The Orphans of Madoff

A few days ago, we dropped into Palm Beach for lunch. Bernie Madoff could not have emptied that town more efficiently if he had actually gunned down its denizens. It is a sunny and meticulously clean ghost town. A posh mausoleum where the waiters really wait. For customers who do not arrive. And stuff is not selling.



Anyway, we walked down an almost deserted Worth Avenue, enjoying the Addison Miznerized nooks and mews that draw you into shady alleys that open onto precious little courtyards stuffed with statuary and gardens and pretty tiles. The nervous silence of the place was astounding. All the Bentley-ensconced, augmented, blonde-streaked, nipped and tucked countesses of the county were in hiding. Perhaps a Lenten shrivening, or are they all really broke and busted?

Here are ten conspicuously unobstructed Palm Beach Worth Avenue vistas from the day.