South Beach Condos Blog

Last week I was invited to a great holiday dinner hosted by MiamiBeach411.com at Tuscan Steak in South Beach.

It was great to meet the crew from this popular Miami Beach info site: Gus Moore, Michelle Willett, and Mirna Arce. I know other people from their org were present, but the event was so well-attended that it was hard to maneuver around the room.

So, I showed up only about 30 minutes late to find, like, half of the restaurant full of Miami bloggers. I am amazed and surprised that there is such a large contingent of Miami bloggers. I had NO idea. Truth be told, I was dragging a bit that day (Basel hangover) and had only planned on staying about 45 minutes, but I had the good fortune of sitting between Michelle Willett and Dan Renzi (yes, that guy from The Real World) and across from my friend, Lucas Lechuga, so the conversation was fun, and the hours zipped by. So here is a list of some of the Miami bloggers and their blogs for you to enjoy. I haven’t been to all of the blogs yet, but I will.

Scott - http://www.ipanemic.com/
Maria - http://sexandthebeach.blogspot.com/
Yvette - http://miamirhapsody.blogspot.com/
Sara - http://allpurposedark.blogspot.com/
Rick - http://stuckonthepalmetto.blogspot.com/ R.I.P.
Alex - http://stuckonthepalmetto.blogspot.com/ R.I.P.
Dan Renzi - http://danrenzi.typepad.com/
Christian - http://www.fanless.com
Michael Froomkin - http://www.discourse.net/
Caroline Bradley - http://blenderlaw.umlaw.net/
Restaurantgal - http://www.restaurantgal.com/
Lucas Lechuga - http://blog.miamicondoinvestments.com/
Verticus - http://miamivisionblogarama.blogspot.com/
Tere - http://tere-tere.blogspot.com/
James Burnett - http://burnettiquette.blogspot.com/
Carlos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fodder/
Restaurant Gal - http://www.restaurantgal.com/

I’ll miss SotP

Need to know what to do?  Where to go?  Basel and the satellite fairs get bigger and bigger every year.  Finally, there is a website which debuted last week to help guide you through the parties, the scene and oh yeah, THE ART.

WWW.MA2DWEEK.COM

WWW.MA2DWEEK.COM is a sassy guide to the week, from distress offerings of last-minute hotel rooms, to invitations to a Basel Schmazel party in New York (for those unfortunates who didn’t make it to Miami). It tells you what private parties are on, and where, so you can say, “Oh, I knew that,” when someone says Bentley is going to throw a party on a “private island” for its 50 VIP clients. (Hint, the island may be exclusive, but it’s not really “private.”) It even has a link to Plum TV so you can pretend you’ve already seen the Scholl’s new installation at their home. And it’s smart. On its printable daily schedule, it highlights the strategic plan for the day. Wednesday’s hint: see the Margulies collection in the morning, go to see Iggy Pop at 10 pm. Both are free. Everyone in Miami says it’s the best and only schedule they are following.

Recently, during a stunning Sunday morning, I decided to tour the social hub of Miami Beach, Lincoln Road Mall. Lincoln Road is a pedestrian mall which extends from the Atlantic Ocean to Biscayne Bay and except for the eastern and westernmost blocks, is completely closed to automobile traffic.

Lincoln Road was named after Abraham Lincoln, who was the hero of Miami Beach co-developer Carl Fisher. Lincoln Road wasn’t always a pedestrian mall, the street was originally split down the center and open for two-way traffic. In 1960 the outdoor mall was redesigned to be pedestrian- only by architect Morris Lapidus. Lapidus was a funny guy, saying that “a car never bought anything”. Carl Fisher originally envisioned “The Road” to be the “Fifth Avenue of the South” and touted upscale stores like Bonwit Teller, Burdines (now Macy’s) and Saks Fifth Avenue. There was a Cadillac showroom on the corner of Lincoln & Pennsylvania where “Cafeteria” now is was ( I heard today that it closed).

Lincoln Road Mall is often compared to “Las Ramblas” in Barcelona (above), and is a favorite haunt for tourists AND locals.

There is something for everybody on Lincoln Road including: galleries, shops, cafe’s, clubs and theaters. The number one attraction for the road? People-watching. Every third Sunday of the month Lincoln Road hosts and Antiques and Collectibles Market. Enjoy!

Here is Victoria Secret. The building is The Mead Building and was completely replicated from the original building.

Lincoln Road has many waterfalls and shade structures. These were added in 1960 by Morris Lapidus.

Ghirardelli is at the corner of Lincoln & Meridian across from Starbuck’s.

Major Apple store just opened. A high-end linen store, Moseley’s, was in this space since the 1950’s.

This is the euro-central, Segafredo Zanetti. It has a boudoir theme, kind of like Costes but outdoors. Totally euro. Lots of cigarette smoke. Walking past Segafredo on a Sunday afternoon is like doing runway at a major fashion show. You better work.

This is another shady rest area at the intersection of Euclid Avenue. Oribe has a salon on Euclid.

Farmer’s Market every Sunday until 5 p.m.

This is the Van Dyke Cafe. Hands-down the best cafe’ atmosphere and a great vantage point for people-watching. Did you notice that I didn’t mention the food? I went this week and it seems to be getting better.

A beautiful day and fresh flowers make for a beautiful picture.

The Sterling Building was designed by V.H. Nellenbogen. This is one of the most important buildings on Lincoln Road. My first real estate office was in this building.

Great fountain with Segafredo and Colony Theater in the background.

Russian Bear Cafe in the Sterling Building.

This is my favorite palm on Lincoln Road. It is beautiful. I need to find out what kind of palm this is.

This is the Lincoln Theater, home to the New World Symphony.

This used to be a bank. Very Deco!

Design Within Reach furniture store. This is located in the center breezeway of the Sterling Building. This is exactly where my old office was. Prior to that it was a furrier. Oh, the glamour.

New haute Italian restaurant, Quattro which is right next to Balan’s which is the place to be for Sunday brunch.

Miami Beach, furthering its reputation as the “hippest place on earth”, will be hosting the first ever Sleepless Night, a round-the-clock venue of free entertainment and cultural events on November 3rd. This event will be the first event of its kind in the United States.

According to the Miami Herald,

Sleepless Night will be held from 6 p.m. to 6 am. And include tours, outdoor art exhibits, fashion shows, performances, film, dance and music. The events will take place in four zones: North Beach, Collins Park, Lincoln Road and Ocean Drive. Free transportation will be provided. Hotels, shops, clubs and restaurants will be open all night.

Miami Beach has an international reputation for hosting world-class happenings like Art Basel Miami Beach and the South Beach Wine & Food Festival,” said Gary Farmer, Miami Beach’s cultural affairs program manager.

The idea of Sleepless Night originated in Paris (surprise) in 2002. I was lucky enough to be in Paris during “Nuit Blanche” in 2004. It was definitely exciting and was still in its infancy. Many other cities have a Sleepless Night of their own including Rome, Madrid, Brussels, Montreal and Toronto.

The City of Miami Beach is launching a website in July; I will post it here when it is up.

Round the clock party…. How different will this day/night be from the other 364 days here in Miami Beach?