This is the Keen Blog, which has been going for quite a few years now. Welcome to new readers. Read or delete or unsubscribe, I won’t mind.

Florida – West Palm Beach & Fort Lauderdale – January 2024

As we walk back from the bar on Wednesday evening, Mrs K reflects that she overheard a conversation at the bar during which the barmaid told a customer that she had frozen her eggs for her sister. That was a conversation which went too far. I was trying not to listen as I chomped through a plate of french fries. We are on Singer Island in North Palm beach, a few miles up the coast from downtown West Palm Beach.

On Monday it was Martin Luther King Day – a holiday in the US. But we got an early alarm call when the apartment block next door had a fire alarm going off at 6am.  The fire service was in attendance and let everyone know about it.  No sign of fire though.  I would have slept through it (as I am half deaf) but we were still adjusting to the time difference and Mrs K was up and worried.

Fortunately, there are people here keeping the economy going. Thank goodness for those workers in hospitality on public holidays and tourists like us.  Having said that, the economy seems to be doing just fine, thanks very much, judging by the community we walked through on Monday morning. Bit like the Wentworth estate except on a much bigger scale. Palm Beach Island is about 20km long, a really thin strip of land, in places just a few hundred metres wide.

We walk the Lake Trail.  It’s not really a lake, it’s the bit of sea between Palm Beach Island and the mainland.  Trump's estate (Mar-a-Lago) is at the southern end.  It’s not really a personal estate, more like a private members club. Trump shares it with about 500 members. We drove past but you can’t see much, and we didn’t bump into him. I think he has business in court.

The walk along the Lake Trail is a good intro to what Mrs K hopes will be a relatively healthy break. There is a big freeze in the US with places in the mid-West down to -20c.  But here in West Palm Beach it is 20-25c, though very overcast and a bit breezy.  We walk 5km and after a bite to eat, we walk back again. We are feeling very virtuous. In my case, it doesn’t last very long.

On Tuesday we visit a museum. Who is responsible for the development of Florida? Walt Disney? No! Try Henry Morrison Flagler. His name is everywhere. He was an oil magnate who invested his fortune into the development of Florida and in his lifetime saw very little return. But now Florida state has a GDP larger than 95% of the countries in the world. Flagler founded Standard Oil with the Rockefellers and was insanely rich. He spent most of his later years trying to develop Florida from what was an inhospitable swampland into what it is today. They wanted to call Miami Flagler. He resisted but we remember visiting a town on this coast a few years back which was named after him and where I lost my sunglasses in the sea.  He built a grand house in Palm Beach called Whitehall in a time referred to as the ‘Gilded Age’. We need to watch that series on Sky – a US version of Downton Abbey, also written by Julian Fellows. He was a massive sponsor of new communities across Florida. Walking around the house, which was restored by a granddaughter into a museum, was an amazing step back in time. All mod cons, including electricity and a telephone in the ensuite bathroom. I discover that Flagler and I have something in common – we both owned a bar billiards table. But I wish I had a snooker room like his.

At the bar on Tuesday evening, we meet Marge and Ken, two old timers from New Jersey (pronounced Joisey) who are both moaning about the unusual weather in Florida (a bit overcast and wet). But Mrs K and I point out that back home in Windlesham it is -6C and in New Jersey they have several inches of snow. Ken orders another vodka and tonic to celebrate and flirts with the waitress, much to Marg’s annoyance. “I call everyone sweetie!”, he pleads. There is another girl at the bar who turns up in a pink car with another pink (model) car on its roof, and is dressed in pink head to toe. She has a special parking space. Not sure what was going on there.

When we arrived on Saturday, we were at the same marina restaurant in the search for food. There were several fish there for the same reason and since then we keep seeing wildlife doing the same.

This guy was after my french fries

On Thursday, I finally get to use my golf clubs. I have had new grips fitted and want to give them a try. I turn up at the Abacoa Golf Club and meet Rick Martino, a senior golf pro. He runs a daily clinic which was fully booked but he offers to give me a private session after for the same price. It’s the best and cheapest golf lesson I have ever had. Rick is senior in the sense of his coaching ability and his age. He tells me he caddied at the Ryder Cup in the 60’s as a 17-year-old. He also used to be the pro that hosted AT&T guests at the Augusta Masters. Has he played the course? Yes.

On Wednesday we go to Jupiter. Sadly, not on a SpaceX rocket but in our car along the coast to the town of Jupiter. It’s pretty much more of the same except they have a lighthouse which was built in the mid-1800’s and is still working. Got to be one of the oldest things in this part of Florida. After the 140-step climb, the legs are a bit wobbly but the view up and down the coast is worth it. It’s a relatively nice day compared to most other days, but the wind is blowing, making it chilly. Some of the properties on these islands are spectacular. Jupiter counts Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Serena Wiliams as residents – you get the idea.

On Friday, we both visit the gym. It’s my first bit of proper exercise, excluding the lighthouse climb, for a few days. I have been working my way through the IPA menus at the local bars, so Mrs K thinks I need to get moving. It’s a bit sad to walk on a treadmill just a stone’s throw from the beach but it’s raining and the sand is the type that you sink into, so not the easiest for walking.

I am 2-1 down in scrabble so may need to ease off the IPA a bit to get back in it.

Tomorrow (Saturday) we move down to Fort Lauderdale, where the weather will hopefully be a bit better. More on that in part 2.

Part 2

We arrive in Fort Lauderdale.  The sun is shining, the average age has dropped about 20 years and the noise level goes up.  As we grab a bite, a convoy of super cars file past.  They are doing a good impression of going fast but the speed limit is 35mph.

So much for higher temperatures in FL! On Sunday we took the water taxi on the intercoastal waterway, and it was freezing.  We had left the hotel in sunny weather and light clothing for a pleasant walk up the beach about 2km to visit another old house (Bonnet House) but in the afternoon the sun disappeared, and the wind picked up.  More apologies from Floridians for the unusually cold weather.  The waterways are strewn with obscenely expensive luxury homes, owned by celebrities - mostly film stars and business owners.  And of course, not forgetting the huge yachts, some of which are up for sale, including one for $375m.  I didn't like it much. To be fair nothing looks quite as nice when the sun isn’t shining.

On Monday, it is blowing a gale in Fort Lauderdale, especially on the 16th floor of our hotel where our apartment is on the corner of the building and the wind is whistling past.  Not a great day to play golf but the forecast was good when I booked 2 days previously.

I drive out to a place called Palm Aire where there is a reasonably priced public golf course with decent reviews. I am teamed up with Matt and two ladies, Rose and Jean. All three are from New York and are what are known as ‘Snowbirds’ – they come down to Florida for the winter. That makes Mrs K and I ‘Atlantic Snowbirds’. In Matt’s case, the winter lasts 8 months – he will go back in April. Rose and Jean are very good golfers, and like New Yorkers, they don’t mess around, they get right on with it and 95% of their shots go straight down the middle. I am usually way more erratic but with my new golf grips, I am playing nicely, especially off the tee. For the golfers out there, 7 over gross over the last 11 holes and 38 points overall. Very happy with that. Rick’s coaching is working a treat.

On Wednesday we have a day out in Miami. We decide to take the Brightline train to avoid the traffic. It’s also a chance for me to take a look at one of the investments my team has made. This is a new rail route which now runs all the way from Miami to Orlando. Our trip is just 40 minutes and we upgrade to Premium class which means we get to sample goodies in the lounge prior to travel and are also offered drinks and nibbles on the train. Also included is a free cab ride to the station. South Western Railways seems worse than ever now. The train is reasonably busy – not bad for midday on a weekday.

In Miami, we do the touristy stuff – a boat tour followed by the open top bus tour. To be honest I am not sure there is enough to justify 3 hours of touring around on boats and buses. We get to see yet more celebrity homes, including 2 owned by the Beckhams. Not sure I would pay $20m for a house which has a pool that is visible from a tourist boat every hour.

We have been to Miami a few times before but always passing through. This is the first time we have spent some time looking around the whole city. There is a vast amount of construction going on and from what we have heard the service fees on apartments has gone through the roof due to the building collapse that occurred a couple of years back. I saw a 2-bed apartment in a high-rise going for $600k with a service charge of $1300/month. Apparently, these are likely to rise at least 20% this year. There are over 10m residential units in Florida and a large number of those are in the apartment blocks which dominate the skyline all the way up the coast.

We finish our visit back in South Beach - or SoBe as the locals call it. It’s too early for the partygoers to be out yet but it’s still a bit of people watching having an early dinner sitting outside on the pavement as the sun sets.

Thursday is meant to be a rest day but we start the day with a brisk 8km walk up and down the promenade at Fort Lauderdale. Walking on the beach side provides a continuous pavement with no ‘Don’t Walk’ signs and the sun is out for a change. I notice that there are no e-scooters this time. I wonder how many people died on those before they outlawed them? We are walking up the beach, away from the party end, away from the Elbo Room. To be fair, that doesn’t really warm up until much later. The sea is rough and the red flags are out , as they have been for most of the week.

As is always the case, the weather seems to be improving as it nears the time to return home, but I manage to squeeze in another round of golf. I am paired up with Angelo from Rhode Island and it seems like I am in an episode of ‘The Sopranos’. Angelo is nice enough but punctuates each sentence with the f-word and just a bit of menace. My golf probably deserves a few f-words, but to be fair, this is a tough course. It’s described as the longest course in Florida, measuring 7827 yards off the back tees (slope 148). The 18^th is 682 yards. Even playing off the visitor white tees (at just 6100 yards) the course is very tricky with lots of water, sometimes on both sides of the fairway. Those are my excuses anyway. We are also playing with Bob and Jamie from Cincinatti, Ohio. The conversation turns to politics. What do you think about the election? “We are f***ked both ways”, says Bob. I am guessing a lot of Republicans might agree, perhaps a few Democrats too.

It’s our last night and we decide to go upscale dining at a place a few miles up the coast. We know it’s fancy because there is a dress code. No caps, flips flops or swimming shorts allowed. It is situated on an inlet, which means that a couple of groups of diners have arrived in their boats. But it’s amazing that it doesn’t matter how fancy the restaurant, there will still be sports on a TV screen behind the bar.

We decide to go for the signature dessert.

Which comes with an obscene plate of whipped cream

I’m proud to say we didn’t touch the cream but we made a good job of the cake - delicious

That’s it.

It’s been a nicely relaxed time here. We fly home on Saturday night

Cheers!