Shopping in Delray Beach and Boca Raton

When it comes to shopping you simply can’t beat the options in Boca Raton or Delray Beach.

Boca Raton has several distinct shopping district from the nationally renowned Mizner Park and Fifth Avenue Shops to the Mall at Town Center and West Boca shopping centers there is an endless variety of shopping experiences for all budgets.

Delray is home to vibrant Atlantic Avenue and Pineapple Grove where you’ll find boutiques, shops and galleries for those with an eclectic eye.

Palm Beach’s famed Worth Avenue and Fort Lauderdale’s renowned Las Olas Boulevard are both 30 minutes away to complete your shopping needs.

1 July, 2015 4 4 Comments

Boca-Delray Nostalgia

July 1, 2015 By Jeff Perlman 4 Comments

Burdines…sigh..Town Center Mall.

10 reasons to know you’ve lived in Delray for longer than 10 minutes or years…

You remember when the traffic signals were blinking yellow on West Atlantic Avenue and when the corner of A1A and Atlantic felt a little seedy. (You also remember the Georgia Town Tavern, Paradise Club and The Phoenix.)
You remember when you looked forward to seeing all of your neighbors at “Art and Jazz on the Avenue”.
You remember workers applying the final touches of paint on the new tennis stadium when it debuted for the Virginia Slims tournament back in the 90s.
You shot pool at the aforementioned Phoenix and went to reggae night at Boston’s.
You were excited when Damiano’s opened—finally a restaurant!
You remember looking at the pictures on the wall at Cheeburger, Cheeburger.
You can name the restaurant that used to be where’s Bru’s Room is now. Atlantic Station?
You used to have lunch at Coasters.
You bought your baseball glove at Sal’s Sporting Goods store and had a sandwich at Food Fiesta.
You remember when Lou Jensen re-opened the Sundy House, as a tea room.

10 memories of old Boca..

You remember the old Boca Mall on US 1.
You loved Dirty Moe’s.
You actually saw Wilt Chamberlain at Wilt’s on Glades.
You went to Pete Rose’s Ballpark Café to see Pete do his radio show.
You loved a sub from Grace’s.
You went to The Dive Bar in the Boca Mall to hear bands.
You remember when Jimmy Connors played at Boca West.
You went to see a 14 year-old Jennifer Capriati play tennis at the Polo Club.
Tom’s for ribs.
The Monday-Thursday Papers on East Rogers Circle

8 September, 2014 0 Comments

Back from Vacation: Random Thoughts From the Road

September 8, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Charming, vibrant and walkable.

We’re back!

Thanks for indulging us during a vacation and the Labor Day holiday. We hope you had a great few weeks. We missed you.

Random thoughts…

We had a chance to visit Maine last week (Dave went to college at Bowdoin) and came away suitably impressed.

The coastline is gorgeous, the lobster and chowder is ubiquitous and the people are New England friendly.

We hit Portland, Boothbay Harbor, Rockland and Camden and got out on the waters of Casco Bay.

When you’re a recovering journalist, the first things you seek out in a new town are local publications. Newspapers and websites can give you a flavor for a place (much like we hope YourDelrayBoca.com does for our hometowns) and also give you some ideas for restaurants, day trips and shopping excursions. It’s always fun to see the issues that other communities are debating and read about local businesses, artists and people.

When we grabbed a copy of Portland Magazine and opened the page to the editor’s notes we were pleased and surprised to see a picture of Delray’s historic Colony Hotel and a column about how dishes and glassware from Delray often winds up at a sister hotel also called the Colony in Kennebunkport. The article talked a lot about Del Ray (spelled that way, with the space) and described us in kind terms. Colony owner Jestena Boughton would have been proud. We clipped the piece and will send it to her.

We also read a local alternative paper called The Bollard and read about Delray’s Ocean Properties in one of the stories. Ocean Properties, owner of the Delray Marriott and bunches of other hotels, is also a major player in Maine and New Hampshire. It’s indeed a small world and Delray’s tentacles extend Downeast as well.

Another great way to get a feel for a new locale is to walk the city’s streets, not just the main drag but the nooks and crannies. Portland is a great city for doing just such a thing, with cobblestone alleyways, charming old brick buildings and beautiful Victorian homes mixed in with newer development.

Armed with advice from some friends, we tried to avoid the touristy places and sought out local hang outs and live music.

Portland, like Delray, is a vibrant and walkable town. We highly recommend a visit.

All Hail Barbecue

We were pleased to come back to learn that our friend Scott Kennedy of Union Delray fame, was transforming his popular place into a world class BBQ restaurant he’s calling Smoke.

Pitmaster Bryan Terrell has been hired and he comes with incredible credentials. Terrell hails from Kansas City where he was the original smokehouse manager of the world famous Oklahoma Joe’s.

Anthony Bourdain named that place “one of the 13 places to eat before you die”.

Terrell has also achieved success in the world series of bbq. Now he’s coming to 8 East Atlantic Avenue.

Atlantic’s dining scene can use great barbecue. Smoke is set to debut this month. Stay tuned.

Food Scene Adds Player

Trader Joe’s opened in Delray last Friday and it’s a welcome addition to the local grocery scene.

As we’ve remarked before, competition is a good thing and with Whole Foods, Publix, Trader Joe’s, Winn Dixie, Wal Mart Neighborhood Grocery, The Boy’s and Fresh Market competing in Boca/Delray we expect to see high quality stores vying for local market share.

P.S. We can still use a public market.

Speaking of food…

Finally had a chance to have lunch at The Farmer’s Table in Boca.

This is a must see establishment with a wide array of healthy and natural food choices.

A shout out to FAU’s Kim Gramm of the Tech Runway for ensuring we went there.

30 June, 2014 0 Comments

Food Options Expanding

June 30, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Delray Place at US 1 and Linton will be anchored by a Trader Joe’s.

Trader Joe’s is bullish on Florida, especially South Florida.

The popular grocery store chain has announced several new stores and opening dates for stores in Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

According to the grocer’s website, new stores are coming to Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, Boca Raton and Pembroke Pines.

The Delray Beach location is set to open on Friday, September 5th. The Boca Raton location is scheduled to open on Friday, September 26th.

The rest of the South Florida opening dates have not been announced.

The company will also open stores in Winter Park, Jacksonville Beach, and St. Petersburg.

Trader Joe’s has become a hugely popular brand, with dedicated fans. But until recently, the chain hasn’t had a presence in the Florida market.

A majority of the products stocked at Trader Joe’s are private label.

The private label that means it’s free of artificial colors, flavors, ingredients, and preservatives.

Some of the most popular are “Two Buck Chuck,” bottles of wine for 2.99 a pop and Trader Joe’s famous cookie butter products

Since its launch in 1958 in the Los Angeles area, Trader Joe’s has expanded to more than 390 stores in 35 states.

With Whole Foods, Western Beef, Aldi, Walmart food stores, several ethnic markets and Fresh Market in Boca-Delray, the food landscape is rapidly evolving and becoming more diverse.

This is good news for a growing cadre of foodies, including Julie McNamara of West Boca, who says she visits up to three different stores a week.

“I’ve been living in Boca for 22 years and the only choices used to be Publix or Winn Dixie,” she said. “Albertson’s came and went but this is just a far better situation for people like me who love to cook and comparison shop.”

Nationally and locally the interest in food is soaring. Green Markets and community gardens have become popular staples in many cities, the restaurant scene is thriving and craft food and beverage manufacturers are cropping up everywhere.
The food trend is even spawning new magazine titles, Delray Beach entrepreneur Irene Revelas recently launched Edible Palm Beach, a glossy publication devoted to food, chefs, gardens, agriculture and craft purveyors. Visit www.ediblepalmbeach.com for more information.

4 June, 2014 6 6 Comments

Water Cooler Wednesday: Striking A Balance

June 4, 2014 By Jeff Perlman 6 Comments

An example of a downtown Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters is coming to downtown Delray Beach.

For some, this is either the ultimate in great news or a sign of the apocalypse—depending on your world view.

It’s neither.

Fortunately, cities are complex organisms that resist absolutes, so the presence of Urban Outfitters is neither the “answer” nor the end of downtown as we know it.

For those who long to do something other than dine or attend festivals downtown, the news that Urban Outfitters is coming to Delray was greeted with cheers.

After all, Urban Outfitters is considered a trendy retailer, although the chain has seen sales dip for the last three quarters.

The Philly-based chain is a publicly traded company that owns and operates over 400 retail locations across five retail brands: Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, Terrain, and BHLDN.

For retail starved downtown Delray, having a national bless your main street is a sign that the local market is considered a strong environment.

But for others–who fear losing the city’s charm and uniqueness–the news was a depressing blow.

In reality, the news is both something to celebrate and something to watch.

If we are to be honest with ourselves, Atlantic Avenue has been a tremendous food and beverage success story. But to be a complete downtown, you need retail, office, open space, culture, learning and residential opportunities as well.

Office is virtually non-existent and we have paid the price for a lack of product seeing local companies leave Delray when they grow out of their space and are forced to go to office parks in Boca or elsewhere. Others search but come up empty and settle elsewhere.

Developments in the pipeline promise to add significant office space, but the city missed a huge opportunity with The Strand when it approved a high density residential project on the railroad tracks (and steps to Atlantic) without requiring mixed use. I made a similar mistake when I served as mayor by supporting a project in Pineapple Grove that would have been a good “mixed use” office site.

Having residential downtown is necessary if we are going to have a complete downtown and we have done a decent job in that regard, but there is clearly demand for more housing, especially among empty nesters and “millennials” who want a walkable lifestyle close to shops, restaurants, culture and recreational amenities. It would be nice if there was a broader array of price points to give more people access to the downtown lifestyle.

But retail has been a struggle in the central business district for decades. In Delray, we have rightly preferred independent, “mom and pop” retail over national chains. When I moved to Delray Beach in 1987, rents on the avenue were $5-$8 a square foot with a 40 percent vacancy rate. Today, we have seen rents ranging from $70 to over $100 a square foot making it exceedingly difficult for independents to survive.

Couple that with competition from chains and the rise of ecommerce and you can see why it has been hard for retail to gain traction in what is still a seasonal economy.

So what do you do?
Surrender the goal of creating a complete downtown? No.

Give up your main street to chains? Nope.

Raise the level of discussion so you can better plan for today’s conditions? You are getting there.

Chain stores rely on proprietary formulas to decide where to locate. We can dream about a Publix downtown, but if your metrics don’t match Publix’s secret formula no amount of wishing will land you a store.

Fortunately, for those who don’t want to see the “malling” of Atlantic Avenue, downtown is mostly comprised of small bays—a design that favors independents. In addition, nationals often require lots of free parking and for those who attended parking guru Donald Shoup’s recent lecture at the Crest Theatre, smart cities are getting rid of minimum parking requirements and charging for their inventory of spaces.

If we adopt some of Professor Shoup’s recommendations, perhaps it would tip the scale away from nationals and toward smart independents.

As part of the downtown master plan done in 2001-02, we invited downtown retail expert Robert Gibbs to Delray to help guide some policies. He recently came back to Delray for a lecture.

Gibbs and others favor dense urban environments so that retail can be supported.

The master plan also called for the funding of what was called a “cluster” study, which took a detailed look at what was happening in Delray’s various “clusters” i.e. the beach area, West Atlantic, Pineapple Grove, central core, etc.

The cluster study was a tool that can be used to provide retailers with analysis and information that hopefully can inspire them to locate their stores downtown. For instance, it produced information on purchasing power and desire for goods that can be turned into a pitch for smart, independent retailers.

I don’t think that anyone wants to see Atlantic Avenue overrun by chains, but having a few of the right nationals can help local retailers by attracting shoppers and rebranding Delray as not only a “fun” food, beverage and festival destination but also a viable place to shop. What are the right retailers and how much is enough are not easy questions to answer. Creating desirable downtowns and cities are more art than science.

While Amazon has disrupted the retail environment, there is still a strong desire for what is known as “experiential” retail. Therefore, people still like to shop in interesting stores and I would argue—interesting places.

Atlantic Avenue’s vibrancy and walkability makes it possible for independent retail to gain traction. Possible, but not easy; because of the headwinds mentioned earlier.

Still, updating the cluster study, reviewing parking requirements and marketing Delray as a retail destination will help. Shop local campaigns are also critical in building awareness and pride.

The Mayor’s lecture series also included some great design tips from noted architect and new urbanist Andres Duany who had some constructive advice for local merchants—make your storefronts and windows more attractive, stop worrying about height and make the city more attractive from the street or eye level.

It’s a long to do list, but an important one.

For a sustainable future, Delray Beach must be cognizant of not only current demographics but its future attractiveness.

For today’s top talent, the job market is only one thing to consider when choosing where to live. They also want a vibrant city to plug into, a creative place where they can network with other smart people, and a dynamic place where they can find their next job, says noted urban writer Lee Chilcote.

Delray has worked because Atlantic Avenue appeals to a wide variety of demographics—young and old, families and empty nesters. Urban Outfitters sees a market here, that’s not a bad thing. But what’s needed is a sustainable mix and a strategy to attract smart, independent retail as well.

The physical layout and the strong desire of people to “shop local” and support authentic places bodes well for independent merchants on Atlantic Avenue. But it will take engaged leadership and a strong recruiting and branding campaign to make it happen.

12 March, 2014 0 Comments

Water Cooler Wednesday: A Blast From Our Past

March 12, 2014 By David Reeves Leave a Comment

Courtesy of Bruce Allen

Delray Beach native Bruce Allen sent us this photo of his grandfather’s store on Atlantic Avenue. Nothing like a bit of nostalgia.

Bruce tells us that the photo was taken January 1922 and that Sam Allen’s store was in the same building where Vince Canning’s shoe store is today.

Please send us some of more of these vintage photos of the area. They get Jeff all choked up.

Send pictures to dave@yourdelrayboca.com

17 February, 2014 0 Comments

Monday Musings: Fresh Market Equals Fresh Competition & More

February 17, 2014 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Graffiti eggplant at the new Fresh Market on U.S.1 and Linton Boulevard.

In praise of Fresh Market

The new Fresh Market has opened in Delray and it’s magnificent.
Aside from adding 90 jobs and $3.4 million of investment to the Delray economy, Fresh Market brings much needed competition and quality to the Delray grocery scene.
Publix has always been a good corporate citizen but even some diehard fans admit that the venerable franchise will benefit from the competition.

Suddenly the local grocery market is heating up after years of inactivity. Walmart has opened a neighborhood market on South Federal Highway and Trader Joe’s is slated for an adjacent corner of Linton and U.S 1. in the new Delray Place development.
The new competition should drive both prices and quality.
The Fresh Market is not a large store, but it is packed with different brands and even uses some local suppliers. The quality is apparent in every aisle and a lot of time and effort goes into creating an experience for the shopper. This is a store that beckons you to peruse every aisle and marvel at things you might not have seen before including an array of “dry” soda and “graffiti eggplant.”
Walmart’s Neighborhood Market is also a relatively small store, conducive for bargain hunting and quick trips for fill in items.
Trader Joe’s will bring another element to the market when it opens later this year. The chain is full of personality and while it doesn’t carry a whole lot of SKU’s, the selection is eclectic, almost curated.
For those readers in Boca, this may sound like no big deal. You’ve had Fresh Market and Whole Foods for awhile now, not to mention a few small grocers, including a great organic market in east Boca. But for Delray, this is big news and long overdue.
We’re grateful for the choices.

Andy Roddick joked about a serve that hit only 109 on the radar gun.
“Brooklyn wouldn’t have married me if she saw that.”

Champions Tour

It was a busy weekend at the Delray Beach International Tennis Stadium.
The Champions Tour featuring Andy Roddick, Mats Wilander, Goran Ivanisevic, Aaron Krickstein and others was entertaining and perfect for long time tennis fans who loved the era when tennis was more than a big serve and one crack of a forehand.
Sure, Roddick had the biggest serve of all–he did set a world record on the Delray stadium court during a Davis Cup tie against Sweden in 2004–but he can also hit the ball. And Wilander..well at almost 50 he can still run, retrieve, serve, volley and return.
We especially enjoy seeing Krickstein, the director of tennis at St. Andrew’s in Boca. He hasn’t missed an event in Delray and he still resembles the teenager who played an epic match at the U.S. Open against Jimmy Connors all those years ago.
While the older guys played on center court, the new generation slugged it out on the side courts in an effort to qualify for this week’s Delray Beach Open, an ATP event.
It was fun to see the contrasts in the style of play.
Mikael Pernfors, a two-time NCAA singles champ, former Swedish Davis Cupper, and 80s-90s stalwart likes to construct points by moving his opponent around the court, using angles and spins before pouncing on a weak shot.
The young guys are all power and brawn, hitting serves at 120 miles per hour plus and teeing off on both wings. The points are short, almost brutal, as the ball is punished more than stroked.
I still love the game and admire the new style, but I think the old game was better.
Sorry, folks.
See ya at the Open this week.

3 September, 2013 4 4 Comments

100 Things We Love About Boca

September 3, 2013 By Jeff Perlman 4 Comments

Not necessarily in any order..but these are the things that we love about Boca. Send us your picks.

University Commons—As shopping centers go, this one is tops.
Mizner Park—As lifestyle centers go, Mizner Park works.
Patch Reef Park—Large, plentiful activities. Wonderful
Sugar Sand Park—We’ve seen some great hockey games at this standout park
Boca High—Teaching STEM, building leaders
Spanish River High’s Entrepreneurship Academy—Because entrepreneurship is not just the future, it’s the present.
DSW Shoe Warehouse—If you’re a guy, bring a book and relax
Town Center Mall—No better place to people watch
MedUTech—Great positioning for Boca’s brand. Medicine, Education, Technology
Don Estridge Middle School—If there’s a better middle school, we haven’t seen it
Lynn University—We love their international student body and entrepreneurial approach to learning
FAU Stadium—Now if we can only see it filled with fans
Max’s Grille- A classic, with the world’s best crème brule.
Brewzzi’s –Three words: Boca Blonde Ale
The offices of 3CInteractive—Ultra cool digs for an ultra-cool company
Deli On Rye—Always great pastrami.
Bagel Wit A Schmear- www.bagelwitaschmear.com. The owners are great
Saquella—Great sandwiches, great breads, great pastries.
Arturo’s—Classic Italian on U.S. 1 north end of town.
Trattoria Romano—The toast of Palmetto Park Road
Hotdogopolis—Would make the list, if just for the name. But the dogs happen to be delicious
SABR—Soccer Association of Boca Raton, great training ground for kids
Nordstrom’s—Legendary service and a piano player
Prime—We don’t smoke cigars, but we feel cool when we hang out here with friends who do
Uncle Thai’s—Classic Boca restaurant, fantastic Asian food and great service
The Young Entrepreneurs Academy—Progressive thinking by the Boca Chamber of Commerce
IPIC—A great movie going experience and Tanzy’s is wonderful
Villagio—Branzini never tasted so good. A taste of Northern Italy in east Boca’s Mizner Park
Boca Chamber Festival Days—Especially White Coats 4 Care which supports FAU med students
Jazziz Nightlife—A great place to catch great talent, half price wine on Mondays and Tuesdays
The Chris Evert Pro-Celebrity Classic Gala—Mingling with the stars at the Boca Resort
Boca Bacchanal-Food and wine, enough said
Boca Raton Historical Society—Preserving the past and Boca’s rich history
George Snow Fund—Investing in tomorrow’s leaders and CEO Tim Snow is simply terrific
Boca Surf and Sail—Great shop and Bob’s daily surf reports on twitter @bocasurfandsail are awesome
Junior League Boca Raton—A tradition of doing great things for so many
Free Summer Concert Series at Mizner Amphitheatre—Great live music helps us deal with the heat
Cinemark Boca—Still the mac daddy for its variety and comfy facilities
Living Room Theatres—Great concept, for the serious cinephile
Shadowood Theatre—A West Boca Oasis for some off the beaten track movies
The Boca Raton Symphonia-If you love classical and we do. https://www.bocasymphonia.org/
A round of golf at Southwinds—Appealing to all levels of duffers
Remembrance Plaza at Lynn University—A tasteful, beautiful and emotional tribute to those who lost their lives in the 2010 earthquake in Haiti
The Wold Performing Arts Center—Scene of the 2012 Presidential Debate, you’d be hard pressed to find a more beautiful venue
FAU’s Wide Array of Programs—Lectures, art, music, theater. It’s great to live in a college town. Visit https://www.fauevents.com/online/ for a full listing
Old Floresta—Just a great neighborhood
Boca Chamber Political Training Institute—Real world advice for those willing to seek it
Costco—Sure there’s no sign…but at least it’s there
Shake Shack—Danny Meyer’s hot New York concept is in Boca too
Grazing at Whole Foods—Sure it can be pricey, but the food is great.
Sonoma House—May be the best kept secret in Boca. A great, say that again, great venue for events, corporate retreats, conferences and weddings. www.thesonomahouse.com
The Allianz Golf Tournament—For one splendid week in February, the champions descend on Broken Sound. A can’t miss event.
Dancing With the Stars Boca Style—And all for a good cause, the Snow Scholarship Fund. www.ballroombattle.com
Boca Ballet—Even if you don’t love ballet, you have to be impressed that Boca has its own company. Awesome performances since 1991. https://www.bocaballet.org/
Boca Museum of Art—Paintings by the great masters, interesting exhibits and a convenient location at Mizner Park. www.bocamuseum.org
The 4^th Generation Organic Market-This east Boca gem is just a joy to visit. Shop or dine, it’s really cool and you’ll come back again and again. https://www.4thgenerationmarket.com/
Offerdahl’s Café Grill—Once “just a bagel place”, Offerdahl’s is so much more. Great sandwiches and a wide ranging menu. And yes, Offerdahl was one heckuva linebacker for the Dolphins. Nice guy too. https://www.offerdahls.com/
Boca Delivery Dudes—We can’t go out all the time, but we can bring restaurants to us thanks to Delivery Dudes. This smart concept puts convenience back into the delivery business with a roster of restaurants that grows every week. https://boca.deliverydudes.com/
Table 42—Grass fed burgers, a huge menu and more pizza toppings than we’ve ever seen.
Baja Café—Chef Pepe…a magician in the kitchen.
Red Reef Golf Course—There’s not too many places where you can golf along the ocean, but this jewel of an executive course is one of them. Magnificent views, reasonable prices, open to the public. www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/rec/golf/redreefexec
Boca Beach Club—Ocean breezes, cold drinks, good food, attentive service. Paradise.
Boca Raton Children’s Museum—Located in downtown Boca, a great place for the kids and educational too. www.cmboca.org
Gumbo Limbo Nature Center—Fun for all ages, a great boardwalk, educational exhibits and lots to see and do. https://www.gumbolimbo.org/ Turtle releases are something to see.
South Beach Park—400 block of North A1A, a picturesque and serene scene.
Boca’s Tennis Centers—Three of them if you love the sport and we do. Patch Reef, Boca Tennis and the Racquet Center. Open 7 days a week. https://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/rec/tennis.shtm
Mizner Bark—A dog park with a cute name. But remember you need a permit. Here’s where you get them https://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/rec/dogparkflyer.pdf
Pine Tree Camp—a Boca tradition at Lynn U.
The historic Boca Train Depot and Museum—Why? Because we love trains and history. https://www.ci.boca-raton.fl.us/rec/traindepot.shtm
The Recreator-Boca’s bible for recreation. Available online at the city’s site and at City Hall and other public spaces.
Tin Muffin Café—This charming little place on East Palmetto Park Road is perfect for tea, sandwiches, snacks and hanging out.
The south entrance to the city—When you enter Boca from Deerfield Beach on US 1 you know you’ve arrived in a special place. Wide medians, beautiful landscaping, huge lush trees. Impressive.
Valet Parking at Publix—Yes, we’re serious.
Boca Inlet—Great place for boating and for watching some really cool vessels.
Boca Public Library—We love that the library has evolved with the times, with services like Zinio which allows you to read your favorite magazine online and Freegal which enables patrons to download as many as 156 songs a year (and keep them).
Coconut Cove Water Park—Long slides and a river ride make this a perfect place to beat the heat.
Sports Immortals Museum—If you love sports (and we do) you’ll want to visit this museum of memorabilia. Highlights: Josh Gibson’s jersey, autographed racquets from Agassi, Evert and Sampras and Sonny Liston’s robe. https://www.sportsimmortals.com/index.html
Boomers—Been around for a while, but still a fun place to play games, hit the mini golf links and take the kids.
Yamata Scrub—This piece of natural Florida at 601 Clint Moore Road is a great place to stretch your legs and catch a glimpse of nature.
Boca Airport—A fun place to see some really cool private jets. We once saw James Brown exit a nifty plane complete with entourage back in the day.
Royal Palm Plaza—When you think of how a shopping plaza in Florida should look, this is it. Elegant feel, eclectic businesses and walkable. Located on U.S. 1 in south Boca.
Athletes Edge—Located in the Tom Oxley Athletic Center, 7777 Glades Road, Athletes Edge is where the elite go to train. But weekend warriors are welcome as well.
Breakfast at The Bridge Hotel—A hidden gem, with great waterfront views.
Mozart Café—Modern Israeli cuisine in Boca Del Mar. Try the Balkan pizza, a blend of Israeli and Italian flavors. https://mozartcafeusa.com/
Starbucks on North Federal Highway—A lively scene every morning and afternoon, great for people watching.
Boca Farmers Market and Grill-Can’t beat the convenience of grilled food to go and fresh produce and vegetables. Located at 1949 NW Boca Raton Blvd.
Dubliner Irish Pub—Shepherd’s pie and fish n’ chips and lively conversation too. Mizner Park staple.
Boca Helicopters—Because an aerial view of a place gives you a whole different perspective. https://bocaratonhelicopters.com
The downtown Boca website–www.downtownboca.org
Saturdays at Sanborn—Fit and fun in downtown Boca every Saturday and 9 am and 10:30 a.m. Take a yoga class and then explore restaurants, shops and museums.
The Annual Brazilian Beat—A tribute to Boca’s burgeoning Brazilian population. This year’s street festival is Sept. 6. Music and a Zumba Showcase.
Sanborn Square Park—Any day. Picturesque and perfect.
Old City Hall—They don’t build them like that anymore..they should. Designed by Addison Mizner and opened in 1927.
Old Course, Broken Sound—For the discerning golfer
Karen Lynne Gallery—Karen Lynne chose Boca for her first east coast gallery. She has two on the west coast: LA and Beverly Hills. Oils and sculptures from exciting new artists in Royal Palm Place. www.karenlynnegallery.com
Great Place to Start a Business—No less an authority than www.zoomprospector.com ranked Boca #2 for best place to start a new company. We agree. The eco dev website cited 11 factors in ranking Boca so high including quality of the workforce, proximity to quality universities and number of startups.
We love that Boca punches above its weight—Despite still being a relatively small city, Boca ranks #3 in in concentration of the largest public companies in Florida. Boca tied with Miami! Impressive to say the least.
Boca Hospital—A community hospital in every sense of the word and among the top 50 in the nation.
The Schmidt College of Medicine—It’s great that Boca will feed its health care system with its own medical school on the campus of FAU.
1,497 acres of parks—And they are immaculate.

20 August, 2013 0 Comments

100 Things We Love About Delray

August 20, 2013 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

It’s August…right around the time when it so hot and humid that you might be questioning why you live here. Don’t despair; we have a list of things to remind to get you through the dog days of summer. And the cooler weather is only 90 days away. Enjoy!

100 Things We Love About Delray…(not in order)

Zucchini pancakes at Sefa restaurant in Pineapple Grove
French Toast at Caffe Luna Rosa (named, sort of, after the author of this list).
Open Mic Night at The Coffee District
Meatloaf at Da Da
Chicken Panini at Brule’
The Italian Wedding Soup at Rotelli’s
Pizza at Anthony’s Cold Fire Pizza
The view from the top floor of the 110 Building on East Atlantic
The carvings on the ceiling of the historic Old School Square gym (yes Ken Ellingsworth really did carve his name in the wood).
Jazz in the Arts Garage
Watching artists at work at Kevro’s Art Bar
Artist’s Alley–inspiring
The success of an off the beaten path Third and Third restaurant
The murals and craft beer at Mellow Mushroom
The Green Market—coming back soon.
The gossip and laughter at Rex’s Hair Salon
Empanada’s at Cabana El Rey
San Gria at Phyllis’ Enigma
Grilled cheese at Patio Delray
The Putt N’ Around mascot
The tiki bar at Crane’s Beach House
Saturday night piano bar at The Atlantic Grille located at The Seagate Hotel
Lunch at the Seagate Beach Club overlooking the Atlantic
The cool design of The Mark Downtown
Music on the porch at the historic Colony Hotel
Wandering around “The Girls” Strawberry Patch (paradise on Military Trail).
A cup of Mackinac Island Fudge at Kilwin’s
The gardens at the Sundy House
A sunset stroll along A1A
Sunrise at Atlantic Dunes Park
There’s something about the sauce at Scuola Vecchia
Happy Hour at Cut 432
Veal Chop Siciliana at Rocky’s
The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships—tennis under the stars
The bread at 5^th Avenue Grill
Brunch at Deck 84
Shopping local—makes you feel good.
The view from the top of the Old School Square Garage
Garlic Fest (and how it benefits local charities).
Delray Affair—Friday morning especially
The Easter Bonnet Dog Parade
The lighting of the 100 foot Christmas tree and Menorah at Old School Square
The Holiday Parade (eat your heart out Macy’s).
Fourth of July fireworks
Cruising the Intracoastal on the Lady Atlantic
Golf carts downtown
The classic Donald Ross design at the Delray Beach Golf Club
The Lake Ida Dog Park any day of the week
The Marina Historic District neighborhood
Nassau Street—old Florida mixed with new
Catherine Strong Splash Park—Delray’s best kept secret if you have kids
Sandoway House Nature Center—where else can you pet a shark and gaze at the stars?
A long walk at Morikami Park—find some solitude amidst the tumult.
The work being done at the Achievement Center for Children and Families
The International Baccalaureate Program and Career Academies at Atlantic High School
The tongue and groove ceiling of the Delray Public Library—a distinctive look for an important building
Wakadahatchee Wetlands Preserve west of Delray Beach
Reading the Sunday Times or your favorite magazine (that would be Atlantic Ave) at Veterans Park
The annual teen summit, which has grown every year (shout out to Capt. Michael Coleman)
Sister Cities Art Competition Exhibit at Old School Square—young talent on display
Saturday mornings at Miller Field watching soccer or Little League Baseball
The new Elizabeth Wesley Plaza on West Atlantic
Chicken Panang Curry at House of Siam
Yakiniku at Ziree’s
The loyalty card and smart marketing of City Oyster
The petting zoo at the Green Market
The Village Academy—by the people for the people
The streetscape of Northwest/Southwest 5^th Avenue—art in the sidewalk check it out
The Intelligence Report available on Friends of Delray’s website www.friendsofdelray.com
Putt N’ Around itself. Because miniature golf is very cool.
Seeing NFL Players hanging around town. Including hometown star Brandon Flowers
The magnificent Crest Theatre.
Delray’s parking garages. Sounds silly, but we like sure things and finding a spot in the garage is a sure thing.
The Royal Palms on Sea Breeze.
People watching while dining at a sidewalk cafe
Catching the future of tennis at the junior tournaments at Delray Tennis Center
The Green Owl counter
Omelets at Christina’s
The Delray Art League
Little Fenway (Sorry Red Sox fans, but Bucky Dent’s home run is forever captured in Delray)
The ability to view Delray City Commission meetings via the web
Walking the sand and looking for baby seat turtles
Delray’s historic districts—Del Ida especially
The city marina—where you can fantasize about living aboard a boat.
The look of Ocean City Lofts
Exciting new places like The Grove, Garden of Vegan and Papa’s Tapas.
How Delray collects food and all sorts of good stuff for our troops-Forgotten Soldiers Outreach
Picnicking at Lake Ida
The walking paths at Barwick Park and Mike Machek Park
Bexley Park; proof that new neighborhoods do not have to suffer from cookie-cutter sameness.
The new Frank Theatres and Cinebowl at Delray Marketplace
Laughs at the Library
Friday nights at Brule
Unsung neighborhoods like Sabal Lakes and Delray Lakes
The Beach Cam!
Old Postcards from Delray’s past found on E Bay
I-Love-Delray-Beach.com –Danika Dahl’s treasure trove of a website
The Caring Kitchen
AVDA—helping families get back on their feet.
Room for your favorite—fill in the blank.

5 August, 2013 0 Comments

10 Gadgets That Will Impress Your Friends: From Gardening to Tennis We Cover The Landscape

August 5, 2013 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Lift the summertime blues with some cool gadgets

Are you a gadget fanatic?

Do you find yourself scouring magazines, websites and unique stores in search of the latest device that will solve a problem, impress your friends or just simply looks cool to use?
Well, search no more. YourDelrayBoca has your list of 10 must have gadgets to liven up the dog days of summer and beyond.

If we missed a few, please send us your favorites. Until then, consider these nifty gizmos.

For the gardener…

PlantSense EasyBloom

They used to say you had to be born with a green thumb, no longer. Now you just need to get a hold of “PlantSense Easy Bloom”.

Simply shove the 11-inch stick into the dirt in a spot where you want to grow a plant. Built-in sensors gather info on soil moisture, sunlight, and temperature. After 24 hours, plug it into your computer’s USB port to upload the data to www.plantsense.com, which spits out a list of the perfect flowers for your locale or info on how to rescue an ailing plant. Cost: $60. Go to plantsense.com for more information.

For the saver…

Black & Decker Power Monitor

Finally, a device that will help you save money and boost your green cred.

The Black & Decker Power Monitor displays your house’s kilowatt usage and helps you save. Just clamp a small sensor over your electricity meter. The sensor radios stats to the portable monitor and helps you understand how your household uses power and as they say, knowledge is power. This nifty tool may finally convince your kids to shut off their fans and power down their computers. Cost: $100, visit www. Blackanddecker.com for more information.

For the photo bug…

Kodak’s Pogo allows users to instantly print memories

Polaroid PoGo

This super cool device enables you to hand out photos on the spot. In an era of cell phone photography it is nice to actually print and look at a physical photo.

The PoGo is a pocket-size printer that connects to your camera or phone and prints color two-by-three inch prints. Cost: $150, go to www.polaroid.com for more information.

For the kid that can’t get up…

The Tocky may be cool enough to actually wake your kids.

Tocky

If you have a teenager you know the drill. It’s a fight every morning to get them up for school. Enter “Tocky” the runaway alarm clock; which will jump off your nightstand and roll away forcing you to get out of bed and chase it down.

Tocky has a microphone so that you can record your own sounds or wake up calls. You can even program mom’s voice and save her the trouble of yelling every morning. If you’re a kinder and gentler parent you can also upload your favorite music, but you still have to get out of bed when Tocky jumps. Or you can upload your favorite songs and listen while Tocky rolls around your room. Either way, Tocky rocks.

Cost: $69.

Search the web for Tocky.

For your iPhone…

Material 6 Wood iPhone Backs

52.4 million of us bought iPhones over the Christmas holidays. Now it’s time to personalize our devices for the spring. What’s better than adding a little warmth to the back of your iPhone? We recommend Material 6 Wood iPhone Backs. Available in an array of finishes they come equipped with a mini screwdriver to help you install.

Cost: $90-$100.

For the tennis player…

These cool “kicks” are sure to improve your game

Nike Zoom Vapor 9 Tour

Do you want to play tennis like Roger Federer? Ok, that’s probably not feasible. Do you want to look like Roger Federer? Ok, that’s not realistic either. But you can wear his tennis shoes. Developed in collaboration with Fed, the Vapor 9 features a finger-like system on the outside that works to mold the top of the shoe to the shape of your foot. That means comfort. We don’t guarantee a better backhand. Cost: $130.

For the techie…

Magnus iPad Stand

Searching for the most minimal iPad stand around? Check out the Magnus . Made from pure aluminum and hand-finished to match the iPad almost perfectly, it uses brutally strong neodymium magnets to attach securely to your iPad 2, holding it at a perfect viewing angle while hiding almost completely out of sight. All this for $50.

For the movie buff…

Samsung 3D Blu-Ray Player

Surprisingly, 3-D enabled Blu-ray players don’t cost much more than your typical Blu-ray unit. This elegant and sleek little wall-mounted Blu-ray player is Wi-Fi enabled to connect to other devices through your home network. You can buy the Samsung 3D Wi-Fi Blu-ray player for $399.

For kids of all ages…

Ferrari’s are not uncommon sites in Boca. Here’s one that’s affordable.

iControl Ferrari

Owning a Ferrari is probably every guy’s dream and that dream stays with us the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, for just about 99% of us, that dream remains a dream.

So while we may never get to own a real Ferrari, that doesn’t mean we can’t own a remote controlled one. The iControl Ferrari is a 1:50th scale replica of the exotic Ferrari Enzo supercar that the “99%” of us can afford.

The iControl Ferrari Enzo RC car doesn’t work like a traditional radio controlled car; instead of using a remote control, it relies on a “dongle” that plugs into an iPhone, iPod, or an iPad. Download the free App and when you start the car up, your phone will make an engine starting sound. The App will display a picture of a steering wheel and you steer the RC Ferrari by tilting the phone left and right, just like a real car’s steering wheel.

We’ve tried and it is very cool. Is it the real thing? No. But, it will have to do—for now anyway.

Cost: $39.50 (taxes and tags included).

For an instant upgrade…

LG Smart TV Upgrader

It’s always nice to have the latest model TV in your living room, but there is a price tag that comes with upgrading to new models. But now there’s an answer if your older flat screen TV does not have all the bells and whistles of the newer models.

LG’s smart TV upgrader converts any TV into a smart TV. For just $99.99, you can upgrade your TV to a SMART TV with the LG SMART TV Upgrader ST600.

Select from the most popular content from a variety of apps including various Video On-Demand and Movie On-Demand services. Enjoy web surfing just like on a PC with the Web Browsing feature and search the Internet while watching TV. You can also access content stored in your digital devices including digital cameras, mobile phones, and PCs and view them on your home’s largest screen with a simple click.

Cost: $99.99 visit LG’s website for more information.

23 July, 2013 0 Comments

Trader Joe’s Adds New Stores in Delray and Boca

July 23, 2013 By Jeff Perlman Leave a Comment

Trader Joe’s will be coming to Delray and Boca in 2014

After months of speculation, it has been confirmed: Trader Joe’s is coming to Delray Beach.

The popular grocer with a cult-like following will be anchoring the newly approved Delray Place located at the southeast corner of U.S. 1 and Linton Boulevard.

The store is expected to open in Oct. 2014, according to Retail Property Group, the developers of Delray Place.

[Read more…]