LOCAL "TASTE OF HISTORY CULTURAL TOURS OF HISTORIC PALM BEACH" PROVIDES HISTORY, ART, TRAVEL AND CULTURAL INFORMATION

This multi-cultural culinary tour is for history buffs and foodies.  The Culture Trip, an international news agency cited this tour among their Florida’s 10 Best Food Festivals and Fiestas.   TripBuzz ranked this tour as #7 out of 118 nearby activities.  South Beach Wine and Food Festival and the Palm Beach Food and Wine Festival recognize this tour.

Visit 3 to 4 restaurants for hearty food tastings and trips to historic districts, unique restaurants, historic buildings, art districts and art galleries.  

Areas toured include Northwood Village/West Palm Beach; Lake Worth and Lantana; Delray Beach and Boynton Beach and private tours can be arranged. These local tours are available year-round and go on, rain or shine.

These guide-narrated 4-hour tours are done by bus for 15-20 people.  In Delray Beach, it’s early history is described from its first Midwest founders, William Linton and David Swinton, to early landowners including Henry Flagler and William and Sara Gleason.

Some eating experiences are standing-only.  Dietary restrictions and substitutions cannot be provided.  Some eateries are cafes, restaurants, bakeries, pastry shops, markets, food stands, an urban farm, historic buildings, cultural centers and art galleries.  See their facebook page for pix.

Tours are held on 2^nd, 3^rd and4th Saturdays at 11 a.m.  There is about 4-6 blocks of walking.  Tours travel through historic districts and neighborhoods.  Each tour varies its stops. 

Pre-payment of $40 per person is required; children under 18 are free when accompanied by an adult, but you must call to verify that space is available.  After February 15, 2015, the new tour rate will be $45 per person for Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth and Lantana; $50 per person for West Palm Beach as bus rental and insurance fees have gone up. 

Tours board at Macy’s outside east entrance at the Boynton Beach Mall in Boynton Beach.  The tours are sponsored partly by Macy’s, famous for its culinary tools department, and discounts are given to trip participants.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY BECOMING A CONDO CONVERSION​...sez THE REAL DEAL

As a condo conversion, it would be hard to find the privacy, security and exclusivity plus the historic feeling and water views... and it is a landmark!

The article states that parking will be featured at the base of the statue along with high-end retail stores, a five star restaurants and maids quarters.  Affordable housing would be limited.  Applicants just have to pass the reasonable credit check.

See more including layout of condos and prices at: http://therealdeal.com/blog/2014/10/12/what-if-
the-statue-of-liberty-was-condo-conversion/#sthash.SFI2GuqF.dpuf

(THIS IS A SATIRE BUT CLICK THE LINK TO SEE THE 

IDEAS FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE STATUE) 

PALM BEACH CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS ARE FORGING AHEAD WITH NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The Dreher Park Zoo and Science Center are planning an ecotourism complex that is estimated to attract 2.2MM annual visitors, and to be the largest destination in the US focused on conservation and environment.  Cost slated to range between $93MM and $123MM, and result after 10 years, in an annual impact of $300MM. Joint venture agreement discussions to lay out roles and responsibilities are being held.  Plans call for a butterfly haven, rope canopy tour, IMAX theatre, outdoor Everglades exhibit, environment education center, and more.  Next February, completion is scheduled for the science center’s west wing, doubling its usable space over the past four years to 40,000 sq ft.  It’s last fiscal year ended with a $30,000 surplus.  By the end of the year, the zoo will have doubled the size of its Malayan tiger habitat.

 

 

The Norton Museum has begun rehabbing six historic houses it owns on Cranesnest Way and is planning an expansion to reorient the Dixie Highway entrance, and to add 15,000 sq ft of new or renovated gallery space.

Palm Beach Atlantic University’s 78-acre Marshall and Vera Lee Rinker Athletic Campus has raised more than $15MM to benefit the athletic campus, academic programs and scholarships.  The President of the College stated that the school’s economic impact on the community is $345MM.

GREAT PLACES IN AMERICA NAMES WEST PALM BEACH'S HISTORIC CLEMATIS STREET AMONG THE TOP 10 BEST STREEETS IN AMERICA

Since the 1890’s, Clematis Street has been the commercial district for Palm Beach County.  Initial surveyors and engineers for Henry Flagler’s East Coast Railroad (1893) planned the area’s configuration.  Since 1990 it has been a two-way street.  The 500 block is listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.  A waterfront park and pavilion connects the waterfront to Clematis Street.  From the park you can walk the waterfront and admire the really big boats docked there. Since 2009, there is a new library and city hall complex.

Locals and visitors are drawn to the street with festivals, annual events and concerts.  Catch the trolley that connects CityPlace, train and bus stations, Palm Beach Atlantic University and downtown West Palm Beach.  Some call it, “Main Street,” and “the entertainment center of West Palm Beach”, a living room, where people relax, have fun, shop, dine and do business.  There are antique shops to browse, colorful boutiques to find that one-of-a-kind item, nightclubs, a movie plex and some upscale stores and restaurants nearby. Have a drink and dine at Bradleys across from the Intracoastal Waterway and enjoy crowd watching.  Architecture is authentic and eclectic, evolving over the last century, including every era and style. 

Historic buildings abound with shops and restaurants on the ground floors of historic buildings.  On higher floors you can find startups, small tech companies, and artists.  Residents’ non –traditional work schedules activate and energize the street, often in the later hours. Some retailers have been there for 100 years.  Drop in to Segway Tours, “the best way to see the area”, and voted # 1 by Trip Advisor of 24 West Palm Beach Activities.  Rent a self-balancing “Personal Transporter,” a motorized “scooter” that changes direction by leaning that way.  Modern dance clubs and health food emporiums are included.  “Clematis by Night” offers a fountain-side concert series, food art and children’s activities.  .  After browsing an art gallery, sit outside and have coffee or wine and cheese.  “SunFest,” the annual boat show and “Corvettes on Clematis” are well attended events with the area drawing about 80,000 visitors a week.

Nearby places to enjoy are The Kravis Center where top stars perform, the Convention Center with art, antiques and jewelry shows, and lots of interesting street browsing.  The area encompasses 5 blocks from Flagler Drive to Rosemary Avenue.

Next time you are looking to have fun, head over to Clematis Street!

FOUR ARTS SOCIETY HAS NEW COLORFUL NATURE MURALS IN GUBELMANN AUDITORIUM

A 1930's building originally designed by Addison Mizner as The Embassy Club now houses the Four Arts Society, which includes the fabulous Gubelmann Auditorium.

Electrifying red colors that echo the Auditorium’s dominant color, and a newly exposed row of arches, add an illusion of looking through arched windows at a Florida sunset, according to the Palm Beach Daily News (“Shiny Sheet”). The previous “plain” look was said to be drab.  Budget surplus was used for these improvements.  The Auditorium seats 700 and features state-of-the-art electronics to ensure that the sound of a symphony playing in the Gubelmann Auditorium can be heard with great detail – even for those with severe hearing loss.

Included in the new arched murals are Florida-local birds and plants such as ibis, roseate spoonbill, hibiscus, magnolia, sea grape, palms and pines.  Mixed acrylic paint and casein were used to produce surface resonance for improved acoustics.

Presentations in the auditorium and within the complex include concerts, art exhibits, films, lecture series, library series, events in the botanical and sculpture gardens, classes on painting and art, and other cultural offerings.  There is a popular Children’s Library.  The Campus on the Lake offers cultural education lectures, workshops, classes and field trips exploring art, music, literature, drama and the art of living well.

The original 1930’s building was the Addison Mizner-designed Embassy Club. 

For more information: http://www.fourarts.org/

PALM BEACH "IN TOWN" INVESTMENT PROPERTY

PHIPPS PLAZA 3-story landmarked Mediterranean style home that can be single family, or have rental units and owner still live there.  Right now there are 3 long term renters in units.  One block to ocean.  fireplaces, high pecky cypress ceilings, frog fountain, courtyard with park view, master upstairs, no HOA.  Located in center of town, walk to shop, dine et al. 

LOCATION!   LOCATION!   LOCATION!

LOCATION!  LOCATION!  LOCATION!

 

 

ISRAELIS DEVELOP BLOOD TEST FOR CANCER

Eventus Diagnostics, and Israeli life-sciences company, has produced a blood test for early detection of breast cancer, after 8 years of painstaking research.  Breast  cancer is by far the most common cancer in women worldwide, with 1.6MM new cases diagnosed in 2010. 

Called the Octavia Pink test, this first ever blood test to reveal cancer is available now in Israel and Italy and is undergoing clinical trials to receive US Food and Drug Administration approval.  It identifies markers that might indicate cancer or something else.  Its innovations also lie in its examination of antibodies in the blood to pinpoint this specific cancer.

The company released a peer-reviewed study that confirms the diagnostic accuracy of its Octava(TM) blood tests designed for use with screening mammography. The study showed that the Octava(TM) Blue test has excellent sensitivity and good specificity in helping to identify whether or not women who have had an abnormal mammography result actually have breast cancer. The study was conducted by researchers at Eventus Diagnostics and at major cancer centers in the U.S., Italy and Israel.

Galit Yahalom, Head of the 15-member Research Team, is a 43-year old Israeli mother of two who has worked on this project since its inception.  She says, “We know that it recognizes cancer as an external enemy that must be destroyed. It is possible that each of us has had instances of cancer we were unaware of, because our immune systems killed it when it was still very small. For whatever reason, the immune system of people with cancer is not functioning properly.” She also states, “For the last decade, we have known that there is a connection between cancer and the immune system.”

The Octava breast cancer tests are the first in a new class of rapid, accurate and cost-effective immune system-based blood tests that detect the presence or absence of cancer by measuring ratios of autoantibodies produced by the body in response to the presence of tumor-specific antigens.

For more information: http://www.israel21c.org/health/israelis-develop-first-blood-test-for-breast-cancer/

COME AND FIND YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND...

TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL MOVE!

·      Plan ahead: Start about 6 weeks before the move with a file and calendar handy.  Keep details for utility turn ons, copy of contract, lease or mortgage, and other important papers.

·      Get organized: Start with boxes and mark on the outsides which room the items will go to.  List furniture and which room they will go to.  Share with movers.

·      Don't crack under pressure: Keep plates in one piece by stacking Styrofoam plates between each one. Protect glasses by putting them inside pairs of clean socks.

·      Vacuum seal out-of-season clothing: Save space, and put into a storage shelf in your new home.

·      Think of the little things: Keep sandwich bags handy to hold small items that must be taken apart, such as screws for a mounted flat-screen television or a bed frame, and tape the bag to the back of the object. Label bags in case they get separated.

·      Sweet dreams: If it's time to replace an item, do so during the move to avoid extra packing. It might be a good time, for example, to replace an older mattress, pillows and sheets.

·      Green thumb: Transport plants delicately by using a plastic bag to keep all of the appendages safe and prevent snapping.

·      Survival kit: Pack an overnight kit to take and use your first day in the new home.  Put in night clothes, a change of clothes for the next day, toiletries and towels.  Include moving staples, such as a box cutter, paper towels, trash bags and power strips.  Be sure to pack pet’s necessities and a few cans or bags of pet food along with their favorite toys.

APPARENTLY I'VE BEEN DOING IT WRONG ALL THESE YEARS...

http://cdnapi.kaltura.com/index.php/extwidget/openGraph/wid/0_u0r71mg5

WHAT IS LOCK BUMPING AND WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT IT

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

 



from the AUGUST 19TH ISSUE OF THE PALM BEACH POST

Palm Beach County single-family home sales ended June with a median price of $295,000, six percent higher than the same time in 2013, but whether that kind of growth will continue remains to be seen.

The July housing report from the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, and the Florida Realtors, is expected Thursday, with breakdowns of sales volume, cash sales and condominium sales.

Condo prices in Palm Beach County were up to $138,000 in June, an increase of 20 percent from 2013.

Those kinds of double-digit increases were the norm for single-family home sales last year, but the growth has since slowed as prices stabilize.

EXCERPTS OF REPORT FROM THE REAL DEAL

Question: When will we start seeing some new condo projects get started in Downtown West Palm Beach? What is the buyer pool for that market?

Answer: Downtown West Palm Beach is finally showing signs of reviving some seven years after the South Florida condo market crashed in 2007. For the last three years, prices of condo and townhouse resales and rentals have been steadily recovering, prompting some developers to consider launching – but not yet constructing – new projects once again in Downtown West Palm Beach.

During the last South Florida real estate cycle that began in 2003, developers created 17 new condo towers with nearly 3,400 units in the Downtown West Palm Beach area. As of the first quarter of 2014, less than 100 units remained unsold from the previous boom, according to an analysis of Palm Beach County records.

As of Aug. 14, developers have proposed building a dozen new condo towers with nearly 2,125 units in the Downtown West Palm Beach area, according to the preconstruction condo projects website CraneSpotters.com. (For disclosure, my firm operates the website.) This total number of announced units – which has been bolstered by a new six-tower project with more than 1,050 condos proposed by a joint venture involving the Related Group – makes West Palm Beach the third most active South Florida preconstruction market behind only Greater Downtown Miami.

Unlike other parts of South Florida where condo construction is underway, the developers in West Palm Beach have focused their time on planning projects but not necessarily building new units. To date, no new condo towers have launched construction in the Downtown West Palm Beach area. This current phase of developers announcing projects but hesitating to start construction could be ending soon based on improving condo market conditions in West Palm Beach.

Currently, about 210 condo and townhouse units are on the resale market in Downtown West Palm Beach at an average asking price of about $270 per square foot as of Aug. 14, according to the Southeast Florida MLXchange. In the first seven months of 2014, buyers acquired more than 160 units at an average asking price of about $241 per square foot. The current pricing represents an 18 percent increase over the average resale price of $204 per square foot in the same seven-month period in 2013. The current average resale price for a Downtown West Palm Beach condo represents a 55 percent increase from the first seven months of 2011 – the bottom of this market – when units traded for $155 per square foot.

It is worth noting, the average resale price of a condo unit in Downtown West Palm Beach is still 19 percent below the average price of $298 per square foot at the peak of the South Florida real estate market in 2006, according to the data. A combination of rising rental rates and shrinking levels of available inventory are also contributing to the expectation that the West Palm Beach area could be getting some new condo unit inventory in the near future.

Today’s rental rates in Downtown West Palm Beach are up nearly 50 percent from 2010 when the median price per square foot for a lease was less than $1.20 monthly, according to the data. Downtown West Palm Beach currently has nearly 130 units available for lease on the rental market at a median asking price of $1.75 per square foot monthly. In the first seven months of 2014, tenants leased an average of 60 units per month at a median price of $1.75 per square foot. The current lease price represents a 22 percent increase compared to 2013 when the median monthly rental price for a Downtown West Palm Beach unit was $1.44 per square foot.

The unanswered question going forward is whether developers in the Downtown West Palm Beach preconstruction condo market will be able to expand beyond their historical market of domestic buyers and begin to tap into the strong pool of foreign buyers who are actively purchasing presale units in Miami-Dade and to a lesser extent Broward.

HISTORIC... INDEED... WITH ORIGINAL DETAILS OF AN UPGRADED 1926 HOME WITH COTTAGE

Palm Beach County is known for its historic homes

 

Who's footsteps will you be walking in?

This property has been occupied by prominent locals

including a former Mayor of Palm Beach
Built in 1926 by the Anthony stores family

 

 Historic Home plus two apartments to rent out in separate cottage
* NOW UNDER CONTRACT *
Let Marilyn Find You a HISTORIC HOME!

 

El Cid Lafayette Park Neighborhood between Antique Row
and the Intracoastal Waterway
UPGRADES GALORE
Double Lot - 30'x15' pool - sizeable Yard

Front of house with Chicago Brick Pavers (all around grounds)

arched windows, pecky cypress arched wood door, arched French Doors

Side of house with Chicago Brick Pavers, luxurious "fauna"

 

Guest House has two entrances, kitchen, 2 apartments

 

Living Room - 20'x14' with working fireplace

 

Dining Room with French Doors to outside yard, pool, cottage

 

Upstairs Master Bedroom - 21'x15'

ith updated gorgeous Master Bath

and Walk-In Closet with WINDOWS!

 

Two more upstairs bedrooms, two downstairs dens

3880 living sq ft - High Privacy Hedges in Front and Sides

Beautiful, Tranquil, Serene Views from All Windows

 

GREAT house for entertaining and/or family fun

 

May I give you a tour?

Call Marilyn at 561-302-3388

 

GREAT HOME FOR A HISTORY BUFF

 

$999,000

 

 

 

 

FREE MEMORY SCREENING

FREE MEMORY SCREENING

Friday, June 20^th, 2014

9 am – 3 pm

 

 

Call for an appointment

Or information

561-968-2933

 

JEM RESEARCH INSTITUTE

130 JFK Drive, Suite 203

Atlantis FL 33462

 

CONSERVATION EXPERT TO SPEAK AT PALM BEACH ZOO ON FLORIDA PANTHER HABITAT CONSERVATION AND CONNECTIVITY

 

Conservation biologist Richard A. Hilsenbeck, Ph.D., says that “Panthers depend for their lives on the same basic natural resources that sustain our own livelihoods,….conserving lands for the Florida panther is important for protecting our own best interest.”  He further says that, “This is because having large natural areas and working lands, like cattle ranches, stay in productive agriculture is not only important for our food prosecution, but also vitally important to protecting the water supplies of Florida’s citizens.”

 

Dr. Hilsenbeck will be speaking on Thursday, June 12, and after guests have enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and Zoo animal views from 6-6:30 pm. he will present the third Conservation Leadership Lecture of 2014.

Dr. Hilsenbeck, currently Director of Conservation Projects for the TNC Florida Chapter, has had 35+ years of experience in conservation biology, including about 23 years with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and is considered an expert in conservation easements, ecological assessments and descriptive ecology of Florida’s natural communities.

He has had statewide responsibilities for project initiation, design and implementation and has authored or co-authored 60+ projects, many focused on conservation of Florida’s ranch and timberlands, including Preservation 2000, Save Our Rivers and Florida Forever.   His is the primary responsibility within TNC for land acquisition issues, successfully guiding scores of projects through the State of Florida’s initial land acquisition process.  Thirty plus peer-reviewed articles of his have been published in scientific journals,  he has written chapters in several books and many technical reports, provided to private, state and federal agencies.

 

Seating is limited; tickets are $20 per person.  You can purchase tickets online at www.palmbeachzoo.org or call 561-547-WILD, ext 285.

 

Photo below of my own active, tame, smart Bengal cat, Purrfect Posh, descended from a baby leopard:

 

If you are interested in rescuing a Bengal cat, email me at marilynfjacobs@gmail.com and I will tell you where to look online.





THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO

THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO

When asked to identify the base from which they flew, President Franklin Roosevelt replied, "Shangri-La." Recently, in Fort Walton Beach , Florida , the surviving Doolittle Raiders gathered publicly for the last time.  They were among the most universally admired and revered men in the United States. There were 80 Raiders who, in April of 1942, just four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, embarked on one of the most courageous and heart-stirring military operations in this nation's history. The mere mention of their unit's name, in those years, would bring tears to the eyes of grateful Americans.   After Japan 's sneak attack on Hawaii , with the United States still licking its wounds, something dramatic was needed to turn the war effort around.  Even though there were no friendly airfields close enough to Japan for the United States to retaliate, a daring plan was devised. Sixteen North American B-25s, twin-engine "Billy Mitchells," were modified so that they could take off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. This had never before been tried -- sending Army Air Corps medium bombers from the deck of a ship at sea. The 16 five-man crews, under the command of then Lt. Col. James Doolittle, (he retired as a brigadier general) who himself flew the lead plane off USS Hornet, knew that they would not be able to return to the carrier. They would have to hit Japan and then hope to make it to China for a safe landing.  On the day of the raid, the Japanese military caught wind of the plan. The Raiders were told that they would have to take off from much farther out in the Pacific Ocean (more than 600 miles) than they had counted on. They were told that because of this they would not have enough fuel to make it to safety. They went anyway.  They bombed Tokyo, then flew as far as they could. Four planes crash-landed in China ; 11 crews bailed out, and three Raiders died. Eight more were captured; three were executed.  Another died of starvation in a Japanese prison camp. One crew made it to Russia.  The Doolittle Raid sent a message from the United States to its enemies, and to the rest of the world: We will fight. And, no matter what it takes, we will win.  Of the 80 Raiders, 62 survived the war. They were celebrated as national heroes, models of bravery. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced a motion picture based on the raid. "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ," starring Spencer Tracy and Van Johnson, was a patriotic and emotional box-office hit, and the phrase became part of the national lexicon. In the movie-theater previews for the film, MGM proclaimed that it was presenting the story "with supreme pride." Beginning in 1946, the surviving Raiders have held a reunion each April, to commemorate the mission. The reunion is in a different city each year. In 1959, the city of Tucson, Arizona, as a gesture of respect and gratitude, presented the Doolittle Raiders with a set of 80 silver goblets. Each goblet was engraved with the name of a Raider.  Every year, a wooden display case bearing all 80 goblets is transported to the reunion city. Each time a Raider passes away, his goblet is turned upside down in the case at the next reunion, as his old friends bear solemn witness.  Also in the wooden case is a bottle of 1896 Hennessy Very Special cognac. The year is not happenstance: It was Jimmy Doolittle's birth year. There has always been a plan: When there are only two surviving Raiders, they would open the bottle, at last drink from it, and toast their comrades who preceded them in death.  As 2013 began, there were five living Raiders.  Then, in February, Tom Griffin passed away at age 96.  What a man he was. After bailing out of his plane over a mountainous Chinese forest, he became ill with malaria and almost died. When he recovered, he was sent to Europe to fly more combat missions. He was shot down, captured, and spent 22 months in a German prisoner of war camp.  Out of the original 80, only four Raiders remain: Dick Cole (Doolittle's co-pilot on the raid), Robert Hite, Edward Saylor, and David Thatcher. All are in their 90s. They have decided that there are too few of them for the public reunions to continue. The men have decided that after this final public reunion they will wait until a later date -- sometime this year -- to get together once more, informally and in absolute privacy. That is when they will open the bottle of brandy. The years are flowing by too swiftly now; they are not going to wait until there are only two of them. They will fill the four remaining upturned goblets, and raise them in a toast to those who are gone. I received this historic footnote in an email... source unknown... it is worth passing on to my Readership.  MARILYN

SELLING YOUR HOME? HERE IS SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT....