Delray Beach, FL

I’m back home in Southern California. It’s been really cold here but the good news is… it’s supposed to warm up this weekend to 80! I’m actually just about to go play beach volleyball but before I go I thought I would share part of my Delray Beach, Florida story which I was in this week’s newsletter.




Greetings from Delray Beach! Last week we left off just after touching down at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (here’s the link to the archives). This week we travel 30 minutes north to check out one of South Florida’s up-and-coming hot destinations. If you live in the U.S. and are not into long flights, or haven’t gotten around to getting a passport, this might be the place for your next vacation. Of course, you have to be into beautiful beaches, tasty food and fun in the sun. If you are, then dive in -- we’re in Delray Beach, Florida! Don’t worry if you’re in a hurry or have ADD; there’s a 2-minute Johnny Jet video at the end of this week’s story.





GETTING TO DELRAY BEACH
Delray Beach is located about halfway between Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. The closest airport, West Palm Beach (PBI), is 19 miles away, while Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is 32 miles, and Miami International (MIA) 54 miles. I almost always fly into FLL, because they usually have the lowest prices and – more importantly -- the closest nonstop flights from California. Once you land at FLL, it’s a $60 taxi ride to Delray Beach. (From PBI the cost is $35; from MIA, $150). Most visitors rent a car (click on CarRentalNumbers.com). I sometimes take the Tri-Rail, a free shuttle from the airports that costs only $5. The problem is that it does not run frequently (more on Tri-Rail below). On this trip I drove the 35 minutes to Delray.





WHY DELRAY?
I started coming to Delray Beach on a regular basis in 2004, when my sister moved here with her family. In just three years I’ve seen Delray grow from a sleepy quiet beach village to a happening town. The main street -- Atlantic Avenue -- has more than 100 boutiques, galleries, cafes and restaurants. The place is beginning to turn into a mini-South Beach, without the sex appeal, crazy night life and celebrity mob scene. But it has equally good food, fun (not out-of-control) nightlife, and basically the same shoreline (the only difference is women can’t go topless here). And all this at a fraction of Miami Beach prices.