Category Archives: Barrett-Jackson Auto Auctions

Palm Beach Ghosts, then Barrett-Jackson

After a relatively pleasant drive down the Florida Turnpike to Palm Beach, we checked into our Hampton Inn early in the afternoon. To have something fun to do in the evening, I bought some vouchers for a Ghost Tour in the historic Palm Beach downtown before we left home.

Why a ghost tour you ask? Well some evil spirit must have prompted me to book this tour as the Ramblers had never done a ghost tour. It’s not that we don’t believe in the supernatural, but as as for spooky stuff, not so much. I thought it might be fun to learn a little bit about the history of the buildings in the downtown heart of Palm Beach. As it turned out, I was wrong.

Many folks were strolling around the downtown area on a beautiful spring evening when we arrived for the tour. Finding a parking place took a while, but we located our meeting place and settled down to wait for our guide and the other folks on the tour to arrive, and waited, and waited…

Supposedly scary spot in downtown Palm Beach
Supposedly scary spot in downtown Palm Beach
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The scariest thing we saw on the tour was the very realistic mannequin of a cop in a store window

At last two other couples arrived, but no guide. This did not bode well for the tour in my book. When our guide finally did arrive, we soon learned that my bad vibes had been justified. Let us just say that the tour was a total disaster, but the Ramblers soldiered on until our guide mentioned that his tours usually ran an hour or more overtime. At this point, we politely pleaded senior fatigue and headed back to our car. We had heard a lot of bad history and talk of orbs, but felt no inkling of any unearthly presence whatsoever. Unfortunately by the time I finally decided it was time to leave (the Senior Rambler was ready to leave after 5 minutes) it was after 9 PM and all the restaurants were closing so not only did we see no ghosts but we ended up going to bed without our supper. Not to say that one might have a different experience with another guide. Oh well, we were looking forward to attending the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auctions and the weather forecast was favorable.

The South Florida Fairgrounds is just a short distance from Palm Beach, but even though we thought we had left early enough (9 AM), as we approached our destination, which was in a semi-rural area, we were soon caught up in auction-bound traffic. Our only previous experience with auto auctions of this magnitude was watching them on TV. The Senior Rambler’s usual mantra is “you can see it better on TV,” but both of us had some interest in actually attending  one. My curiosity was probably greater than his, but in this case, once would certainly be enough.

The red seats on the main floors are for bidders only,
The red seats on the main floors are for bidders only,

We didn’t reckon with the huge crowds, the Florida heat, the relentless noise in the auction room, the vast expanse of the fairground and the lack of places to actually sit down.  Our conclusion, you really can see a Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction better on TV.

For those of you who still want to attend  or are curious about our experience, here are a few tips. Probably the best information we can give you is to spend the money and register as a bidder. This allows you a seat on the main floor during the auction, and also has some other benefits. Everyone else, which means literally thousands of people, must try to find a seat in the bleachers on the three sides of the auction area. Thousands of people and maybe 500 seats means there were crowds of people constantly milling around in the aisles or standing or trying to wait out those who currently held bleacher seats. It is definitely not a place for the germophobe. Although the room was air conditioned in opposition to the 95 degrees of Florida humidity outside, this was not fun.

One thing we didn’t take into consideration was the extremely high noise level. The B-J auctioneers use a constant running patter which is broadcast at a very high volume. For those of you who are sensitive to noise, and the Senior Rambler is one, we suggest good quality ear plugs as a must. Another option is to attend an auction where the auctioneers have a different style. They are not all as noisy as  B-J, but even so, ear plugs are a good idea.

Finally be aware that lots of walking is involved and there was, as far as we could see, little consideration for people with trouble getting around and very few handicapped spots. We did eventually locate the handicapped parking, but it was not really close to the building. Because of the nature of these events, they are always held in very large facilities and weather can become an issue. At South Florida, it was the heat.

Inspecting the merchandise
Inspecting the merchandise

So did we like anything about our experience. Well, yes, it is a good place to get a good buy on a classic car if you’re lucky. We were amazed at the prices. Some cars went ridiculously cheap and others, at least in our minds, were ridiculously expensive. It all depends on what you want and who is bidding that particular day. So don’t get carried away. Some folks who regularly attend these events  pointed out at least one vehicle that had been bought at a previous auction and was being re-sold at a loss. So if you think you might buy something at a bargain price and re-sell at a profit, think again. It seemed to us that a lot of those bargain priced cars were snapped up by dealers although we could be wrong.

Of course there are many tents holding cars to be auctioned that you can walk through, although we were disappointed that they didn’t have more brass age cars, those which were built before World War I.

This car is heading for the auction block
This car is heading for the auction block

That’s the period I have written about and also the cars we most enjoy looking at.  The auction also had a midway where food and a myriad of auto related products are sold. In addition,  many manufacturers had their new models on display in air conditioned comfort. They also did provide parking lot shuttles which was a good thing as the lots were huge. This is a place where you don’t want to forget where you parked your car. It’s not a bad idea to take a photo of its location with your phone.

By day two, we were getting tired of the auction, left early and headed to a little biker bar on Jupiter Beach where we enjoyed delicious fried food and watched the boat traffic on the inter-coastal waterway.

A view from our table at Tiki Bar 52, a local favorite and fun place
A view from our table at Tiki Bar 52, a local favorite and fun place

Probably we should have just enjoyed the beach instead of the attending the auction, but we did learn what it was like, and the people watching was fantastic.  It certainly satisfied our desire to attend an auto auction of this kind, even though we enjoy automotive history and old cars. Never again will we go to a Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction,  it is incredibly better to watch it on TV.

Our drive home was uneventful, and we enjoyed our usual stop at Lanes’ Orchard

NO peaches yet, but soon
NO peaches yet, but soon

south of Macon on Interstate 75 for a large dish of home made peach ice cream, and some freshly picked strawberries to take home.

Part 2 – Disneyworld and beyond – The Ramblers are back with more photos

The B hotel, unlike the mid range Hampton Inns and their brothers,  we usually frequent, did not include breakfast. So, after a cup of coffee and a pastry from their convenience store, we headed to the B’s bus stop. This was the first time we weren’t staying in a Disney World hotel, and we wondered just how long it would take us to get to Animal Kingdom. In this, we were pleasantly surprised as it took no longer than a bus ride from one of the Disney resorts.

The trick was to memorize WHERE the bus stopped so we could find it again. It is no surprise that the stops for the Disney hotels are prominently marked while those for the non-Disney preferred hotels, are in the furthest possible location.  Oh well, we were saving a good bit by staying at the B.

I guess we were smiled on by the Disney gods because neither Animal Kingdom nor Epcot were particularly crowded that day, and the sun was shining. This was yet another surprise as we thought that the third week of April would still be prime spring break season. Thus we were able to get to the Safari ride, at the absolute farthest end of Animal Kingdom, before a long line had developed. After a brief wait, we were loaded onto our fake bush vehicle and rumbled down the dirt track. This Rambler has always enjoyed the Safari ride; seeing all the animals, especially the babies is fun, as is the concept of taking a safari in Africa.

Elephant family from Safari Ride
Elephant family from Safari Ride

What I didn’t like, was the fake chase for poachers which was part of the schtick. To our surprise, the search for little Red the baby elephant had been abandoned, and instead there was more  emphasis on the animals and nature. To me, this was a plus. Having taken our brief trip to Africa, it was time to head back to the exit gate, and our bus stop, for a ride to Epcot our favorite park.

Again, the wait was not too long, and soon we were at Epcot. There are two Epcot rides  we particularly enjoy, Soarin’ and The Land. When I thought about this, they share a certain similarity. Soarin’ provides a swooping view of California’s beauty and while The Land focuses on the bounty of fruits and vegetables our land provides.

The new ticket system allowed us to select up to three rides for fast passes but we couldn’t do both Soarin’ and The Land, so we picked Soarin’ as it has been the most crowded ride every time we visit Disney. Thinking we might not get to Epcot very early I chose a late afternoon time for our fast pass. This was a mistake, because we did get there early. This meant that if we wanted to eat in the World Showcase, and we did, we would have to walk from one end of Epcot to another and back again.Our favorite miniature train Looking on the plus side, we had to walk back there anyway to get to our bus stop, again it was about as far away as possible without being in another park altogether. Plus Soarin’ and The Land are in the same building, and we got to see some of our long time favorites along the way.

One thing we have noticed is the proliferation of mobility scooters and gigantic strollers since we have started coming to Disney World. In the old days, strollers were usually small and became even smaller when folded. Now most strollers one sees at Disney are about the size of a small sports car. I’m sure they are easier to push and more comfortable for their occupants but they sure do take up space, and don’t fold much either.

Twenty years ago, one might see an unfortunate soul struggling to push a mobility-challenged relative in a wheelchair, but no scooters. Now there are hardly any wheelchairs but many, many scooters. Some folks are downright dangerous when they steer those machines around,  Although the Ramblers figure that if they can’t get around on their own two feet, they probably should stay home, we may be suffering from scooter envy. Who knows?

One of the best things about Epcot is that it offers a wide variety of restaurants serving excellent ethnic food. It may not be entirely authentic, but it certainly tastes good.  We settled on the Tangerine Cafe in Morocco, because there were outside tables, and the weather was just about perfect.

Our meal at the Tangerine Cafe
Our meal at the Tangerine Cafe

Footsore but refreshed after a pleasant lunch, we headed back to Soarin’ for another wonderful ride and then back to the B hotel. And yes, we only visit our most favorite attractions now, when we go to Disney. Somehow it heightens our enjoyment and leaves lots of time for people watching.

Trying some German red wines
Trying some German red wines

I did find some time to taste some wines at the German pavilion. It was fun chatting with the young woman who came from one of the towns we would visit on our next river cruise.

There was yet another special exhibit open at Epcot while we were there, the Flower and Garden Show. Although Disney World has some of the best landscaping and floral displays in the United States, some extras had been added for the show. The flower beds were particularly spectacular, simply a riot of color reflected in one of the many ponds in the park.

Beautiful flower beds near The Land in Epcot
Beautiful flower beds near The Land in Epcot

The garden staff certainly outdid itself with its topiaries, this time they were inserted in a variety of different landscapes, not just on their own. Two of my favorites were Miss Piggy and Tinker Bell. Tink was a part of one of the displays in the butterfly house specially constructed for the show.

Miss Piggy looking particularly attractive in green!
Miss Piggy looking particularly attractive in green!
Tinker Bell in the Butterfly House
Tinker Bell in the Butterfly House

The next morning we headed south on the Florida Turnpike for Palm Beach and the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction held at the Fairgrounds. W e had watched the Barrett-Jackson auto extravaganzas many times on television and on a whim, I bought tickets for the Palm Beach event, as we could stop at Disney on the way and Palm Beach is a beautiful city. Taking the fairly expensive Turnpike was a good choice because traffic was a lot lighter than on the Interstate, and as an added bonus, Florida has been upgrading their Turnpike rest areas. Although not all are finished, we found them exceptionally nice, sparking  clean and with a good variety of food choices. When we stopped at one for lunch, we found they even had an Earl of Sandwich, our Disney World favorite; not as many choices but still excellent.

Our choice in Palm Beach was a Hampton Inn, Although we have been to Palm Beach before, we stayed on the island part on the other side of the bridge. Since our main purpose was to attend the auto auction, I chose a hotel which I though would be close to the fairgrounds. It wasn’t, but it was a pleasant stay in an older property which caters to mainly to business people. It was also very quiet which can be both good and bad. We had a wide open evening , and to fill it, I had vouchers to a ghost tour in downtown Palm Beach. Since this is a beautiful area with ritzy shops and restaurants we thought it would be fun to stroll around there at night. As it turned out, the tour was fun, in a weird way. More about this next time.