WolfieG

Hello again everybody,
After the enjoyment of writing my first trip report on Flyertalk covering my trip to the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, I decided to do another trip report covering my recent travels to South Florida, in particular, Deerfield Beach, Florida, which is located in Northeast Broward County north of Fort Lauderdale and Miami. I decided to travel here as I have visited the South Florida area many times when my maternal grandparents used to live in Highland Beach; a small town nestled between Boca Raton and Delray Beach in Palm Beach County and my paternal grandparents lived in Davie, west of Fort Lauderdale. In addition, I needed a little rest and relaxation and I also had a small business purpose for the trip, as my mother is thinking about moving to Southeast Florida as she likes the area and Long Island, NY is getting very expensive as a place to live!
Before I took this trip, I did not plan on going anywhere, as I wanted to focus on my future and have fun later. Unfortunately, my maternal grandfather, who I loved very much, passed away at age 97 just about two weeks shy of his 98th birthday. On the positive side, I finished my final semester of my undergraduate studies at LIU-Post as a Sociology Major and Political Science Minor and did very well! Since my mother was also upset about my grandpa’s passing and wanted to celebrate my completion of college, she wanted me to take a vacation to relax and de-stress from what had just happened. With that in mind, I decided to go to Southeast Florida, as I enjoy the beautiful beaches, the warm weather, and the many things to do! While I could have gone to Walt Disney World again and I absolutely love it, I want to wait until I have more money again and until much of the construction work is done. Also, I went solo once again as my mother needed to stay home and watch our two Affenpinschers (they are terrier-like dogs with a monkey-like face) and my dad had to work. With all of these factors in place, I decided to book my trip.

New York John F. Kennedy International-West Palm Beach (1/12/2015):

a) Before Airport:
I booked my trip by doing the air and hotel separately this time around, as I had planned to stay at a less expensive small yet nice hotel that was built in the 1950s before the Southeast Florida coastline was built up with high rises. Since I was not renting a car as my mom did not want the liability of a rental car even though I am an excellent driver, with no violations and accidents thank god and I did not want to get slammed with underage driver fees, I decided to look in areas of Southeast Florida that were near the beach as well as dining and shopping. Since I wanted to be in the Boca/Delray area as I love that area and was planning on house hunting in that area, I decided to look in Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach, as those areas have many things to do within walking distance and are close to the beach. Since The Carriage House in Deerfield Beach with its decent rooms and very cheap rates was sold out, mom told me to use what I saved by not renting a car and stay at The Embassy Suites in Deerfield Beach, as she thought it was a nice hotel and my Uncle loved it when he stayed there. What’s more? The rates were not as high as I thought for what I was getting, those things being a very nice room, complimentary breakfast, and a free happy hour. With my mind made up, I opted to book a One Bedroom Twin-Bed Suite from Monday, January 12th, 2015-Saturday, January 17th, 2015 as those dates had the best rates. Next, I checked flights between JFK/LGA-PBI/FLL on American, Delta, jetBlue, and Virgin America and opted for a round trip flight on Delta from JFK-PBI, which Delta restarted in December after about seven years, when they discontinued this route. I booked both of these components on Friday, December 26th, 2014.
This was the perfect booking, as I find JFK to be more convenient and efficient to use than LGA when given the choice, as I live about 30 minutes away from both airports. Also, I prefer PBI to FLL when given the choice, as PBI is easy to get in and out of, as it is smaller and easier to use than FLL or MIA. Usually, I use FLL as it tends to be cheaper, but this time was an exception as PBI was $30 cheaper round trip. In addition, since I have a Delta Skymiles Gold Card, it worked out well as there is nothing wrong with earning more Skymiles and I find Delta to be a very good carrier on the whole from flying them many times! The route was operated by MD-88s both ways, which I don’t mind as the side of the aircraft with two seats provides a little extra legroom and privacy. While my mom had originally planned to drive me to and from JFK, I decided to give her a break, as I had a LivingSocial deal for S&G Limousine for $35 that provided me with $70 worth of service, so I booked a ride from my home to JFK at 5:15AM and mom was more than happy to pick me up at JFK when I came back, as my flight would arrive mid-day and there would be little traffic. In addition, I booked ground transportation to/from PBI from my hotel through Diamond Coach, as they had a reasonable rate of $54 each way plus a 20% gratuity and my grandparents had a very good experience using them. This report will have many pictures, so please forgive me if they take a while to load. Thank you and enjoy!

**Flight Information**:
Origin Airport: New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, NY
Destination Airport: Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), West Palm Beach, FL
Airline and Flight Number: Delta Air Lines 2462
Aircraft: Boeing/McDonnell Douglas MD-88
Registration: N945DL
Cabin, Seat: Economy, 18E
Scheduled Departure/Actual Departure: 8:00AM/8:46AM
Scheduled Arrival/Actual Arrival: 11:10AM/11:20AM
Departure Airport Terminal, Gate: Terminal 2, Gate C63
Arrival Airport Terminal, Gate: Concourse C, Gate C3


a) Before Airport/Getting to Airport:
When I woke up Sunday morning, the day before I would travel, I printed my boarding passes on the Delta website, which was super easy but I was slightly disappointed, as my flight was departing from Terminal 2, which I found to not be that great based on my last arrival from MCO back in January 2014. Also, I was a bit surprised to see that the plane was only about half full, as I thought that this route would receive more traffic, so I was interested to see how this flight would pan out.
-Seatmap of DL2462:

However, this would not get in the way of my excitement of going to South Florida again for the first time in 2.5 years and I was looking forward at seeing if Terminal 2’s improvements made it better for departures. In addition, since I have the Hilton application on my iPhone 6 and iPad 2 and I am a HiltonHonors member, I decided to check-in for my stay on my on my iPad and chose to stay in Room 722 on the seventh floor and it was quick and easy!
-Checking-in on the Hilton Application:





After completing some last minute packing and after watching some TV, I went to bed at 10:00PM with the alarm on my home phone waking me at 3:00AM. I got ready and ate my breakfast of Pastrami Lox and Low Fat Scallion Cream Cheese that I got from Fairway Market the night before with Gluten-Free bread. I then spent time with my mother, two Affenpinschers Gwendolyn and Arabella, and my guinea pigs before my car arrived from S&G Limousine at 5:09AM, six minutes before my scheduled pick up. After me and my mother gave each other huge hugs, Richard, my polite and friendly driver, held the rear door of his Chrysler 300, which was impeccably clean and in good shape, open for me to enter the roomy rear seat and loaded my suitcase. We hit the road at 5:15AM and we were on our way to JFK. Despite the fact that he took a slightly different route to get to the Meadowbrook Parkway southbound which I found a bit longer, but the ride went quickly as we took the Meadowbrook Parkway southbound to the Southern State and Belt Parkways westbound. The ride was enjoyable as Richard was an excellent driver and we had an interesting conversation concerning places we had been to, my studies as a Sociology major, and operations at JFK, such as how Delta’s two-terminal operation is working out, which he found to be confusing, but OK. Before we knew it, we were arriving at JFK and at 5:44AM, we pulled up to Terminal 2, which was not crowded at all. After Richard unloaded my suitcase, I thanked him for a wonderful ride and went inside the terminal, since curbside check-in is not available.
-On my way:




-Getting onto the JFK Expressway:


-Terminal 1 sign:


-Approaching Terminal 2:

b) At Airport:
I got in-line at the check-in counter, where I lined up behind one other party and waited less than five minutes, where Simone Diamond, a young female, checked me in. She could sense I was eager to travel and she was very friendly and enthusiastic while she checked me in. We talked about our travels and she was happy that I was going to South Florida. I asked her if she was traveling anywhere and mentioned that she was going to Los Angeles, where I have never been and I was very excited for her. Once I was checked in, she wished me an excellent trip and I made my way to security, where my good luck continued.
At security, I waited less than five minutes and I was very happy, as I was expecting a lengthier wait. However, in a way, I was kind of not surprised as Delta has more of their flights operating out of Terminal 4, which I know from my travels as well as from Richard, who drove me to the airport. The TSA agents were friendly and thorough and after being screened, I was finally ready to enter the airside portion of the terminal, where I gathered my belongings and put my sneakers back on my feet. Since it was about five to six and my flight would not be boarding until 7:20AM, I decided to relax by exploring the terminal and by plane spotting. I then called my mom to let her know I got through security and that in about an hour and a half, I would be boarding. She wished me a great flight and a wonderful trip. Overall, I thought that the terminal area seemed cleaner than when I was last in it and I enjoyed checking out the interesting shops and restaurants, like Shisho, Taste NY, Tagliare, Brklyn Beer Garden, and Croque Madame, which helped give the terminal a more local feeling the way Terminals C and D at LaGuardia have it. Another interesting thing was that the regional jet gates were no longer in use, as they were empty and the departure board listed that all of the Delta Connection flights were departing from their new gates at Terminal 4. While I found that Terminal 2 was not as nice as Terminals 4 or 5, I found it better than it used to be and it is no longer a terrible terminal to depart from.
*Here are some pictures of Terminal 2 and my time plane spotting:
-Departure Board:

-Gate C63:

-Croque Madame:

-Taste NY:

-Tagliare:

-Brklyn Beer Garden:

-Delta Boeing 737-800 operating as DL2614 to AUS at Gate C68:

-Delta Boeing 757-200 Skyteam livery operating as DL2109 to SLC at Gate C69:

Since my boarding time was nearing, I decided to settle by one of the neat iPad seats at Gate C63, which had some other passengers waiting but not as many as at adjacent Gates C62 and C61, with passengers heading to Miami and Orlando respectively. I texted my dad and a couple of friends, who were happy that I was heading to West Palm Beach and they wished me a great trip!
-At Gate:

-iPad at Gate:

-N945DL, a Delta MD-88 operating as DL2642 to take me to PBI:

Finally, boarding commenced at 7:20AM and as always, I found the zone boarding to be quick and organized. Thanks to my Delta Skymiles Gold card, in addition to my free checked bag, I was able to board with Zone 1. The gate agent wished me a good flight and I proceeded through the jet way, excited to head to Florida for fun in the sun!

c) Delta Flight 2462:
After I proceeded through the jet way, I finally got onboard the MD-88 through doorway 1L. A young, female flight attendant named Katherine greeted me as I boarded and I found her to be enthusiastic and friendly. The young male flight attendant whose name I did not get working alongside her in First Class was also very warm. I proceeded to 18E as many people began to board. My first impressions of the aircraft were that it was very clean and well maintained. I could not help but notice that the MD-88 had the new Delta First Class seat covers, with the diamond pattern and the Delta triangle on the top, which made for a cool and somewhat retro look. As the seat map and amount of people confirmed, this plane was only half-full, making for an expedient boarding process. Once in my seat, I found it to be pretty good, as I had good legroom and decent width. While it was not as roomy as jetBlue’s seat or Economy Comfort, it was still a comfortable seat and the lack of a middle seat added a little extra room and privacy. In addition, I also lucked out, as I did not have a seatmate.
-Legroom Shot:

-Empty seat :

-Not many people onboard:


-N931DL, a Delta MD-88 operating as DL2190 to MIA from Gate C62 and N390DA, a Delta Boeing 737-800 operating as DL2619 to MCO from Gate C61:

-N390DA pulling back:

Unfortunately, our departure was delayed, as the first two tugs, which would tow the plane from the gate, were broken. In addition, there were slight ground delays due to the threat of bad weather in the form of freezing rain and some snow. While I was slightly frustrated along with some of the other passengers, as we would be delayed, I was still relieved somewhat as at least we would be able to leave New York since we left the gate once we got a working tug. Once we taxied, I spotted a lot of Delta action near Terminal 4, a jetBlue Airbus A320, a Delta Canadair CRJ (not sure of model), and a British Airways Boeing 747-400 taking off for London. We lined up behind an American Airlines Boeing 737-800 in the old colors second in line for departure.
-Delta CRJ:

-Delta CRJ with a British Airways Boeing 747-400 taking off for LHR:

-AA Boeing 737-800 old colors in front of us:

-From Flightaware: N529JB, a jetBlue Airbus A320 operating as B6795 to AUS with Delta action in the background:

We took off from Runway 31L and according to FlightAware as I was not able to see due to the cloudy conditions, we flew over Southwestern Queens (Howard Beach) and Southeastern Brooklyn (Canarsie, Gerittsen Beach, Mill Basin, and Marine Park) before flying over Central New Jersey before hitting 10,000 feet. I plugged my Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones into my iPhone 6 and listened to The Beatles, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Clash, Elton John, Twisted Sister, Led Zeppelin, Tony Bennett, AC-DC, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, The Allman Brothers, Queen, Billy Joel, The Offspring, and Primus for most of the flight.

About twenty minutes after take off, Carlos, another young male flight attendant who was very friendly, took the beverage orders using a pad and paper, instead of using the cart due to light passenger loads. Since I want the JFK-PBI route to last this time, I asked him if the flight is usually this light and he said that it is usually crowded. In a way, I was relieved, as I prefer using JFK over LGA, which was the only way to get to PBI from NYC from 2007-2014. With that being said, I ordered a full can of Orange Juice with no ice. A few minutes later, Carlos delivered my beverage and had every passenger take the whole can, which differs from the usual default of not getting the whole can unless you ask. Katherine followed with a bin of snacks and I selected peanuts.

Around the time I was eating, the captain made an announcement that we were 36,000 feet over Virginia Beach, VA and was very apologetic for our delay and adding that we lucked out, as we avoided bad weather in the New York area as we left early and hoped at max to only have us in West Palm Beach, FL thirty minutes behind schedule. I was not worried, as I would still have plenty of time to enjoy the day and was just happy to be on my way. I continued to listen to music until 10:30AM, when I put away my headphones to prepare for landing. I then used the First Class lavatory when the turbulence died down, which was permitted as others used it without the FAs batting an eye and I found it to be clean and well stocked. We followed the Atlantic coastline after Eastern North Carolina and entered Florida near the Jupiter area in Northeast Palm Beach County. We turned in Central Western Palm Beach County and landed at Palm Beach International Airport at 11:20AM, only ten minutes behind schedule! The landing was a bit rough, but I called my mom to let her know I arrived and she was very happy! While we taxied, I spotted Gulfstream aircraft by the Gulfstream hangar, a jetBlue Embraer E-190, a Spirit Airbus A319, and a Delta MD-88. We then parked at Gate C3 and the First Class flight attendant thanked me for flying Delta and wished me a good trip! Overall, it was a great flight and I was happy to finally be in South Florida!
-Landing over the West Palm Beach area:

-Gulfstreams:

-jetBlue Embraer E-190 at Gate C10, Spirit Airbus A319 at Gate C8, and a Delta MD-88 at Gate C2:


d) Arrival:
I made my way into the terminal via doorway 1L and the jet way and I was instantly impressed, as I found the terminal of Palm Beach International Airport to be immaculately clean, aesthetically pleasing, and bright.



While I was making my way to the baggage claim, Steve, my driver from Diamond Coach, called me to let me know he was at the airport and he asked me if I had to claim any bags. I told him I had to pick up a bag and told me not to worry and to call him again when I got the bag. While I was doing this, I called my family-friend Bruce, a longtime friend of my mom to let him know that I arrived and he was very happy and mentioned he could not wait to meet me at 5:30PM The Whale’s Rib, a longtime Deerfield Beach seafood restaurant that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.



At Baggage Claim 1, I did not have to wait long as my bag came off less than five minutes later. I called Steve back and he was pleasantly surprised, as it took me very little time to get out of the terminal. He told me to meet him outside the exit closest to Baggage Claim 1. I was not surprised though as I find Palm Beach to be a very efficient and easy-to-use airport, which makes it feel like a smaller airport even though it is a medium-sized airport, which has a Customs & Immigrations facility that could process international flights. Steve pulled up in his Ford Crown Victoria a minute later as he opened the rear door for me and loaded my suitcase into the trunk. I found him to be very friendly and polite. We were on our way and while I was in the car, my dad texted me. He could not believe how quickly I had arrived. We exited the airport onto I-95 south towards Miami and the ride went quickly as we talked about different facets of living in Florida and our lives. We left I-95 at Hillsboro Blvd (FL-810) eastbound for FL-A1A southbound and thirty-five minutes later, we were in front of The Embassy Suites in Deerfield Beach, FL and it was clear that I finally arrived in paradise! After paying $65 for my ride with 20% gratuity, I thanked Steven for an excellent ride and entered the lobby of the hotel, where I would be checking in.
-Leaving PBI for I-95 south towards Miami:

-I-95 through West Palm Beach, FL:

-Approaching Deerfield Beach, FL via Hillsboro Blvd (FL-810):


e)DL2462 Impressions/Ratings:
Once again, Delta did very well on this flight! Flight attendants Katherine, Carlos, and the First Class flight attendant whose name I did not get made all of the passengers feel welcome as they were friendly, polite, and attentive. The plane was clean and in excellent shape and the seats, while not class leading like jetBlue, were definitely fine. What’s more? The free snacks in addition to the beverages are an excellent touch as always and we arrived early. All in all, I feel Delta is definitely doing an excellent job surpassing the other U.S. legacy carriers as well as competing with low-cost carriers like jetBlue and Southwest.
**Please note, due to the fact that in-seat IFE was not available on this flight, I have adjusted the other four scoring factors to be out of 25 so that they would add up to 100. Here they are:
Plane Condition/Cleanliness: 25/25 (The plane was clean and in near perfect shape.)
Seat Comfort: 21/25 (The side of the MD-88 with two seats adds comfort and privacy to the standard Y seat.)
Service: 25/25 (Flight attendants were friendly and attentive.)
Snacks/Beverages: 25/25 (Flight attendants were generous with the free snacks and beverages.)
Overall Grade: 96 (A)

***I will be continuing this report in this thread soon and I cannot wait to share even more with the FT community.

IluvSQ

Why all the references to the race of the check-in attendant and the on board personnel?

WolfieG

Hi IloveSQ,
I can fix that. I actually secret shop part time, so I guess I am just used to being detailed as my companies require me to note things like race and gender. I can take those details out don't worry.

WolfieG

All taken care of IloveSQ! I didn't mean to oftend anyone I guess I just got too detailed.

WolfieG

After I entered the grand lobby, I made my way to the Front Desk.

Terry, a young male, was very warm and checked me in quickly. He informed me that Room 722, which was on the top floor, was not ready yet but would probably be ready sometime before 4:00PM, which is the standard check-in time. He registered me and offered to take my phone number so that he could contact me once my room was ready. Since I did not want to be encumbered by my bags, I decided to leave my backpack and suitcase with the Bellhop, since I wanted to have lunch, as I was hungry.
For my lunch, I decided to walk into town to Mississippi Sweets BBQ Co., a family-owned BBQ restaurant that originated in Boca Raton in 1991, which opened an outpost in Deerfield Beach in September 2014. I opted to go here as from the many times I went there, I have enjoyed the excellent food, friendly service, relatively inexpensive prices, generous portions, and homey atmosphere. I walked along the access road parallel to the beach up to Hillsboro Blvd (FL-810), which took me right into town. From what I saw, the beach looked beautiful and while it was slightly overcast outside, I knew the sun was going to come out later and I enjoyed being in 70-80 degree temperatures versus 20-30 degree temperatures.









After an invigorating walk, I arrived at Mississippi Sweets BBQ Co. ten minutes later.

When I walked in, I knew I was in for an excellent meal after Dan, an employee who used to work as a server at the Boca location and now managed this location, remembered who I was after a 2.5-year absence and was very happy to see me again. He invited me to sit wherever I wanted to and I took a seat towards the back of the restaurant. Based upon my observations, I found the restaurant to be warm and immaculately clean like the Boca location, but with a little more elbowroom as well. Immediately, my waitress Edith came to my table, and I found her to be warm and enthusiastic! She asked me if I needed time to order but since I knew what I wanted, I decided to order a Paddlewheel barbecued, which are two grilled chicken breasts in BBQ sauce along with an order of Tractor Treads (waffle fries) and Mississippi Sweets (deep-fried slices of sweet potatoes like chips) along with a freshly brewed Sweet Tea to drink. Fifteen minutes later, Edith returned with my food and I was happy to dig in!
-Don't worry, the restaurant was not crowded when I arrived but it became more crowded when I left:




-Paddlewheel :

I found the food to be as delicious as I remembered, with the chicken breasts being tender, juicy, and perfectly charred while they were enrobed in a sweet yet vinegary BBQ sauce. The Tractor Treads were crispy on the outside yet fluffy on the inside and not overly greasy. The Mississippi Sweets were light and had a deep sweet flavor to them. In addition, the Sweet tea was sweet and refreshing, making it the perfect drink to wash down the BBQ. Since I was stuffed, I decided to take the other Chicken breast with me for lunch the next day, but Edith gave me a pleasant surprise, as she gave me a to-go cup of Sweet Tea at no charge, which was an unexpected and appreciated gesture. I then paid the bill, which was $15 in change before tip with a drink, which I found to be extremely reasonable as the quality of the food was excellent and the portion sizes were very generous. After this excellent meal, I realized it was not hard to see why Mississippi Sweets has been in business since 1991.
Next, I walked back towards my hotel along FL-A1A and I began to enjoy the town even more, as it had a very laid-back feel within its local flavor. I found this to be the case as small hotels and residences were nestled among high rises and larger hotels, making for a pleasant mélange of old and new. I arrived at my hotel ten minutes after leaving Mississippi Sweets at 1:50PM and to my delight; I found out that my room was ready! Terry gave me my room keys and directed me to use either elevator bank, as my room was conveniently located in between both elevator banks. I took the elevator nearest the front desk to the seventh floor and when I arrived at my room, I knew I made the right choice! I found my suite to be large, clean, and luxurious, which would make for an excellent stay.
-Living Room:

-Bedroom:

-View:

Before going down to the pool and beach, I first decided to call our realtor, who used to be a neighbor of my grandparents when they lived in their condo in Highland Beach. We chose to use him as he is a warm person, honest, patient, and knows the market very well. He was happy to hear that I arrived and he agreed to pick me up on Wednesday at 1:30PM-2:00PM to take me to his office to narrow down our possibilities for homes in the Boca/Delray/Boynton areas and vicinity. Once I spoke to our realtor, I then called my friend Chantal, who had texted me earlier and was happy that I arrived in Florida. With that business taken care of, I decided to head down to the pool area until 4:00PM, when I would get ready to meet Bruce for dinner.
After a relaxing swim in the beautiful pool, I headed back upstairs to shower and get ready for dinner at The Whale’s Rib with Bruce. At 4:30PM, I called him and he informed me that he was already on his way as he was on I-95 near Yamato Road in Boca. Since Bruce was getting closer and I was ready, I walked back into town to go to The Whale’s Rib. As I walked, I also admired some touches of kitsch in Deerfield, like part of a giant whale sticking out of the Island Water Sports store, which complimented Deerfield’s local flavor.
-Walking up FL-A1A:

-Island Water Sports:

I arrived in front of The Whale’s Rib and Bruce called, informing me that he had parked in a parking garage across from the Deerfield Fishing Pier and that he was excited to meet me.
-The Whale's Rib, featured on DDD with Guy Fieri:



We talked until we were able to see each other and we were very happy to see each other, as we gave each other a hug. Bruce asked me if I could take him around Deerfield Beach first, to which I happily obliged and we walked along beachside promenade from The Whale’s Rib and back. Since Bruce did not want others to know he was in Florida, he did not want pictures for privacy reasons.
-Circa late-1960's-1970's Chevrolet Corvette Stingray:






-Along the promenade:











We arrived back at The Whale’s Rib at ten to six, where despite a nearly full restaurant; we had no wait for a table.I found the atmosphere to be divey yet very clean.
-Inside the restaurant:





After the friendly hostess greeted us, our sweet and personable waitress, Yaz, came to take our beverage orders. I decided to order a Virgin Whale Mary, as it looked delicious on DDD and I did not want any alcohol at that time and Bruce ordered a Chardonnay. Upon Yaz’s recommendation, we also decided to split an order of Rock Shrimp.
My Whale Mary arrived and I found it to be sweet, a hint spicy, and tangy. In addition, it was also very well presented as it had a fresh shrimp garnishing it.

Next, our Rock Shrimp arrived and Yaz was on the money with her recommendation, as these shrimp were sweet, tender, and meaty almost like lobster with a piquant seasoning covering them. The portion was generous and while they were messy, this dish was worth the effort!

Since the Rock Shrimp were filling, we decided to order sandwiches instead of entrees. Bruce decided to order a Polynesian Chicken Sandwich while I went for a Blackened Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) Sandwich with no bun, as I love Mahi-Mahi and my friend Chris, who was recently in the area, gave it a glowing recommendation. We also ordered Whale Chips as a side to split. Once these dishes arrived, I found the Mahi to be generous in portion size and it was flakey, moist, and well seasoned. The Whale Chips were light, crispy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside. While we were eating, we also had a wonderful time talking with Yaz, whom we both felt provided excellent service as she really got to know us as customers and with her skills, we were both surprised that she was not a manager. Once we were done eating and chatting, we paid for dinner, which came out to $74 with the tip, which was not bad considering the quality and portions of the food we ate. Overall, I would definitely return to The Whale’s Rib as the food was excellent, the service was friendly and efficient, the atmosphere was pleasantly divey, and the prices were not bad at all!
-Whale Chips:

-Blackened Dolphin Sandwich:
After dinner, I asked Bruce to take me to the nearby Publix on Hillsboro Blvd (FL-810) and US-1 to pick up some stuff for my room and he happily obliged.

I was happy to be back in Publix, as they are my favorite conventional supermarket due to their impeccable cleanliness and pleasant atmosphere, excellent service, high quality perishables, and fair prices. This Publix was no exception and I picked up a 16-oz. box of Strawberries for $2.99, a case of Diet Barqs root beer, a bag of Fresh Express Shreds lettuce for $2.09, and a pound of Boar’s Head Three Pepper Colby Jack at the deli for about $10 in change. Nadine, my cashier was very friendly and efficient and had me on my way in no time. After a wonderful time at Publix, I invited Bruce upstairs to my room, but he declined, as he needed to head back to Boynton Beach to tend to his father, who is in his 90s. I thanked Bruce for a wonderful time and we bid each other farewell, hoping to see each other again during my trip. Once I got back to my room, I called my mom, got ready for bed, and went to sleep at 11:00PM, excited for another delightful day to come!

WolfieG

After a wonderful first day in Deerfield Beach, I woke up from my good night's sleep at 6:00AM. Since my iPhone was low on battery, I plugged it in for a charge and then got ready to start my day by washing up and getting dressed. Because the complimentary breakfast was not served until 7:00AM, I called my mom to let her know that all was well and that I would be relaxing most of the day, spending time at the beach and pool. She also recommended that I go to Ichiyami (http://www.ichiyami.com), a sushi buffet in Boca Raton's Mizner Park that she thought looked good based on how nice the restaurant looked in pictures as well as by the excellent reviews on Yelp and TripAdvisor. I thought this was a great idea and since the Broward County Transit buses would be able to get me to Mizner cheaply and safely, I made sure to incorporate this plan for dinner. After speaking to my mom, I then called my good friend Bernie, who is a Public Speaking professor at my university and also runs the campus radio station. She was in the Boca/Delray area with her sister Melissa and was in the area for rest and relaxation as well as house hunting. We agreed to meet on Thursday, when they would pick me up and take me to Delray Beach for dinner. With these two things taken care of, I went downstairs to BT's Oceanfront Grille for breakfast.
-BT's Oceanfront Grille:

At BT's Oceanfront Grille, which looked very clean and inviting, the friendly hostess greeted me and invited me to sit wherever I wanted to. However, before sitting down, I mentioned that I wanted to speak to the Chef or a Manager, as I had a dietary request for Turkey Bacon or Sausage, which while not on the buffet, were available for those people who wanted it. Immediately, she got the chef on duty and he arranged for there to be Turkey Bacon made available to eat with my breakfast, which was terrific, as I am allergic to wheat and eggs and I do not really eat red meat. Before sitting down, I went to the buffet, where I got Breakfast Potatoes, Grits, Orange Juice, and Coffee.
-Buffet and restaurant:





After visiting the buffet, I took a table on the outside verandah facing the pool and beach!



A few minutes later, Rose, a bubbly and efficient waitress who took care of me at breakfast all of the days I was there, delivered my Turkey Bacon. With all of my components, I was ready to eat! I found the Turkey Bacon to be crisp and salty, the Breakfast Potatoes to be crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside and well spiced, and the grits to be well cooked! The coffee was not bad either and the Orange juice was sweet, tart, and refreshing!

I then enjoyed a sweet and refreshing fruits which included a banana, an orange, and chunks of Canteloupe and honeydew.

After a delicious and filling breakfast, I went up to my room to put on my swim trunks and I headed down to the beach, where I took a walk and later went into the clear and refreshing ocean.

-Looking back at the hotel:

-Looking south towards Hillsboro Beach:

-Looking north and you could see the Deerfield Beach Fishing Pier in the distance:












After enjoying a dip in the Atlantic Ocean, which was not too choppy compared to the day before, I decided to go to the pool at 11:30AM to enjoy the rest of my day! I will be continuing on with this day in my next report.

HangukStyle

Thsoe rock shrimps are looking tasty!

Mrtrash757

nice tr! Food looks delicious!

WolfieG

Thank you HangukStyle! Those rock shrimps were absolutely delicious!

WolfieG

Thank you thetravelngRedhead! I am glad you like my trip report and don't worry, there will be more delicious food to look forward to!

apodo77

PBI is my home airport. Live north of there on the Treasure Coast.

Nice to see it featured in a trip report. I roam those hallways every week and DL has a very nice (albeit small) Sky Club in Terminal C.

WolfieG

Hi apodo77! Glad I am able to feature your home airport in my trip report. I have never been up to the Treasure Coast, but I here that it is beautiful up there! I have only been to West Palm Beach-Miami and Orlando so far. Roaming those hallways every week, you must know PBI pretty well. I have never been to the Skyclub, but I don't doubt that it is nice. While PBI is not my home airport, I certainly feel it is an excellent airport that is very clean and well maintained and runs like clockwork! In my opinion, it makes traveling a pleasure and if I'm going to the Delray-Deerfield area and price/schedules work to my advantage, I much prefer PBI to FLL (I don't use MIA as it is less convenient and usually more $). I like MCO too, as it is very nice for a large airport despite its usually large TSA lines. Thank you again apodo77 and I am glad I featured your home airport!

WolfieG

Day 2 Part 2:
After spending time on the beach, I decided to head to the hotel pool for a change of pace, where I went swimming from 11:30AM until 12:30PM, as the swimming in the ocean and walking along the beach made me hungry. Since I was hungry, I went upstairs to my room briefly to get my leftover Paddlewheel (Grilled Chicken Breast) from Mississippi Sweets, a bag of Fresh Express Shreds shredded lettuce, sweet and pleasantly tart strawberries, a bag of Popchips that I took with me, and a Diet Barq's Root Beer. All of these components made for a satisfying lunch and even more satisfying, I enjoyed picnicking by the pool while I talked to fellow hotel guests Steve and Phyllis, a delightful middle-aged couple I met who hailed from Southern New Jersey. After my lunch and a wonderful conversation on various topics, I went back into the pool at around 1:15PM, where I swam some laps, played catch with a lovely Ukrainian family from Albany, NY, and just relaxed in the refreshing water! The temperatures in the low-80s and clear skies only added to the enjoyment.
-Special thanks to Serg, a fellow traveler who took pictures of me in the pool:






-Perfect day to be poolside:

After a marvelous time in the pool, I got out at around 4:00PM, as I wanted to dry off and take a shower before I headed to Boca Raton to try Ichiyami, a fairly new but well-regarded sushi buffet in Mizner Park. Since I did not want to get to Boca too late, I made sure to allow myself enough time as I wanted to catch the 5:30PM BCT48 (Broward County Transit) bus which runs west via Hillsboro Blvd from the beach to US-441 to connect with the BCT10 bus northbound at Federal Highway (US-1), which runs from the Central Terminal in Fort Lauderdale to Mizner Park. I left my room at about 4:45PM and as I headed up to Hillsboro Blvd via a walk along the beachside promenade. Since I missed the 5:00PM bus, I waited until 5:30PM, but this was no big deal as I enjoyed talking to Chris and Pam, who told me that the Broward County Transit buses have gotten much better over the years. I was looking forward to this as aside from NYC Transit, which is excellent, the buses in Nassau County are not great as the service is not that reliable. While the bus was a few minutes late due to the drawbridge having to open on Hillsboro Blvd, it was a quick and efficient ride to the Federal Highway (US-1) stop. First impressions, the bus was clean and in good shape, the driver was friendly and drove well, and it was pretty efficient. In addition, the All-Day Pass, which is $4, is not a bad deal! The BCT10 bus was a little late as well, but this was only due to the fact that there was some rush hour traffic on US-1. The bus arrived and soon enough, I got off at Palmetto Park Rd and I was in Mizner Park, which was beautiful as always with its many shops and restaurants, clean and brick lined streets, and interesting sights.





After a stroll down SE Mizner Blvd, I arrived at Ichiyami.

I entered Ichiyami, which was spotless and sleek and was greeted by the host, who was welcoming, jovial, and well dressed with a nice button down shirt and slacks. While the restaurant was about 3/4 full, I was seated immediately in a plush booth towards the front of the restaurant. Next, Yoyo (yes, that was her real name), my bubbly and efficient waitress, came to take my beverage order for an Iced Green Tea. Finally, I was ready to hit the buffet, where the food was fresh and always well stocked. First, I started off with some sushi.


-Salmon,Tuna, Octopus, and Red Snapper:

I have to say that this was an excellent start to my meal. The salmon was very fresh, buttery, and melted in my mouth, the tuna was soft and moist, the octopus was not too chewy, and the red snapper had a clean and mild flavor. While this sushi would fall short of the best sit-down restaurants, it was still excellent, especially for a buffet and would put some sit-down restaurants to shame.
-More buffet action:

-A variety of rolls and some sashimi:

While I don't remember the names of all of the rolls, I thought that they were well constructed and had delicious fillings. A couple of standouts included the Spicy Tuna Roll, which did not have mayo (great as I am allergic to eggs) and was pleasantly spicy as well as Ikura, with Salmon Roe that popped in your mouth.
-Hibachi Station:

Next, I decided to try the Hibachi Station, where the friendly hibachi chef allows you to choose your meats and/or vegetables and prepares them to your liking with your choice of sauces. I settled on chicken and some various vegetables with teriyaki sauce, which had tender and juicy chicken along with crisp vegetables in a salty and slightly sweet teriyaki sauce.

I then checked out the other hot food dishes in on the buffet.

From the hot buffet, which had an assortment of Chinese and Japanese dishes, I decided to try Chicken and Broccoli, Spicy Shrimp, Steamed Fish, Chicken Teriyaki, and String Beans. Overall, I was very happy with these hot foods as I found them to not be overly greasy like some other Chinese food I have had and well prepared. The Chicken and Broccoli had tender and moist chicken with well cooked broccoli, the Spicy Shrimp were well cooked and delightfully spicy, the Steamed Fish was flakey and moist, the Chicken Teriyaki was pleasantly sweet and salty, and the string beans were cooked well with a slight crispness to them.

After filling up on sushi and hot food, I decided to have some dessert. Since the dessert was mostly small cakes and pastries and I did not feel like having ice cream, I had a couple of sweet and tart orange slices, a couple of cubes of refreshing honeydew, and a couple of sweet and jiggly Jello cubes.

While I was enjoying my dessert, the same host who greeted me came to check on me and asked me if I enjoyed everything? I told the host that I had an excellent meal, which made him very happy and I told him that I wished the restaurant great success, as I felt that the food was delicious, the service was excellent, the restaurant was clean and had a nice atmosphere, and the value for the money was excellent, being $22 in change for dinner. I can safely say that Ichiyami joins the ranks of Mississippi Sweets BBQ and The Whale's Rib as restaurants I will definitely return to. After a wonderful meal, I walked to Federal Highway (US-1) and Camino Real, where I would take the 9:00PM BCT10 bus towards Central Terminal in Fort Lauderdale back to Deerfield. Once I disembarked in Deerfield, I decided to go into Publix as I wanted to get more strawberries as I found them to be delicious and I also picked up some bananas, since they looked good as well. After a pleasurable time getting lost in the supermarket like the English punk rock band The Clash, Diana, my bubbly and talkative cashier along with Kenny, a friendly bagger who bagged my groceries perfectly, checked out my items. I had a wonderful time shopping and Publix, I made my way back to Hillsboro Blvd eastbound and walked the 15 minutes to my hotel as the BCT48 bus was not running at this hour, which was 10:00PM. Now, for those who were worried for my safety, please don't worry! While Deerfield Beach has iffy parts, like near Dixie Highway, the area where I was in was very safe, with well-lit streets and plenty of people still out and about. The area by the beach is very safe! In addition, I met a very nice French Canadian couple, who were also walking back from Publix and we talked about how wonderful the area was and they agreed, as they loved the beach and the plethora of good restaurants nearby. While it was certainly nice not being alone, it made for an interesting walk and before I knew at, I arrived back at my hotel fifteen minutes after I left Publix. After a wonderful day by the beach, pool, and having dinner in Boca, I was pleasantly tired and went to bed at 11:00PM, looking forward to another wonderful day!

WolfieG

Day 3:
I woke up Wednesday, January 14th at 7:00AM. After getting ready, I checked my email on my iPhone and the realtor told me he would be picking me up that afternoon around 1:30PM-2:00PM and I told him this would work well, as I would have plenty of time until the early afternoon to relax by the pool. I then called my mother, who was very happy to hear from me and wished me a great day and the best of luck house hunting. When all of this was said and done, I went down to the breakfast buffet at 8:00AM and had another satisfying breakfast. After breakfast, I went swimming from 9:30AM-12:00PM and at this time, I met Agadirth, a delightful poolside employee who I think was some sort of manager and she had an absolutely lovely disposition, as she was very warm and loved that I was having fun in the pool! I saw her again the two days after and she is an employee who definitely puts the customer first, as she aimed to please all of the guests. After a wonderful swim, I went upstairs to shower and make myself a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Right before I ate, the realtor called to inform me that he was running a half an hour late as he was with another client. I told him that this was fine and that this would work to my advantage as I would not have to rush as much. After I ate, I relaxed outside by the pool on a chaise lounge until about 2:20PM, which was when I recognized the real estate agent's car, a second generation (2004-2008) Lexus RX. At that time, I made my way to the pick-up area outside of the lobby and met the realtor, who was very happy to see me! Once we were on the way, we caught up as we had not seen each other in 2.5 years (we have spoken via phone and email though) and we talked about various topics, including living in Florida, music, politics, and our house hunt. We arrived at the agent's office in Boca and I discussed requirements for the hunt with the realtor, like budget, the number of bedrooms/bathrooms, and potential areas in order to narrow down some potential homes to look at. The realtor could not have been more thorough, but he mentioned that some of our requirements would limit our options slightly, such as a pet friendly community and not being in a paid-equity country club. Once the search was narrowed, we found three listings and while we wanted to see the listings that day, the realtor could not get an appointment, so we agreed to meet again on Friday at 1:30PM. After this, our realtor took me back to my hotel at about 3:30PM after a wonderful time as he is a great guy and I learned a lot more about the South Floridian real estate market. Since it was a beautiful day, I decided to walk into town and check out the famous Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier, as I heard the views were amazing from it and at $1.00, it was not too costly! In addition, the person at the window mentioned my wristband was good all day, so I decided to come back at night after dinner. As seen below, I thought that the views were breathtaking and it was relaxing to be by the ocean!

-Looking north towards Boca Raton:

-Looking south towards Deerfield Beach/Hillsboro Beach:

-Further out looking towards Boca:

-Looking west:






-Looking northwest:

After relaxing at the Fishing Pier, I decided to take a look at the souvenirs in Beachcomber, a very nice small independent shop with a good selection of wares. I love all of the stuff they had and I found Jane, the shopkeeper and her coworker, to be very friendly and helpful.







Ultimately, I decided that I wanted to buy a t-shirt, as it looked good and at about $9, it was reasonably priced. However, I was unsure of which one to buy at the moment. Since I was hungry and would be going back to the pier, Jane told me not to worry and invited me to come back later, since the store was open until 9:00PM. I thanked her and then headed to Mississippi Sweets BBQ, where I enjoyed another delicious meal of a barbecued Paddlewheel (two grilled chicken breasts) with Tractor Treads (waffle fries) and baked beans. The food was excellent and the service from my very cheerful and efficient waitress Kyla was terrific! Not unlike the last time, the portions were large, so I took the leftovers with me and headed back to the pier at about 6:30PM. However, before going to the pier, I finally thought about which t-shirt to buy and went back to the Beachcomber, where I bought an XL light blue shirt with waves that said Boca Raton. Once again, the vistas were amazing and it was very relaxing, especially in the evening!

-Looking west:



-Looking north towards Boca Raton:

-Looking south towards Deerfield Beach:

-Looking west:

After another relaxing time on the pier, I went to Kilwin's for ice cream, as I remember how delicious their ice cream was from their store in Delray Beach and I had a sweet tooth. When I walked in, I found the atmosphere to be clean and cheerful and the employees to be very friendly! Since I did not quite know which flavor I wanted, I tried samples of Chocolate ice cream, which was sweet and robust along with Salted Caramel ice cream, which had a mild vanilla base enrobed in sweet and salty caramel. However, my sampling came to a pause after I noticed they had Banana Fudge Pie, which is a sweet and fragrant banana ice cream base with chunks of chocolatey fudge that was my favorite flavor whenever I went to the Delray Beach location. Since I also loved the Salted Caramel, I decided to order a large ice cream with a scoop of Banana Fudge Pie and a scoop of Salted Caramel. While the ice cream was a bit pricey at $6 in change, the very high quality and generous portion made up for it! After this dessert I was very happy!

-Ice cream:

After dessert, I went back to my hotel to relax for the rest of the night. When I got back, I saw that my friend Bernie, who I was meeting the next day texted me to ask what I wanted to do for dinner? I left the decision up to her and she decided that we should eat in Delray Beach on Atlantic Avenue near the water. I was more than happy to agree to this plan and offered to treat Bernie and her sister Melissa to dinner. However, Bernie insisted that this was unnecessary as her sister wanted to treat us to celebrate the victory of settling with Border Books after seven years due to a very bad injury on the job. I could not pass seeing Bernie and Melissa up, but I offered to treat them to dessert since their offer of dinner was so generous! Bernie also arranged to pick me up at 5:00PM with her dark blue Chevy Cruze rental car with Illinois plates, and this would work perfectly as I would still have plenty of time during the day to relax! I thanked Bernie and wished her a good night and I then called my mom, who was happy I had s great day and was excited for me as she was looking forward to the next day! Afterwards, my dad texted me, asking about my trip and was very happy I was having a great time. Once I spoke to my parents, I got ready for bed and since I was not completely tired, I watched the South Park episode where Kyle, Stan, Kenny, and Butters go to Casa Bonita (yes, it is a real place in Lakewood, CO) and Cartman tries to weasel his way into going when he finds out he is not invited. Were Cartman's actions worth it in the end after he scared the town into thinking Butters was lost? I don't think so but I have always loved this episode! I then went to sleep at 11:00PM, looking forward to another beautiful day at the beach and pool and more importantly, seeing my friends Bernie and Melissa!

WolfieG

After another restful sleep, I woke up Thursday, January 15th, 2014 at 7:00AM. Not unlike my routine so far, I washed up and called my mom, who was very excited for me that I would be meeting my friends Bernie and Melissa. We spoke for about 45 minutes and afterwards, I headed down for another delicious breakfast at 8:15AM. Once I was done eating, I went back to my room to get ready to go to the beach and pool as well as to grab my $5 food and drink voucher, as I wanted to purchase a margarita later to have poolside and that would cover part of the purchase. I stayed at the beach from about 9:30AM-12:00PM, where I took a walk along the sand and also enjoyed the calm, clear, and refreshing ocean water. Since I felt hungry, I went upstairs to grab my leftovers from Mississippi Sweets for a filling lunch by the pool as well as a bag of Popchips for later to accompany my margarita. I then went swimming in the pool from about 12:30PM-2:00PM, which was delightful! I took a break around 2:00PM and I saw Abogada and Danielle, the poolside bartender, who were both very happy to see me once again. I decided now would be the perfect time to have a Margarita, as the weather was sunny with temperatures in the low 80s. A couple of minutes later, Danielle delivered my Margarita, which had sweet and tart lime flavor, along with a slushy texture, making for a refreshing drink while I enjoyed my salty Popchips. For this moment (people who did not like Disney's Frozen or who are tired of it please don't get mad), I cannot help but reference Olaf's song "In Summer," as he dreams about having a cold drink in his hand and his snow up against the burning sand. Well, I was living the dream of Summer if you know what I mean. While I was enjoying my drink, I met Susan and David, a middle-aged couple who were visiting from the Detroit suburbs. They were very friendly and we had a great time talking about how we were enjoying the warmer weather compared to where we both lived, our lives, and even how we both flew Delta and enjoyed it! After resting on the chaise lounge, I went back into the pool where I met a family from Salt Lake City, with two older children named Kyla and Connor along with their parents and younger brother. We chatted and I played catch with them for a bit and we had a wonderful time! At 4:00PM, I got of the pool, dried off, and went back to my room to shower and get ready to meet Bernie and Melissa. Once I was ready, it was about 4:30PM, so I went downstairs to the lobby to relax and await Bernie and Melissa's arrival. The time went by and at about five after five, Bernie and Melissa arrived in their Chevy Cruze rental car from Hertz (it had Hertz Never Lost). They were thrilled to see me and the air was celebratory as after seven years, Melissa finally received her settlement from Border Books (technically, their insurance company) after seven years. While we were driving along FL-A1A, which is depicted below, we talked about moving to Florida, our trips, and classic rock. As we were driving, positive memories came back as we passed through Highland Beach, which was where my maternal grandparents used to live before my grandmother's Alzheimer's got worse and they moved to Northern New Jersey to be closer to my Uncle. Anyway, the drive was beautiful and as we drove to Delray Beach, we had a great time catching up and pointing out sight along the way!
-Passing through Boca Raton with a Highland Beach condo known as The Toscana in the distance:

-Highland Beach, FL:

About fifteen minutes later, we arrived in Delray Beach:



Since there were three appealing places to eat across from the beach, we were unsure where to go. In order to factor our decision, we checked the menus of the Sand Bar, Boston's, and Caffe Luna Rosa since we all have food allergies. I am allergic to gluten and eggs, Bernie is allergic to gluten and recently, tomatoes, and Melissa is allergic to gluten and all nuts. The Sand Bar's menu was limited, as it was mostly bar food; Caffe Luna Rosa was much better, as there were many safe options and they had gluten free pasta; however, Boston's won as we felt in the mood for American food and clearly denoted which items were gluten free with a GF. We opted to sit outside on the covered patio, making for a wonderful evening of dining alfresco. Sam, our terrific waiter who was friendly, efficient, and very knowledgeable about food allergies, came by to take our beverage orders. Since I do not drink that often, we were celebrating, and I was not driving, I joined Melissa in ordering a Margarita. Since Bernie was driving, she ordered a club soda with lemon. Sam came back with our beverages and I found the Margarita to be well presented, with a salty rim and lime and orange wedges too. It was also delicious, with sweet and tart limes and a pleasantly strong house tequila. Melissa loved her Margarita as well.

-Not a bad view :

After perusing the menu, I ordered a Mahi-Mahi sandwich with no bun and a side of broccoli, Bernie ordered a Cheeseburger with no bun and no tomatoes, and Melissa ordered a Harvest Steak Salad. In addition, we split an appetizer of Spinach dip. Soon enough, we received our Spinach dip and we enjoyed it, as the dip had a burnt and crusty layer of cheese on the top and a creamy inside, making for a very satisfying appetizer!

After enjoying our Spinach dip, we received our entrees, which we all enjoyed! I enjoyed my Mahi-Mahi sandwich, which was tender and flakey. While it was delicious, I still think that the Mahi sandwich at The Whale's Rib edged this sandwich, as it was slightly better quality wise and also larger in portion for a similar price. It was still delicious, but I am just making a comparison. The broccoli was good too, as it was well cooked and pleasantly garlicky.

Unfortunately, as we were eating, a large rainstorm came in, so we were worried we would not be able to walk down Atlantic Avenue (FL-806) and grab dessert. Rain notwithstanding, we made the best of it and continued to chat about our lives and I remember how back when Bernie worked at WBAB, a rock station on Long Island, she interviewed Ozzy Osbourne. We all reminisced about this interview and she remembers how Ozzy wanted "more beer," but said he was a wonderful interviewee nonetheless and a lot of fun! We talked more about our experiences at college and classic rock. Since the rain did not look like it was stopping, we asked Sam about the dessert menu to see if there were any gluten-free desserts and if the ice cream they had was egg free? In the meantime, we ordered decaf coffees, which were comforting and a nice way to take respite from the rain, which was beginning to die down.
-Good times with Bernie! :

Unfortunately, not that many gluten free desserts were available and Sam was unsure if the ice cream was egg free, so we decided to go to Kilwin's on Atlantic Avenue (FL-806), where I would have the pleasure of treating Bernie and Melissa to dessert since the rain stopped and they had treats which would work well with our allergies. We took a quick drive down Atlantic Avenue (FL-806) further into Downtown Delray.

We arrived at the Kilwin's, where we all got small ice creams, with me getting Salted Caramel, Bernie getting Chocolate if I remember correctly, and Melissa getting Coffee Chip. The ice cream was excellent and we had a wonderful time in Downtown Delray!

After a wonderful night out in Delray Beach, Bernie and Melissa took me back to my hotel at 9:00PM and as we were driving down Federal Highway (US-1) back to Deerfield Beach, we talked more about living in Florida, like the type of homes we were buying. I told them how mom wanted a single family home or villa in a community, as she wants something that requires little maintenance. Bernie and Melissa mentioned they wanted a single family, as they wanted more privacy. The ride went quickly and arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later, elated and thankful for a wonderful time! After getting ready for bed, I went to sleep at 11:00PM and was surprised that my last full day in Florida was arriving.