David Collins resigns from BID

I was shocked to hear that David Collins has resigned as BID director. He handed in his resignation early today and it was accepted at once by the BID board. Ironically, I have this long diatribe I am publishing next week on all that is wrong with the BID, but David was not on my list.

The ineptness of the BID is more than the BID director. As stores fall like dominoes up and down the streets, the BID goes on as if nothing is wrong. They were literally counting bricks the other day at a BID meeting, preparing for their street scape project. It's more important for them to replace the sidewalks (and trees) than to deal with the non-stop departure of longtime tenants. Rumor is that Johnny Rockets is next to go, next month.

David and I had our disagreements, which were almost daily, but we were friends and got along fine. I am sort of happy that he is gone in a way, only because a lot of the time I would hold back stories so as not to hurt his feelings. I always felt his feeling were getting hurt. I write about everyone else in town, but they seem to brush it off, David didn't. But he was friendly enough with me to come up and tell me to my face. So I did always respect that. And his door was always open to me, but I did creep around his office when I would write something I knew he might not care for. Now I feel free enough to write what I feel about the BID, and I do have a lot to say, which I'll start publishing next week.

Al Crespo broke the story, as he does with most of this type stuff, so I'll hand over the story from here to Al, where you can read David's resignation letter and more at the Crespo-Gram Report.

Photo courtesy Al Crespo

Celebrating The Bar, back at Calamari

Jenny Love is performing jazz tonight at La Bottega, but if you want stop by earlier, Calamari, next door, is having an extended Happy Hour from 4 to 9 pm, to celebrate the rebirth of the Bar at Calamari.

They have drink specials and some complimentary munchies. That's at 3540 Main Highway.

We get no respect

I had to laugh when I saw a story in today's Miami Herald, via my friend Sebastian Rusk, from Social Buzz. Traffic is being disrupted today on Miami Beach due to the filming of "CSI Miami." Here in the Grove, our traffic is disrupted by a Home Depot commercial.

Morning Joe will be doing a show from Jerry's Famous Deli on South Beach. In the Grove, we have a guy with a video camera on the corner filming the tour buses as they go by.

Shakespeare weekend



SHELL LUMBER, 2733 SW 27 Avenue - January 27 - 28 - 29 - 7:30 pm.
Food trucks, full bar.

Chamber launches new website and logo

This is the Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce's new logo. It was introduced at a party last night at the Backlot bar at Paragon movie theater at CocoWalk.

Along with the logo, the Chamber's new website was introduced and launched. Check it out at www.coconutgrovechamber.com.

It's good looking, fresh and up-to-date. There's an events calendar and news and listings and info on all Chamber members.

A few of us, that are the Chamber's media partners talked a bit about what we do and how we help promote the Chamber, I, along with Sebastian Rusk from Social Buzz and Gene and Fabiola from Fabulous Miami gave little talks to the group in one of the movie theaters.

It was a fun, and intimate night. Photos here at Facebook.

Commercial shoot on SW 17 Avenue

Bully Pictures in association with Home Depot is shooting a Home Depot commercial at 3305 SW 17 Avenue, Friday, January 27, from approximately 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The crew says they are parking away from the property on Micanopy and Halissee and will shuttle people back and forth in vans. Hope so. That is a main artery, between that and those guys who pick up the tree cuttings, that may be a difficult street to navigate tomorrow.

The filming will primarily contained to private property and streets will not be closed and traffic will not need to be redirected.

One foot in the Grave?

Fearghal O'Reilly, "an Irish chap now living in Miami" according to his Twitter profile, tweeted me his blog post from his "One foot in the Grove" blog which sort of should be called, "One foot in the Grave."

With the closing of so many places in town, it's getting worrisome -- Hooters, The Burgundy Room, the Sushi place, the Beer Garden, AC Fine Arts, American Apparel, Anne Taylor's The Loft. Does anyone care? Is anyone out there selling the Grove? I know that from various events I attend around the City of Miami, I don't see anyone out there selling the Grove. Coconut Grove is usually not represented at many events -- not at Chamber events outside the Grove, not at art walks outside the Grove, not at various social events outside the Grove. Shouldn't someone be out there talking us up and selling us? Hmm, maybe they should hire my PR firm to promote the Grove outside the Grove.

Fearghal talks about the sorry state of affairs around here. He's only been coming to the Grove since 2009, imagine if he had been here during the heydays (probably anything before 2000).

He says in is blog, "What is Coconut Grove’s brand now? What is it known for? In my opinion, Coconut Grove needs to get back to basics. Covent Garden Market is a small sub district of London, yet everyday, tens of thousands of people converge on that area to visit the stalls and enjoy street theatre. Throughout London there are designated places for buskers and street theatre. In Dublin’s Temple Bar district, there are buskers and street theatre. Activities are the reason people visit an area. At present there are none."

Please read what he has to say in his blog here, it is eye opening.

Take some time to stop and smell the village

I had such a nice time in the Grove the other day and it's all because I know people and know the neighborhood and maybe that is how we need to promote Coconut Grove -- as a place where everybody knows your name.

I popped into the Antique Market at Mayfair and kibitzed a bit and then stopped by Johnny's jewelry kiosk, next door, to chat. After that, I met up Gigi and we went to the Cheesecake Factory, where we had a long leisurely lunch. Our waiter Allan was very patient with us, we could get loud and crazy at times. But we all had a good time, including Allan.

After a long lunch, we brought Louis, the Grove Ambassador, a slice of cheesecake as a little surprise and then walked down to Commodore Plaza, where we hung out at The Loft, with Yvonne, for awhile. People would go in and out of LoKal, the burger joint, next door, and we visited with them, Brian, from Barracuda, pulled up on his motorcycle to say hello, and the guys from LoKal come out and spent time -- the owners, the chefs, the staff -- it's a lively little corner these days.

From there we went across the street to one of the hair salons (for the girls, not me), where they spent time getting their "hair did." As I hung around, I met a fan, David, from The Brickell Reporter, who was going door to door, selling ads. Alas, he got no play, no one in the Grove seems to want to advertise these days. Not even with me. But we visited for awhile. I also stood outside a bit and talked with friends who walked by. It was a nice day, one of those coolish, overcast days, that looks like it might snow.

After the girls were through, we walked back towards CocoWalk and checked out the new Tervis Tumbler store, Gigi liked the Charlie Brown stuff. From there we went to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery and visited Monty and crew who were getting ready for next month's big event. People came and went from the gallery and we visited with them. From there we finally called it a day, it was about 6 pm by then. It started with lunch at 1 pm and ended at 6 pm. We ate, shopped and visited in all that time and it's shame that most people don't do that.

People stop me on the street all the time and they want to talk about the trees, store closings and various things going on around the village, so they do care about what's up here, but they also don't really take the time to savor the village. Maybe they do, but not enough do.

Yvonne kept asking me, "Aren't you lucky to be spending this time with us? Look at all the fun we are having!" And I had to actually remind her that I do this almost daily, with a few meetings thrown in like Bed Race, 4th of July, Mad Hatter and so on. She is the one who is usually cooped up in her store and I am usually out and about and doing this. If more people took the time to enjoy the village and leave their stores and homes and just explore, it might change the complexion around here. Maybe not. Who knows?

Grove featured on Color Splash this weekend

Riley Smith tells me that one of his client's homes will be featured on the HGTV show Color Splash this weekend.

They chose Peacock Garden Cafe as their inspiration. The show airs Saturday night at 9:00. More at Riley's blog here.

Jenny Love's Bolero Jazz at La Bottega

La Bottega's Rhythm & Wine series is back on Friday, January 27, presenting Jenny Love, with Bolero Jazz.

Born and raised in a very black beans and rice culture, it was here in Miami that Jenny Love developed her musical tastes and interests. Jazz was one of her major musical influences and at 13 she began classical and jazz vocal training while also performing with her father’s 6-piece Latin band. In her teenage years Jenny sang in gospel choirs throughout Miami and with this experience, later created her own blend of Latin funk with a twist of powerhouse-southern soul. Her candid readiness to experiment with musical genres has had a profound influence on the direction her musical journey has taken and her unique style is the result of a lifetime of musical influence.

Jenny has been the first and only Latin artist ever sponsored by Peterson's Harley Davidson and in 2007 she was Billboard Latino’s House Band Musical Director as well as a performer. She has taken stage with Jazz Masters Arturo Sandoval and Michael Orta as well as Bobby McFerrin, Gloria Estefan, Nicole Yarling, Julio Sabala, Nicole Henry, the Luis Espindola Latin Jazz Band and Negroni's Trio .

Jenny has made appearances on television shows such as Sabado Gigante, Mega TV's La Descarga con Albita and Maria Elvira Live.

Shows are 8 pm and 10 pm. Reservations are a must. Please call 305-444-3493. Cost is $30 per person, which includes a wine reception before the show. It's free for La Cava Club Members (La Cava is their wine club).

Enjoy Chef Carmen Trigueros' new Pintxos and Tapas menu. Plus the wine and bar service during the show.

La Bottega is part of The Grove Garden Trilogy: La Bottega by Carmen Trigueros, Calamari & Taurus, Another Round all at 3540 Main Highway, Coconut Grove. 305-444-3493.

A thrill after lunch

A friend and I went to lunch last week, he rode his bike into the Center Grove from his house a few blocks away. He locked it up and we went into the restaurant.

He was thrilled when we came out after lunch and his bike was still there, locked up at the bike rack. It's a thrill these days to see your bike where you left it in Coconut Grove, home to constant bicycle thefts.

I am sure the police know what they are doing, but my friend suggested that they lock up a couple of decoy bikes around town with sensors or tracking devices and then when the bikes are stolen, and they will be, they could track down the thieves.

Dave Barry featured at Lauren's Light benefit

Lauren’s Light, a non-profit charity that empowers and supports families with young children in which a parent has cancer, presents: "Family Matters: an Evening with Dave Barry,” Saturday February 18, at 7:00 pm, 3390 Mary Street.

Family Matters will be a light-hearted conversation with syndicated humorist, author and Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry, his wife and Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman and moderator, Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan.

Food donated by Town Kitchen & Bar, drinks by Bacardi USA, and wine selections donated by Milam's Markets.

Evening will include a live auction featuring an Azamara Club European Cruise for 2, and silent auction items feature hotel stays, restaurants, jewelry, sports, gifts and personal items.

100% of all proceeds will go to Lauren’s Light, a public charity founded in Coconut Grove.
Tickets are $75. Group Discounts available - Seating is limited
.
Purchase tickets at www.laurenslightfundraiser.com or for group discounts, call 305.285.1202.

Lauren’s Light, headquartered in Coconut Grove, is an innovative program to empower families with young children in which a parent has been diagnosed with cancer, through resources and information, to better address medical, psychological and administrative challenges. Lauren’s Light provides educational resources, arranges for professional counseling for the families, cancer patient, spouse, and children, and provides other important services; and has already made a huge difference in the lives of numerous families in South Florida in which a parent of young children has cancer.

For more information, please visit www.laurenslight.org.

Heavy lifting in light air; Rolex OCR gets fine start

2.4 MR Fleet.

The Rolex Regatta people felt that yesterday was a perfect day in Coconut Grove -- weatherwise that is. They loved the sunshine and there were 12 knots of breeze, but by late afternoon, light winds blew in just as three of the Paralympic classes were trying to finish the opening day races.

At the end of the day, Canada’s David Wright took two first-place finishes in the Laser Blue Fleet, putting him in second place overall and three points ahead of his prime competitor Chris Dold. Dold, in third place overall (behind Great Britian's Paul Goodison) with a 2-3 in the Yellow fleet, is duking it out with Wright for Canada’s berth at the London 2012 Olympic Games.


Laser Radial, Marit Bouwmeester (Netherlands)

“This is the second part of our Olympic championship qualifiers, and he (Dold) is leading me by three places, so I have to outperform him,” said Wright, adding that Dold was in a different fleet from him today, because the Laser numbers were so large (78) they had to be split into two racing groups, then combined again for the purpose of overall scoring. “When we are in a split fleet like that we have to just make sure to finish with little points. I did it today, so hopefully I can do it again tomorrow.”

“It was a good day—light, but good,” said Chris Dold adding that he has been training against Wright for about five years. “I’m excited and sticking to my guns; if there’s any match racing between us it’s going to be later on in the week.”

One team who doesn’t have to worry about snagging an Olympic berth is Miami’s own Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih, who finished a solid 3-4 yesterday in the Star class to take second overall on tied points with Sweden’s leader Fredrik Loof/Max Salminen. They were named to the USA’s 2012 Olympic Sailing Team after they recently finished third in their World Championship. “This is not a major regatta for us in the same regard, but we definitely want to train and improve our standing in the World Cup,” said Fatih, adding that this will be his first time to the Olympics after four times trying and Mendelblatt’s second (in Laser class).

US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR, established in 1990, is open to boats competing in events chosen for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions. The 10 Olympic classes for 2012 are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, 49er (men), Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Star (men) and Elliot 6m (women). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open), SKUD (mixed) and Sonar (mixed).

Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, January 28.

A complete roster of competitors can be viewed at the event website http://rmocr.ussailing.org, where real-time racecourse blogging, commentary and fan interaction, regatta results, photos and news updates have been integrated into a live coverage platform.


Laser race start.

Photo By: Rolex / Daniel Forster

Dogs on the loose, on leashes and not

I hate writing about pets, especially dogs, because people then make me into a dog hater, which is far from the truth (I'm a cat hater, but that's another story).

This letter came in from a reader and I held onto it, but after yesterday's lunch at the Peacock Garden Cafe, where some woman brought this huge dog that wanted to bark and fight with every other dog in site, it got me to wondering, when is enough enough?

We all love our dogs. But do they need to be in restaurants and running loose all the time? Here's what a reader from the North Grove sent in:

I thought this might be an appropriate forum to discuss the increasing number of off leash dogs that have attacked other dogs (leashed) in the North Grove area. Personally, I was walking my 3 dogs about 6 weeks ago around 7ish am when a neighbor from another street had her lab mix offleash -- a lab mix that has attacked other dogs in the past. Her excuse? "She never gets to run" and "I didn't see you". She said she'd never let the dog "off leash" again. I am not so sure I believe her. Thankfully, although the lab went after one of my 3, all were fine.

Over the weekend, another neighbor was walking her dog when a pitbull mix came out of nowhere and attacked her leashed dog. The incident threw my friend to the ground causing her road rash and tremendous pain (she's going through radiation and chemo) and almost caused her dog to lose an ear. The responsible party simply said "Sorry" and "she has attacked my bullmastiff too". I have been in the Grove for some years now and the "rare" occurrence of a dog attack has turned into a common one. Why aren't people leashing/gating their dogs properly? Have you heard similar complaints?

Megan Renze
Coconut Grove

King Mango Strut Wrap-Up Party is Sunday

The Mangoheads are partying to celebrate this year's successful King Mango Strut (here's our slide show). You're invited to the party on Sunday, January 29 at 3 pm at The Grove Spot (3324 Virginia Street). There will be music, the straight-to-DVD premiere of the 2011 Strut, a slide show of King Mango's Paparazzi Photos and t-shirts.

This year's t-shirts, designed by Theresa Calluori, sold out by the time the parade started so they have ordered more. There will be a few shirts available in each size/color and long-sleeved as well. King Mango did not forget his fair ladies this time, they've ordered women's tees, tanks and spaghetti straps.

At 4 pm, the 2011 Strut video by Orlando Santos will be shown in the back bar room. The 45-minute video will also be shown at 5 pm, 6 pm and the last showing at 7 pm. If you are in the Strut, this is your chance to see your crazy self and your crazy friends strut their stuff. Critics are already claiming the video is better than the book!

For more information: follow the Strut on facebook, email the King at kingmangostrut@gmail.com or call the Mango Hotline at 305-401-1171.

The Body Countour opening this week

The Body Contour Company is having a grand opening event on Thursday, January 26. The body sculpting place is at 3403 Main Highway. 5 pm.

Services include face and body treatments, La Biosthetique Skin Care products and Power Plate training.

For more info: 786-223-2029.

A test for sailors at the Rolex Miami OCR

Second overall in men's 470: Mathew Belcher, Malcolm Page, AUS 11

When US Sailing’s Rolex Miami OCR returns to Coconut Grove this week for its 23rd annual edition, top athletes from around the world will be using it as an opportunity to jump-start ambitious sailing goals for 2012, not the least of which, for some, is participation in this summer’s London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With racing scheduled from Monday, January 23 through Saturday, January 28, the six-day Rolex Miami OCR is the second of seven 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas and features elite-level competition in the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. At the close of registration last week, 532 sailors representing 44 countries had registered.


Brazil's Robert Scheidt is the lead skipper in the Star fleet after 7 races

With 82 boats registered, the Laser class promises not to disappoint as the typically largest fleet at the Rolex Miami OCR. “It’s going to be fun to watch these guys fight it out for their Olympic Trials,” said Rob Crane (Darien, Conn., USA) who is coming off a jam-packed 2011 schedule that culminated with him winning an Olympic berth for the U.S. team after pulling off amazing 1-2 finishes on the last competition day in Perth to beat out his teammates for the spot.


Dutch Laser Radial sailor Marit Bouwmeester

As always, the Star class is shining with world-renowned champions, and perhaps the best-known names attending are two-time Olympic gold medalists Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (Brazil), who just wrapped up 2011 with their second straight title at the Star World Championships (as part of the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth).


Canadian Laser sailor Michael Leigh

The Rolex Miami OCR is organized by the United States Sailing Association (US Sailing), the national governing body for sailing, which provides leadership for the sport in the United States. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US Sailing is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. US Sailing offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including National Championships and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics.


470 Men's Fleet racing in front of the Miami skyline

Photos By: Rolex / Daniel Forster

24 Hour Fitness offering Free Weekly Bootcamp

24 Hour Fitness is offering a Free weekly Bootcamp at Peacock Park. It's for all Grove residents. You don't have to be a gym member to participate. About 27 people attended the last one. Some were frisbee players in the park, who saw the bootcamp and walked over and joined in. The bootcamp is every Saturday morning at at 11:00 am. For more info, please call the gym at 305.448.2416.

And later this month, they're taking the gym back to the '80s with a theme party on January 31 at the gym (2982 Grand Avenue) and later, a 1980s celebration will take place at Sandbar with an extended Happy Hour with 50% off food and beverages.

You must RSVP for the '80s party, do that at CMClub621@24hourfit.com or 305-4482416.

How about a chocolate festival for Coconut Grove?

I went to the chocolate festival yesterday at Fairchild Tropical Gardens and between you and me, it was not much of a chocolate festival and more of a food festival. There were many food booths on the grounds and lots of food trucks. The chocolate was sort of hard to find and when found, it was for sale. There were not many samples.


People paid $25 each to enter the festival and it reminded me a lot of the Taste of the Grove. Why not do a chocolate festival here or just have it be part of the Taste of the Grove, which is coming up in April?


This Fairchild festival brought so many people out. It was very crowded and there was lots to do. Children made chocolate and there was a children's play area and people bought lots of food and chocolate. Even though there was not much to sample, people still enjoyed themselves.


As a stand alone festival in Peacock Park, or as part of the Taste of the Grove, chocolate apparently brings in the crowds. I wrote a review for the Examiner and also put up a little slide show with about 20 or so photos. You can see that here if you like.

A little contest . . .

I posted a little contest on our Facebook page today. It involves winning a pair of Coconut Grove Art Festival tickets. It also involves the Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Gardens.

Check it out.

Delray String Quartet returns to St. Stephen's

The Delray String Quartet will be performing at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church (2750 McFarlane Road) on Sunday, January 22 at 4 pm. This is the start of the eight season for the popular quartet.

From left, Tomas Cotik, Mei Mei Luo, Richard Fleischman and Claudio Jaffe will present, "Hayden, Schubert and a world premiere of Kenneth Fuchs' String Quartet No. 5, "American," composed for the Delray String Quartet.

Featured: Joseph Hayden, "Quartet in E flat major, op 64, no 6; Franz Schubert, Quartettsatz in c minor, D. 703; Kenneth Fuchs, Quartet no 5, "American" and Gershwin, Excerpts from "Porgy and Bess."

Tickets may be purchased at the door for $20 each.

Party like it's 1891 at the Old Time Dance

The Old Time Dance is back at The Barnacle on Sunday, January 22. So if you wanna party like it's 1891, this is the place to be.

Gates open at 6 pm, the dance goes to 10 pm.

Under the Micco Pavilion on the big lawn out back is the dance floor. Wear comfy shoes and clothes and come ready to learn to dance the traditional American way. There are contras, squares, waltzes and so much more.Keeping It Reel will provide the music and Lou Dow will call the steps.

Admission: $10.00 per person; children under 10 - free. Picnics welcome. For additional information contact 305-442-6866 or visit www.TheBarnacle.org.

The Barnacle is at 3485 Main Highway.

Faculty Concert at MCM Recital Hall

LoKal Burgers & Beer celebrates grand opening

If you weren't at the grand opening of LoKal, the Burger & Beer place last night, you were probably the only one. It seemed like the whole village was out, and then some. Hundreds showed up to celebrate LoKal, which actually has been open since December 24. Here's our story about their opening day, with more details about the menu.


Politicians and the movers and shakers of Coconut Grove came out last night to enjoy burgers, chili, beer and wine, which were all handed out throughout the night. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado gave LoKal a proclamation and then cut the big ribbon. We had suggested he cut into a burger, but they didn't go for that plan.


We have a ton of photos on our Facebook Fan Page. Check 'em out and tag yourself if you're there! And "like us" and become a fan while you're there! We plan on putting most of our photos there in the future, it's more social media-ish. You don't have to have a Facebook account to see the pictures, just click the link.

(To share this story, just click on the time under it and a permalink will open, where you can copy that URL for this story only, works with all stories).

The Best of . . .

Congrats to my friend Riley Smith. This marks the second consecutive year that his team at The Riley Smith Group has sold the most number of homes in Coconut Grove!

I run into Riley almost daily somewhere in the Grove, I am all over the place and apparently so is Riley, out there, selling homes!

More on Riley at: http://www.rileysmithgroup.com/

More congrats to the Sandbar Grill, who won "Miami's Best Sports Bars" in Miam New Times' recent Best of Miami contest. Here's the list of bars.


The New Times has been spreading out the awards over the past few months.

Tavern In the Grove came was in the Best Dive Bar category.

Le Bouchon du Grove was one of the best in Best French Bistros.

The Grapevine got honorable mention in the Blog category. The Crespogram Report won Best Blog. Here's the list.

People don't want to pay to park

So many places are closing in the Grove because people are not visiting. The main reason I hear is lack of parking or problems parking, even my friends who live in the Grove complain about parking. I don't think it's the fact that people can't find the 4800 spaces all around the area, I think it's the fact that they do not want to pay to park.

I was at a couple of arts festivals over the weekend and I didn't have to park at either one. I went to the Miami Beach Art Deco Festival and parked at a lot without meters and I went to the Pinecrest Gardens Fine Arts Festival and again, we parked for free.

But then again, Brickell and S. Miami are thriving and you do have to park in lots, at meters or in garages there, too. So maybe the parking issue is not the problem, although that is the top reason I hear from most people -- lack of parking (or the idea that they have to pay for parking).

But then I see a lot of restaurants on Commodore Plaza that are packed to the rafters -- Bombay Darbar, LoKal, Lulu and Greenstreets are usually mobbed, especially on weekends. So I guess people will find and pay for parking when there is somewhere they are interested in being. Go figure.

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