Delray Beach, Florida, Italian beach life done American style.
OK…it’s a premature conclusion but based on just one day of walking, sipping, oystering and talking to locals, Delray Beach wins…Americans nearly create the lifestyle of an Italian beach town….say Ancona or Senegalia on Italy’s Adriatic Sea.
Italian ambience, American marketing
The town centre has Italian style inviting walking, cafe-ing and yacking over a berried margarita or some fresh oysters. Small bistros, bars, restaurants with sidewalk seating, bars open to the outside though, and typically American, AC’s blasting away in a futile attempt to cool the great outdoors.
The town centre begs you to walk around, to look into the shops, a surf shop here, a beach apparel store there as you walk past restaurant patrons chiachierring with each other over plates of fresh oysters, Spanish paella or grilled mahi-mahi.
Delray Beach has some kind of festival just about every week in the spring, music: jazz, blues, reggae; food and wine festivals: our time was the wine and seafood festival.
Americans sell better than anyone
Money is no object when it comes to selling. Americans will spend money to get yours. No one does it better or more blatantly and it is hard to resist. The Wine and Seafood festival was a perfect example, big kitchen tents with deep fryers, Americans love fried anything, gigantic pans cooking seafood concoctions like paella and jambalaya. Diet be hanged…I hung on…my only defeat, roasted cob of corn sans butter and a cabernet sauvignon from California, in Florida no less.
McManis Family Vineyards
The McManis Family Vineyards from California had a tasting booth at the festival. Not only were their wines excellent, especially the oaked chardonnay and the cabernet sauvignon, but their loot bag giveaways were amazing, high-quality pens in cloth cases, 100% cotton t-shirts that showed no skimping in quality, Chinese production or not. Their wines were excellent, their giveaways, surprisingly high calibre.
Nice people, nice wines and nice promotional gifts.
Delray Beach has been the most enjoyable find of all our explorations. It has it all, ambience, beaches, beach life in a municipal area, good restaurants, walkability…evening passagiattas (promenades) must be excellent.
Oh and a last thought, the people were a wonderful mix of all ages…babies in strollers, tots at arm’s length, kids scrambling with joy, adults babysitting lively broods, grandparents sitting back with pride and gratitude…all ages, all enjoying a wonderful festival.
Way to go Delray Beach!
