The Nora Hotel opens on North Railroad Avenue from the team behind Hotel Chelsea
Plus a transit contract awarded without commission approval, early voting hours and free native trees.
Florida's first Sisley Spa, with a steam room and four private treatment rooms, now sits inside a new West Palm Beach hotel. The rest of the building leans on New York names, from the hoteliers to the restaurant on the ground floor.
Downstairs, Pastis has a new home, a spinoff of Keith McNally's Meatpacking District original, revived by James Beard Award winner Stephen Starr. Up on the roof is Lillys, a concept developed with Mama Hospitality Group. That group also created Mary Lou's. The hotel sits at 1135 North Railroad Avenue and has 201 rooms. Fourteen are larger suites with Juliette balconies. Sean MacPherson opened it with Richard Born and Ira Drukier, who founded BD Hotels. Their New York hotels include Hotel Chelsea, The Bowery and The Ludlow, and this is a step beyond the five boroughs. The New York firm Gachot did the interiors. The hotel's Sisley Spa, a first for the brand in Florida, has a steam room, a lounge and an outdoor terrace. Four private rooms handle facials and massages. The team saw a chance in the wave of Northeast newcomers to Palm Beach County since 2020, and the business growth that came after.
Avelo adds twice-weekly nonstops from DJT to North Dallas starting Dec. 17
Avelo says no other airline will fly nonstop between DJT and North Dallas/McKinney National Airport, known by the code DTX. Flights run on Thursdays and Sundays. Introductory one-way fares start at $69, according to the airline. DJT is the code for President Donald J. Trump International Airport.
West Palm's $36 million transit contract went ahead without City Commission approval
City code does not require a commission vote on the contract, though other public agencies typically vote on deals like this one. Tidewater Transit took over as the city's vendor last month, under a contract worth about $36 million over five years. It is West Palm's biggest investment in public transit, pitched as a way to coax people downtown out of their cars. Even so, it drew little public debate. The city mistakenly told Circuit Transit, its longtime transportation partner, that it had won. Separately, it ordered a new round of bids over an unspecified "scrivener's error" in the first one. Because the second committee had not seen bidder presentations and Circuit challenged the result, the City Commission sent the bid back to the committee a third time. Tidewater came out on top again. Circuit's price was $1.3 million lower than Tidewater's across the five-year term. The city blacked out a section that appears to show how Tidewater priced its bid. Unlike what the city first called for, the final contract does not let it cancel without citing a reason. None of that proves wrongdoing. It does leave residents with a pricier pick, hidden numbers and a harder exit.
Early voting runs through Nov. 1, and a new app shows where to vote
Early ballots can go in at any of the county's early voting sites, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 1. Election Day is different. Voters then have to use their assigned polling place. Midterm redistricting affected 640,000 people in the county, and many now have a new polling location. The new Vote Palm Beach app lets you check your registration, find voting sites and hours, and follow a mail ballot. Checking it before Election Day can tell you whether your spot has moved.
Ballet Palm Beach premieres its original 'Frankenstein' at the Kravis Center
- When
- Oct. 22-24
- Where
- Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Playhouse, Kravis Center
Ballet Palm Beach opens its own take on 'Frankenstein' on Oct. 22 at the Kravis Center's Marshall E. Rinker Sr. Playhouse, with performances through Oct. 24. The contemporary ballet retells the novel while tracing Mary Shelley's real story as she writes the book. The company calls the piece a dramatic look at ambition, abandonment and identity. It is recommended for ages 9 and up. Each show has two 45-minute acts with a 20-minute intermission, a little under two hours in all. Ballet Palm Beach is the professional company for both Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast.
Fall Festival at Gaines Park brings free native trees and rain barrels
- When
- Saturday, Oct. 24 · 4 to 6 p.m.
- Where
- Gaines Park, 1501 N. Australian Ave.
- Price
- Free; pre-registration required
The city's Office of Sustainability is giving away native trees and rain barrels at the Fall Festival at Gaines Park, 1501 N. Australian Ave., on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 4 to 6 p.m., according to the city. City of West Palm Beach residents and businesses can take home up to four free native trees, and active city water customers can get one 55-gallon rain barrel. Tree choices include Sweetbay Magnolia, Redbay, Marlberry, Wild Tamarind and Simpson Stopper, and they must go in the ground, not in pots or on balconies. Pre-registration is required, and applications close at 8 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, or sooner if spots fill.