Locos in Miami

Miami Beach can be fun if you are into culture, anything Latino, splashing in the water, and visited during the wintertime. Naturally, there is the bar scene, which I don't do, and from what I hear, it's quite a scene especially around South Beach's Delano Hotel and other high decorator symbols. Try as many different restaurants as you can, and there are many, but I usually come here for the Cuban food.

There were some memorable moments, one of which had nothing to do with us, but rather with a woman on a bus with her son, who was talking non-stop about her life (in Spanish) to another couple across the way, who listened politely, and nodded their heads occasionally. There was a bit of a row between mom and sonny boy, after which he stormed to the front of the bus. She explained that he had been on the "patch" to try to quit smoking. It was making him nervous. I was fascinated by the fact that she was completely clueless about the people around her, and that her voice needed no amplification.

Calle Ocho deserves a couple of hours, and so does the Holocaust Museum, if you are so inclined. Cruising on Ocean Avenue is a blast, and I made Chuck take a picture of two young females walking in the evening with the shortest shorts and the largest derrieres I had seen!

After a low tide evening, a swim in the ocean is marvelous, and at the Roney Palace, they bring you chaises lounges, umbrellas, whatever you need. Again, because of the construction, access to the beach is painful; and if it’s hot, it’s hellish.

The people that live here, as well as those who come, are fabulous. We are always meeting new people, not to forge long lasting relationships, but to spend some time discovering commonalities and differences. The pool at the Roney is a great place for this kind of camaraderie. We met some people who actually come to this place four times a year! That would be enough to have me committed.

If you’re going to be here, do make the trip to the Keys. It’s pure exhilaration, and getting there is most of the fun, though Chuck didn’t think so (he was driving).

Quick Tips:

Purchase the Entertainment Book. We have enjoyed using these in California. They are great in restaurants, museums, cinemas, tours, and for kids who love fast food, they have you covered.

Some places offer early bird dinners, though we didn't go to any. Have your camera ready because you will undoubtedly encounter precious moments. We didn't look into rentals of jet skis and/or boats, but the brochures are replete with coupons for those. Watersports here are a big thing (i.e. snorkeling, parasailing, wind surfing and rafting. You can rent a Lamborghini or Ferrari for a day. (there is a Hummer epidemic down here).

There is no shortage of shops or museums in Miami. So if the heat has driven you mad, you can hide in A/C comfort and spend some money! For the romantics, take a cruise; they have several including the sunset one. I especially liked the one that meanders through the homes of the filthy rich. We missed downtown Miami at night which is supposed to be hopping around Brickell Avenue; we also bypassed Coral Gables. A word of advice: if this is your first visit, get to understand the street system, and the freeway system.

Best Way To Get Around:

Get a car no matter what, unless you are planning to veg out in your room for a couple of days. Taxis are expensive, and the rates go higher during peak season. I always take a taxi in, but never out. There is very adequate public transportation by way of buses, but hereagain, if you are being hammered with heat, you are going to wish that the bus would run you over. There is a monorail, but it doesn't go all the way down to the South Beach area. Then they have what is called the Metrorail, and a Metromover, which connects you to the Metrorail. Are you still with me here? Then comes the Tri-rail. I think I've convinced you to get a car.

Best Things Nearby:
Everything because you are in the heart of South Beach. The Art Deco districts is blocks away, as is Lincoln Road which is where "it's happening". Ocean Drive has some of the best restaurants in the area and ritzy boutique hotels. A convenient bus stop is within a block and a half and can take you to the Bayside Mall which should not be missed. The Bass Museum of Art is across the street and was featuring a Picasso exhibit. Walgreen's is on the corner for any emergency item you may need, including groceries.

Best Things About the Resort:
The accommodations are huge. We could have set up a ping pong table in our studio and played comfortably. Since it was undergoing renovation when we were there, it's impossible to really give an unbiased or fair opinion. But the service overall is excellent and the staff go out of their way to be friendly. Its location is also desirable since it's right in the heart of South Beach.

Resort Experience:
We booked the Roney Palace because we were unable to get to Rome. I know this sounds insane, but I wanted to use my time share property, and everything in Europe was booked solid. So, they suggested the Roney Palace and I took it. They had mentioned renovation and closing of the main pool, but as a rule, we don’t spend much time at hotels. However, this situation was a bit different.

When we arrived in Miami, it was stifling hot and humid, and it was nighttime. Checking in was relatively painless; the entrance and lobby of the hotel are quite impressive, with a superb marble floor and old world type chandeliers. The registration staff was friendly and courteous and we were checked in less than 10 minutes. A couple of things annoyed me: a $10 daily fee for use of the pool and exercise facilities which should have been waived in view of the inconvenience of the construction, and the detours one had to undertake to make it to the the pool. Had I wanted a refrigerator in our apartment, I could have it for an additional $15 a day. We settled for ice cubes instead.

We were in room 790 which has no view in particular except some high risers and palm trees, a couple of uninteresting roof tops and cooling units. However, we had a great balcony, but it was hermetically locked during the "construction phase". This irritated Chuck to no end, as he usually loves to go out on the balcony and shoot pictures or just fry in the sun. There was an enormous kitchen with many cabinets, microwave, etc.. but no utensils whatsoever. Desk was attached to the kitchen counter and had dial up service for the internet. The bedroom was humongous, and very "zen" in furnishings. Colors were neutral and soothing, and furniture was sparse. The pictures will tell you.

. The bathroom was well equipped with hairdryer, magnifying mirror (yeah!) ample towel supply, shampoo/conditioner, but no body lotion. Thank you, but I had my own. They supplied green bath gel, which Chuck mistook for mouthwash: imagine the scene there. Whoever drew the plans for this room must have been dozing when determining the placement of the closet. First you have to search for it. Then when you find it, it’s in the bathroom, but if the bathroom door is open, you can’t open the closet door, and vice versa. Once you’ve negotiated that entire situation, it’s a fairly good size walk in closet with a safe for all of my fake jewels.

There is daily maid service, and though they promise a hot tub in the studio, there isn’t one. The noise resulting from construction workers is from 9am to 5 pm and can drive you mad if you are trying to sleep. The extraordinary comfort of the bed is somewhat of a consolation. The ride from the airport will cost you a flat fee of $28; it’s cheaper to rent a car.

• Unit Type: Studio
• Activities: Fair
• Amenities: Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

Ocean Drive is where you want to be at night in Miami Beach if you are looking for:

a) great food
b) ambiance
c) music
d) latest in what to wear and what not to wear
e) people watching

We had been recommended a restaurant by the resort concierge around 7th Street, but could not find it. To say that the street is jammed with cars would be an underestimation. And trying to find parking is no easy feat, and that goes for just about anywhere along Ocean Drive. After one spin around the block, we were blessed with a spot on one of the side streets. So we decided to get out and walk, and pick whatever would appeal to our taste.

We didn’t have far to go. The sight of crisp white linen tablecloths, mutedly lit candles on each table, and an irresistible latin beat beckoned us to A fish Called Avalon. We glanced at the menu which is offered on the curbside side of the outdoor dining area. We were seated immediately and began enjoying the music and the passers by.

So what was great on the menu?

I had the seafood salad, which was a delightful blend of shrimp, scallops and squid suffused in an orange ginger vinaigrette. Though this was not an entrée, it was perfectly adequate for dinner. Portions are very generous. Chuck chose the Floridian snapper, which arrived perched on a bed of lentil bean salad with a coconut vinaigrette, pre-sliced. There is a wine list, of course, and I never really get intimate with that part of dining, as I am not alcohol proof.

Have a look at some of the other items on the menu:

Grilled Shrimp Cocktail with tequila cocktail sauce and avocado relish

Wild Mushroom (portabella & shitake) Salad in an 18-year-old balsamic dressing

Grilled Mahi Mahi with saffron mashed potatoes and fried basil leaves

And for vegetarians: Grilled Vegetables, Cabbage slaw in basil vinaigrette. Hungry??

Service was extremely courteous and prompt. Our server was a transplant from the Midwest, and had come to Miami on vacation and decided to remain. It’s been eight years for him.

Both of us were caught in the stream of human bodies passing by our table. One did not necessarily have to be dressed for dinner; spike heels, flip flops, mini-weenie skirts, huge bangle earrings and pendants, of course. Couples, groups of young men on the "prowl", young women probably doing the same, older couples holding hands, mothers pushing baby prams. Most everyone wore a cell phone on their ear.

While Chuck sipped his wine, I ended dinner with my favorite dessert and black tea. The tiramisu is drenched with rum, but delectable nonetheless.

Breezes is one of three restaurants at the Roney Palace Resort. It wears its name well in that it's very airy, sunny, and evokes the tropics with its bamboo furniture and colorful buffet tablecloth.

It's a bit of a trek to get there, but I suspect things will get better when construction and remodeling are finished. We had breakfast there twice, and found the service to be excellent, albeit sometimes slow.

You will have the choice of an a la carte menu, a continental buffet, and a full buffet. The first time, I had a granola parfait that was shamelessly delicious. The second time, I did the Continental buffet, and found it more than adequate. The fruit is good, but not great, as some of the melons were rancid. The pineapple was sweet; there is hot and cold cereal to be had, fresh croissants and brioches, muffins, breads and bagels and spreads.

For those looking for a heftier fare, a cook could prepare an omelette for you any which way you like, and the usual sausage links, bacon, breakfast potatoes and scrambled eggs are kept warm in huge receptacles. I didn't really look too well on that side, so as to avoid any temptation.

It was here that we learned that many foreigners stay at the Roney; I heard Dutch, Portuguese, German, French Canadian (there is a difference) and Arabic spoken on the premises. Our server was Russian and delightful. The hostess could have used a new wig.

Breakfast is served from 7:00am to 11:30am. You can also have lunch or dinner here, but when there are so many incredible places to eat out there, we never did.

The other two eating venues here are Atlantis Bar & Grill and a sushi bar called "Electric Blue".

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Chuck wished to try the local buses and go downtown for dinner. This "spontaneous" method has smiled upon us many times. As we crossed the street, we asked a group of people about bus schedules and destinations. It turned out they were tourists themselves, from Istanbul. After our amazing trip to Turkey a couple of years ago, we had many things to discuss. They recommended the Bayside Market Place as the "most beautiful thing they had ever seen", so why not?

The bus was painfully slow on the way there, and painfully rare on the way back. The fare is $1.25, which is reasonable by any standard. What we always find is advantageous on public transportation is that you can glimpse all of those nooks and crannies you wish to revisit. Lincoln Road was jumping, and so it went down on the list.

We arrived at the Bayside Market and immediately, my thoughts were of the Baltimore Harbor and New York's South Street Seaport. The welcoming sounds of a live salsa band had us skipping like kids; the port of Miami was right there and a huge guitar pierced the sky from the rooftop of the Hard Rock Cafe.

We took photos of our newly found friends and set out to explore. The air was balmy, but tolerable. Don't ever forget that the weather in Miami can be merciless, and the combination of heat and humidity can drive more than your hair crazy. So stay hydrated and avoid the mid-afternoon sun.

This is for everyone: families bring their kids to eat, listen to music, even ride a carousel. There must be 1,000 shops there and when you can't handle the weather, sneak into one that's air-conditioned. Aside from the well-known brand names, there are several charming local boutiques offering everything from tropical themed jewelry, to Asian decorative objects and accessories, tops, tops, and more tops. At the entrance are several vending cards with either cold smoothies or cotton candy for the kids. (or the big kids like us).

Upstairs is the food court, and you can eat quite well relatively cheaply. I immediately decided to go for the fried fish (see picture) whereas Chuck ran for Chinese. He regretted that decision. After this light supper, we went outside onto one of the viewing decks and Chuck indulged in his picture taking frenzy. The sun was setting but there was absolutely no breeze. The band was still playing downstairs and you could hear people clapping along, enjoying themselves.

Should you come here by car, there seems to be ample parking (hourly rates). From here, you can also partake in different cruise offerings: one that I had taken years ago navigated through the homes of the rich and famous. Rates vary. Hotels and guide books will come in handy to help with choices. It's a great spot for walking, enjoying Cuban food and music, and being in fresh air when it's not stifling hot.

I had spotted this listing in the cultural part of our guide book. As usual, Chuck is very suspicious of me when I select things he is not familiar with. Several times in the past I would recommend something, or remember someplace I had been only to find that it was no longer there.

When you are in South Beach, which is where we were, you have to cross any number of causeways which connect you to the city of Miami. There is also a street numbering system that is a little irritating, but why fight it? You have the same street numbers, but make sure that it is either NW or SW; that can mean the difference between being there, and being somewhere you'd rather not be. This one happened to be 79th Street NE. We were at about 23rd Street or so. Oh, by the way, did I tell you we rented a car??

So we are on our way, and take Ocean Avenue as far as we can go. It's quite lovely during the day, except that very few people are out.. As is so typical in tropical climates, we were hit with an incredible downpour which lasted about fifteen minutes, only to yield to splendid sunshine moments later.

We did go through some unsavory neighborhoods to get to our destination, but I was unmoved. I was particularly excited at the prospect that I might get a great buy on drum art. It’s hard to find the gallery as the building signs are about insurance and medical offices.

To shorten the saga, you have to go through the medical ofices to get into the factory/gallery. I'm not sure they make everything there,- as I wouldn't doubt they are importing this stuff from Haiti and selling it here. The art work is nothing short of stunning. Drum art ad infinitum; pottery, toys, painted vases, oil paintings depicting Haitian life, boiserie, etc..The prices are extremely high, so if you are bargain hunting, this "ain't your cuppa tea". The owner is a woman by the name of Gislaine Rameau Bastien. A couple of other people were there, and were very welcoming and courteous. This could have been someone's apartment which was transformed into a gallery like space.

Haitian Art does not get a fair shake since the country has had negative publicity due to its political instability, and ranks as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. It is highly colorful and mostly based on religion and voodoo. It is influenced by both French and African cultures. Its magnetism, for me, stems from its primitive and somewhat instinctive nature. You will find other places which sell this type of art. The one that got my business was in the Keys.

Calle Ocho has been partially renamed Celia Cruz Street, and with good reason. This was not my first visit, but it was for Chuck. We actually came here twice during our stay: the first time, we could not find anything that I remembered, so Chuck consoled me by saying they had probably shut the place down! (Imagine Calle Ocho disappearing???). I also didn't remember the fact that it ran one way from about SW 25th down, and then it becomes two way as you go further up. But by then, you've lost Little Havana.

I had visions of crusty Cubanos with jamon for four days before we were able to find the right coordinates. We had a late flight back to California on our last day, and decided to spend late morning in this area. You can't imagine my relief when I started to see "El Pub" restaurant again, the panaderias, the bodegas with their groceries and sundry wares, and the $1 and menos stores which I comb avidly, since there is no such thing in Marin County.

Every year, when we came to visit our family in Fort Lauderdale, we would make the 45-minute drive to Miami just so that I could get my latest Latin music fix at Lily's. Have you ever been to that place?? It's the most amazing music store I've ever been to; additionally they now sell instruments.

What was really gratifying was to see that the men's domino club had become a historical site, and that it now had a respectable enclosure around it, and an official name: Maximo Gomez Park. We went inside, very quietly, so as not to disturb the players. No one really speaks, but you can hear the slapping down of the tiles on the grids. Amongst the players was a woman, and that was a first time thing for me. I noticed that they had also added chess to the games being played.

I was hunting for art (for a change), and came upon the Santos Fine Art Gallery. Mr. Santos was seated near the window, painting. When we went in to admire his work, he was chatting on his cell phone. There were original oils, and limited edition prints, as well as photographs. He ships! Go to Santos and browse.

Hunger pangs led us to El Cristo Restaurant, formerly called El Pescador. I already knew what I wanted, and I was determined to have Chuck try it. The restaurant is quite large, very clean, and our server was an angel. We both had the Cubano special, and the photo below says it all. We saved some of it for the flight home.

There is a mini sidewalk star collection where you'll find the names of Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias and other celebrities. It's directly in front of McDonald's (they really ought to take that down!). Oh yes, for the cigar aficionados, you'll have a field day here.

Art Deco is as much of an identifier to South Beach as is the Cuban character of South Miami. The area between 23rd and 1st Street (some say it stops at 5th, but I don’t agree) is where the greatest concentration of these structures lies. There is also quite a bit of restoration, and new buildings going up in the style of the 1920s-1930s era. Even if one is not terribly moved by architecture, the Art Deco District of South Beach is eye candy. And there is a method to the madness, as you will see from some of the pictures below.

The name "Art Deco" is an abbreviated form of a much longer French phrase that was the name of an architectural exposition that took place in the early 20th century. This architectural type was born in Europe and traveled here with the genesis of the industrial revolution. Over the span of the 20 or so years between the two world wars, certain characteristics evolved that were attributed to this movement. Since there were many, I will try to not overwhelm you with minutiae.

One of the most striking is what they call the rule of "three’s". A building’s façade will have three windows, or three bandings of same or contrasting color, or three eyebrows. The latter is thought to have been influenced by the Egyptians. Think of eyebrows as linings over arches. Next are the pastel colors; at times complementary and other times, quite contrasting and bold. The restored and newer buildings sport strong blues, Arizona adobe brick colors that are anything but demure. I couldn’t stop looking at the Portofino Tower, which is a fairly new high-riser at the end of Collins Avenue, which is a marvel of proportion and harmony, and screams turquoise and lobster. Have a look at the photo.

A great influence on the usage of certain materials came with new manufactured materials: you could therefore have a building incorporating etched glass, or glass blocks, wrought iron railings that would simulate ships’ decks, spires reminiscent of radio towers, with slabs of concrete and the ultimate deco signature, the neon light.

The lettering which is associated with Broadway is a child of the Art Deco era. Think of the Brooklyn diner, the Chrysler Building, the AMC theaters - those are all examples of the style.

Right on Ocean Avenue and about 7th Street is the Art Deco Welcome Center. We never went in because we saw it late at night. It most likely will have some literature on the history of the area with the striking examples of each genre. Should you be as fascinated as I am by the subject matter, you could turn to the following websites for more information and photos:

Houses

Echoes

Great Buildings

About Florida

It matters little how many memorials I have seen, or I should say experienced. Each one is expressed in the terms of the individual or individuals whose concept we see. Though small by comparison to the Museum in Washington DC, Kenneth Treister's creation is nonetheless one of the most powerful. If you’ve been here, you know that one of the images you take away with you is the outstretched 42-foot bronze hand.

It took about five years to build this memorial whose idea was conceived by Miami survivors of families that perished in the Holocaust. The contrast of horrific facts and recreations of anguish stands firmly next to a reflecting pool of unimagined tranquility.

Let’s start at the beginning. When you enter, you are met by what is unmistakably a mother in a protective stance with her two children. You will revisit that family as you exit, but this time, they are not standing. You will walk through the "Lonely Path", pictured below, whose only light comes from above it in the form of a Star of David. Upon its walls, as it gets narrower until you exit, you can read the names of the infamous Nazi death camps.

The history of the Holocaust is recalled with etched photos on black granite walls with appropriate inscriptions. A similar group of walls bears witness to the massacre with names of those who perished. As you get closer to the outstretched hand, you can see and feel the angst captured on the faces of the bronze figures. One in particular tries to reach out to the group clutching onto the forearm of that hand, which by the way, displays an Auschwitz number. Two skeletal figures appear to be saying goodbye to each other; a child at the entrance is depicted as screeching in terror.

I realized that the reflecting pool is of great value to this memorial, as it helped me sort out my personal anguish and feelings of revulsion at what I was seeing. An eternal flame burns on a sconce on one of the walls; there is a remarkable inscription by Anne Frank that alludes to her belief that no matter what happens, people are basically good inside.

The memorial is as much a reminder of the most unthinkable crime of the last century as a provider of solace to those who seek some closure for the loved ones they lost. Go see it.