West Palm’s new tourist attraction: Air Force One
President’s plane draws onlookers during his visits.
WEST PALM BEACH — Dozens of onlookers took time out of their day on Saturday to get the perfect shot or to show off their selfie skills as they posed in front of the area’s new temporary tourist attraction: Air Force One.
Shannon O’Bryon of West Palm Beach said it was her daughter’s excitement about aircraft that brought her to see it in person.
“My daughter Mia loves it ... we live right down the street so it has been here almost every weekend and it’s entertaining,” O’Bryon said. “I think it is going to bring a lot of att rac tion, especially to this area. She’s learning a lot, and it’s something she will be able to tell her kids one day.”
The 747-200B aircraft, arguably the most recogniz able jet in the world, i s parked just off Southern Boulevard in front of Atlantic Aviation at Palm Beach International Airport while President Donald Trump is in town this weekend.
Bearing the words “United States of America,” the presidential seal and the U.S. flag, it’s hard to miss as people drive by it on Southern.
“It is my first time over here and it is my first time s e e i n g t h e p l a n e , ” s a i d Grace Jennifer Wilson, a Boca Raton resident who is originally from the Philippines. “It’s just amazing to see the plane, and obviously not too many people are able to see it in their life.”
This weekend marks the fourth in the last five that Trump has returned to Palm Beach County since his Jan. 20 inauguration as the 45th president.
Miles to the east, however, a different scene was playing out as pro-Trump and anti-Trump prote st - ers gathered and marched.
But by Ai r Forc e One, there was no talk of blue or red states.
“Patriotism has no color,” one bystander said.
Aaron Knight of Stuart said Trump is bringing attention to Palm Beach County, and he said that is a good thing.
“It has its positives, negatives, good and bad,” Knight said. “For them [kids], it is good to see. No other president has taken so many frequent trips to the same area, which is different, but for the fact that he is here it is making the plane a big attraction. And just seeing this in our backyard makes it a dynamic situation and a beautiful thing.
“On the outside looking in and without getting deep into politics, I say it is a good look. Florida is obviously very popular, but it puts even a bigger spotlight on Florida, too.”