Downtown is One of the Country's Most"Walk - able" Neighborhoods

According to www.walkscore.com  a new website that calculates the "walk ability" of an area by locating nearby services and amenities, downtown West Palm Beach is considered a walkers paradise.

Clematis earns an impressive score of 97.

 Waterfront Commons - West Palm Beach GreenMarket
Each Saturday vendors offer a variety of farm fresh fruits and vegetables, tropical and native plants, fresh-cut flowers, artisan foods, and much more from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at our new home on the Waterfront Commons in Downtown West Palm Beach. Guests can also sit and enjoy breakfast or lunch while taking in the sights and sounds of the new Waterfront. The West Palm Beach GreenMarket is dog-friendly, and offers free parking in the Banyan Street Garage until 2:00 p.m. For more information about the West Palm Beach GreenMarket, please call 561-822-1515 

If you are a resident of Palm Beach County, odds are at one time or another you will find yourself in Clematis, West Palm Beach, a destination for shopping, dining, government business and numerous community events. Clematis, West Palm Beach, not only includes the eponymous main strip, Clematis Street, but also surrounding side streets and a recently refurbished waterfront area along the Intracoastal Waterway in downtown West Palm Beach.

The waterfront area, with its $31 million renovation in 2010, is the setting not only for big annual events such as SunFest, Fourth on Flagler, the Palm Beach International Boat Show and Moonfest, but weekly events such as the seasonal Green Market; and every Thursday evening there's a street party, Clematis by Night, centered around a bubbling fountain in Centennial Square in which kids love to play. Clematis Street itself is a mostly commercial area, some of it historic, with nearly 100 retail stores, restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

"It's a traditional, intimately scaled main street," says Raphael Clemente, acting director of the Downtown Development Authority in West Palm Beach. "It's Americana. It's what people feel comfortable in and what so many stories in our nation and culture are based on, Main Street."
 
Daily (and especially nightly) traffic in the Clematis District is generated by the many businesses in the area as well as the nearby Palm Beach County Courthouse and recently completed $150 million City Center complex, which includes a public library and the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

Dining is an international experience in the Clematis District, where patrons can choose from a smorgasbord of cuisines: Turkish, Caribbean, Italian, Mexican, Cuban, Irish, French, Middle Eastern and, of course, American. Favorite dining spots in the area include restaurants such as Pistache, Rocco’s Tacos, Grease Burger Bar, Don Ramon’s, Cabana, Reef Road Restaurant and Rum Bar and, most recently, Bahama Mama’s, Luna Lounge, Luigi’s and the Raw Kitchen.

Drawing big crowds at night is Feelgood’s Rock Bar and Grill, which is co-owned by Motley Crue rocker Vince Neil, but there are a number of other bars and lounges all within walking distance from one another and each offering a different experience. Respectable Street has long been a live music venue, O'Shea's and Roxy's offer a pub atmosphere, Roxy's 10@2 is a saloon and piano bar and Sky309 sits high above Clematis on a rooftop and E.R. Bradley's has a waterfront view. There's also the Lounge and newer hotspots like the Blind Monk, Off the Hookah, Monarchy, Rome Nightclub and Lost Weekend.

On the retail front, the Clematis District has everything from card shops and art galleries to businesses that sell home furnishings and accessories, including luxury goods from Pioneer Linens, a downtown landmark that will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2012.

- by Brian Bixler, West Palm Beach Reporter for HelloMetro

 New City Dock Opens as Part of Waterfront Project

 Now the City of West Palm Beach have North and South Clematis docks and Evernia Street. The Best part is that docking your boat is FREE!!! Open dawn till Midnight 7 days a wk! Boat on over and stay the day! In addition to the docks,a Lake Pavillon, tree-lined pedestrian and bicycle pathways, unique water features, entertainment platforms and tropical gardens higlight project elements. FREE Ginger's Dance Parties with a fun mix of dance music for all ages to enjoy are held at The Palms Waterfront Stage!! Join me Oct 23rd Saturday night 7-10PM for this FUN FREE dance! Dogs welcome! Bring your own chairs, coolers, or get a bite to eat at all the places downtown! See ya on the dance floor!

 Looking for West Palm Beach's Hot Spot to Chill on Thursday night? Clematis by Night is it! Join us every Thursday night at the coolest hangout in downtown West Palm Beach from 6:00 – 9:30 p.m. in Centennial Square. This FREE weekly event features the area’s best rock, R&B, reggae, Latin, blues, soul and swing music. Join us for great live music, tasty foods and drinks, sidewalk shopping, and fun in the fountain! For more info call 561.822.1515.