Our wake-up call came early in the form of city traffic on
South Bayshore Drive
eight floor below. After a fruit and cheese breakfast from the Fresh Market we packed the hard luggage and prepared ourselves for the escape from
Miami
. We thanked the bellhop who had dutifully guarded our Capo during the three night stay, got his address so we could send him some goodies and headed north to regain A1A at
South
Beach
in
Miami
.
I am familiar with all of coastal
Florida
having spent 44 years living and
playing on most of it. Some areas have changed drastically while others have remained basically the same.
Miami Beach
still looks about the same with its art deco hotels which date to the mid-1900s and friendly beachfront strand. What has changed is the traffic. We were tangled for several miles along
Ocean Drive
and then
Collins Avenue
.
A1A officially begins after crossing McArthur Causeway to
Miami Beach
at US 41 (
5th Street
) and
Collins Avenue
. From there it winds northward through old sections of
South
Beach
art deco and then new hotels rising into the sky. Construction is everywhere and delivery trucks block lanes adding to the insane traffic problem. An odd memorial is located on a small island in
Biscayne Bay
just north of the Macarthur Causeway. A 110 foot tall concrete monument with statuary pays tribute to Henry Morrison Flagler, the railroad magnate who is credited with developing not only
Miami
, but all of southeast
Florida
in the 1890s.
Along the 15 block beach front there are special marked parking areas
for motorcycles and scooters. We parked in one next to a local entrepreneur who was renting a tiny talking convertible that provided a talking tour as you drove through the madness …. looked a little scary to us.
Walking the beach we were surprised to see some topless sunbathing. Had that been allowed when I was growing up I’d have spent a lot more time in
Miami
. There are many sidewalk restaurants that looked a little too trendy and expensive for us and it was still early so we headed north dodging errant car drivers, trucks and buses. Every once in a while you might get a glimpse of the ocean as you cross a bridge and there are a few miles of scenic waterway views of the rich and famous, but for the most part A1A is lined with massive concrete structures that at least provide a little shade from the tropical sun.
Along this route we passed the site where the 1960s detective show
Surfside 6 was filmed on a houseboat moored directly across the street from the famed Fontainebleau Hotel which is currently undergoing a complete renovation. Just for old times sake we stopped at an inconspicuous deli on
95th Street
in Surfside and had a great
South
Beach
sandwich and some incredible, possibly the best ever, potato salad.
Traffic slowly thinned as we continued through
Atlantic
Heights
, Surfside,
Bal
Harbour
, Sunny Isles,
Golden
Beach
, and Beverly Beach before having to make a right angle back to the mainland. Not a whole lot to see along this route other than masses of population making use of every square inch of luxury ocean front and Intracoastal land. There are a number of causeways from the beaches to the mainland that skip across heavily populated islands. In the 1930s depression years you could obtain land here by simply taking over the delinquent taxes. Too bad my grandparents were among the many trying to earn a few dollars just to survive.
Back into the slums skirting US 1 it was a quick 3.5 miles north passing
Port Everglades to the next section of A1A at
SE 17th Street
. Crossing the
Intracoastal Waterway
bridge we were presented with a great view of the port, waterway,
Atlantic Ocean
and
Fort Lauderdale
beaches. A local police officer was standing next to his motorcycle with a radar gun, but we saw him soon enough to brake. No telling how much leeway they give you down here.
Back on the outer islands A1A turns north once again and passes through
Fort Lauderdale
. The Yankee Clipper Hotel, shaped like a giant cruise ship, brought back memories from my teenage years.
Fort Lauderdale
was quiet compared to the bustle on
South
Beach
in
Miami
. From here northward the traffic was actually tolerable along the beach road A1A. We continued through Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and Sea Ranch Lakes, crossed the Hillsboro Inlet with a view of the ocean and the 1907 iron lighthouse.
The scenery along here also changes. There are a few places where condos hide the sky, but there are also motels/hotels from the 50s, middle-income single family residences, and homes of the ultra rich often hidden by 30 foot hedges and security gates. Luckily there are still places for normal folks to access the ocean and the area is alive with people of all ages using the beaches, parks and pathways. Some of the beach access points do require minimal fees to park.
After
Hillsboro
Beach
we crossed the Boca Raton Inlet,
Boca Raton
,
Highland
Beach
,
Delray Beach
, and
Gulf Stream
. The next town is somewhat unique. Briny Breezes is a postage stamp size community consisting of about 490 mobile homes wedged in an area of .1 square mile - so close together that owners could literally cut their lawns with a pair of scissors. Many of these lots were purchased in 1958 for $2,000 to $2,500. In January 2007 the property owners voted to sell their tiny lots to a developer for $1,000,000 each. Subsequent disputes between the developer and town board of directors has since put the deal on hold. Think I want to vote in some new directors.
Just up the road we pulled into the Boynton Inlet for a Red Bull. This is a
great place to take a break and watch the fishing boats fight their way to the sea. The narrow inlet has some strong currents and lots of boat traffic only a few feet from sightseers. There is free parking on both north and south on the lake side. Here we saw a south Florida red KLR turned pink by the sun. SEE PHOTO
Continuing north through Manalapan we passed the shipwreck of the Lofthus, a Norwegian vessel that sank in 1898 only 175 yards from the beach, easily accessed by snorkeling. To get there you’d have to walk ¾ of a mile north from the Boynton Inlet, the closest public parking. We then passed the beachfront home of boxing promoter Don King. The luxury yacht Octopussy which was offered for sale in 2000 for 7.8 million is moored nearby on the lake side.
Lake Worth
is a good public beach amid the wealth of coastal A1A. I used to surf here at the pier and attend dances and concerts at the Lake Worth Casino (not the gambling kind). I saw Lou Christie perform here back in the 60s.
Just up the road is the Palm Beach Par Three Golf Course. I played here a lot when I was a teenager. It is a great little course with holes along both the ocean and the lake. The land here is dreadfully expensive, in the $100,000 a front foot for beach front land and even more for land that fronts both the beach and the lake. The course has .37 miles of beach frontage which equates to nearly $200,000,000 in land value alone. I was surprised to see the course still here. With green fees at $31 it is hard to see the economics here, but it is owned by the Town of
Palm Beach
.
A1A then follows
South Ocean Boulevard
into
Palm Beach
. This stretch is made famous by those who reside in the ocean front mansions. Mar-a-Lago, the seventeen acre estate of Marjorie Maryweather Post of cereal fame, is perhaps the most famous. This 115 room retreat built in 1923 sprawls from lake to ocean and is complete with a 75-foot tall tower and tennis courts. It at one time had a nine-hole golf course in the back yard. Once owned by the State of
Florida
, it had to be sold because of the extravagant maintenance costs. Today it is owned by Donald Trump who proudly flies a huge American flag in defiance of the Town’s ordinance. He is assessed a penalty of $1,250 a day for zoning violations.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono purchased El Solano in 1979 a mile or so to the north and just a few doors down from Ivana Trump. Rod Stewart owns an impressive mansion at
1435 South Ocean
Boulevard
. Jimmy Buffett lives at 540. Eric Clapton’s 1974 album
461 Ocean Boulevard
had a photo of this
Palm Beach
address on the cover. The house is no longer there.
Approaching downtown
Palm Beach
there are beautiful views of the mansions on one side and the
Atlantic
on the other. Sadly the beaches here are disappearing due to erosion.
We took a turn onto the famous
Worth Avenue
, a special place to stroll and window shop. We passed the legendary Taboo, an American Bistro and Bar, a place that my father frequented for decades. It is rated as one of
America
’s best night spots.
Down the street there is a labyrinth of off-street walkways or Vias
on both sides of the street with hidden shops and places to eat. Via Mizner, one of the quaint walks is named for Addison Mizner who designed many of the exclusive
Palm Beach
homes in the 1920s in the Spanish Revival style. His personal residence was El Solano, later owned by John Lennon. He also built the
Palm Beach
home owned by Joe Kennedy that became the Winter White House for President John F. Kennedy.
All along The Avenue are exclusive businesses with windows
showing merchandise worth more than the imported sports cars parked out front. Some of the best art in the world is for sale here at astronomical prices. At night it where the wealthy, the famous, and the want-to-bes party.
Just a couple of blocks to the west we came to the beginning of the Lake Trail, truly one of the most interesting bicycle trails in the world (no motorized vehicles allowed). The trail is nearly 5 miles in length running from the west end of
Worth Avenue northward
to
Reef Road
. The Palm Beach Inlet is just a short ride away along lazy residential streets.
The Lake Trail route takes you past the Palm Beach Docks, Royal Palm Way, the 4 Arts Museum, views across the lake of West Palm Beach and Trump Plaza, palm trees twisted by hurricane winds into unusual shapes, old rusted cannons, a giant kapok tree, the Whitehall Museum (Flagler’s home), the Breakers Golf Course, Royal Poinciana Way, remnants of the 1930s Bradley Casino, the old Biltmore Hotel, many luxurious private residences, the Palm Beach Country Club, and the Sailfish Club and docks. We highly recommend this as a great way to spend most of an entire day getting some exercise and seeing
Palm Beach
in a very unique way. The back roads of
Palm Beach
offer a safe and interesting return route. Bicycle rentals are available at a number of locations in Palm Beach. Search Google.
If you happen to be in
Palm Beach
at lunch time you might want to try another local tradition, Hamburger Heaven on
South County Road
. In business since 1945, the burgers are thick and juicy. Don’t forget the excellent shakes.
North of Worth Avenue A1A we crossed
Royal Palm Way
which has a median lined with royal palms for the entire 4-blocks to the lake. At Barton Avenue A1A turns west and then makes a quick turn back to the north following South County Road past Bethesda by the Sea Episcopal Church and Gardens (stop for a walk). We then passed the Breakers Golf Course and turned into the Breakers Hotel entrance for a quick peek. Rooms at this ocean front hotel range from $520 to $1030 a night for a couple.
At
Royal Poinciana Way
with median lined with royal poinciana trees A1A turns to the west once again to return to the mainland across the
Flagler
Memorial
Bridge
. This bridge is named for railroad tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler who is credited with opening the southeast coast of
Florida
to development in the 1890s when he extended his rails from
Jacksonville
into the Keys. His home is now the
Flagler
Museum
in
Palm Beach
.
In West Palm we stopped for a mid-afternoon snack at Russo’s Subs on
South Dixie Highway
just south of downtown. A local tradition since the 1960s these are arguably the best Italian Subs in the world.
Nancy
is not a big bread eater, but she can put away a Russo’s Original by herself. After we finished two of these mouth watering sandwiches we ordered another to take with us for dinner. And it tasted just as good as the first two. They bake their own bread and it is only hours old when you get it. The ham, salami and cheese is fresh cut and plentiful. Add lettuce and oil and I’m salivating as I write.
Back on the mainland A1A rejoins US 1 through the north end of
West Palm Beach
and much of
Riviera Beach
. After 5 miles it turns eastward leaving US 1, crosses the
Blue
Heron
Bridge
and returns to the coastal
island
of
Singer
Island
and
Palm Beach
Shores
. You can stop at
Phil
Foster
Park
to watch the boat traffic and local fishermen on the bridges. The large island to the south, visible as you cross the high bridge, is
Peanut
Island
. During the Kennedy Presidency it was the location of his secret underground command center and bomb shelter. Today it has been reclaimed as a natural park and maritime museum. It is only accessible by boat.
Heading north the ocean views are blocked by condos along the shoreline, but there is a view of the
Intracoastal Waterway
to the west. We escaped the developed area and came to
John
D.
McArthur
Beach
State Park
, a preserve consisting of tropical hammock and mangrove forest. Here a long walk bridge crosses the inland waters to the beaches.
After passing
Lost
Tree
Village
, home of Jack Nicholas, A1A rejoins US 1 for about a mile before veering off at
Juno
Beach
.
Juno
Beach
was a place where I learned to surf in the 1960s. I have great memories of my youth here, but today it seems cold and uninviting. The parking areas have been paved and condos line what used to be palmetto dunes on the landward side.
At the north end of Juno we passed
Carlin
Park
, a great picnic
area on the beach. We then turned right on
Jupiter Beach Road
. This road leads around to
Jupiter
Beach
County
Park
and finally ends at the Jupiter Inlet. We stopped and watched a few moon fish (AKA lookdowns) being reeled in and a variety of boats going in and out of the inlet. Just a few parking places away artist Michael Plunkett had a number of paintings on display. We purchased a couple and
Nancy
had to hold them on the back of the bike for the next two hours. Perhaps he’d be famous someday so we took a snapshot.
Intersecting US 1 again A1A seemingly disappears. One would think
that A1A would cross back over to the coastal island of Jupiter Inlet Colony on SR 707, but it actually continues northward on US 1 for another 7 miles passing the Intracoastal home of Burt Reynolds before veering off to the right on SE Dixie Highway, what used to be part of the Dixie Highway that ran from Michigan to Florida.
For the next 14 miles A1A follows the Florida East Coast Railroad tracks passing through the old
Florida
towns of Hobe Sound, Gomez, and
Salerno
. This is designated as Martin County Road A1A. In Hobe Sound there are still several of
the original old light posts when this was part of the
Dixie Highway
stretching from
Chicago
to
Miami
in the 1920s. It finally reaches Stuart where it takes a sharp turn to the east at Confusion Corner. This infamous intersection has six intersecting roads at a railroad crossing and “go-around”. SEE PHOTOS
Heading east we crossed the St. Lucie River over
Ten-Cent
Bridge
and then
Twenty-five-Cent
Bridge
over the
Indian River
, so named by locals for the tolls that used to be charged. Just before the beach we took a right on
MacArthur Boulevard
and visited the House of Refuge, a museum that used to provide shelter for shipwrecked sailors. Built in 1876 it is the last remaining shipwreck life-saving station on
Florida
’s
Atlantic
Coast
.
Back on A1A we made the final 3.5 mile mundane run to the Jensen Beach Causeway where our first A1A trip ended two years ago. On these two trips we discovered hundreds of places of interest along the route. It would take a year to plan a trip that visited each of these stops. Hopefully we have provided some fodder to help those who might decide to follow in our tracks.
We plan to return to
Key West
, perhaps the
high point
of our excursions. We want to spend a couple of nights at
Fort
Jefferson
next trip.
