The Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach is the oldest public library in Palm Beach County,…read moreFlorida. The roots of the library are in a free reading room in the Congregational Church at the corner of Datura and Olive Streets that was offered by the City of West Palm Beach in 1895. In 1899 a $100 donation was given by Henry Flagler and with the reading room book collection, the library opened in a houseboat donated to the Palm Beach Literary Society by Commodore Charles John Clarke. The City's first permanent library was in a Spanish style building that faced the Intracoastal Waterway. It was dedicated to the men and women who served in WWI. In the 1960's, a new City library designed by architect Norman Robson opened. In 2009 the library moved from the water to its current location on Clematis where it is part of the $30 million City Center Complex. Today the library is focused on providing its half a million visitors a year programs, services, collections, and technology. There is so much to love about this library. The lobby has public art pieces. The first floor has an extensive book collection and a café serving coffee, shakes, smoothies, and pastries. The second floor has a children's room, computers, music, and movies. It was surprising to discover that in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Clematis Street is a historic institution that has been offering free education for over a over a century.

I have never felt so humiliated, intimidated, and unwelcome in a public library. My experience with…read moreSupervisor Bethany Hankin was one of the most degrading customer service interactions I have ever experienced, and it left me questioning whether I was treated this way because I am a Black woman. As a nursing student preparing for the NCLEX, I drove to this library specifically to study in a quiet environment. Instead of leaving feeling supported by a public institution, I left feeling emotionally shaken, embarrassed, and deeply hurt. The issue began because library staff made an error when booking my study room. Rather than acknowledging or attempting to resolve the mistake professionally, Bethany immediately approached me with hostility and aggression. I remained calm and respectfully tried to explain the situation, yet she spoke to me in a confrontational manner, discussed me within earshot of other patrons, and publicly embarrassed me over an error that was not mine. The most disturbing part of this interaction was Bethany's decision to threaten to call security on me while I was calmly trying to explain what had happened. At no point was I disruptive, threatening, or disrespectful. Being threatened with security simply for attempting to resolve a staff mistake was frightening, humiliating, and completely unnecessary. As a Black professional, I cannot ignore how this interaction made me feel. I left believing that I was treated differently because of my race. Whether intentional or not, the hostility, intimidation, and lack of respect I experienced were unlike anything I have encountered in a customer service setting. A supervisor should lead with professionalism, empathy, and conflict resolution--not intimidation, public humiliation, and escalation. Bethany's conduct reflected a complete failure in customer service and de-escalation. Her behavior was not only unprofessional but also damaging to the welcoming environment that every public library should provide. Because of this experience, I will never return to this library. I sincerely hope library administration conducts a thorough investigation, reviews any available security footage, speaks with witnesses and staff members, and provides Bethany with substantial coaching in customer service, de-escalation, implicit bias, and respectful communication. No patron should ever leave a public library feeling degraded, singled out, or afraid simply because they tried to discuss a mistake made by staff. This experience is something I will not soon forget, and I hope the library takes meaningful action to ensure no one else is made to feel the way I did.

Beautiful Antique book store! They sell mostly first editions from all type of books and languages…read moreyou can think of. The value depends on the type of book and how old it is. The librarian there was very nice and told us if we needed any help to let her no. Highly recommend to anyone to take a visit and check it out!

As a bibliophile I couldn't help but be drawn to this elegant book store on Worth Avenue, but this…read moreisn't just any book store. Raptis Rare Books specializes in rare, antique, and first edition books. As a young child, Matt Raptis had a deep love of history which led him into a future career of collecting and selling rare books. In 2016 Matt and Adrienne Raptis moved from Vermont to open their rare book business on Worth Avenue. In 2021 they moved to the gallery space they currently occupy on Worth Avenue next in Via Roma and in 2022, Raptis Rare Books purchased The Harcourt Bindery, the oldest and largest book bindery in the United States. The couple once purchased for $1 a signed first edition of "Catcher in the Rye" near author J.D. Salinger's home which they sold for $80,000. Other rare books that have been in their collection include an original 1859 copy of Charles Darwin "The Origin of Species" and an original printing of "The Cat in the Hat" inscribed by Dr. Seuss. Books in their collection have influenced generations and shaped history and culture. The books here are worth thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition to selling individual books the couple will consult with rare book collectors to help them to build their libraries. In an increasingly digital age it is nice to see that books are still valued in our society.

This garden area is free which is hard to come by these days, and offers a bunch of different…read moretables or secluded spaces to read a book or have lunch during a workday. It looks like they sometimes host events here based on the people I see and the scupltures are very cool. Community groups like this who all maintain a nice area for the public are becoming increasingly important, and the balance here was just right. It wasn't overloaded with things yet there were pleasant surprises around each corner. Will definitely be back!

We absolutely love coming here for story times on Monday!! The lawn is super spacious for a lot of…read morefamilies to enjoy and allow the kids to run around freely. Beautiful sculptures all around to enjoy after story time! For my mommas I definitely recommend coming here on Mondays or Thursday mornings for story time!!

Staff is always friendly and helpful! Amazing variety of…read morebooks and magazines to please all tastes. Each visit is enjoyable! Clean Bathrooms.

It's been a long time since I have been to this library. I remember coming here when I was a kid,…read moreso it should tell you how long it's been around. My kids wanted to go here since it's one of the bigger ones in the area and we have been there a couple times to browse the books. When you walk in, there's a variety of selections to choose from. There is computers in the middle for customers to use. There are also activity rooms on the way to the children's section. The children's section has computers for use and it's smaller than the other libraries. The staff has always been helpful and we were able to find books and DVDs that we want to borrow. The library could use an update though since it's been around for a long time. Even though it's about a half hour away for me, I don't mind making the drive to go there.

USA Today calls Thursday evening from 6:00 until 9 o'clock the best outdoor concert series…read more Tonight we enjoyed David Michael & Twisted Cypress on Clematis at night. It is going strong here with a lot of seating, food vendors & a live band at the waterfront. The colorful Adirondack chairs were inviting & the music was great. WPB.org/events posts all of the bands performing here.

We took the family out for a great fun night Downtown we had ice cream pizza saw all the costume We…read moregot these really cute balloons on clematis Street on Halloween for $10

Hidden gem! Beautiful garden right in the heart of downtown west palm beach by the intercostal. So…read morepeaceful and beautiful in here. The garden grounds were nicely kept.

This place is a sleeper. It's hidden in a cool little neighborhood. Great little walk-through…read morelittle surprised they ding you for 15 bucks but it's only 15 bucks is worth it. Nice to walk so cool. The walk is actually cooler than the statues. Honestly, I don't know who the artist is they're OK I don't love them. I don't hate them. They remind me of some cool Monuments from Aztec, but they're not as cool as the Aztecs but they're well positioned the nature walk is just relaxing except for the planes coming in for a landing but aside from that it's a cool thing. It's a nice little place to hang. It could be great for like cocktail hour cocktail parties

This school has an incredible BFA program. I am thrilled to have my daughter in her second year…read more They have an improv club called ALICE that is really outstanding. The professors (like Chapman) are inspiring. My daughter loves his classes. He is probably one of the most intelligent professors she has worked with. The entire PBA theater staff is bar none. The campus is wonderful.

I graduated from here in 2014. PBAU changed my life! I transferred in from a state college and…read moremajored in graphic design but later switched majors to Ministry since I was learning about God and Christianity and wanted to dive into it more. These classes helped me build an understanding of my faith, among awesome classmates, professors, and staff. I roomed at the Baxter Hall my first year (just rooms, no kitchen) then Lakeview Apartments my second year (individual apartment-style forms with kitchens). Not sure if Lakeview exists anymore. But I loved studying here and making friends. This school was a huge part of my growth as a person and as a Christian. I'm not sure what it's like now, 11 years later, but I highly recommend it. It was a safe place for me to explore my faith and academics and I was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree!

This library is very small. WiFi is excellent. Computer room is small but adequate. Mostly high…read moreschoolers are there. The restroom are out of a 1970s high school, rather unkept. I will return there but will use the restroom at home. Overall, this library needs to be updated

Great little library nice air conditioning for a hot day quiet and contains very interesting books…read moreof all kinds