The fourth installment IS OUT AND AVAILABLE in the Coastal Observer (10/29). Below is an excerpt from the latest installment and a special treat: The Riddle, a poem written about the Gulf Stream Hotel in December 1963. You'll find this poem at the very end of this blog post. Make sure to pick yourself up an issue. See where I got mine later in this post.
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| A view of the Gulf Stream Hotel (structure on left) looking east at the Town of Palm Beach across the Intracoastal (aka, the Lake Worth Lagoon). |
This latest in the series features an article in The Lake Worth Herald from December 6th, 1984 by Deacon Rhodes titled, "Gulf Stream Hotel Is Seeking Larger Dining, Parking Areas". Interestingly, one of the very same problems the hotel experienced over 30 years ago would remain a problem today if the hotel were open for business. Here is an excerpt leading up to the article in the Herald from Dec. 1984:
Last week, we featured an article from 1990 that was written during one of the many periods of the Gulf Stream Hotel’s history when it was closed and not operating as a hotel. It identified many of the same challenges that continue to face the hotel. This week’s installment is no different except that it is written six year earlier. It’s a short article in The Lake Worth Herald from December 6th, 1984. What’s interesting about this article is this: sans names and factual references this article could appear in the Herald today and apply to the current situation with the Gulf Stream Hotel as it exists now and have existed for many years.
Why is that? One of the main issues with the hotel has nothing to do with the actual building itself but the lack of parking. Remember, the Gulf Stream was constructed in the 1920’s and the automobile wasn’t as yet the public’s preferred transportation option when visiting the state of Florida.
Most visitors to the hotel in the early years arrived by train, planned stays of long duration, and didn’t need or particularly want to have their own personal vehicle. Many people used bikes for local transportation or walked. The resort had almost everything the guests needed (or within walking distance) plus the hotel offered tours to nearby attractions like race tracks, to cite one example.
I enjoyed this article immensely and think you will too. FYI, I got my issue of the paper at the Farmer Girl restaurant, 1732 N. Dixie Hwy. in Lake Worth.
Now for the treat, The Riddle, a poem written about the Gulf Stream Hotel:
Some folks, they like a riddle,
Now here is one for you.
It’s square, not deep, but open
Soft breezes blowing through.
Beyond the sky is lovely,
While clouds go sailing o’er.
I hear the call of song birds,
A distant train’s low roar.
A lake — and swinging palm trees,
The Ocean — deep and green —
Now can you guess My riddle?
For the last line of the poem and the answer to the riddle you'll need to pick yourself up an issue of the Coastal Observer. And Thank You everyone for your interest in this series about our iconic, historic hotel in the downtown.
Now for the treat, The Riddle, a poem written about the Gulf Stream Hotel:
Some folks, they like a riddle,
Now here is one for you.
It’s square, not deep, but open
Soft breezes blowing through.
Beyond the sky is lovely,
While clouds go sailing o’er.
I hear the call of song birds,
A distant train’s low roar.
A lake — and swinging palm trees,
The Ocean — deep and green —
Now can you guess My riddle?
For the last line of the poem and the answer to the riddle you'll need to pick yourself up an issue of the Coastal Observer. And Thank You everyone for your interest in this series about our iconic, historic hotel in the downtown.
![Dr. W. H. Cotton’s ode: “Oh, My Lake Worth, Florida!” [circa 1920].](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yhHyCn84ZIQ/WezjlEL-0tI/AAAAAAAAPZ4/CzkhriK6zpEJJ3d9Je1495d49gIhnMlxACK4BGAYYCw/s1600/LakeWorthPioneers.JPG)
