Hurricane help

You can reach The Red Cross here.

Almost back to normal

There are still many places in the Grove without electricity. But most people are up and running. Restaurants are starting to reopen and traffic lights are working in most areas. Good thing, too, because many rude people out there refused to yield at intersections.

During times like these, the best of people comes out and unfortunately, the worst of people also comes out.

Trees are being lifted from roadways and city and county crews have been cleaning up the limbs and trash. In a week we should be back to normal without a trace of any problem. We are blessed that we didn't have to go through what New Orleans and Biloxi and other areas in the south are going through now.

Most of Grove still in dark

Most of the Grove is still in the dark. Driving home last night from Cutler Ridge, I could see nothing but darkness. Old Cutler Road is a mess and so are parts of Main Highway. Lots of trees are down blocking areas but many have been cleaned up and removed, like the big one that was blocking Bird Ave. at Virginia Street.

But it is so eerie to drive down Tigertail or sections of South Bayshore Drive near the downtown area. It is pure darkness.

People are starting to run the intersections and not treat them like four way stops. The friendliness after the storm seems to be wearing off. It took me forever at 1:30 am last night to get through 27th and Bird Aves. No one would stop as they plowed through the intersection on 27th Ave.

Things are getting better

Virginia Street near Cocowalk

Bird Ave. and Virginia Street

Gardner's Market

It feels a bit like after Hurricane Andrew when there wasn't much open in the Grove or surrounding areas.

It was hard to find some nice hot food. The lines at McDonalds were around the block. Burger King had no electricity so they were closed, so were most of the other eateries in the area.

Gardner's Market was open and it was so nice to get a hot cup of coffee and some decent food. Right up the block, there was a downed tree blocking most of Bird Ave. at Virginia Street. At the other end of Virginia Street there was a downed tree near Cocowalk. But things are getting better.

Traffic lights are down or dead and people are being courteous and treating each intersection like a four way stop so that's a good thing, too. I have never seen the intersection of Aviation and South Bayshore Drive so calm. Usually someone is speeding through, but now they are all stopping and letting each other go.

Katrina came through town

So Hurricane Katrina came blowing through and all of the Grove was without electricity for 24 hours or more.

Lots of trees and many traffic lights are down, but luckily no one was hurt. Many businesses are still not up and running, mostly because of the electricity being out. Comcast cable is still out but things should be back to normal by Monday.

Vizcaya is having a free open house tomorrow, that should brighten up the weekend and the sun that seems to be out today will help cheer people up, too.

Lunch at the Loggerhead

This is Ryan at the Loggerhead (Flannigan's). If you go by and see him, tell him you saw him in the Grapevine blog!

Gas prices

Found a new website that gives current gas prices. They list the highest and the lowest. Of course the Grove is not really included since we don't have the lowest, luckily we don't have the highest either. The site is: http://www.miamigasprices.com/

Tropical Storm Katrina is on its way, so maybe its a good idea to fill up now.

FYI: Today is the 13th Anniversary of Hurricane Andrew.

Grove Playhouse's 50th Anniversary

With a list of headliners that reads like a who’s who of stage and television – Hal Linden, Designing Women’s Dixie Carter, Hal Holbrook, Theodore Bikel, and Lucie Arnaz, The Coconut Grove Playhouse’s 50th Anniversary season is poised to skyrocket to the top of theater-goers “must see” list for 2005-2006.

Enjoy this while the playhouse is still standing!

For info: http://www.cgplayhouse.com/

Antique Show

My friend Billy reminds me that the Coconut Grove Antique Show is being held on Saturday and Sunday, August 20-21, 2005 at the Grove Expo Center. Billy sells lots of great antiques and is an expert on paintings. Want something appraised or just want to shop? This is the place for that. For further information, please contact (786) 263-3660

For those visiting our fair city, the Expo Center is at 2700 S. Bayshore Drive.

Developers are killing trees

Last night, Channel 10 did a story on the mass rape of Coconut Grove landscaping by greedy developers. All those ugly cookie cutter townhouses going up are replacing not only decent size houses on the lots, but also all the tree coverage.

Hopefully the City will start monitoring this and stop this mass destruction of nature.

Is the road construction over?

There are nice new little grassy medians on Grand Ave. now, here is one in front of the post office. Finally that awful road work appears to be nearly over.

Summer sailing

The Grove is very quiet on summer afternoons. Schools are open but summer still prevails.

'Taming of the Shrew' at Vizcaya

Florida International University Theatre is presenting Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew at Vizcaya starting Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005. There will be four shows.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday shows are at 8:00 pm. Sunday's show is at 2:30 pm.

For more info and tickets, please call 305-860-8425. Admission is $10.00. Students and Seniors pay $8.00.

Send us your pictures

We would love to see your pictures of the Grove. Send us anything you have: old or new. Let's see your view of the Grove. Old pictures would really be nice to share. Anyone have pictures from years gone by?

At the Loggerhead

Chicken wings and vodka at the Loggerhead (Flannigan's). Why not?

The Loggerhead is a great place to eat, drink, watch a game or two and meet up with friends and make new friends.

Sundays during football season are wild. They seemed to have gotten rid of their recent straight laced attitude and it is back to being fun.

Terri, our favorite bartender, won Bartender of the Year this year. Stop in and tell her the Coconut Grove Grapevine said hi.

Dangerous intersection

This moron ran the light at Aviation and South Bayshore Drive. This must happen 100 times a day and people do it deliberately. A few feet away, the cops sit by sleeping, I mean guarding the construction going on at the monstrosity called Grovenor House.