A Palm Beach Getaway "headlined" by Coldplay...

For those of you who are familiar with Florida, you already know about Palm Beach. For those of you who aren't, think Beverly Hills meets the beach...literally. It is essentially a collection of HUGE, swanky pads and high-end cars, owned by the likes of Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, and Bernie Madoff (well, until the bank took it over, I guess) all right on the ocean. It is, no doubt, excessively extravagant...but a sight to see, nonetheless. So, we decided that we would head down there for a little weekend getaway together. And, although our '97 Chevy did not quite fit in with all the Bentleys, Aston-Martins, Maybachs, and Rolls-Royces, we had a killer time! Here are a few of the highlights of our little "vacay."

We checked out the Flagler Museum...it was amazing! It is essentially similar to Hearst Castle, but "Florida-style." Flagler, an entrepreneur who settled Florida, built it for his wife at the turn of the century, and, let's just say he spared no expense. Truly a breathtaking experience with some wonderful history behind it all.

While the saying in Florida goes that you can never be more than 60 miles from a beach anywhere in the state (Gainesville is about 60), our hotel was just a couple of blocks, so we thought that we had better take advantage. The waves were an added "plus" as well. It was going off for Palm Beach...probably because a storm was out in the Atlantic. That is one thing that we have come to learn here in Florida...just because there is a beach, does NOT guarantee that there will be waves. While many of the beaches in Florida look like the shots you can pull up by googling "paradise," they frequently lack so much as a ripple. In short, we've seen bigger waves in our apartment pool than at some of the beaches. It can be hugely disappointing...especially for Chad. However, the swell that day was strong and the waves were fun...we had a great time!

Next, we decided to take a harbor cruise that tours around the various homes and yachts of Palm Beach island. It was incredible! As you can see from some of the pictures we took, they are out of control. One guy paid 82 million for his home (yes...that is eighty-two, I didn't forget the decimal point.)





However, "THE" highlight of the trip was the Coldplay concert...the Viva tour. We both are fans (Jen loves all things British anyway:) ), and we're amazed at how amazing they sounded live. Easily the best concert either of us had ever been to! We HIGHLY recommend going if they are stopping at a city near you! Check 'em out.




Good times... :)