What do you want to know about West Palm Beach?

[The_Klute]

Hey kids,

As part of the now OFFICIAL Survival Guide to West Palm Beach,  I'd like some suggestions about what you'd like to know about the city.

Restaurants, nightlife, getting back to nature, that sort of thing. 

Hit me up here or backchannel. 

Otherwise, you'll hear what I think you want to know.  Which is basically goth clubs and where to get a decent bagel.

[AmyD]

Please point out the location of any and all ATM kiosks.

[Scott Woods]

Any breakfast places worth mentioning within 1 mile of the hotel.
Any places that might serve food after midninght (regular fast food chains discounted).

Thank you!

[DaveSilverberg]

Restaurants that serve vegetarian food.
Taxi numbers. How transit works

[Gabrielle]

How late you can buy beer & liquor, any days off limits, & where. (gee, guess where my head is at). late night pizza (or definitely OTHER food) delivery.

[suziqsmith]

Yes - late night food - local farmers' markets, perhaps?  And definitely any restaurants serving vegan food in the area would be super appreciated.

[linzm]

Ditto on farmer's markets, and also grocery stores in general.  Thanks, Klute!

[militant x. amerikkkan]

Is West Palm Beach wet? How close are the grocery stores to the main hotel?

[The_Klute]

Lots of you have asked about Grocery stores.  In Florida, there is only one word you need to know:  PUBLIX

And there is one in the City Place complex, which is less than a mile from the host hotel.  Here is your handy link: 

http://store.publix.com/publix/cgi/selection?mapid=US&lang=en&design=default&region_name=&region=&place=1001+Okeechobee+Boulevard%2C+west+palm+beach%2C+FL+33401&mapx=&mapy=&x=34&y=5

Sure there's Winn-Dixie, or Albertson's, or Food-Lion somewhere else, but why risk food poisoning or Byzantine discount procedures? Publix is all you need.

Fresh made subs with anything from deli case?  Done.
Best grocery store fried chicken ever? You bet.
Excellent produce section, with a wide orangic section? Absolutely.
Delicious generic black cherry soda? Why not?

So, yes Virginia, there is a grocery store, and it's F***ING AWESOME.   

[suziqsmith]

So, uh . . . how much is Publix paying toward the printing of the survival guides?

 

[The_Klute]

So, uh . . . how much is Publix paying toward the printing of the survival guides?

 

HA!  Believe me, my love for Publix borders on psychophantry, I get that.  Started with their cookie club when I was a kid, and getting a free chinese chocolate chip cookie whenever we'd shop there was awesome.

Plus, Food-Lion is gross, Albertson's has a nasty habit of killing shoplifters, and Winn-Dixie always seems a hairsbreadth away from anarchy. 

[The_Klute]

Well, that's a relative question.

To a Seattle or New Orleans, probably nothing they're not used to.

To a Chicago or Atlanta, probably more so than they're used to.

To a Phoenix or Albuquerque, God is angry and has decided to reflood the world.

So far, West Palm Beach has received 30 inches of rain - most of that in the last three months.  Expect rain sometime while you are there, generally in the afternoon, probably heavy.  West Palm is close enough to the Atlantic where you'll get sea breeze that keeps most of the storms away, so when it does start raining, it's pretty heavy.

Except it to be hot and humid regardless of whether the sun is out.         

[The_Klute]

Restaurants that serve vegetarian food.
Taxi numbers. How transit works

For Vegetarian options, try:

Nature's Way Cafe: http://www.natureswaycafe.com/locations/phillips/index.html

(not exclusively vegetarian though)

Field of Greens: http://www.fieldofgreensonline.com/

(also not exclusively vegetarian)

There's also a few Thai places and I think a Greek restaurant in CityPlace.

On Clematis, there's a good Middle Eastern joint called Leila (Night).   

http://www.leilawpb.com/

They have Turkish Coffee and hookas too.  No word on Doner kebab for Faust.

[The_Klute]

How transit works.

Public Transportation is mostly reliable, but slow. 

Here's the website: http://www.pbcgov.com/palmtran/

Without knowing where you want to go, I will say that it's fortunate that we're located right on a main artery of Palm Beach County - Okeechobee Blvd - which runs from the ocean at Palm Beach all the way to the lake in Pahokee (east-west), and intersects I-95, SR441, Dixie Highway, and Flagler Drive (north-south).

Plan for at least an hour in each direction if you're going more than 15 miles away from the host hotel just to make up for any quirks in PBC's transit system.   Plan for 30 minutes each way for the beach (presuming you're going to Palm Beach's central beach - the closest to the host hotel).

You can also use the Tri-Rail (http://www.tri-rail.com/) to go to Southern Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade. Tri-Rail intersects with all three public transit systems, but  I've never had to use Broward County's public transit, and Miami's is a friggin' nightmare, so you're on your own there.

[The_Klute]

Taxi numbers.

Rarely have I had to use taxis in town.  Yellow Cab is generally the gold standard in the States.   Make friends with a cabbie and get his or her card, sometimes you can negotitate a daily rate with them.   

http://www.yellowpages.com/info-22797538/AAA-Yellow-Cab/reviews?back_to=%2FWest-Palm-Beach-FL%2FTaxis%3F

Jitney services are cheaper, but remember, these are ride shares, and you're along for the ride, so you may not get there when you want, and you'll meet all sorts of characters.   

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=jitney+service+west+palm+beach&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&latlng=13286610556659078508