BOCA RATON, Fla. — I had a lot to talk about when I returned from a week here. The cartoon museum, where I made a shocking discovery about Popeye and Olive Oyl. The wonderful collection of bonsai trees at Morikami Park. The surprise of having a great blue heron swoop by so close that I felt the breeze as it flapped its wings.
Of course, nobody cared. Not one person said, ``Hey, tell me everything about the bonsai collection.''
They only wanted to know about the weather.
What could I say? Blue skies, bright sun, temperatures around 80 degrees and water so clear that I could stand in the ocean up to my neck and count the corns on my toes. The weather was great.
But so was the International Museum of Cartoon Art. And the visit to Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach to see where the Trumps live.
We had fun hunting for bargains at the Festival Flea Market. We got a kick out of having our picture taken at the National Enquirer headquarters off Route 1 in Lantana. We played pretend at a new housing development in Delray Beach, where my wife and I strolled through some model homes - all starting at around $1 million - and acted like we could actually afford more than the washcloths placed neatly on the bathroom sink.
Now, I admit it is hard to tear yourself away from the beach. There's no denying the seductive power of the sun and surf, especially with a backdrop of orange trees and swaying palms. For a Northerner, there are few better feelings than floating on a warm, gentle Gulf Stream wave on New Year's Day.
But if you don't get off the sand, or away from the pool, you can miss a lot of what the area offers. Take the time to do some exploring along the coast from Palm Beach to Boca Raton, and you'll learn there's more here than warm temperatures and balmy breezes.
And while you get around, keep this in mind: You can thank a Philadelphian for much of it.
That would be World War I-era society maven Lucretia ``Eva'' Bishop Roberts Cromwell Stotesbury, a Rittenhouse Square blueblood who unwittingly laid the foundation for the discovery of Boca as a playground for the rich.
To be sure, it still is. Gated communities, where new homes can cost in the millions of dollars, dominate the landscape. But there are neighborhoods for those in the more modest income levels. And for a vacationer, we found it no more pricey than any other beach vacation spot.
That would have pleased the father of Boca, Addison Mizner.
