Originally Posted by
slawecki
either have to put in a 3-4 story elevator, or sell the place. plan to sell.
would like your choice/recommendation as to where to live in fl. want an urban area, good airport for tatl(1 stop ok), the best weather that is available(not too much over 90+ with 90% humidity) and not too much under 60. at least 300 days without rain. need to be close to a major high quality hospital(50miles max). would like a free standing one story house or ground floor on a low rise condo/coop. real,navigable waterfront would be nice. have no interest in golf ball or spectator sports. would like fine arts, and shows, and a number of tablecloth restaurants.
cost is not really an object. i'm 75, wife is 68 going on 45 and can afford all but front row palm beach and fisher island.
I share your tastes (except I like a sporting event from time to time), your age bracket, and much of the other attributes that you have described.
About ten years ago we decided to move to Florida (without surrendering our NYC place) and had many of the same requirements that you did.
What we found was a townhouse on a canal just off the intracoastal in Boca Raton with two elevators and its own private dock. It is no more than a half hour to PBI and FLL with MIA being closer to an hour (except at the rush times). We do use MIA with regularity even for domestic since sometimes the destinations are unique or the schedules (or AA induced fare battles) are better. PBI ranks a distant third in our use, almost strictly for one destination which DL is debating with WN.
It is quite close to Boca Raton Regional Hospital (the quality of which I do not know). Considering that it is Fla and not NYC, the quality of medical care seems to be relatively satisfactory, which is a huge step up from what it was twenty years ago when my mother became ill and we needed to cast about to find even barely competent medical care.
The other thing that many do not know is that the southeast Florida area has a number of micro-climates and the one that we are in (200 yards from the ocean) is subject to constant sea breezes which keep the extreme heat (and, believe it or not the insects) inland, where one will frequently find the thermometer reading 10 degrees higher than at our house.
As far as cultural attractions are concerned, there are some things around here, especially at FAU, some very good movie houses, and we are absolutely are not loathe to drive down to MIA for theater and also the opera, which we much prefer to the same company's stagings at Broward Center in FLL.
We still work and make a business trip to Northern Virginia every month, among others (why do you think that I hang out around here?), so if you care for a bit more personal insight, a PM will get a response.