Community Garden

A reader wrote in asking about the Grove setting up a "community garden".

She says: "Maybe a private group would donate some land or finance purchase of a lot (Maybe somewhere they are trying to slap up another mega condo), or even the city could maybe donate some land or finances. Just think, we could grow our own organic produce without having to pay the outrageous prices they charge at the Glaser Market."

She has a point there, they have these gardens in larger cities. Just recently I was in Boston and not too far from Fenway Park, they have something like this in a field. Each little garden was fenced off and seemed to be looked after by one or two people for each section. There were trails going through the gardens from one to the other. It was very organic, in more ways than one.

What is the final cost?

As for the Waterfront plans, my own thoughts were that most of the waterfront is fine the way it is. I can see that some areas need improvement and a baywalk would be nice. I was just concerned about all this money to be spent, when honestly we don't even know the final costs yet. How can we approve plans without knowing the final costs, shouldn't that all be part of the grand plan? This is where we get into trouble -- the plans are approved now let the corruption begin.

What do the new structures cost? What does the tear town of the convention center cost? How much is each new tree? How much is each new bench? How much is the amphitheater? What is the final cost and wouldn't it have been such a beautiful thing to let some of these greedy developers pay for it for allowing them to rape other areas of the Grove?

The Related Group insisted that they were paying millions to have the sewers under South Bayshore redone, when in reality, the County had already earmarked money for that. How about taking that money that The Related Group insists they were going to pay, and make them pay for the Waterfront project? Or was that just Related blowing hot air at the zoning and Commission meetings to shut everybody up?

I just don't trust the current administration with the money and the cronyism that goes along with the reconstruction and development. They usually do what is in their best interests, not the citizens. Also, I hate to see anyone get rewarded with contracts that have screwed up the Grove already with their greed.

I didn't meant to offend anyone

I apologize. I didn't mean to offend anyone with my comments about the Waterfront park plans. Basically what I think I was trying to say was that if we put as much effort and interest in "fixing" the downtown Grove business district as we do in the Waterfront plans that would be a great idea. Most Grove residents use the downtown area more than the parks. That is just a fact of life anywhere, we all wish we had the time to spend in parks all day, but we don't. We need places to eat and shop more.

I didn't think the money from the Waterfront project would be shifted to the downtown area, I just meant that if we put all that same energy and thought into the Center Grove, we would maybe make some improvements there.

The parks are used mostly by out of Grove residents who seem to like them fine. They don't seem to like the Center Grove all that well or they would be shopping and eating there. They aren't. Neither are the residents of the Grove. So why not put our energy toward something that would benefit everyone (tourists, Grove residents and all Miami-Dade residents): a better downtown Coconut Grove area. The Waterfront meetings seem to be a waste of time, because no one is ever listened to and the powers that be are going to do what they want to do anyway. That is the status quo in Miami.

If I remember correctly, when a previous Commissioner was in office, the plans were guarded so secretly, they were never on display, nothing was ever done on time and nothing was ever made clear. I wonder why. Doesn't anyone question this?

The Waterfront plan is going to come down to money -- who is going to make the most in the deal and who is going to get bribed the most? It has nothing to do with what the citizens like. You all know that.

For that comment, I am not going to apologize.

Fix the Grove before "fixing" the parks

I know that people weren't crazy about my comment about people from other areas in the county using our parks and we should not redo the parks for them.

I didn't mean it to sound snobby, all I am saying is, let's fix the infrastructure first -- the downtown area, then we can worry about the parks. Let's fix the areas that the Grove residents actually use. Most Grove residents don't use the parks unless their is a food festival or the arts festival and things like that.

Those volleyball and soccer players and most of the majority of those hundreds of people in Kennedy Park on the weekends are from Westchester, Coral Way, Kendall and Hialeah, which is all well and good. But they bring food and drinks to the park and don't go to the Grove stores and restaurants and I don't feel we need to remake our parks for people who don't support the Grove since that seems to be the majority of people using the parks.

I think that most of the Grove residents who use the parks use the dog parks or dog park areas. And even at that, I have one friend who brings her dog from Shenandoah to the park all the time. She makes the long trip to use the Grove facilities, doesn't spend a dime, and goes home. I felt taken aback when she told me, I felt like saying, let your dog crap in your own yard, why bring him here?

So I say, let's cater to the Grove residents and fix the downtown area first, which is the area that we use most. I really don't want to leave the Grove daily for lunch and shopping and other things. But I am forced to. I eat, drink and shop more than I use the parks and that is the case here for most Grove residents.

Rua is suing

Developer Carlos Rua is suing the City and the County over the city's getting involved in the Coconut Grove Metrorail project on US1 and 27th Ave. Apparently this is a county issue and not a city issue.

So as this drags on and on, we could have had the Latin American Restaurant (shown being torn down above) still there all this time. Why do developers destroy what is there years before when they can be collecting rents up the last minute and on top of that, there wouldn't be an ugly empty lot in the location.

It turns out the City stepped in to do something good for the Grove for a change, by limiting the size of the development and Rua is upset. But again, Rua has constantly changed his plans -- mostly in Rua's favor. So Rua is now suing because he is a greedy developer and won't deal with the suggestions of the Grove citizens who have to live with the monstrosity once it is built.

We aren't NY -- we don't need Central Park

The Miami Planning Board approved the Sasaki waterfront plans this week. The Miami City Commission will look at the plans in the fall and make a decision, but of course, where there are developers involved, you know they will pass this.

I still say we need to leave the waterfront alone. The US Sailing Center and the Coral Reef Yacht Club are against the current plans because they would have to move locations.

I am concerned about developers and all the corruption in this town that I honestly don't think this project should start, especially when the current Mayor and Commissioners are still in power. I am concerned about commercial ventures moving in from Starbucks to boat and bike rentals and even those stupid six person peddle carts you see on Key Biscayne rented by fools on the weekend.

The Grove downtown area is a disaster with so many boarded up storefronts. How about money be spent there and on doing something about that mess Mayfair before any more money is poured into the area. The majority of people who use our parks are not even from the Grove, they aren't spending any money in the downtown area currently, and now we are giving them free parks to enjoy?

I say leave the parks alone. Rustic is nice.

Chubby wins

King Mango Productions won its 3rd Telly Award for the music video Bringing Chubby Back. It's a 2007 Film/Video Bronze Winner for Non-Broadcast Productions, Use of Humor.

Straight from their website (http://www.tellyawards.com/): The Telly Awards honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions. Since 1978, our mission has been to strengthen the visual arts community by inspiring, promoting, and supporting creativity. The 28th Annual Telly Awards received over 14,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents. Here is the video . . .



Antoinette Baldwin, producer of Bringing Chubby Back reacted to the news, "Who said three's a crowd? We will get our awards fitted for a tux so we can present them as The Three Tellys or more strut-appropriate, The Telly Hos.

AJ Nichols, editor/director & star of Bringing Chubby Back said, "Good things happen to those who Mango!"

The Chubbettes were also very excited to hear the news, which caused a lot of jiggling around the midsections. Justin Steak-N-Shake, when reached for comment, had this to say: "The Chubbettes and I are very proud of this honor, and will commemorate the occasion with a World Tour....of buffets! We start in Vegas! Chub Love! Chub Love!!"

So...

Chomp with the champions and the stars of Bringing Chubby Back music video and Miami New Times Best of 2007 Best King Mango Strutters: AJ Nichols, Oski Gonzalez & Mark Richards at the Kiss My Telly Again Party on Friday, August 3rd at 7pm at Tobacco Road (626 S Miami Avenue).

Bumper sticker

I saw this bumper sticker on a car at EZ Kwik today:

"Coconut Grove: A quaint drinking village with a fishing problem."

I had a green dream . . .

If Jorge Perez's ego is so big why doesn't he just donate the $96 million to Mercy Hosptial so the Catholic Church can pay off all those lawsuits and just turn the whole area in question into a park called Jorge Perez park? He will get a huge tax write-off, be in the league of the Mathesons and others who have donated land to the county and will come out looking like the hero and big shot that he thinks he is.

Honestly, do you think he cares about giving more luxury condos to the rich or lining his greedy pockets? How about turning Greed into Green?

Waterfront Advisory Board meeting changed

The previously scheduled July 31, 2007 Waterfront Advisory Board meeting has been re-scheduled for tomorrow, July 24, 2007 at 7:00 pm at Miami City Hall (3500 Pan American Drive), in Commission Chambers. But on tonight, at 7:00 pm also at City Hall, the Planning Advisory Board will be meeting with the Sasaki group and this is also open to the public.

There will be a discussion and vote on the Sasaki Coconut Grove Waterfront Master Plan and an election of a new WAB Chairman at Tuesday's meeting.

Related sends Vizcayans a letter

The Related Group sent a long, 2-page letter to the Vizcayans asking them to stop their lawsuit. Here is one paragraph:

"Your organization has already spent considerable funds towards the lawsuit as is evidenced by the enormous amount of paper served by the Vizcayans legal team to date. We are now entering the most expensive phase of the lawsuits (discovery and depositions). The time to stop is now."

Read the whole thing here: http://www.coconutgrovegrapevine.com/RelatedLtr.pdf

Greed is out, green is in

For those who feel that dense development and overdevelopment is the answer to filling the empty Grove storefronts, with all due respect -- You are wrong. That isn't the answer. There is no place for any of those people to go to shop or eat except Brickell, South Beach, Coral Gables and so no so adding more people to the mix isn't the answer. They may as well just move to those other areas and leave the Grove alone. We want to remain green.

Maybe the City should take over The Streets of Mayfair through eminent domain and do something with it. In the right hands it could thrive. And we don't mean handing it over to the greedy developers.

Besides, they all have enough problems now and hopefully will crawl back into the holes they crawled out of. Read this. Overdevelopment is not trendy anymore. Greed is out. Green is in. You can buy the t-shirt here.

Note to those easily offended: The Greed arrow is pointing to all the overdeveloped buildings downtown and on Brickell and other areas north of us. The Grove is trying to keep this out but apparently the rest of the county doesn't mind the glut. (Glut -- gluttony, interesting).

There is a whole big county out there

We do bitch a lot about the Grove and aside from having to drive outside the Grove for most things, we are lucky enough to have most things within driving distance. People really can't be complaining that things are not within a two minute walk, that isn't to be taken seriously is it? We have a whole big county full of lots of things to partake of, to not ever leave the Grove is not really a good way to live, I don't think.

How spoiled can people be? The Grove is centrally located and close to everything. I grew up in Cutler Ridge, back then you had to drive miles to get to anything and no one complained. Even if you live in many neighborhoods now like off of Old Cutler Road in Pinecrest or Palmetto Bay, you have to drive far to get things. From the Grove many things are a hop, skip and a jump.

One problem is that there are a lot of empty storefronts and basically all I am saying here is that since obviously tourists aren't frequenting the shops, perhaps catering to locals would be better since the locals are already here. I am not saying to move every grocery store and every restaurant and business there is to the Grove so that we don't have to leave the Grove. I am merely saying that bringing businesses in that locals would use may be a solution to the current load of empty storefronts.

One thing that people don't realize is that the Grove is really a neighborhood and not a city. There isn't much in the Grove itself, but a short drive away there is everything. I can't see how people can possibly mind going to Publix on 27th Ave. or even the one off of Brickell.

I can understand if people bitch about the Grove if they don't have a car, but this is Miami and most people do have cars and if you don't have a car, perhaps South Beach is the place for you or some neighborhood that has more to offer pedestrians.

What is up with Mayfair?

The bull stands in a completely dead shopping complex on this particular day.

People have been commenting on Mayfair, and I have been meaning to post about this.

What is the problem with Mayfair? Why can't they keep a tenant? Is it the rent? Is it the set up or location? Planet Hollywood is gone, The News Cafe is gone, Borders is gone, Chicken 'n Grill is gone, the movie theater is gone, The Fitness Company is going. The Farmer's Market is a sorry sight.

Maybe free parking for visitors and lower rents would bring in business and customers.

I say it all the time: Make the place resident-friendly. The Grove is not drawing tourists or other folks from the rest of the county. Why not make the area user-friendly for the locals? Put in a supermarket where Borders was, add a small Books and Books type store, maybe add more family-friendly restaurants like a nice Italian place. And most of all, lower the rents!

Are the owners sacrificing Mayfair for tax write-offs? Is this their goal?

Blue Man Grove at CocoWalk tonight

Rodrigo Zambrano, Mexican guitarist, will join the Blue Man Grove tonight at Pommes & Pane Cafe in CocoWalk.

Rodrigo's a veteran of the San Francisco Blues scene, and has worked with the likes of Mike Schermer, Steve Erhmann, R.J. Mischo, and Terry Hanck. Eric Garcia and Eric Wagner will complete Blue Man Grove this week.

Experienced musicians welcome to sit in.

Their website is here: www.bluemangrove.com

The Fitness Company is closing

This just in: The Fitness Company gym (2901 Florida Ave.) is closing. They have given their members one week notice, their last day is next Friday, July 27th. Apparently corporate didn't like the financials and couldn't negotiate a new lease.

Shaq's 24 Hour Fitness (2982 Grand Ave.) will honor all prepaid memberships from The Fitness Company.

It's a shame, for a long time The News Cafe and The Fitness Company were a perfect duo, now they are both gone and that street is totally dead.

The billboard

I see Neighbors and Transit Miami saw fit to comment on the post I did on the new Grove billboard on US1 and 27th Ave.

I drove by one day, saw the sign and took a picture, assuming it was a response to the complaints about the last billboard.

The Grove Business Improvement Committee did this, I have nothing to do with it and am never in contact with the BIC. I just saw the billboard, was as shocked as anyone and posted it for lack of anything to post on the blog that day. I didn't call anyone whiners or even agree with the billboard. I just reported it as news and I resent Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal's comments. I guess he thinks I am in charge of the Grove and all signage now.

I don't own the URL http://www.coconutgrove.com , apparently they are the ones who came up with this. Not me. I guess Gabriel is going to blame Neighbors for it also, since they wrote a story on it, too.

You can't make this up

Quote from the recent "Tree Summit" at Parrot Jungle Jungle Island:

"I was shocked to find our tree canopy is very, very low," said City Commissioner Joe Sanchez.

Guess he doesn't realize the overdevelopment and land rape that he is totally in favor of has something to do with that.

To make matters worse, Home Depot handed Manny Diaz a check for $100,000 to cover the cost of new trees.

* crickets *

Where is Monty Trainer when you need him?

Police defend their slow response to burglary

Ironically, the City of Miami police dept. doesn't know the meaning of shake-a-leg, when it came to the Shake-A-Leg burglary on Monday night.

Miami police are defending their actions of not arriving on the scene until the next morning because they didn't realize there was an immediate threat. Nice to know if you are burglarized and frightened, the police will make you wait until the next morning before they show up to calm your nerves.

This happened to me years ago, one of my windows looked like it was broken into. It was off the hinges and open. I ran out of the house and called the police on my cell phone, about 5 hours later, they sauntered over, meanwhile, I was out in the cold winter night in my underwear afraid to go back inside.

Way to go City of Miami Police. Nice to know you are there to ease the minds of your tax paying citizens.

On a nicer note, Shake-A-Leg has received over $4500.00 in donations so far. More money is coming in.

Shake-A-Leg burglarized

Two morons ransacked Shake-A-Leg (2620 S Bayshore Drive) and briefly scared a teacher and her son on Monday night about 10:15 who showed up while the thugs were destroying the place.

They made off with $10,000 worth of things including DVD and CD players, laptop computers, digital cameras and backpacks to be given to summer campers. Keys were also taken.

The burglars cut the wires to a surveillance camera and pried open the locks to the building. A chubby man in a tank top and a woman were how they were described. The police finally showed up Tuesday morning to investigate.

If anyone has info on the crooks, please call Miami's burglary unit at 305-579-6030 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. To make a donation to Shake-A-Leg Miami, call 305-858-5550, ext. 113.

The Dunkin' Donuts celebration continues

Dunkin' Donuts seems to be having a non-stop celebration of its renovated store in the Grove.

"The Dunkin’ Donuts of the future" as they are calling themselves in a recent press release at 2720 South Dixie Highway (SW 27 Avenue) will be celebrating its recent re-opening on Saturday, July 21 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a grand celebration, including an appearance and free autograph signing by Florida Marlins 2006 All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla and team mascot Billy The Marlin from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

The celebration features an “Open House” style event where customers can come and view the renovated restaurant and sample the new products. Other grand opening celebration festivities include:

· 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. remote with WAMR 107.5 FM including prizes

· 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. appearance by Cuppy, the Mascot

· 11 a.m. ribbon cutting featuring Comm. Marc D. Sarnoff

· 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. appearance by Miami Heat Mascot Burnie

In addition, during the ribbon cutting, the restaurant’s franchisees will be presenting a donation to the Florida Marlins Community Foundation, a charity established in January 1999 whose purpose is to promote educational, athletic, health, social and community service programs with a particular focus on South Florida's youth. The donation includes $1.00 for every dozen donuts and pound of coffee sold and $2.50 for every Dunkin’ Donuts T-Shirt sold between July 1-21.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer so many fun things for our customers on July 21 and look forward to continuing to serve the busy people of Coconut Grove,” said Scott Ball, Dunkin’ Donuts franchise co-owner.

The Coconut Grove store is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Summer afternoon in Coconut Grove

Summer weekend afternoons in the Grove are very quiet. You practically have the whole place to yourself, but I did see a few hearty souls braving the 95 degree temps. If you click on the pictures, they will open larger. Please feel free to send us your pictures of Grove scenes and people.

Surfer boys at the crossroads of Main Hwy., McFarlane Rd.
and Grand Ave.

View of the crossroads from CocoWalk.

Room for one more at Fat Tuesday.

Commodore Plaza at Main Highway.

Commodore Plaza

Next Village Council Meeting

The next meeting is tomorrow, July 17 at the Glass House, 2820 McFarlane Road from 7 to 9 pm

Agenda:
I. Call to Order - Gary Hecht, Chair
II. Swearing in Susan Weintraub - Councilman Zilber
III. Roll Call - Councilwoman Niemeyer, Sec.
IV. Minutes - Councilwoman Niemeyer, Sec.
V. Treasurer’s Report - Councilwoman Dubin, Treas.

NEW BUSINESS
VI. 5 AM Ordinance - Councilwoman Dones
VII. Miami 21 - Councilman Pruett
VIII. Semi-Annual Community Direct Mailer - Councilman Hecht
IX. NCD 3 Update - Councilman Pruett

OLD BUSINESS
X. Other Committee Reports

ANNOUNCEMENTS

ADJOURNMENT

And in response . . .

Looks like the Grove is responding to those people who didn't like their last billboard on 27th Ave. and US1. Here is the response to the complainers.

GroveHouse Artists celebrate Bastille Day

The GroveHouse Artists are having a Bastille Day celebration called "Red, Hot Blue" tomorrow, July 14th from 12 to 9 pm at their art gallery and gift shop (3439 Main Highway). Wine and Cheese (French, of course) will be served at a reception from 6 to 9 pm. For more info: 305-442-6344.

For membership to the group, please go here: http://www.grovehouseartists.com/Membership.htm

Late night clubs in the Grove

A reader sent in the following comment in for discussion regarding late night clubs in the Grove:

"There are two equally valid sides to this . . . one that nearby residents don't want more problems due to late night activities and two that businesses and entertainment venues can bring people into the Grove to spend their money which is a good thing. Various sides will be looking for support from community groups and I would like to know what the people think."

I myself, don't have an opinion either way, but if you move right next to the central business district, shouldn't you realize there is going to be noise? This is common in every city -- South Beach residents deal with it on a daily basis. So do the people who live near Times Square in New York and Market Street in San Francisco and Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles.

Taco & Crepes Land

A&S Tacomania is now Taco & Crepe's Land. They are at 3415 Main Hwy. and if you haven't tasted their food, you don't know what you are missing. I was in the drive thru at Taco Bell the other day and then realized, "What am I doing here?" and I backed out and went to Taco & Crepes Land.

Their burritos are huge, a meal in themselves, but they also offer tacos and quesadillas and now have salads and a new menu of dessert crepes including Strawberries and Nutella and Bananas and Nutella, also a New York Crepe (cheesecake, dulce de leche, peanuts and whipped cream) and a Peach Melba Crepe (peach, sour cream, raspberry sauce and whipped cream).

You can eat there, inside or out under the yellow umbrellas and watch the world go by on Main Highway or have them deliver. They also cater. You may reach them at 305-445-4500. You can also visit them on line at www.taco-crepesland.com

They also accept the Code 33 Card -- offering 10% off with the card.

The Best

You may have seen it already, but the Sun-Post named Coconut Grove the "Best Neighborhood" in their "Best of" issue. Here's what they had to say (cue Tina Turner):


"Coconut Grove is actually a series of neighborhoods: North Grove, South Grove, Center Grove and West Grove, each with its own characteristics. But there is something Coconut Groveish about most Coconut Groveites: They’re very protective of trees and all things green, weary of the future character of the neighborhood, love sailing, desire youth programs and, citing a really long history that predates Miami, have aspirations of declaring their independence from the city of Miami. In short: Coconut Grove is a breeding ground for eccentric, passionate and intelligent activists that Miami can use more of."

And Old Grover was named Best Local Blog. Congrats!

Patriotic Grove

Here are some pictures from the Grove's 4th of July celebration in Peacock Park. Above you can see the hot dog eating contest.

David Collins and Liliana Dones, Liliana was kind enough to send me these photos.

The Don Q Booth

The Band, "First October" with Officers Bragra and Carpenter.

Teresa and Comm. Marc Sarnoff

Classifieds up and running

Ok, the free classifieds have been changed. Someone had emailed me suggesting that people who disagree with this blog's politics are probably the ones who tried to sabotage it, then he made a little nasty remark, so class is as class does, I guess.

Anyway, the new classified are here. Post away.

See Live Earth Concert at Science Museum

Today, the Live Earth Concert may be seen at the Miami Science Museum (3280 S. Miami Ave.).

Performances will be coming from eight different cities, including New York and London, by more than 100 acts, including Madonna, Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi and The Police. The concert is a part of an initiative to raise awareness for the climate crisis and is hosted by Al Gore and Kevin Wall, the worldwide executive producer of Live 8.

Showtime is 10 am to 6 pm and is free with paid admission of $20, $18 seniors and students, $13 kids 3-12 and free for kids 2 and under. For info: 305-646-4200 or www.miamisci.org.

Brenda's Boutique has new blog

Brenda Weninger of Brenda's Boutique now has her own blog here.Check it out for new creations and her current sale.

Patriotic Mural

Grove artists, Audrey Scott and Fred Hunt, shown here, recently completed several murals depicting different Veteran monuments on the walls of the VFW off 16th St. and 27th Ave.

There was dedication yesterday along with the 4th of July festivities.To view more of the mural log on to http://web.mac.com/fredhuntart. Thanks to AnnaMaria Windisch Hunt for the photo.

Happy July 4th!

Don't forget the Old Fashioned July 4th at the Barnacle (3485 Main Hwy.) from 11 am to 3:30 pm. You are encourged to wear period costume and join the festivities like kite-making and lawn games. Bring your own picnic lunch and a blanket. Admission is $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for kids 6 to 12. Under 6 is free. Info at: www.floridastateparks.org/thebarnacle .

And then the First Annual Coconut Grove 4th of July Celebration in Peacock Park (2820 McFarlane Road) is on from 4 to 10 pm.

Admission is free. There is a special performance by "First October" and of course fireworks after dark. Louie the "Hotdog King" is holding an All-American Hot Dog Eating Contest. The kiddies will have a children's activites area, too.

Classifieds are on hold for now

Some morons are leaving nasty messages on the Classifieds section, so I have stopped any new posts to that and I'll retool and have a new system up on Monday. Then you can resume posting. It's a shame that people need to ruin a nice thing. I removed the offending messages.

Around the Grove

This is Nicholas at Scotty's Landing (3381 Pan American Drive),
after a day of boating.

Vizcaya's Red, White and Blue fundraiser

Vizcaya is holding its annual Red, White and Blue fundraiser tomorrow, July 3rd from 6 pm to midnight.

There's live music and a dj, an open bar, food and of course fireworks. The party benefits Vizcaya's upkeep and restoration. Tickets are $70.00 in advance and $85.00 at the door. For tickets and info, please call 305-856-4866 or visit: www.vizcayans.org .

Classifieds

We have a new Free Classified section. Right now it is set up for everything without having categories. If people start using it, I'll put in classifications and remove all the ads from Bravenet. Feel free to use it.

If you're selling a house, trying to find a lost dog or having a garage sale, feel free. Even if you're looking for a boyfriend, post it!

Free coffee at Dunkin' Donuts

The Coconut Grove Dunkin' Donuts (2720 S. Dixie Hwy.) is offering a Grand Reopening special from July 1 to 7 -- A Free Cup of Coffee.

Just show a gas receipt for 10 gallons or more and receive a small 10 oz. cup of coffee. (One receipt per person). With the Shell Station right next door, that shouldn't be hard.

Parking issues

A reader sent this in, it's the Sonesta parking garage: I quote:

"It's supposed to be metered rate parking. However, fees change depending on the day or night. What's up with this?"