N
IS FOR NASA
The Kennedy Space Center is the site from which every human
space flight has been launched since 1968. And while a suspended
US space programme means that we won’t be seeing another
shuttle launch any time soon, that hasn’t stopped thousands of visitors from
making the trek to Merritt Island to view the spot from which Neil Armstrong
and pals blasted into space. You can strap in for a shuttle launch simulation,
view a historic fuselage in the Rocket Garden, or have lunch with an astronaut
–
$30 gets you fed and up close and live with a NASA vet.
kennedyspacecenter.com
O
IS FOR OCEAN DRIVE
From the Versace
Mansion to art deco
hotels like the Colony
Hotel, nothing says Miami like the
bustling, neon-lit Ocean Drive.
The 1.3-mile oceanfront stretch
is packed with celebrities and
gawking tourists most of the time,
with the best people-watching at
News Café (800 Ocean Drive), a
perpetually-packed 24-hour diner
and bookstore that was a daily
stop for fashion designer Gianni
Versace, who lived just a few
blocks north. Its local magazine
is
Ocean Drive
,
referred to as
the ‘Bible of South Beach’ for its
glossy depiction of the wealthy
and fabulous who frequent the
area – like singer Gloria Estefan,
who owns the art deco Cardozo
Hotel and the gloriously camp
Mango’s Tropical Cafe, where the
hot waitresses table-dance to
carnival-esque Latin beats.
newscafe.com
cardozohotel.com
mangostropicalcafe.com
P
IS FOR PALM BEACH
It’s an American cliché: when you hit retirement age, you
migrate south. The most well-heeled retirees make their
way to Palm Beach, the 16-mile barrier island where the
median age is 67. Originally established by Standard Oil founder
Henry Flagler in the early 1900s (his magnificent home, Whitehall,
is open to the public as The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum),
the area still boasts many of its original affluent trappings, most
famously the Italian-Renaissance-style resort, Breakers Hotel
which Flagler founded. Nearby you’ll
find several major museums and galleries, and the Lion Country
Safari, a 500-acre preserve where giraffes and zebras roam
in protected habitats. But what would retirement be without
a game of golf? The Palm Beaches are home to more than 170
public and private courses.
norton.org
lioncountrysafari.com
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