I’ve been putting off this post for a while, but with this week marking a year since this trip and almost a year since any sort of normalcy, it seems like a good time to take a look back at this trip.
In the winter of 2020, before everything changed, I took a trip to Florida with my buddy James to escape the cold of New England for a week. This is a look back at some of the highlights and my favorite photos from that trip. Some of these I shared in my 2020 Year in Review story, but there’s some other ones I haven’t shared yet as well.
We arrived on a Monday evening in West Palm Beach, picked up the rental car, and headed south to Delray Beach to meet my grandparents for dinner.
Afternoon Sun from West Palm Beach International 
Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach
The next morning, we started out on a drive up the A1A to explore the area between Delray and Jupiter. Our first stop was at Ocean Inlet Park in Boynton Beach.
The Pier at Ocean Inlet Park 
Surfers at Boynton Beach 
The Pier at Ocean Inlet Park
Boaters passing through the Inlet 
Palm Trees (because why not?) 
From the pier at Boynton Beach Inlet
From there, we headed north through Palm Beach, driving through the Worth Ave area before heading north to Jupiter to visit the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. In Jupiter, we were able to climb to the top of the lighthouse, which had awesome views of the entire Jupiter area.
The path to the Lighthouse 
Bridge over the Loxahatchee River 
The Lighthouse from the path
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse 
The start of the climb 
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
Some of the 105 stairs in the Lighthouse 
About Jupiter Lighthouse 
Views from the top
Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse 
A1A Drawbridge near the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
After visiting the lighthouse, we headed back south to Delray for dinner, sunset photos along Atlantic Avenue, and to watch the Bruins game from Boston’s on the Beach.
Sunset on the Intracoastal 
Sunset on Atlantic Avenue 
Sunset on the Intracoastal
Golden Hour by the Colony Hotel & Cabana Club 
Evening on Atlantic Avenue 
Colony Hotel & Cabana Club
Evening on the Intracoastal 
Rolls-Royce on Atlantic Avenue 
Sunset over Deck 84
Twilight colors at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Ocean Boulevard 
Boston’s at the Beach! 
Sunset colors on Delray Beach with Boston’s in the background
The next day, we woke up early and went to Lakeview Golf Club with my grandfather for a round of golf. This was my first round of golf outside of New England, and it was cool to play on a course full of tropical birds and iguanas.
First tee at Lakeview 
These guys are quick! 
Iguana by the water
Birds on the golf course 
Fountain along the golf course 
The biggest Iguana we saw
After golf, we headed back down to Atlantic Avenue for happy hour, more sunset photos, and some outdoor drinks and tacos at Rocco’s Tacos.
Atlantic Avenue Bridge by Deck 84 
Deck 84 Dock 
Golden Hour on the Intracoastal
Intracoastal golden hour 
Golden hour over the fountain by the bridge 
Intracoastal golden hour
Palm Tree at Golden Hour 
Atlantic Avenue bridge open for boats 
The moon behind the palm trees
Evening on Atlantic Avenue 
Tacos and a Mojito at Rocco’s 
Rocco’s Tacos!
Intracoastal at night 
Intracoastal at night 
Colony Hotel at night
The next morning, we took a boat cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway to see some of the area from the water. When I was in Delray in 2018, I took the cruise going north from Delray with my grandparents, so I was excited to go again to see the southern side of the waterway. The houses and architecture along the water here is definitely a sight to see.
Once we finished the boat cruise, we went to Cabana El Ray for cubanos for lunch, which was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had and definitely the food highlight of the trip.
After lunch, we went back to my grandparents condo to prepare for the Bruins game against the Panthers at BB&T Center. This was my first Bruins game outside of New England. We went with my grandparents and got club seats for the game, and Torey Krug ended up winning it in overtime for the Bruins, so it was a great night!
Torey Krug Arena (formerly BB&T Center) 
Is it even a hockey game without beer? 
Pregame at Torey Krug Arena
Torey Krug wins it in OT! 
Torey Krug Plaza
The next morning, we packed up everything in Delray and started west across Alligator Alley towards Naples and Fort Myers. We stopped in the Everglades for an airboat ride, which was one of the coolest experiences of my life. We saw a bunch of alligators and more birds than I’ve ever seen. I absolutely will be doing this again next time I’m in South Florida, and hopefully I’ll have a telephoto lens to bring for that trip!
Another airboat passing us 
Our ride 
Momma Alligator. There were babies too!
After we arrived in Fort Myers, we checked into the hotel and got dinner to prepare for our final full day in Florida. The next morning, we got up and made our way to JetBlue Park to see the Red Sox take on the Toronto Blue Jays in a spring training game. Spring training has long been something I’ve wanted to visit, so it was really cool to finally get to see a game down there.
JD Martinez at bat 
Right field views
World Series Trophy 
Lego Big Papi
Right field patio area 
Monster views 
David Ortiz Way
After the game, we met up with one of James’ cousins for some food and drinks in downtown Fort Myers.
The next morning, we packed up the car, went to grab some lunch, then headed to Fort Myers airport for the flight home. On the way home, I had the left side window seat and was able to grab a few photos of the sunset over the mid-Atlantic area before we got back to Providence.
Overall, between the East Coast and the West Coast, it was an epic seven days. I can’t wait to go back again soon.