"Palm Beach County has no Culture"? Reealllly? (Miami: condos, house)

[TriMT7]

I read a comment along the lines today from a disgruntled resident that "Palm Beach County has no culture."

I have said it in the past, and I'll say it again. If you cannot find outlets for your "cultural cravings" in Palm Beach County, then you are not as "cultured" as you like to pretend you are.

Indeed, Palm Beach County has the distinction of being Florida's "cultural capital."

For those that are interested in cultural venues and events in Palm Beach County, the following is a non-exhaustive list:

Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
Armory Art Center
Arthur R. Marshall Foundation
Artists' Showcase of the Palm Beaches
Ballet Florida
Cuillo Centre for the Arts
Harriet Himmet Theater for Cultural & Performing Arts
Jazz Arts Music Society
Kravis Center
Loxahatchee Preserve Nature Center
Meyer Amphitheater
Miami City Ballet
Mounts Botanical Garden
Northwood University (Jeannette Hare Art Gallery)
Norton Museum of Art
Palm Beach Atlantic University
Palm Beach County History Museum
Palm Beach Dramaworks
Palm Beach Opera
Palm Beach Pops
Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park
Puppetry Arts Center of the Palm Beaches (561) 967-3231
South Florida Science Museum
Boca Raton Historical Society
Boca Raton Museum of Art
Caldwell Theatre Company
Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park
Children's Museum of Boca Raton
Florida Atlantic University
Lynn University Conservatory of Music
Women in the Visual Arts
Boca Raton Symphonia
Duncan Theatre at Palm Beach Community College
Hibel Studio
Klein Dance
Lake Worth Playhouse
Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center
Eissey Campus Theatre
Flagler Museum
Historical Society of Palm Beach County
John D. MacArthur Beach State Park
Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach
Society of the Four Arts
ArtStage, Inc.
Burt Reynolds & Friends Museum
DuBois Pioneer Home
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
Lighthouse Center for the Arts
Loxahatchee River Historical Society
Maltz Jupiter Theatre
American Orchid Society
Cornell Museum at Old School Square
Crest Theatre at Old School Square
Delray Beach Historical Society
Delray Beach Playhouse
Milagro Center
Morikami Museum & Japanese Gardens
Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History
Old School Square
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
Sandoway House Nature Center
Spady Cultural Heritage Museum
Loggerhead Marinelife Center (Juno Beach)
Asian Food Fair & Cultural Show
Delray Beach Film Festival
Roots Cultural Heritage Festival
Florida Stage (Manalapan)
Schoolhouse Children's Museum (Boynton Beach)
Cruzan Ampitheater
Nortan Museum of Art
Antiques Row
Palm Beach International Raceway
National Croquet Center
Palm Beach Polo Grounds
Palm Beach kennel club

Festivals:
Clematis by Night
Kaleidoscope
Palm Beach International Film Festival
SunFest
Boca Bacchanal
Hispanic Fest
Reggae Fest
Street Painting Festival
Tropic Fest on 4th of July
Greek Festival
Portuguese Cultural Festival
Supercar Weekend

[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.

[TriMT7]

Well, first off, you live in North Palm Beach, home to golfers and retirees. That was obvisouly a conscious decision on your part.

Besides that, "bad public transport accessibility" does not equate to "no cultural venues." Though in fact, many of the cultural venues can be found in the downtown areas of WPB, Lake Worth, and Delray. Kind of hard to put dozens of acres of Japanese Garden in the middle of a downtown area, I'd argue. The sculpture gardens at the Norton Museum are the closest thing you'll find. The list I provided, non exhaustive, has over 100 venues and opportunities for culture (a DIVERSE selection of cultural opportunities). The WPB metro area is only 1.3 million. Nobody moves here if they want public transportation goodness.

But who knows, maybe I'm just of a different mind. If you're looking for the type of culture that is a bunch of hippies in a drum circle or garage bands playing at a coffee shop named something hipster clever, then ya, you'll have to search hard (though it does probably exist as well).


Oh, and in perusing Charleston's "Official" listing of cultural offerings and venues, I find it to be a bit anemic in its offerings, even if clustered in one particular area. I think you will find that MOST Palm Beach County residents (much of whom live in the suburban outskirts of the city of West Palm Beach proper, which in reality, the ACTUAL city is vast majority non-gated community) would like the fact that cultural opportunities are available in their backyard (catch a production at the Maltz theater in Jupiter without slogging 30 miles to downtown).


But, we wish you luck wherever you do go. You will definitely know when you hit the Georgia border, and it won't be the signs that will tell ya, but the rough condition of the highway once you cross over!

[Liberty911]

I have to agree with the disgruntled resident. Those places listed were created to give people without culture a place to buy cultured. Those places are business entities that offer displays, food and entertainment for monetary gain. So I guess if someone considers capitalism a "culture" those paces are evidence of a capitalist culture. However, theaters, museums, and art gallerys do not offer "culture" , but rather "high culture." True high culture was created by the elite to dissenfranchise the middle and lower classes.

The original meaning of the word "culture" comes from within the spirit of the people and the land itself. It's the way people live and how they interact in the land they live on and those they live with. It cannot be bought, sold or viewed with a simple admission ticket. Culture cannot be viewed.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Well, first off, you live in North Palm Beach, home to golfers and retirees. That was obvisouly a conscious decision on your part.

Ive seen all of South Florida and my opinion is based on my
personal observations. We came here from Vermont out of
necessity, not choice, to put my opinion into perspective. I cant
really elaborate on that opinion as well as I want to, but lets just
say in a lot of places, maybe......Louisville, KY, or Asheville NC,
you walk out into a few distinctly different neighborhoods and historic
districts and get some Thai food, hit a coffee shop than a used
book store for a anarchist or lesbian poetry slam or maybe hear a
musician. Multiply that over a few times per area. To me, thats 'culture'.....
Here, you have 'processed' culture for want of a better term. Culture
is as much of a feeling as it is quantifiables. To me, The Fish House
in Port Salerno is 'culture' but Del Ray is 'tourist'. Also, take anyplace
from Orlando down except for maybe Juno and Hobe Sound,
blindfold someone and drive them around about an hour, take the
blindfold off, and chances are they wont be able to tell you what town
they are in because they look ponderously alike. Condos, stripmall, and
infrastructure that is only meant for car travel. I guess its all in what
you are looking for in your culture. To be somewhat positive, as
a nature/treehugger/Earth First person, I absolutely love the wildlife
I see in my little town and up US-1 FL has some of the greatest
wildlife Ive ever seen. I am torn about leaving all the great reptiles,
birds and stuff I have just a short walk from my house. I think if
FL could have looked into a crystal ball and seen what out-of-control
and corrupt developers where going to do to S. Fl, it would be very
different today.

[rainroosty]

Quoting "Kozmic Ninja":
"I will be clicking my heels like Fred Astaire when I see the "Welcome to Georgia" sign on I-95."

So will we. Please do tell when you're leaving.

[Manny561]

Palm beach county has 3 dominating cultures. Theres the "I'm so rich and better than you" culture, the "I'm 40 years old and like to go to clematis on thursdays to drink beer and listen to bad cover bands" culture and then theres the "I'm so gangster, and ill shoot you" culture. There used to be a decent hardcore/metal culture until they closed down Ray's Downtown Blues on clematis. That place was historic in my mind.

[psouth]

Originally Posted by Manny561

Palm beach county has 3 dominating cultures. Theres the "I'm so rich and better than you" culture, the "I'm 40 years old and like to go to clematis on thursdays to drink beer and listen to bad cover bands" culture and then theres the "I'm so gangster, and ill shoot you" culture. There used to be a decent hardcore/metal culture until they closed down Ray's Downtown Blues on clematis. That place was historic in my mind.

Funny but parts are very true. Culture is very limited in these here parts as well as all of Florida. The predominant cultures in S. Florida are Spanish, Jewish, and Haitian with little in between. You won't find a "Little Italy" or "Chinatown" or any other cultural sections that other progressive areas have. The rich elderly Jews push their own culture while the majority Hispanic and Haitians push what they want for themselves. You won't find many European bakeries, delis, etc. Good luck trying to find authentic European pastry or desserts. Florida is largely generic compared to most places. I guess until you have actually lived somewhere else you would not notice though. It's what you are exposed to.

[Pirateclosingon40]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

Ive seen all of South Florida and my opinion is based on my
personal observations. We came here from Vermont out of
necessity, not choice, to put my opinion into perspective. I cant
really elaborate on that opinion as well as I want to, but lets just
say in a lot of places, maybe......Louisville, KY, or Asheville NC,
you walk out into a few distinctly different neighborhoods and historic
districts and get some Thai food, hit a coffee shop than a used
book store for a anarchist or lesbian poetry slam or maybe hear a
musician. Multiply that over a few times per area. To me, thats 'culture'.....

These areas exist, but you have to look for them. Downtown Lake Worth has all you mentioned above except the used book store, which closed about two years ago due to lack of patronage. While I'd agree that Delray is very touristy, so is Asheville, which you used as an example, as is much of Vermont.

Since everyone seems to define "culture" differently, it's easy for anyone to bemoan the idea that there isn't enough of their idea of culture in an area. Why not try enjoying what is available, even if it means you have to make an effort to find a new experience? That effort makes the experience more worthwhile.

Paul

[m5*]

I agree with the above!

BTW the Flagler Museum is awesome.