What are your favorite summer memories from our little corner of humid paradise?
The piano player, bartenders and grouper at Busch’s Seafood on A1A? Date night at the Wildflower or Tequila Willies in Boca Raton? Partying at Shooters on the Intracoastal in Boynton Beach? Dancing to the live bands at the Phoenix in Delray Beach? Reggae night at Boston’s? The Backyard Blues Bar on Atlantic Avenue or the Dive Bar in the old Boca Mall? Patio Delray, the Arcade Tap Room, The Frog?
Maybe you have fond memories of the ferns at Boca’s Elephant Walk and the crowds at the nearby Bounty Lounge. Or were cold beer and rock shrimp at Dirty Moe’s more your style? Do you still have a taste for the summer dining specials at Le Vieille Maison (I know I do), beachside dinners at the Seahorse in Gulf Stream, Volcanoes at Boynton’s Sun Wah?
Maybe your favorite memories involve beach bonfires and watching sea turtles and square groupers wash ashore. Or the simple pleasure of finding a parking space anywhere near Atlantic Avenue at night.
At least in Boynton Beach you can still find longstanding restaurants (Hurricane Alley, Banana Boat, Two Georges), and in Lantana what better place to watch a thunderstorm blow through than at the Old Key Lime House? And for simply having a drink with friends, we’re lucky to still have The Duck and The Sail Inn, right?
Yes, I know there are free concerts at Mizner Park and Old School Square, but the bands (although filled with talented musicians) all pretend to be someone else — tribute bands, they’re called. The same for much of the programming at the few other live music venues scattered around. At least Arts Garage mixes it up a bit and sometimes books live jazz.
Jazz. That’s what I miss most. For me, the highlight of the “off season” was the Summer Jazz Series at Erny’s in what was then called Dull-Ray. Jazz players drove up from Miami to perform to a packed house. The musicians were excellent, the drinks well-mixed, the ambience exactly what you’d want on a hot South Florida night.
Oh, I miss that. Summer leaves me longing for a cold martini and a simmering jazz act.
What do you miss the most from summers past? Write us at news@thecoastalstar.com. We’ll share these either in our August (can you say hot and humid?) print edition or online.
Please help us out by keeping your memories to 500 words or fewer.
And if you know of a place reachable for a $10 Uber ride with live jazz in a cool bar this summer, please let me know at editor@thecoastalstar.com.
— Mary Kate Leming, Editor
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