For more than a century, Palm Beach has been a symbol of monied exclusivity.
But it’s now becoming more accessible, beckoning a younger, more fashionable crowd.
“Hold the vodka,” I had told the server.
From left: The Colony Hotel lobby, with its custom DeGournay wallpaper; bicycles available for hotel guest use.Gesi Schilling
Not only was it early; I was also three months pregnant.
But looking around the palm-lined pool, I seemed to be the only one abstaining.
Next to me, a group of Chicagoans ordered another round of Pink Paradise cocktails.
West Palm Beach’s Gypsy Life Surf Shop, at the Grandview Public Market.Gesi Schilling
Palm Beach is actually cool again.
“Anyone who was thinking about moving down here came in full force during the pandemic.”
Glossy black terrazzo is reminiscent of the tiles that covered the floor when the hotel first opened in 1947.
Dinner at LoLa 41, the restaurant at the White Elephant Palm Beach.Gesi Schilling
Pastels and wicker are sprinkled throughout.
Orchids lined the white plaster walls surrounding the fireplace, and a fountain bubbled in the courtyard.
It was the perfect blend of heritage and modernityjust like Palm Beach itself.
From left: Le Bilboquet’s seafood tower— a Palm Beach lunchtime staple; French bistro La Goulue’s new Palm Beach location.Gesi Schilling
“It is the biggest scene down here!”
David Lucido yelled over the din of the Wednesday evening crowd at Le Bilboquet.
Le Bilboquet isn’t the only New York culinary favorite to have heeded the call of Palm Beach.
From left: Swifty’s restaurant, at the Colony Hotel, in Palm Beach, Florida; a bronze peacock by Dan Ostermiller at the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden.Gesi Schilling
Sant Ambroeus’s putty-pink umbrellas have been set up alongside the fountains at Royal Poinciana Plaza.
Another East Coast arrival, the White Elephant, came to Palm Beach by way of Nantucket.
But while many original architectural details have been restored, much of the hotel feels modern.
From left: The Royal Poinciana Plaza shopping mall; fountain-side dining at Sant Ambroeus.Gesi Schilling
Beyond the lobby, in the U-shaped courtyard, LoLa 41 was packed with young Palm Beachers.
It was unclear what latitude my foie gras burger hailed from, but it was still delicious.
No one wears black there,'" David told me.
From left: Alger Chapman and Nanci Lane work the lunch counter at Green’s Pharmacy, in West Palm Beach; Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, at the Norton Museum of Art.Gesi Schilling
“I had to fight the Lilly Pulitzer perception.”
David was equally instrumental in bringing international galleries to the shopping center.
“There was this old, nineteenth-century version of what avant-garde meant.”
Views of the Atlantic Ocean from the Eau Palm Beach Resort.Gesi Schilling
But she wasn’t deterred.
“When you’re a pioneer, you’re creating something,” she said.
“I had to create this.”
It was decidedlynotthe staid Palm Beach of old.
“All of a sudden, Palm Beach became a real art destination.
There are sophisticated people here looking for things to doyou can’t sit on the beach every day!”
According to DeWoody, the pandemic only magnified the Norton’s impact.
“Palm Beach has had a tension between new and old for a long time.”
I had the feeling it’s exactly what Johnnie Brown would have done.
After all, monkey see, monkey do.
Colony Hotel: The renovation of this 90-room Worth Avenue landmark has redefined classic Palm Beach style.
White Elephant Palm Beach: Mediterranean Revival architecture meets contemporary design at this Nantucket spinoff.
Green’s Pharmacy Luncheonette: West Palm Beach’s family-run lunch counter since 1938.
La Goulue: A New York City transplant serving French bistro classics.
Le Bilboquet: Elegant French fare on Worth Avenue.
Sant Ambroeus: Manhattan’s Milanese cafe brings a touch ofsprezzaturato the Royal Poinciana Plaza.
LoLa 41: A smorgasbord of cuisines from countries located on the 41st parallel.
Gypsy Life Surf Shop: A laid-back boutique with beachwear and bathing suits, plus surfboard rentals.
Royal Poinciana Plaza: Home to fashion boutiques, high-end restaurants, and blue-chip galleries.
A version of this story first appeared in the March 2022 issue ofTravel + Leisureunder the headlineA New Leaf.
