editor’s letter

The Summer of Our Discontent?

Let’s hope this season is a time for healing, renewal and new beginnings

We always counted on summer to slow things down. But this summer feels different, more like a figurative battleground after the dust has settled, with some buildings still smoking, an oddly quiet pall settling over Delray Beach. With a turbulent year behind us, from the shutdown of Old School Square to the mass influx of new residents to skyrocketing housing prices, nothing

feels typical anymore.

It’s hard to know how to think about things this year when all you want to do is slip into that off-season like you used to, relishing a slower pace, lighter traffic, more locals around town again. That’s why it was comforting in some ways to do our annual “50 Things We Love About Delray” feature (page 46), in which our panel of “insiders” managed to come up with all kinds of Delray places and people who are still making magic here, from great new restaurants to the city’s new homelessness initiative. It reminded me that in the face of missteps and discord and rapid change, Delray still somehow manages to move forward, even in small ways.

The story of Kenny Emerson (page 58) is another example of triumph, in his efforts to paddle from Bimini to Lake Worth at an age when most of us are opting for a pool noodle and a margarita instead.

And there’s more, of course, to celebrate this season as we take a collective breath. There are sea turtles to watch, and afternoon storms to cool things down, and longer days, and dinner reservations before 9 p.m. Despite the issues this city still faces, it’s important to value what it has and what promise it still holds. We can only hope summer will help generate new optimism and a return to that hometown pride we have shared for decades.

FIVE (MORE) THINGS I LOVE ABOUT DELRAY

[ 1 ] The Girls Strawberry Patch for a day out with the kids [ 2 ] Sunday night takeout from Hunan Gardens [ 3 ] The Wednesday night drum circle [ 4 ] Joycelyn Patrick for being the voice of reason [ 5 ] An early walk at Wakodahatchee Wetlands