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I visited President Trump at Mar-a-Lago – well, sort of.
I could have been driving along any street, anywhere in the non-desert United States. The sun was shining, traffic was light, and there was no indication that I was passing through anything other than an ordinary neighborhood.
Suddenly everything changed. Police cars were everywhere: Slowly patrolling the streets, parked along the sidewalks and driving into and out of a gated community. A bevy of police officers crowded the pavement and spilled out into the narrow road I was driving along.
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Welcome to Mar-a-Lago
Tony Palm Beach boasts quite a few distinguished building and palatial estates, but none is currently more famous (or notorious?) than this 17-acre spread on a barrier island built between 1924 and 1927 as the winter residence of successful businesswoman and leading society figure Marjorie Merriweather Post. A Mediterranean-Revival-style National Historic Landmark nestled on a barrier island in Palm Beach, Florida, it was acquired in 1985 by a businessman and real estate investor named Donald Trump, who used it as one of his residences. Ten years later it was converted it into the Mar-a-Lago Club, an exclusive members-only institution with 126 guestrooms, a spa and other hotel-style amenities, and also available for events rental. And when they are there, members of the Trump family stay in private quarters nestled in a closed-off area of the grounds.
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During his first presidency, Trump visited Mar-a-Lago frequently and held meetings there with international leaders like Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, Chinese president Xi Jinping, and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau. During the current presidency, it has similarly been a hive of Republican Party power players for fundraising, lobbying, and strategizing.
The name Mar-a-Lago means "sea-to-lake" in Spanish, referring to the fact that the estate extends from one side of Palm Beach Island to the other, touching the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Lake Worth Lagoon on the west.
Victor Block
Post, who died in 1973, willed the estate to the United States government to serve as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries, but most of them preferred other residences, and the property was returned to the Post Foundation because its upkeep proved too expensive. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980 because it exemplified "the baronial way of life of the wealthy who built mansions in Florida during the Florida land boom of the 1920s" and provides "an excellent picture of winter resort life in Palm Beach prior to the Depression.”
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I asked several local residents what it was like to live near such a legendary property which is visited by heads of state, leading political figures and other well-known dignitaries. The response of most of them was in essence, either a big yawn or downright irritation.
“We don’t usually know who’s there,” one youngish man told me. “All it means for locals is traffic jams,” a sixty-something woman explained.
“I voted for Trump but if I’d known how much his being president would mess up traffic here, I would have voted differently,” admitted a well-dressed gentleman (one wonders if he voted for him the second time as well, knowing what happened the first time).
The Other Attractions of Palm Beach
This four-square-mile barrier island is essentially the USA´s first resort destination, beginning in the Gilded Age of the 1890s, and today it has a year-round population of around 9,300 - and for the most part a fancy 9,300 they are. You can get glimpses of some of the other mansions, along with yachts and the skyline of the city of West Palm Beach across the lagoon, hiking, biking, or skating along the five-mile Lake Trail, and there are a couple of other historic manses you can visit. One is now the Flagler Museum, once called Whitehall, the winter residence of Henry Flagler, whose railroad opened up Florida for development back then (the museum also stages events and special exhibitions). The other is even grander: The Breakers (above), also originally founded by Flagler, in 1895. The third, and current, 534-room Renaissance-revival pile was built in 1926 after the first two burned down, and even if you don´t stay here (rates start at US$650 a night), come for a gawk at its palatial interior; pampering at its wonderful spa; and/or a feed at its ten bars and restaurants; the opulent Sunday brunch at its opulent The Circle (with 30-foot rescoed ceilings and wraparound windows) is a longtime favorite.
For history and culture, check the Society of the Four Arts, which encompasses an art gallery, concert hall, two libraries and gardens.
Another iconic local destination is the discreet, Mediterranean-Revival-style downtown shopping district, Worth Avenue (above), lined with upscale boutiques, designer shops, and galleries, including familiar names like Cartier, Chanel, Neiman Marcus, and Tiffany.
PIC BEACHES
Of course there are the great beaches, including
And if you´re a golfer, you´ve got a choice of around a hundred public, municipal and private courses, including six at the PGA National Resort.
WEST PALM BEACH PIC
Finally, the aforementioned West Palm Beach is an appealing destination in its own right - more urban-feeling and less chichi - with attractions including
More information: ThePalmBeaches.com.
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