I mainly use this blog to chat it up about Miami Beach real estate.  From time to time, I write about community info that I think my readers will care about.

I was talking with a friend about a month ago and telling her all about The Webster on Collins Avenue in South Beach.  She suggested to me that with the type of clientele that reads this blog, a post about The Webster would probably be of interest to them.  I thought it was a good idea.

Well…as you know, timing is EVERYTHING. 

I was invited to a fashion show at The Webster for this evening.  I received the invite on 4/9 and immediately RSVP’d for the event for myself and a guest.  See below:

Ok.  No problemo.  I RSVP’d the day I got the invite, I figured I was all taken care of.  Last night as I was talking to my friend who was going with me, she suggested that I send another email to confirm our chairs for the show:

About 3o minutes later, the day before, I received the lovely email below:

Then I shoot out another email thinking that, of course, they’ve made a mistake:

No response.

To wrap up this up, I ended up going and was NOT on the list.  I spoke with a girl who shusshed me to the side. Incensed, I started searching my BlackBerry for all of these emails.  I got to speak with John, and, of course, he was so pleasant (not) and assured me that I had no email communication with him. 

Out comes the Blackberry. 

Well, then, the stuttering and stammering starts.  “Well, you can come in, but your guest can’t,” John Lin replies.  I asked “are you really gonna do this?”  He didn’t know what to say.  My friend and I ended up having a perfectly pleasant dinner at Mr. Chow.

It was quite the scene at the front door.  Many, many people were searching their BlackBerry’s and iPhones for the very same email trails that I had.  They didn’t care.  They were overwhelmed.  They could’ve cared less how they treated people- and that’s the VERY purpose for this post.

I WAS  a customer of  The Webster.  I have spent more money there than I wish to disclose (out of embarrassment).  I would have probably been enticed, by a nice event, and with many friends in attendance, to spend more.

Get a grip.  Many stores sell clothes.  Bal Harbour is only at 96th Street.

This would NEVER happen in New York.

Here is my review on Yelp.

I think Mr. John Lin needs a crash course on social media and customer appreciation.

Photo by client of his Greenwich, CT pool

Photo of  The Caribbean South Beach Penthouse pool.  Caribbean is located at 3737 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach

Can you believe Miami Beach is just two hours away from Greenwich?

Check out some sun-soaked Miami Beach real estate here

Santa is being waaaay too generous.  What a gift!  Knowing that another season of good laughs are right around the corner- just makes me feel all warm, and well, like I have a Snuggie on!

Michael Cohen confirmed the goodness today on his Facebook page. 

To be honest, I’d like to know what’s going on with ”the most fabulous circle in Miami” (Watch the trailer, you’ll get it).

I saw Gonzalo, Sorah’s bf, having dinner at Quattro on Lincoln Road a few weeks ago.  I know that George French has moved out of the apartment at the Grand Venetian and now lives at Canyon Ranch.  Detoxing, maybe?  Anyhoo–Michael’s on Facebook.  And for being as ”fabulous” as he is, no one sees the uber-weathly, and charming, Ariel.  Gotta love that Ariel “get the fat bitch out of my seat” Stein.

The success of the show has apparently trickled down to the hotel where the show was primarily shot: Gansevoort South Beach. Gansevoort South Beach is scheduled for a foreclosure auction next month.

Watch the trailer from season one for holiday goodness:

These are reasons you SHOULDN’T drink and Facebook.  Confirmed by Bravo! that the show will not be headed for a second season.  Seems like the Gansevoort and “Miami Social” are headed for the discount bin at the Dollar Store.

Related Reading

Miami Social:  “We’re Like the Most Fabulous Circle in Miami” [SBCB]

Real Estate

• South Beach’s Gansevoort Hotel to be auctioned in foreclosure sale [Miami Herald]
• Sagamore Hotel:  Playboy flirts with a South Beach partner [Miami Herald]
• W Hotel South Beach:  Beach Ball [NY Post]

South Beach

• 36 Hours in South Beach, Florida [NY Times]
• Come to Park; Stay for the Architecture [NY Times]
• Casuarina gets Barton G. touch [Miami Herald]

Art Basel 2009

• Art Basel Coverage [NY Times]
• Basel ‘09: Less bling, more ka-ching [Miami Herald]
• Blogs:  Art Basel Miami 2009 [NY Times]

It seems that something “happened” to the artist Romero Britto’s work at the entrance of South Beach.  The new art, installed only months ago at the new Fifth and Alton “mall,” has either been vandalized or under some sort of reconstruction or maintenance.  I think it has to be vandalism because the piece is only months old.

If it was vandalism or maintenance, it came at an especially bad time considering that Art Basel, The World’s largest art fair, opens in days.

Related Reading

• Basel:  Bigger, Better, Busy as Ever

h/t to @martinsolarzano

I have to say, being a real estate agent, I’m kinda, well REALLY happy that they won, but don’t tell Gerald that, ok?  Just between you and I, ok?

Related

• Owner of Recently Closed Miami Beach Restaurant “The Forge,” Lists Ocean Drive Home for $10.9M

New Expose Ends Party in Miami. Literally.

Set to hit bookstores next week, Gerald Posner’s new tell-all on Miami, Miami Babylon, is creating quite the buzz here with the “old guard.”  After reading advance copies of the book, it seems that the wealthy and powerful have decided to take a pass on the parties for the well-respected author and his new book.  

This has got to be a home-run, best seller.  Nonfiction; but some of the subjects may claim it as fiction.

Some of the boldface names:

• Chris Paciello
• Jorge Perez
• Al Malnick
• Louis Aguirre
• Alex Daoud
• Don Peebles
• Jerry Powers
• Lee Schrager

BUZZ:

• Gerald Posner’s Tell-All Book Reveals Juicy Stories [Miami Beach 411]
• Miami Expose Poops Parties [NY Post]
• Miami’s Dirty Little Secrets [The Daily Beast]
• No Party for Miami Babylon:  How to Sell Books by Alienating People [Miami New Times] 

Order “Miami Babylon” at Amazon

Gerald Posner on Facebook

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the beautiful and articulate Anne Owen, Publisher of Miami Modern Luxury Magazine.

We had a chat about Miami Beach real estate at a stunning estate on North Bay Road.  The newly constructed estate is available for a cool $15M.

Special thanks to Wendy Chernin and Marlon Johnson at Plum for making us look good (or as good as we could have possibly looked).

Browse all Miami Beach waterfront homes

The most interesting fact about the house is that now it is the ONLY single family home on Ocean Drive.  Gianni Versace’s “Casa Casuarina” located at 1116 Ocean Drive was considered one of them until the property was purchased by Peter Loftin and was transformed into a private ownership club. 

As you can probably see, the home is sandwiched between two condominiums, so privacy would not be something that this home could boast.

Click here for more photos of the home located at 222 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139

What really piqued my interest, enough to write this post anyway, is that Malnik closed his restaurant, and listed his home for sale in the SAME week.  Hmmmm….

Malnik has been linked romantically to Sharon Stone, and his father, Al Malnik has had “dealings” with Michael Jackson.

Related Reading [Viewing]:

• Versace House Tour in Miami Beach-Part One
• Versace House Tour in Miami Beach-Part Two
• Versace’s Ocean Drive Home-Casa Casuarina

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Casa Casuarina was built in 1930 and modeled after the Alcazar de Colonin Santo Domingo, a residence built in 1510 by the son of Christopher Columbus and reputedly the oldest existing house in the western hemisphere.

Gianni Versace purchased the building in 1992 for $2.9 million. After receiving city approval, he demolished the hotel next door, and a two-story, 6,100-foot addition was built, transforming it into Versace’s Miami Beach house. [Miami Beach 411]

Photo: Me

UPDATE:  Here’s a photo of Casa Casuarina fka “Amsterdam Palace” before Versace renovated the property.  Question is: was it better now, or then?

A little warning:  since the following links are about the early days of South Beach, some of the material and goings-ons in the posts may be considered objectionable.  Ok, now click away!

Related Posts

• South Beach: Is It Really That Fabulous
• Discovering South Beach In the Beginning