The cultural arts in Palm Beach County are incredibly important to its local market and to visitors who travel to the South Florida destination for its luxury hotels, shopping, and sun and sand. At the core of these offerings is the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, which has just announced that as part of its 2023-2024 "SEE IT LIVE!" season, acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma will be making an appearance on January 8 at 7:30 p.m. The evening will be moderated by PBS NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Brown and Yo-Yo Ma will explore “how culture can help us all seek truth, build trust and act in service of one another.”
On April 2, 2024, Al Stewart, with his band The Empty Pockets, will present at the Kravis Center; he will be playing his old favorites, like “Year Of The Cat,” “Time Passages,” “On the Border” and “Modern Times,” along with selections from his deep catalogue.
For tickets to these special presentations and for the October listings of the SEE IT LIVE season, visit kravis.org.
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts is located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach.
The Norton Museum of Art, founded in 1941, is also at the center of Palm Beach County’s cultural offerings. Its permanent collection now consists of more than 8,200 works in five curatorial departments: European, American, Chinese, Contemporary and Photography. Its masterpieces include Stuart Davis’s New York Mural (acquired in 1964), and Jackson Pollock’s Night Mist (acquired in 1971).
Clearly, any time is a good time to visit the Norton, but we’re particularly excited about an upcoming exhibition, “Artists in Motion: Impressionist and Modern Masterpieces from the Pearlman Collection,” which runs October 14, 2023 through February 18, 2024. The show comprises approximately 40 paintings, sculptures and works on paper that explore the intersecting lives of the most celebrated late 19th- and early 20th-century European artists collected by Henry Pearlman (1895 – 1974).
Among the artistic exchanges explored are works by some of the most renowned modern artists, including Paul Cézanne, Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaïm Soutine and Jacques Lipchitz.
While there, save time to explore the museum’s vast sculpture garden. The lush, sub-tropical garden includes works by Keith Haring, Antony Gormley, Jenny Holzer, Franz West, Fernand Léger, Paul Manship, Ugo Rondinone, Joel Shapiro and others.
The Norton Museum of Art (Norton.org) is located at 1450 S Dixie Hwy in West Palm Beach.
Brightline Expands Service
Getting to Palm Beach County from other Florida destinations is getting easier every day.
As we were going to press, Brightline announced the launch of its passenger rail service between Orlando and Miami. Brightline covers 235 miles between Miami and Orlando and the new route will take between three and three and a half hours depending on South Florida station stops.
Brightline launched operations in South Florida in 2018, connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Stations in Boca Raton and Aventura opened last year. Construction on its 170-mile extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando began in 2019. The $6 billion project has generated substantial economic benefits in Florida, creating 10,000 jobs and approximately $6.4 billion in direct economic impact to the region.
Designed by the Rockwell Group, all Brightline stations and trains offer Starlink Wi-Fi, chargers and outlets at every seat and a selection of food, beverage and cocktails (available for purchase for “Smart” and complimentary for “Premium” travelers). Guests can enjoy a range of light bites, beverages and cocktails throughout the day at one of Brightline’s signature in-station Mary Mary Bars or pick up last-minute gifts, sundries and refreshments at one of the MRKT shopping retail locations.
The new Brightline Orlando Station in partnership with Orlando Health, is located at Orlando International Airport’s 37,350-square-foot Train Station adjacent to its new Terminal C. This is the only intercity passenger rail station of its kind to be located in a U.S. airport and stands three-stories tall, including a 72,000-square-foot platform area, making it the company’s largest train station. The train station connects directly to the airport’s Parking Garage C, which will have more than 350 parking spaces marked for Brightline guests. The station provides direct access to airport terminals A and B via the airport Terminal Link (automated people mover) in under five minutes.
MiamiCentral is located on an 11-acre complex in downtown Miami and represents Brightline’s southern flagship terminus. Guests looking to connect have a number of options, including Brightline+, the Miami Metromover and Metrorail, which are both connected to the station.
In 2022, Brightline launched a concierge service to connect guests to and from stations with Brightline+. The mobility service offers add-on options within the booking platform. Ground transportation and mobility options at the Orlando Station will cater to the needs of the Orlando visitor with new Brightline+ products including Mears shuttles, Uber rideshare and car rental options through Avis. Upon booking a Brightline ticket, guests will receive confirmation email and instructions on how to add extras, such as parking, checked baggage, and Brightline+ mobility options available closer to their trip date.
The company also unveiled a new digital experience for guests with a redesigned website and native mobile app available for iOS and Android devices.
Good to know: Brightline’s Orlando expansion is the newest transportation milestone for the company that has plans to transform high-speed rail in the U.S. on the West Coast, through Brightline West. This will be the nation’s first high-speed rail network with fully electric trains operating at top speeds of 200mph. Slated to break ground by the end of 2023, the line will connect millions of people traveling between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, annually.
Brightline’s environmental benefits include reduced highway and city congestion and CO2 emissions by an estimated 72,000 metric tons per year. Studies show the system will remove more than three million cars from roadways each year.
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