Endurance is a public art piece located in the West Settlers Historic District in Delray Beach…read more Originally called the sands for it's sandy soil, it was established in 1894 as Delray Beach"s first African American community. Settlers came from north and west Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina in order to work in the agriculture industry. The neighborhood is located from NW 2nd Ave to NE 6th Ave. Houses are in the frame vernacular style, bungalow, and mission revival styles that were popular in the 1920's. The neighborhood was added to the Local Register of Historic Places in 1997. Endurance is a 12 foot steel and glass mosaic public art work created by artist Cheryl Foster and installed in June of 2012 to celebrate this community. It was placed in the West Atlantic Plaza which was renamed in August of 2012 in honor of Elizabeth "Libby" Jackson Wesley, a longtime resident and community activist. On the back of the art piece is Cheryl's mission statement which tells how the piece was inspired by Delray Beach's early Afro American and Caribbean Pioneers who brought their agricultural and fishing skills from their homelands to Delray Beach. The art piece features a woman carrying a basket of harvested food on the left and a man fishing on the right. The piece was paid for by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. I discovered this piece while grabbing lunch next door at the Bear Snack Shack. I knew quite a bit about the history of this area and was delighted to discover this piece of art work that celebrates the contributions made by this community of settlers as well as their rich cultural history.

Water, You, and I is a public art piece created by Iowa based professional artist team of David…read moreDahlquist and Matt Niebuhr. It is located in the Harmening Arbor Memorial Park in front of the East Water Treatment Plant in Boynton beach at the corner of Seacrest Boulevard and Woolbright Road.. Dalquist and Niebur also created the Welcome to Port Everglades art piece that serves as the security checkpoint into Port Everglades. The $255,000 water-themed sculpture was part of the city's $30.8 million water-treatment facility project and it was required by the city's Art in Public Places program which was created in 2005 when the city commission passed an ordinance requiring 1 percent of each public project's value be applied to art. Water, You, and I was completed in January, 2018. The purpose of the piece is to tell a story of where water comes from before it comes out the tap. Dalquist and Niebuhr's design was chosen out of 35 other artists submissions which all had to incorporate public education and the value of the city's drinking water systems into the art pieces. Water, You, and I is a 16 foot square pavilion made of 316 Stainless Steel plate mounted on structural steel framing. designs drilled and pressed into the steel allow water and light to enter which suggests the sky, the earth, and the flow of water. At the top is a circular structure with an original haiku on the inside about the source of water. "Water, you and I. Sky falling thru sand and stone. Are you thirsty yet?" There is a water fountain for people and a water bowl fountain for dogs inside the pavilion which allows people to access clean drinking water. Accompanying the pavilion is a graphic mural on the background wall that serves to highlight the geology of the Floridan Aquifer. The mural is made up of five 3-by-10-foot aluminum panels covered with vinyl reflective film. Images of sky, flowing water, and an aquifer blend with blue paint on the wall that separates the plant from the park. The pavilion has caught my eye several times when passing by and I am glad I finally stopped to check it out today. You have to be inside it to see the haiku. It was interesting to see it up close and how it ties into the drinking water theme to complement the treatment plant. Boynton Beach has an amazing public art program and pieces like Water, You, and I are why it is so strong.

Rose's Daughter is in Pineapple Grove on 2nd Ave. just north of busy Atlantic Ave. in downtown…read moreDelray Beach. Chef Suzanne Perrotto opened in 2019 and named the restaurant in honor of Linda Rose, her mother. I have been wanting to go for years, but haven't because they don't accept reservations. Everybody seems to have been here from Michelle Bernstein, Guy Fieri, Raymond, Bruce, Greshka, Bill, Martine, Ariel, Quinetlla ... Everyone but me until today!!! Six of us decided to try going early on a Sunday evening off season. We found street parking around the corner. It's too Florida hot to stand outside in the summer heat. There are tables in front, a covered back patio with fans, large bar with a shared table ... There was an open kitchen with a large pizza oven, murals & shelves with ingredients covering the walls. I absolutely love good homemade pasta so this was a real treat. We waited at the crowded bar for :30 until our table for 6 was available. It was frustrating because diners finished their meal, paid their bill & spent :20 scrolling on their phones. While standing at the bar we enjoyed refreshing fruity sangrias. Our server was efficient and on point. The warm bread with butter and olive oil was crisp & delish. My husband & I shared 3 veal meatballs in a delicious red sauce. Couples shared their caesar & gorgonzola salads. For a main my husband & I shared the spicy lamb shoulder rigatoni. The serving was generous , there was lots of tender lamb, with melt in my mouth rigatoni that was full of flavor. Friends enjoyed their shrimp & linguini, roasted mushroom pappardelle & linguini & clams. Our pistachio chocolate mouse cake with white & dark chocolate, flourless chocolate cake, pistachio chocolate & pistachio gelato was absolutely amazing!!!

I was told by my family and friends that both the food and service was impeccable at Rose's…read moreDaughter. To put that claim to the test; I decided to take my girlfriend out tonight and give this place a shot! Going in, there was surprisingly a good amount of seating and outside for a place that doesn't take reservations. For dinner, we ordered 1x wood fired house bread, 1x ala vodka with a chicken cutlet, and 1x short rib pappardelle. As for my review; we both agreed that we were both blown away by the food and service. First off, we ordered our food and received our appetizer within first 5 minutes and main dishes the next 7-10. To include, the food also came piping hot which again is almost unheard of. As for the taste; the house bread is essentially a foccacia; which was crispy yet airy and paired nicely with ricotta, balsamic, and EVOO. The ala vodka has a great contrast of cream to acidity from the tomatoes, a nice al dente bite of from the pasta, and tender crispy chicken cutlet! The short rib parpadelle was a show stopper as the noodles tasted fresh and had a nice chew, savory earthy/ creamy sauce, and tender bites of short rib which all together was AMAZING. My only small critique from tonight is that there is a 3% credit card fee which I think should've been disclosed before paying the bill (just FYI). But overall, this is was one of the best meals I've had in a while and will be coming back. Final verdict 5/5 stars!

TASTEMAKERS 2014 The…read morefirst year my husband and I went to Tastemakers was five years ago. There were over twenty restaurants participating and the price was twenty dollars. Last year the number of restaurants went down to eighteen and the price was thirty dollars. This year the number of restaurants was down to thirteen and the price was still thirty dollars. For anyone who is not familiar with Tastemakers- You are given a passport with each participating restaurant listed. When you get to a restaurant they sign your passport and give you a small serving of food and a drink, either wine or a cocktail. You can go to all the restaurants in one night or spread it out over two nights. I wanted to finish all thirteen restaurants on the first day, but the rains came. We waited and waited before making a run for our car. We had three more restaurants and decided to return on day two. Our first stop was DECK 84. We were lead to an outside area near the rear of the restaurant. The drink was a Dark n' Stormy and the food was a spoonful of ahi tuna ceviche. We found a seat at a picnic table. The drink was really delicious and was a good size for a sample. The ceviche was delicious also, but I wanted more then a spoonful. CAFFE' LUNA ROSA. They had lobster and crab bisque and Riesling. Both the bisque and wine were good but they should have been ashamed to give such a small serving. There was little more then a spoonful of soup and wine. (see my picture). They also didn't have anywhere to sit. It wasn't exactly welcoming. 50 OCEAN was next door. What a contrast. We took an elevator to the second floor, where we were directed to a room where they were making grouper tacos and cilantro ginger coolers. The drink was gin, ginger cognac, lime, orange juice, cilantro, and soda. The fish taco was delicious and the drink was great. There were plenty of places to sit either inside in the air conditioning or outside on their patio. Our next stop was DIG. They served a small plate with a mini hummus trio and their drink was Sauvignon Blanc. Both the food and wine was good, although the servings were small. There were plenty of tables and chairs on their beautiful patio. LEMONGRASS served Hawaiian fried rice and a lychee martini. My fried rice had shrimp and cashew nuts and the serving size was good. The person who came after me were disappointed because she just got fried rice with nothing added. The drink was good but small. They only had one table with chairs which was full. It would have been nice to be able to sit while I was eating. MUSCLE BEACH gave three muscles and rose' wine. Very tasty. They allowed you to sit inside the restaurant or outside. THE OFFICE gave out a fried green tomato and sangria. The tomato was so delicious and the full glass of sangria was refreshing. They had plenty of outside tables and chairs. SOLITA did better than last year. They gave one meatball. Although it wasn't large, it was bigger then the tiny one they gave out last year. The drink was a full glass of sangria. They had plenty of places to sit on the outside patio. EL CAMINO gave a taco and a margarita. The taco was really tasty and I enjoyed the margarita. They allowed you to sit in the restaurant, although it was pretty crowded. FYI Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream was wonderful. I had their pistachio almond ice cream and it was delicious. The serving size was about a cup which was great. I also got to taste a few of their others flavors. The two brothers that wore working there were so enthusiastic and friendly. They have a covered patio with tables and chairs. DAY 2 We started out at VIC & ANGELOS. They served a small plate of rigatoni Bolognese. It was really delicious. I plan to go back to the restaurant to get more. The drink was your choice of a tiny serving of red or white wine. Most of their outside tables had reserved signs even though there weren't any outside customers. It was obvious they didn't want you to sit there. They had one outside couch but it was full. CABANA served an anticucho, which is marinated steak on a stick with onion salsa. Mine was very tasty but my husband said his was stringy. Their drink was a small glass of plain or strawberry caipirinha. I loved the drink. They let you sit at their outside bar. Our last stop was at our favorite Thai restaurant ZIREE. They gave two fried wontons and a salad with their special dressing. It was delicious. I enjoyed their drink which was a saketini. They had tables and chairs set up on their patio in front of the restaurant. I loved that each restaurant had a place for trash and recycling. Most of the restaurants were great. MY PICK FOR THE WORST WAS LUNA ROSA. Their bisque was delicious, but the serving was very tiny and they didn't have any place to sit.

Laps is a temporary art installation on the lawn at Old School Square sponsored by the Delray Beach…read moreDowntown Development Authority. There is a garage nearby and some limited street parking. Launched on June 22nd, LAPS consists of six, eight foot high lighted hourglasses that you can spin so the ping pong balls drop through to the other side. "The message of the installation is that because everyone gets to choose the time they want to spend at the exhibit, each is a keeper of their own passage of time." The LAPS exhibit was designed and created in Montreal, Canada in 2022 by Olivier Landreville, with sound and light design by Serge Maheu. Structure and engineering were provided by Maintenance Industries Meca-Fab Inc. The interactive installation is produced by Init and Creos. Prior to being displayed in Delray Beach, it was on exhibit in Montreal, Canada; Des Moines, ID; Ottawa, Canada; and Denver, CO. I love how interactive this art is. You really have to spin the wheel to get them to turn so you get a bit of an arm workout. Come see and play before time runs out on July 30th.

The Delray Beach Gateway was completed in spring of 2013 by San Antonio artist Michelle Newman. It…read morewas commissioned by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency to flank the entrance to Delray Beach. This installation was part of the he Downtown Delray Beach Master Plan, adopted March, 19, 2002 which represents the citizens' plan for the unification and future growth of the downtown area. The total cost of the project, was $1,182,842, with the majority paid by the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency and $200,000 paid by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The purpose of the installation is to act as a gateway into downtown Delray Beach. The installation is six, 28 foot high free form pieces that represent the cultural history and natural beauty of Delray Beach. The geometric tiles resembles the mosaic work done by the Seminole Indians. Gladioli represent the long running Gladioli Festival, now called the Delray Affair and the pineapples are a reminder of how important they were to Delray Beach's economy in the pioneer days. Also added to the area as part of the project were sidewalks, landscaped berms, and trellises cascading with bougainvillea. At night the art work is lit up. I have always admired these columns when entering Delray Beach. Usually I am driving by too fast to catch all of the details. It was nice to finally park, walk around, and really look at them. The side walk running past the installation is a nice feature so you can safely walk down and appreciate how large scale these pieces really are.

Guarding the beach at Boynton Beach Ocean Front Park is a sea turtle statue named Opus 14. He rests…read moreonly a few yards from the dunes were the real sea turtles come to lay their eggs. Created in 1990, Opus weighs in at 700 pounds and is 54 inches high. He is made out of welded steel that came from pipes that had once been on the deck of an Exxon offshore oil rig in the Bahamas. Rick Beau Lieu, the Boynton Beach artist who created Opus, was tasked with creating environmentally conscious art out of an environmentally harming material. He worked alongside the Center for Marine Conservation to create the piece. After he was completed, Opus went on a five year tour to spread environmental awareness. In 1995 he came back to Boynton Beach and spent two years at the Historical Schoolhouse Children's Museum and 13 years in the lobby at City Hall. In 2010, Boynton Art in Public Places purchased Opus for $24, 300 with money raised from impact fees. He was then lowered by crane into his current home. They hope Opus will serve as an educator about sea turtles and the importance of recycling. The sculpture was intended to be the centerpiece of the parks 1.7 million dollar refurbishment project which included a new boardwalk, benches, and picnic tables along with shade structures. I love discovering new public art pieces and Opus really caught my eye. Sea turtles are some of my favorite marine animals and his message of conservation is one we can all get behind. Reduce, reuse, and recycle so that garbage stays out of the ocean and out of the bodies of these precious creatures.

Synesthesia is a new public art installation next to City Hall in Boynton Beach. First announced in…read moreDecember of 2018, it is part of a new 1.15 million dollar art project to create kinetic and interactive art to bring cultural tourism to Boynton Beach and to make Town Square "iconic, interactive, and connective". Some of the money came from the city while the majority came from a private developer. Art is dispersed around the area in the new Kapok Tree Park, the new  fire station, police headquarters, and two new parking garages that will have murals. Synesthesia was created by artist Donald Cialanella. It consists of eight, ten feet tall vertical stainless steel tubes arranged in a twenty foot circle. It has both light and sound elements. Synesthesia is designed to actively engage the viewer. You can see your reflection in the stainless steel. As you approach the tubes, they emit the sounds you would hear around Boynton Beach. The funniest thing I saw was a cat walking by when the sculpture suddenly started barking like a dog. He hightailed it right out of there. At night you can see the colorful LED lights that top the cylinders and the sounds are more subdued.

Absolutely delicious I'd eat anything this man makes…read more Perfection We had the garlic bread, Classico lasagna & the short rib and mushroom lasagna

Decided to pick up food from here on a rainy night. Had to warm the lasagna and garlic bread up…read morewhen we got home. No big deal. We decided to try two different lasagnas, the Classica and Americana. We enjoyed both of them but the Classica was our favorite. The garlic bread was disappointing. It just tasted off somehow like the butter was not right and there was hardly any garlic. We are both glad we tried it because it's been on our bucket list. The portion size was nice and the price was decent but we would rather enjoy our food at a table in a restaurant.