Thursday, December 4, 2008

Beaches of Palm Beach



We are finally getting some cool weather, early mornings are 60’s and in the afternoons sunny and 75. We could actually put on a windbreaker for the ride.

These are some photos of the public beach here in the city of Palm Beach. Most of the beach area in Palm Beach is pretty private. But this area is the public beach, and while it is not the most welcoming of beaches, it is beautiful.


There is not a lot of parking, guess they don’t want too many people coming to their beaches. They don’t exactly roll out the welcome carpet. On a few of the side streets they allow one hour parking. Here is a picture of the sign. Now what can one do at the beach with only one hour…not much…get your feet wet? Start your tan? Build a sand castle? The other option is a limited number of parking meters that will set you back $2.00 an hour.



Parking aside, the worst inconvenience is NO BATHROOMS and one lone shower that barely works. Are they trying to tell us something? Without showers you are not able to rinse off the salt water from your skin and if there are sea lice in the ocean waters, you will have a nice red itchy rash the next day. Showering right after bathing in the ocean is certainly advisable, but standing in line to get under a slow uneven stream of water is not our idea of showering.

There are no shops or restaurants or bars. Wait! There is one expensive restaurant called Charley’s Crab, not a place you would go with your swimming attire. More like a place you would go after church.



Since it was a bit chilly today, there were not a lot of people in the water, but this lone surfer was braving the cold for his art. The tide was strong and going South so he would ride the waves for awhile and then when he found he had drifted way down South, he would walk back and start over. We enjoyed following him with our camera and thinking that he was doing a lot of work for a little joy.







Not exactly what they would call "Surfs Up" on the West Coast, but that is what you get in Florida.

5 comments:

Unknown said...

We have the same problems around our beach areas. There are virtually no places to park without having to pay, so you can't really relax as you are always keeping track of your time. You even have to pay for parking along the roadway in Stanley Park and they are very particular about scooter parking, you have to occupy a full vehicle space (in the parking areas). If you park "on the curb" then EACH scooter has to display a ticket (no discounts for scooters), so even though you can squeeze 4-6 scoots in a regular spot, up here, each scooter must display a full priced parking ticket so it is a little unfair. Scooters parked at bike racks are being towed away.

cpa3485 said...

New to reading your blog, but really enjoy it. Your pictures are wonderful, although I have to admit to a bit of jealousy because here in Kansas we had some snow on Tuesday. Looking at your beach pictures makes me long for warmer weather so I can ride my scooter. BTW, I am glad that there are other people that name their scooters. My SYM HD 200 is named "Max".

Lance said...

The weather and the beach look fantastic - you've got some great scooter weather there!

irondad said...

Gee, I hope you don't get too cold on those 75 degree afternoons!

I'm just full of smart comments about bathrooms, the proximity of the ocean, and the like. Since it's close to Christmas, though, I'll give you a gift and spare you!

Merry Christmas!

Heinz N Frenchie said...

bobskoot,
Seems awfully unfair to charge each scooter when scooters take up so little space. Delray Beach has devoted a block long area right in the middle of their downtown to scooter and cycle parking, and it is free! That's the best part. We did a post on a Bistro that we visit there.

cpa3485
Glad you enjoyed our blog and we think there are many of us who name their scooters and cycles. Good riding to you and Max

Lance,
We are very thankful that we live in a great climate most of the time. We can enjoy riding all year and that is a special treat.

Irondad,
We just knew you would have a clever remark. Thanks for the gift but we do love your humor.