Stories & Lifestyle: Worth a visit: (West) Palm Beach

Palm trees along the boulevards, a charmingly tropical atmosphere, green districts with prosperous villas behind stone walls or beautiful hedges are what best characterizes Palm Beach. The highlight of downtown Palm Beach is the Worth Avenue, one of the most exclusive shopping miles this side of the Atlantic. Here, fancy boutiques, noble antique stores and art galleries can be found side by side. Palm Beach is about one hour's drive away from Miami, and the embodiment of the social climate on a centuries-old playground for the rich and famous. It is a popular pastime among visitors to simply drive around the island, gaze at the pompous villas and maybe even spot a celebrity or famous politician at one of the popular restaurants.

Around the turn of the century, the American railroad tycoon Henry Morrison Flagler discovered South Florida's potential as a winter holiday destination and decided to expand his Florida East Coast Railroad up to the sleepy little town of Palm Beach. Being a man of visions and determination, Flagler saw a profitable way of turning Florida's East Coast into a holiday destination. After spending a certain amount of time there, he was fascinated by the region's moderate climate. It made him realize that hotels and good public transport might attract large numbers of tourists during the winter months. In 1893 he bought an estate named Palm Beach (which was named after the many palm trees growing along the coast line) at the Atlantic Ocean, almost 57 hectares in size.

RAILROAD PIONEER FLAGLER IS OMNIPRESENT

In 1894, Flagler opened the first hotel "The Royal Poinciana" at Lake Worth, the world's biggest wooden hotel. Two years later, in 1896, he built the port of Palm Beach. A 300-meter (984 feet) long pier was added, allowing steam boats to land here on their way between Nassau, Havana and Key West. However, of all the Grand Hotels Flagler built during the founding years, only the hotel "The Breakers" that was built in 1926 on the foundation of the burned-down "Palm Beach Inn," still stands. It is still one of Florida's top hotels.

Whitehall is South of the Poinciana Plaza. What is today the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum, refurbished true to the original, where you can gaze at the opulent prosperity of the early 20th century (Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm and Sunday 12 noon to 5pm), was a hotel from the mid-20s to the late 50s. Originally, Flagler had the 55-room villa built for the occasion of his third marriage. Through a marble entrance hall you get to the golden-shimmering treasures of art and antiquities from all over the world. Statues can be found in the picturesque courtyard and on the yard is Flagler's private railway car "The Rambler" of 1886.

West Palm Beach, the town west of Lake Worth, developed out of the living quarters of Flagler's railroad workers. By now, West Palm Beach has developed its very own distinct personality. The Clematis Street Shopping and Entertainment District in the center of town offers a wide range of nice clubs, restaurants and high-standard shops. Palm Beach's great neighbor is today's commercial center of the region. The Norton Museum of Art is always worth a visit (1451 S. Olive Avenue, Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm, open Monday during the winter moths, www.norton.org). It is a small but first-rate art museum with works by Georgia O'Keeffe and other American artists of the 20th century. Among the highlights of the collection are French works of art from the 19th and 20th century by artists such as Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin and others; and Chinese art made of jade and porcelain. Also the exhibition of contemporary photography is very interesting.

The South Florida Science Museum, a small museum for science with an aquarium in Dreher Park, offers interactive exhibits (4801 Dreher Trail N., Tel. 561/832-19 88, Monday to Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12 noon-6pm, www.sfsm.org). The planetarium, which is part of the museum, offers star and laser music shows that are always worth watching.

One more piece of advice - if you fly to Miami you can take the Tri-Rail to West Palm Beach from there. The route between Miami and West Palm Beach is 116 kilometers (72 miles). http://www.tri-rail.com

For more information on Palm Beach, please refer to

palmbeach.govoffice.com/

Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 1555 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd., Palm Beach, Tel. 561/233-30 00, 800/833-57 33, Fax 561/471-39 90 www.palmbeachfl.com