How was your weekend? I didn't start this site because I thought fleeing DC was a good idea on paper. I really do flee DC quite often. So I thought I'd chronical my adventures here and hopefully help you plan your escape. If you'd like to contribute a weekend story to any of the places we track on fleeDC, please drop us an email.

Nov 13, 2005
Author: BT

For my wife's birthday weekend - we decided to get away to a much warmer place than DC in November. We began looking for flights to Miami or Ft Lauderdale but found that Palm Beach had the lowest fares to the area. So we booked a flight and found a hotel close enough to the water that it wouldn't take more than 5-10 minutes to see the ocean.

The Marriott Palm Beach Gardens fit all our hotel criteria. It was reasonably priced, close to Palm Beach, recently remodeled, had internet, and was close to the water. We were not disappointed by the hotel - it even had a nice pool.

After checking into the hotel - we set out exploring the area. Our first stop was the John D MacArthur Beach State Park. In November, the beach was nearly deserted. We walked along the water and watched the waves crashing in. Having our beach fill - we decided to check out the city.

Palm Beach, Ft Lauderdale, and Miami are all lined up one after another as you head south. You can take I-95 south or you can wind down route 1 and 1A and stay close to the water. We took the scenic route and drove past some magnificent homes - many beautiful old estates. The amount of old money in Palm Beach is amazing.

For my wife's birthday dinner - we ate at Charley's Crab in Palm Beach. The restaurant is right on the water - however - our late dining hour prevented us from seeing the ocean. The food is great but priced accordingly. We felt a little silly valeting our rental Ford Focus - but if you can get past that - it's a great place to eat.

The next day we explored Palm Beach a little more. We strolled down Worth Avenue - Palm Beach's answer to NYC's Madison Ave. Unless you really have some shopping to do - I'd skip this stop. Being from DC - great shopping isn't something we have to travel for. Next we headed to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens which is well worth the trip (and price of admission). The gardens are gorgeous and meticulously maintained. We were surprised at how few visitors were there - so quiet and peaceful.

After the gardens - we headed back to the airport and caught our flight back to colder DC.

Hotel: Marriott Palm Beach Gardens
Airports: Reagan National (DCA), Palm Beach (PBI)
Food: Charley's Crab