If you want to see the future of electric cars, be sure to check out this weekend's event at FAU in Jupiter. The Florida Electric Auto Association (FLEAA) is hosting “Battery Beach Burnout”, an alternative fuel / electric vehicle competition on February 21st and 22nd. The free event consists of multiple competitions involving electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids.

The action starts at 9:00 a.m. Saturday and attendees will be able to ride in several of the cars on display and vote for their favorite car. Autocross will be held on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and the competition will conclude at 3:30 PM with a raffle drawing and award ceremony.

One hundred vehicles are expected to be on display throughout the weekend. The stated purpose of Battery Beach Burnout is to raise public and media awareness of the current state of electric and hybrid vehicles and to educate people about green alternative fuel vehicles.

It should be a beautiful weekend and this is a great way to spend time learning about alternative energy technologies that can help solve our transportation, energy and air quality problems.

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On the very first day that we moved to Boca in 1989, a new neighbor let us in on the secret of where to shop in Boca. Desperately hunger and cranky after directing movers and unpacking boxes, our neighbor directed us to King's Italian Market to pick up our first food supplies.

Over the years King's became our neighborhood mom and pop store. Their bakery was always a favorite for special occasion cakes, with the Brown Derby number one on our family list. Their fresh produce was delicious and often local and their seafood department was unparallel. As a busy working family, we especially enjoyed the prepared dinners. They were hearty, nutritious and reasonably priced.

In August of 2007, because of roof problems in their location on Military Trail, King's was forced to close. Rumors swirled that it would reopen on Powerline Road in the Ross Dress for Less shopping center. Over one year elapsed and other new stores opened in the shopping center, filling any vacant spaces and dashing hopes that King's would reopen.

Now in October, 2008, there are rumors that King's is opening in Boca Center in the space left vacant by Bombay Kids. It would be a great location for King's and could bring more foot traffic to Boca Center during the daytime. Hopefully this time the rumors are true and we can all continue to enjoy King's Italian Market.

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Boca Festival days was started by the Chamber of Commerce as a way to attract business during the off season month of August. It has evolved into an annual party/fundraiser/ activitysession and this year is no exception.

On tap this week are acting classes for students at the Caldwell Theatre, dueling pianos at FunKey Nutz to benefit Kids in Distress, an American Songbook contest to benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County and the Morikami Bon Festival on Saturday, August 9th from 5 - 9.

The signature event of the festival is the wine tasting, this year to be held on August 16th at the Boca Raton Resort and Club. " Wine and All That Jazz ....and More" will feature over 100 wines for sampling. Other interesting programming include a tennis tournament benefiting Ruth Rales Jewish Family Services, a ballroom dance battle featuring local politicians to benefit the George Snow Scholarship Fund and a Tropical Nights Martini Party at Bova.

Events vary in price and information about all activities can be found at www.bocaratonchamber.com.

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If you love the organic items at Whole Foods and the prepared meals at Fresh Market, rush over to the new Publix Greenwise market located right behind Town Center Mall. Designed by Publix to apparently compete in the organic and prepared foods categories, Greenwise is poised to be a huge success.

As you walk in, you enter the produce area, a veritable cornucopia. There are organic and nonorganic fruits and vegetables in all shades of the rainbow and all permutations from heirloom to downright exotic. The prices are higher than Publix but still reasonable for the offerings.

A trip to the back of the store reveals a fish and sushi counter. With the loss of Kings Market, fresh fish at non usurious rates is a welcome addition to Boca. The adjacent meat and poultry is offered for sale in the traditional butcher case. There are a variety of prepared dishes in the case that just need to be popped into the oven for a gourmet dinner.

Next there is a wine area that could be a free standing wine store. A corresponding cheese area with ongoing free samples butts up to the bread and bakery areas. Everything looks magnificent and is artfully displayed down to the chocolate fountain near the dipped bananas, marshmallows and pretzels.

The offerings are rounded out with already cooked items, individually prepared pasta and pizza and a gelato bar. The store is well thought out with a grab and go area in the front, tables indoors and out for dining, and even special flower holders for your shopping cart.

In addition to all the specialty areas, there are center aisles with regular and organic items that are found in a normal Publix. The Greenwise team has really thought of everything, making it a true one stop shopping venue. It remains to be seen how parking will be once people learn about the market, but for now rush over to take advantage of this new phenomenon.

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If you are looking for something unique for dinner, a visit to DD Flats Wine Bar and Flatbread Company should satisfy your craving. Located in the Polo Shoppes, DD Flats menu is dominated by its original recipe flatbreads.

There are over twenty one different choices of flatbreads including the Aloha with asian sticky chicken, pineapple, procuitto, mozzarella and plum tomato and the Osaka with pan seared tuna, wasabi infused ricotta, and cilantro. My favorites are the Tuscan with fire roasted chicken, artichokes, tomatoes, spinach and smoked Gouda and the Parisian with brie, carmelized onion, mozzarella, grapes and pine nuts. Each flatbread is a more than ample portion for one person and I recommend sharing so that you get to sample a few different choices.

The appetizer chicken wings are delicious and come with either Asian sticky sauce, carmelized onions and garlic, or banana rum sauce. The dinner sized salads are also large and filled with fresh vegetables, cheeses and meats. Pasta, sandwiches and paninis round out the menu so there is something for everyone.

Make sure you leave room for dessert. Rosette, the former owner of Eilat Cafe, is the pastry chef. The menu concludes with Sweet Endings of Chocolate Ecstasy, Triple Chocolate Cheesecake, Apple Crisp, Ultimate Carrot Cake, Rockie Road Brownie Sundae and White Chocolate Banana Croissant Pudding.

The flatbread concept is different and fun and the varieties offered are sure to please everyone. If you know of a restaurant that is also unique or even one that you would just like to share with the blog readers, please post a comment.

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Thanks to my fellow blogger Tina Korn from West Boynton for providing the following information

Tri-Rail is offering seniors a chance to have a free ride, to introduce them to the easy access Tri-Rail wants to provide them. No purchase necessary. Must be 65 years or older. Ticket offer is non-transferable and has no cash value. Limit one round-trip ticket per person. Deadline is June 2, 2008. Call 1-800-TRI-Rail (874-7245) or www.tri-rail.com to get a form. Or- send your complete name, address, age, phone # and/or e-mail address, WITH a stamped, self-addressed envelope, to: Tri-Rail, P.O. Box 5148, Lighthouse Point, FL 33074-5148.

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Traveling east/west on Yamato Road can be downright uncomfortable. At periodic intervals at the train tracks just west of I-95, the lights will flash and the crossing gates will close. While the train can be seen in the station, the wait until the ten second long Tri-Rail train passes through can be excruciatingly long.

Alternatively, the lights flash and the crossing gates go down and no train ever passes through the intersection. Mysteriously the gates raise and allow you to cross the tracks, praying that it was not a malfunction and that your life insurance is up to date.

On those occasions when there is no train in the vicinity, the road is so bumpy that if you drive the speed limit it feels like your car is about to be launched into space.

In an effort to remedy the bumpy road and hopefully the problems with the train crossing, the Yamato/ CRX crossing will be closed to all traffic for ten days starting at 5 a.m., Friday, February 1. Alternative suggested routes include Spanish River Boulevard and Glades or Palmetto Park Road.

The fact that the work is being done in the height of tourist season makes no sense. While the ten days of construction will be much more than downright uncomfortable, hopefully it will be a short term inconvenience for a better long term result.

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I love Boca Raton and I would not want to live anywhere else in South Florida. Even though I am a strong advocate for our city, I believe that we need to continue to strive to make Boca the best it can be. As we start 2008, I propose the following resolutions:

1. Safety first. All crime, including purse snatching, robbery, carjacking and even sadly murder, needs to be addressed and stopped now. Everyone - police, elected officials, judges, businesses, ordinary citizens - should act in concert to show that there is a zero tolerance for any type of crime in Boca.

2. Open the Spanish River Boulevard library. The slow pace of building is starting to rival Gaudi's famous church, La Sagrada Familia, as the library was approved by public referendum in 2003 with construction started in 2004. It looks beautiful from the outside and now is the time to finish the project and let everyone enjoy this new public facility.

3. Build an ice rink. Recreational activities benefit both locals and visitors, making it a big plus for our city.

4. Bring back the boat parade. Traditions are what make the most lasting memories. We need to continue and support all city wide events to create a strong sense of community.

5. Plan for the future. Give the voters proposals as to long range plans for developing a downtown that links Royal Palm Plaza and Mizner Park and address road congestion, water purification safety and hurricane preparedness.

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It has now been over a week since the bodies of Nancy Bochicchio and her daughter Joey were found in their car at Town Center. The City of Boca Raton has offered a generous reward for information regarding the crime. The police appear to be working diligently to track down the killers. Despite these efforts, it is unknown whether the perpetrators will ever be brought to justice.

Mall management has been relatively quiet during this troubling time period. The Mayor's initial comments to wait and see what the investigation reveals were indicative of the laissez- faire attitude about crime at the mall that has been displayed to date. Several City Councilmen have commented privately to various citizens that there is a crime problem at the mall. No one has really stepped up and addressed the issue of mall safety.

Simon Property Group Inc. should be in the forefront of re-evaluating what can be done to stop criminals from using the mall as stomping grounds. Solutions like more cameras, better lighting, less prime parking taken up by the paid parking and car wash areas, and procedures to assist staff who are leaving work, need to be put into place. The mayor's office and the police department should work with Simon to formulate a plan to protect shoppers at the mall. A zero tolerance policy toward all crime, including shoplifters and purse snatchers, should be implemented.

Now is the time for Simon, the Mayor's office, the City Council and the police department to come forward and show everyone that this is a priority that is being and will be addressed. Let us hear from these groups so that the citizens of Boca know that they are working to honor the memory of Nancy and Joey Bochicchio by trying to assure that this tragedy is not repeated.

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Boca has its own version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. For the first time in over thirty years, there will be no holiday boat parade in Boca Raton.

Apparently, the boat parade is a victim of economic difficulties and is a casualty of our City's belt tightening.

Previously, the parade was sponsored by the Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce. In 2003, the Chamber of Commerce pulled out and the City of Boca Raton along with the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County and Sea Tow, groups that run the boat parade in North Palm Beach, saved the parade.

This year because of state mandated budget cuts, the City was not able to contribute the almost $20,000 that it had given to support the event. Marine Industries, a not-for-profit organization created to promote and protect the sound growth of the marine industry in Palm Beach County, stated that it could not continue this year without the City's support.

Many people on the parade route plan their holiday parties to coincide with the event. Hotels and restaurants on or near the route also have benefited from the increased traffic of the parade. Estimates of the number of watchers have been as high as 10,000 people.

As a city that is fairly new and lacking in historical tradition, the loss of one of our few annual events is a sad occasion. If you feel the same way, let me or one of your City Councilmen hear your opinion. Although it might be too late for this year, maybe we can have an impact on next year.

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The name Tom Crocker is once again back in the spotlight, as he has offered the City of Boca Raton a proposal for a "spine" connecting Royal Palm Plaza and Mizner Park. Crocker's plan calls for assembly and redevelopment of two city blocks to complete the long discussed pedestrian oriented spine. Redevelopment of the property will stretch north to south from N.E. 2nd Street to Palmetto Park Road and east to west from Mizner Boulevard to Federal Highway. Crocker's idea is to place offices, shops, restaurants, residences and a hotel along the spine.

Crocker is well known as the developer of Mizner Park. Having been at the official capping ceremony at Mizner Park in 1989, I can attest to the fact that the changes wrought by Mizner Park have been monumental and beneficial. The stores and restaurants have brought life to the area. The Museum of Art brings culture and the bandshell hosts a multitude of outstanding concerts. The proposed reopening of Liberties bookstore will continue to bring people downtown.

The negative however has been that the costs of Mizner Park to the taxpayer far exceeded the original expectations. Because of numerous unforeseen factors, it was only in 2005 that Mizner Park began to break even. The question really is what Crocker's new proposal will cost and whether the benefits will outweigh the expenses. This is an issue that the City Council is grappling with and one that all of us as concerned citizens need to monitor.

In the meantime, change is already taking place in the area. Plaza Real South from Palmetto Park Boulevard to the Royal Palm Plaza already embodies Crocker's idea. New apartment buildings and new restaurants from Nicks to Moquilla to Chops have filled in the streets and with them have come trendy shops. Although it would be nice to have a unified plan for redevelopment, the recent development of these blocks makes you wonder if market forces will eventually accomplish the Crocker plan without Tom Crocker.

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Nestled in the northwestern corner of the State of Israel lies the city of Kiryat Bialik. Like its sister city of Boca Raton, Kiryat Bialik is a suburb of a metropolitan region (Haifa), includes an area that borders on the coast, and has a large, beautiful shopping mall. These physical simlarities however are just the start of what it really means to be a sister city.

Under the auspices of the Jewish Agencies Partnerhip 2000 Program, Boca Raton and Kiryat Bialik became sister cities in 2002. This global program connects 550 worldwide communities with 45 Israeli partners. The goal of the program is to build living bridges between the communities to support educational, cultural and welfare programs.

As part of this program, I recently visited Kiryat Bialik along with nine other women from South Palm Beach County. We spent four days meeting and touring with eleven dynamic women from Kiryat Bialik.

Just like us, the women of Kiryat Bialik are professionals, businesswomen, teachers and stay at home moms. Just as we are, they are daughters, mothers, grandmothers and sisters concerned about the health and safety of their families.

Just as we face specific local challenges, Kiryat Bialik has its own unique concerns. We toured a community center where Ethiopian immigrants learned hebrew, a preschool early intervention program for Ethiopian children, a meeting place where troubled teens receive group counselling and support, and saw bomb shelters that residents used during the recent Lebanon War. We discussed ways in which we could continue to help the citizens of our sister city and provide programs to empower both communities.

Our group will continue our contact by hosting the women of Kiryat Bialik in Boca Raton in March. The relationships forged through our Israeli foray, and similar meetings between groups of teachers and teenagers, are the true living bridge between our communities. The friendship and camraderie developed and our continuing projects together are what really makes the Boca Raton/ Kiryat Bialik relationship a sister city partnership.

If you would like more information about the Jewish Federation of SPBC please log onto their website at http://www.jewishboca.org or more specifically about this partnership project please call Gail Marlow at 561-852-3163 or gailm@bocafed.org.

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Quick, what’s pink and twenty seven stories high in Boca Raton? If you guessed the Tower at the Boca Raton Resort and Club, you know your Boca hotels. The hotel, designed by renowned architect Addison Mizner over 80 years ago, is a cool historical treasure given Boca’s history of new cookie-cutter developments. The resort is also a great place for a quick weekend getaway if you know how to take advantage of being a local.

Although the hotel limits daily visits to those who pay a substantial sum and join as Members, anyone staying overnight gets full run of all the facilities. As any savvy Floridian knows, if you go during low or shoulder season you can snag a good deal and get to be king or queen of the hill at reduced rates. Another alternative for better rates is to bid on a hotel package in one of the myriad local charity silent or live auctions. The hotel often donates rooms and/or golf and sometimes you can get a good deal on a two night stay.

Disappointingly for now the Beach Club is closed for renovations. The pool area at the beach is not scheduled to reopen until April, 2008, while the Beach Club hotel rooms will not be available for occupancy until 2009. Even without the Beach Club, however, there are plenty of activities available.

My family recently took advantage of the off season rates and had a blast. My husband played golf on the resort course and raved about the magnificent setting. The on site marina has a variety of boating options and we loved our trip on the Ocean Breeze catamaran. There is a beautiful pool, multiple clay tennis courts, a well equipped fitness room, a croquet course and a first class spa complete with exotic treatment options.

The restaurants at the hotel are good but like everything else very pricey. We had a celebratory dinner at Old Homestead and it was excellent. A less expensive option for locals is to simply drive off property and enjoy your favorite Boca restaurant. Being a resident, you can take advantage of the hotel on your terms and benefit from this town treasure.

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“NBC and the RNC both had a concern about Boca Raton because it sounded snooty, was not a real city, like holding a debate in Beverly Hills.” This quote refers to the nationally televised presidential debates that will take place in January on the FAU campus, but could have been about anything taking place in Boca Raton. The city is perpetually stereotyped and maligned in both local and national media and I don’t know about you, but I am tired of it.

How dare anyone say that we are not a real city? We have a strong city government that works to appropriately manage growth, lots of hardworking local businesses, flourishing schools, a vibrant cultural community, and active charitable organizations. We might have more than our per capita share of restaurants and plastic surgeons, but we are still a true society of concerned and active citizens.

Boca Raton is by no means the most affluent city in South Florida yet it gets a bad rap as being full of rich snobs. Sure there are lots of wealthy folks here, but there are just as many if not more in places like Palm Beach and Jupiter Island. More importantly, there is a broad spectrum of individuals living in Boca. There are soccer moms, retirees scraping by on Social Security, working professionals, families on welfare, college students, Democrats, Republicans, people of all religious faiths – in short, a true community of people who chose to make their home here.

I would like to use this blog to highlight the amazing things that make Boca a real city and intend to feature organizations, events and people who contribute to making our town special. Of course, I’ll be starting from my own experiences but if you have someone or something that you think is noteworthy, please let me know by responding to this blog. I’d also like to start keeping track of movies, books, magazines, and news articles that refer to Boca and checking them for derogatory connotations. Let me hear from you so that we can combat the Boca Raton character assassination!

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