Just south of downtown, the Palm Beach Zoo hosts a spring nighttime music series. The zoo itself is also fun. Nestled into a suburban location, it’s not huge but packs a lot of nature into a place you can check out in less than two hours.