The Barnacle

The Barnacle is so nice, for those of you who have not visited, it is worth the trip.

On March 3, from 6 - 9:00 pm the Barnacle is having the Alhambra Orchestra perform at an event called "Barnacle Under Moonlight". The concert will be out back on the lawn great lawn. Bring a picnic dinner and blanket or lawn chair and enjoy the moonrise over Biscayne Bay as the orchestra performs. They aren't "going to the dogs" because no pets are allowed (unlike the restaurants) and no alcohol (unlike everywhere elses in the Grove).

Entrance fee is $5.00 for 10 years and older. Contact: (305) 442-6866 for more info.

I would say that the Barnacle brings you back in time, but ever since the City allowed those townhouses to be built next door, most of that old-time ambiance is gone. The City really should have purchased the land and made it a park when they could have. But as usual, the City never steps up and does the right thing.

This is how Vizcaya feels about the Mercy project. The whole quiet, old-time ambiance will be gone if those monstrosities are allowed to be built

Bicyclists taking over the roads

What is this thing you see every weekend in the Grove: Groups of bicyclists taking over the roads, literally taking up one whole lane of traffic and not caring if they hold up long lines of cars.

Ever see this? It happens all along South Bayshore Drive and on Tigertail and Main Highway.

Grove scenes

The dog park on Virginia Street

Smoothie bar at Cocowalk

Caricaturist at Cocowalk.

You can click on the pictures for larger versions.

Ice cream

First Marble Slab, now Tasti D-lite -- looks like the ice cream stores in the Grove are disappearing. I remember blogging about Tasti D-Lite when they first opened on Main Hwy. I know there are other ice cream places around, I guess there were to many and they are thinning out now.

Does anyone remember when Bassett's was in the Grove in the early '80s? For some reason, I am picturing them on Commodore Plaza, but they may have been in another location.

Two new council members

Last week, The Cocoanut Grove Village Council elected two new members: Liliana Dones and Alyn Pruett. The council is now back up to nine members.

According to the Herald's Neighbors: "Dones is co-chair of the Treewatch Committee with Sarnoff, as well as an active member of Grove First and the Waterfront Working Committee, a residential group created to keep the redesigning of the Grove Waterfront a public process.

Dones is also on the city of Miami's Commission on the Status of Women and involved with the Friends of Peacock Park. Dones also has been instrumental in the beautification of South Bayshore Drive.

Pruett is an architect for design firm Wallace Roberts & Todd and director of its South Florida office. Pruett first moved to Coconut Grove in 1975 and has lived there since 1983.

Pruett is a member of the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and the Waterfront Working Committee."

Grove Gate Work being done

Harry Emilio Gottlieb sent me these pictures of the work going on at the Grove Gate Shopping Center. You can't miss it when you pass the area or even try to go to Milam's or Walgreens.

Apparently they are working on the fire system, laying underground pipes. I'm not quite sure why the Home Depot feels the need to work before anything has been finalized. Maybe it's just to be spiteful, that's Home Depot's method of operation.

I hope they don't know something that we don't. I don't trust many City of Miami officials these days. Between this and the Mercy project and other things, they don't seem to favor quality of life. Who knows what's up their sleeves. Money probably.

BOYCOTT ALL HOME DEPOTS. SHOP SHELL LUMBER. They are helpful and never spiteful.

Grand Avenue developments are stalled

Looks like there won't be much development happening on Grand Avenue for awhile.

Julio Marrero can't seem to make it work, he is insisting on raising height limits from five stories to maybe 12, but the Village Council will not allow it. The Herald has the story here.

Moron on wheels

This moron felt the need for speed today on the small back streets of the Grove. He felt the need to tailgate me for blocks and then weave in and out of traffic at very high speeds.

I almost got out of my car to punch him in the face when we came to a red light, but I felt blogging him would be better. You could barely see this punk behind the wheel, he was so short.

12th Annual Washington's Birthday Regatta today

Today is a perfect weather day for the 12th annual revival of Commodore Ralph Munroe's original Washington's Birthday Regatta, taking place at noon on the bay just off shore of The Barnacle (3485 Main Highway).

The event is open to traditional style shoal-draft sailboats (fiberglass boats permitted). The race is followed by an after-hours awards ceremony at the park.

Fees: $10/boat entry fee for participants. Park entry fee for observers is $1.00. Contact info: (305) 442-6866

Grove Isle spa critique

Tere from the Coral Gables blog was not too thrilled with her Grove Isle spa experience. Looks like Grove Isle could use some help in the customer service department. I almost booked a gift spa treatment there for someone, now I am having second thoughts.

With a name like Spa Terre, you would think they would give another Tere better service. You can read all about it here.

Alhambra Orchestra to perform

The Alhambra Orchestra will feature Paul Posnak as soloist in Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 at a free public concert at 7 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium of Ransom Everglades School, 3575 Main Hwy.

Also on the program will be Beethoven's Egmont Overture and Grieg's Holberg Suite. Free parking and a post-concert reception are also provided.

On March 3, the orchestra will perform at the Barnacle state park, 3485 Main Hwy., with a $5 admission charge.

For information visit www.alhambramusic.org, or call 305-668-9260.

Red balloon test at Mercy

There was a "balloon test" today at the proposed Mercy high rise project. Vizcaya museum backers hired an outside firm to do the test.

Basically what they did was raise balloons to the height of the proposed project so they could get an idea of the absurd height of the monstrosity.

The Vizcayans are sick over the proposed project, so are most of the neighbors. But as usual, the City Commission went where the money is (and voted against quality of life) and voted in favor of the massive project even though the zoning board and Cocoanut Grove Village Council advised against it.

Results of the test will be ready next week, but after hours of trying, the balloon experts finally raised the five red, five-foot-diameter balloons to about the height of the tallest tower -- 410 feet. This is about double the height of Grove Isle.

Historian Arva Moore Parks put it best while witnessing the experiment: ''It's worse than even my most horrible thoughts, which were pretty horrible."

Grove is going to the dogs again

Last week, the Miami City Commission gave unanimous, final approval to a measure that will let dogs sit alongside owners at outdoor cafes.

Under the Dog Friendly Dining Program, restaurant owners can apply for a special permit to allow dogs in designated areas -- only at outside areas.

The program will have a three-year trial.

Citations started going out last fall and dogs were all of a sudden not permitted after being allowed at various places, including Scotty's Landing. Now it is all reversed. I saw a lot of pets this past weekend, people and their pets were taking advantage of the dining program and the beautiful weather.

And as a welcome back to the Grove: "Haute Dogs on the Catwalk" will take place at 11 a.m. Sunday at Kennedy Park (2400 S. Bayshore Dr.). Your dog can model on the "catwalk" and show off his or her favorite outfit and can play games and get pedicures and such.

Admission is free. Call 305-642-1271 for details.

Grove Waterfront Master Plan

Brant over at "Strange Women Lying in Ponds" has posted the three proposals for the Grove Waterfront Master plan. They are called "Regatta Park"; "Grove Gardens"; and "Flying Clipper". You can download the files below or by visiting Brant's blog.

I don't know if I am sold on any of them. But I do like most of what I see.

I don't understand the idea proposed in one area called "Top Priorities" where it says to remove mangroves to open up the view. Isn't that illegal? And on the same top priorities area they say they want to do environmental restoration, it sort of contradicts itself.

I don't like seeing a "coffee house" in one area and I hate the idea of amphitheaters. I do agree with restoring the baseball field in Peacock Park, they were removed after so many years. I remember watching "Absense of Malice" being filmed at one of the fields close to the water.

I don't like the pictures showing all that concrete stuff, the buildings and some sort of cement wall along the bay. I guess you can't please everyone. But most of it is pretty decent.

Here are the proposals:

Regatta_Park.pdf

Grove_Garden.pdf

Flying_Clipper.pdf

And this this link goes to the Powerpoint presentation, explaining the three plans.

Smoothie King is finally open

Looks like the Smoothie King (3034 Grand Ave.) has finally opened. Here are Mike and Raquel.

It's at the old Marble Slab ice cream place, across from Cocowalk at 3034 Grand Avenue.

When the place was empty, it was used on Halloween as a pizza and beer take-out. I got lots of beer there on Halloween night -- and some pizza. :)

Festival food

The food seems to be more popular than the art at the art festivals.

If you click on the pictures they will open larger.

Next Village Council meeting

The Village Council meets Tuesday, Feb. 20th at 7 pm at City Hall (3500 Pan American Drive).

Home Depot appeal taken off agenda

The Home Depot's appeal for a special permit for its Key West-style store at Grove Gate Plaza, (2999 SW 32 Ave.), has been taken off the Thursday Miami City Commission agenda.

City Spokeswoman Kelly Penton said said the issue has been delayed because of a back log in planning and zoning issues.

No further date has been set. Interesting.

Today at the art festivals

It was cold early today, the most popular booth at the Grove festival was the Starbucks truck, seen above. The coffee tasted horrible, but it was hot and hit the spot in the cold weather.

These photos were taken at both, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival and the Saint Stephen's Arts and Crafts Show. If you click on them, you can see them much larger.

Scenes from the Coconut Grove Arts Festival

These are some scenes from today.

More art

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival takes all the glory, but there are other festivals this weekend, too.

I kind of think they are piggy-backing on the main festival, but that being said, keep in mind that there is the Saint Stephen's Arts & Crafts Fair, which looks as if it is part of the big festival, but it is a separate event. That's the one at the church under the big trees. As you enter from the McFarlane Road side, get some nice Mama Mia Italian ices -- that's my yearly ritual upon entering.

And at Mayfair, the One Ear Society is promoting local artists who were shut out of the main festival. Coconut Grove's own Anna Maria Windisch-Hunt is the organizer of this event.

Coconut Grove Arts Festival is on

I'll be out and about all weekend taking pictures of the festival and posting them.

You can get all the festival info here.

The excitement is building

I was there today for the raising of the large sign above, the entrance to the Coconut Grove Arts Festival.

The excitement is building, as are the traffic jams, so avoid the downtown area if you're trying to get somewhere fast.

The stage was going up this afternoon.

The horse and giraffe (not shown), will have a lot of company this weekend.

The food court area was bustling.

It was odd to see empty tents, without any artists, but it was nice walking down the closed streets in the nice, cool weather. A lot of people are out today enjoying the weather and the build up to the art show.