"Palm Beach County has no Culture"? Reealllly? (Miami: appointed, buy)

[EnjoyTheSilence]

Originally Posted by psouth

I am not saying there isn't any culture. It's just that there is not enough varied culture. There's too much Haitian, Hispanic, and gayborhood type culture while many others are non existent. Where is Chinatown, Little Italy, French section, German section, Russian sections, Palestinian restaurants, Pakistani restaurants (like on Seinfeld), yada yada yada? Big cultural cities like Chicago and NYC and Boston and L.A. have all this and much more. That's all I'm sayin'. Fo' shizzle.

Palm Beach County isn't as diverse as any of those places. Come to think of it, neither are Dade or Broward counties for that matter. I do like PBC in general though. It's actually one of my favorite parts of Florida.

[psouth]

Originally Posted by BCreass

Palm Beach County isn't as diverse as any of those places. Come to think of it, neither are Dade or Broward counties for that matter. I do like PBC in general though. It's actually one of my favorite parts of Florida.

I agree but Florida in general is very limited when it comes to culture compared to these other places. PBC is very nice and has a lot to offer. The latest round of immigrants seem to be bringing the most culture lately.

[m5*]

Comparing WPB with NYC is rediculous. I have lived in NYC for 6 years and while having Chinatown is wonderful, it's a bit much to have all one type of people in a certain area. I adore all of Palm Beach County. I will miss things from the city when I move home to Florida but I know what Florida has to offer and am willing to make the transition. Anyone looking for mass transit shouldn't be living in South Florida.

I am a music lover and find tons of genres to wet my whistle in WPB. Live jazz, dancing to The Cure & Morrissey at Respectables, drum circles, opera, musicals, tons of artists putting on concerts at numerous venues. Some of you guys complain too much and act like South Florida is the freaking boonies. Anywhere you live can have culture nearby, culture is what you make of it. Be thankful of what you do have around you and take advantage of it.

[m5*]

My fiancé is German and Salvadoran and embraces his "Salvi" half 100%. There's a lot of people who don't know what or where El Salvador is. He was in FL in April interviewing and I looked up two Salvadoran restaurants for him to try out, one in WPB, the other in Lake Worth. One was not to his standards, the other got raves of being better than homemade. All jokes aside, this made him feel better about moving down south. Just the fact that these kinds of restaurants are popping up means a lot. Different people are settling down in the area and they'll bring the culture of their county with them. It takes time but it's happening right around you. Is Salvadoran food considered culture? Not to everyone but yes, to some it is.

Some people think Olive Garden is fancy. To each his own.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

Although I was just using this as an abstract example, your
response to it shows you to be one of the:
"not as cultured as they think they are."

I get it....your culture, "good", mine bad.
What makes a coffee house hipster at a poetry reading a
'poseur' but someone who goes to 100.00 a seat opera in
their Lexus not ?

No, that is exactly what YOU did. You can't find lesbian slam poetry, so PBC is a "cultural void." If that isn't a "derogatory label," I don't know what is. Fact is, the list I provided has both "high" and "low" culture opportunities listed.

There IS such thing as "reverse cultural snobbery," and it is EXACTLY what you are engaged in. "I don't DO theater, it's not as authentic as an impromptu street play put on by Camerooni immigrants in the middle of times square".....

Originally Posted by Kozmic Ninja

Again, its all what you want for your culture and how much you
effort you want to put into finding it. Im a self-employed freelance artist.
Im pretty open minded to all culture. But, the very limited culture
you mention, is to me, too processed and homogenized for some peoples
tastes.

The fact that you haven't shown knowledge of PBC's bohemian areas proves to me that your curiosity has never taken you out of NPB to FIND a place with that authentic feel you crave.

Originally Posted by Kozmic Ninja

There is culture everywhere if you want to look for it, but WPB
will never be known as a cultural place in the same way NYC or any
other northern city will be. Limited accessibility -Too much car
culture/mall plasticity. Obviously you disagree

Lol, and people in Europe think NYC is a homogenized, sterlized place that mimics and strives to have authentic culture, but does not.

Your beef then, is with how far you have to travel to get to whatever you want. (BTW, there IS a lesbian coffee house in PBC.... but I doubt you've bothered to truly seek it out. Probably wouldn't meet your high artist standards anyway. The lesbians in PBC aren't "real," like they are in New York or...um... Charlotte? ya know).

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

No, that is exactly what YOU did. You can't find lesbian slam poetry, so PBC is a "cultural void." ........<mercifully snipped>---

Do you even understand what you are commenting on ?
I would ask you to go back and re-read the stuff about accessibity,
relativity to other cities, etc, and look up the word 'abstract', but it would
just be an excersize in futility. You just dont 'get it'.

But, thank you for proving my point better than I could ........
The microcosm of the macrocosm.

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

I understand what a "disgruntled resident" might mean.
To me, PBC is a cultural void. Yes, there is all the stuff you list, but
if you are used to an urban environment that has stuff all within walking distance,
you will think that PBC has a culture void. To me, your list is so small relative to the
size and expanse of PBC, it only supports the 'no culture' claim. Yes, there is stuff to
do in PBC but to lots of people, me included, its simply not worth the time and effort it
takes to get to it. From an infrastructural point of view, you need a car to get anywhere.
You cant walk, ride a bike, take public trans or anything like that. That alone makes it a
cultural void. It has all to do with accessibility. People who are used to not having to jump
through hoops to get somewhere other than a national chain, strip mall will share this perception.
There is no easily accessible real arts districts relatively speaking, like you find in Philly, NY,
Boston, Portland Maine, Charleston SC, etc, etc, or most other metropolitan areas.
There is just too high a ratio of concrete/mall/gated community stuff in WPB compared to the
stuff that gives other areas a reputation for culture.
When the contract thats keeping us here is done, I'll be beyond happy this misadventure is over...
I will be clicking my heels like Fred Astaire when I see the "Welcome to Georgia" sign on I-95.

Your portrayal of "accessibility" is a straw man.

I'm from Philly just like you and you're misrepresenting it. One can only easily access "culture" downtown and specifically between 2nd st and 24th and Oregon Ave to Spring Garden. And that's being generous and NOT WALKING DISTANCE you have to take a bus or the train anyway.

That's a TINY area. ALL THE REST OF MILES AND MILES OF PHILLY is FAR from anything downtown. A 30 minute car or train ride.

Comparing a new city like any in FLorida to an old established city like Philly is disingenuous.

Philly was established in the 1700's with an infrastructure for large populations.

Florida didn't even start to see migration until the 1900's.

We won't even discuss that you're comparing a TINY geographic area and a TINY population to the massive size of both in the Phila Metro area. MILLIONS of people compared to a few thousands in WPB. The entire COUNTY is only around 100,000 compared to PHilly with the city PROPER being around 1.5 Million not including Delaware, Bucks and NJ contiguous counties that also frequent the Phila downtown. Phila is 135 sq miles with a HIGH population density compared to WPB that is only 55 sq miles with a LOW population density.

Why are you trying to compare the two?

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

Do you even understand what you are commenting on ?
I would ask you to go back and re-read the stuff about accessibity,
relativity to other cities, etc, and look up the word 'abstract', but it would
just be an excersize in futility. You just dont 'get it'.

[quote]

No. I get it. I've actually addressed it above, stating that the residents of PBC are lucky to have cultural venues and a variety of areas throughout the county, and not sequestered in one particular area.

But, of course, you didn't bother to respond or address that point. Perhaps next time if I put my answer in an "artistic" fashion -- maybe in a pattern:

[The
Dog and
Pony Show has
Been Cancelled by
the Real Artists Among
Us..... ]

....or maybe, in iambic pentameter, it will catch your attention and sink in a bit better. Right brain thinking, and all that, ya know.

Originally Posted by KoZmic NinJa

But, thank you for proving my point better than I could ........
The microcosm of the macrocosm.

Lol, the only point you've been able to get across is that of the inadvertent caricature. Now, where can I find a good cup of fair market coffee around here? Bonus points if brewed by a person of color and/or political minority.

[PBCboy]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

MILLIONS of people compared to a few thousands in WPB. The entire COUNTY is only around 100,000 compared to PHilly with the city PROPER being around 1.5

Palm Beach County has well over a million people (1,265,293 to be exact, according to the U.S. Census Bureau).

[rainroosty]

To original poster: If the "culture" here where we live bothers you, go take a hike.....oh,sorry.....I forgot....you're not even willing to take a 10 minute drive. Never mind.