Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coral Gables Florida Life Neighborhood News South Miami Things To Do

Donuts Are The New Cupcakes

From bottom left: Salty Donuts Key Lime, White Chocolate Tres Leches, Guava + Cheese, and Traditional Glazed

Quick Disclaimer:  I rarely eat doughnuts and when I do, it is usually only a jelly doughnut.  A long time ago, a very non-nutritious friend of mine told me that the jelly doughnut was the most perfectly balanced food because it contained all of the 5 basic food groups.  When I asked her how she figured that, she told me with a straight face, “The dough is the bread/grain group, the jelly is the fruit group, and they are made with milk and eggs.”  I pointed out that she was missing the vegetable group and she responded that they are fried in vegetable oil!  Anyway, I digress and have made this disclaimer longer than I thought.

Remember several of years ago when cupcakes, large and mini, were everywhere?   Cupcake wedding cakes, cupcake birthday cakes, bridal showers, you name it, there were cupcakes and little cupcake shops were popping up in neighborhoods everywhere.  I rarely eat cupcakes either, but I did enjoy all of the new, creative flavors that popped up when the cupcake craze hit.  The craze hasn’t necessarily died down, I am happy to say that both Misha’s Cupcakes and Buttercream Cupcakes in Coral Gables near South Miami are both still around and are very popular.  Misha’s are still so popular that you can find them at Miami International Airport.

But we’ve moved on in the carb alphabet from the “c’s” to the “d’s” for the latest food fad.  Although they actually started popping up in 2015-2016, stores are opening up second locations and Instagram activists are snapping away.  In South Miami, Honeybee Doughnuts has been open since 2016, they are frequently closed when I drive by because they sell out so often, and they are opening a second store in The Falls Shopping Center.  Their doughnuts are works of art and extremely Instagrammable.

The Salty Donut has been around since 2015, since it started as pop-up in Wynwood.  They recently opened their second store, this one in South Miami. They too have a cult following and I am sure the reason they opened up in South Miami was to satisfy their customers in the southern end of the county who spent countless hours driving to their Wynwood location.

Mojo Donuts, with locations in Hollywood and Miami, are opening up a third location in Coral Gables/South Miami.  Mojo Donuts also has fried chicken, so I guess they are the new “chicken and waffles”.

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Commercial Real Estate Florida Life Investment Real Estate Neighborhood News

The Underline’s Brickell Backyard Is Under Construction

I drove by  The Underline’s Brickell Backyard, the first phase of  9 phases, and am excited to see that construction has started.   This ambitious project will  convert 10 miles and 120 acres of unused space under the existing MetroRail into a vibrant linear park.  In the process, it will transform the real estate along the 10 mile corridor as well.

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coconut Grove Coral Gables Florida Life Key Biscayne Miami Beach Things To Do

5 Tips to Surviving The Dog Days Of Summer In Miami

In case you hadn’t noticed, summer in South Florida is in full swing and the dog days of summer, the hottest time of year, starts today!

The rich smells of mangoes, mixed with the briny smell of the ocean, flowering jasmine, and bug spray are held in the humid air that surrounds us.  School has been out for a while, the streets are less chaotic at rush hour times, and the beaches are a lot less crowded.  Still, the heat and humidity can get the best of us.

Here are some tips to surviving the dog days of summer.

  1. Relax!  Miami Spa Month is actually two full months of discounts and special deals at Miami’s top spas.
  2. Chill out – There are so many great ice cream spots to help you cool off.  Two not in that link that I like are, for 21 and older only, Aubi & Ramsa, and Wall’s Ice Cream Parlor, which has good old-fashioned ice cream.
  3. Spice it up – Miami Spice Month is also two full months of discounts and fixed-price menus are many of Miami’s award-winning chef restaurants.
  4. Dive in – Don’t want to go to one of our beautiful Miami beaches?  Then head to one of these 10 best pools in Miami
  5. Take it to new heights – take advantage of the sultry evenings and visit one of these amazing rooftop bars Miami has to offer

Categories
Aventura Brickell/Downtown Miami Florida Life Miami Beach Miami Design District Neighborhood News Things To Do

6 Places To See Free Art In Miami – North

The art starts on the outside of ICA MIAMI

With cooler weather and Miami’s “in” season almost here, I thought it might be appropriate to give us all a jump start on Miami Art Week, by listing some places where we can see art.  Year round.  In our own back yard.  Without crowds. For FREE!

Other than the obvious Wynwood, there are so many places to see art in Miami.  Thanks to Miami-Dade County Art in Public Places and astute business owners who also happen to be art aficionados, there are plenty of places to see art in Miami.  In no particular order, and by no means all inclusive, here are a few of my favorites:

Aventura Mall art collection – Better known for world class shopping, Aventura Mall has an extensive and impressive art collection

Institute of Contemporary Art – In the Miami Design District, this museum is ALWAYS free.  The art installations are sometimes trippy, but always thought provoking.

Miami Beach – I think the ocean and colorful life guard stands on the beach are art enough, but Miami Beach Art in public spaces include sea inspired as well as modern and art deco pieces.

Miami Design District Art Tours – In addition to being able to see great, fun architecture for free as you stroll through the MDD, they have regular art tours in conjunction with Arts Encounters.

PAMM – Perez Art Museum Miami free second Saturdays.  The second Saturday of each month you get to see their art exhibits for FREE!

Is your favorite free art space in the northern part of Miami-Dade not on the list?  Please share it with us!

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Commercial Real Estate Investment Real Estate Neighborhood News Selling

Self-Contained Amenities and Neighborhood Key in The Conrad Brickell Hotel Sale

The Brickell Arch – photo credit Rusty Diaz Photography

Though the pace of commercial real estate transactions in South Florida has slowed down a bit, Miami continues to rack up big sales with the recent purchase of The Conrad Brickell Hotel for $72 million by Mast Capital and Angelo, Gordon and Company.  The 203-room hotel will be managed by HEI Hotels & Resorts, it’s first property in Miami.  At a time when the number of hotel rooms has outpaced demand, this purchase shows that experienced investors believe in the long term viability of Miami as an investment.  Both Mast Capital and Angelo, Gordon, and Company like to purchase value-add properties and it will be interesting to see if they hold onto it or sell it once the planned renovation is completed.

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Commercial Real Estate

Collaboration Is Key In Commercial Real Estate

Wells Fargo Center – Gold LEED Certified

I just completed another successful lease transaction with Andrew Trench and Ryan Holtzman of Cushman and Wakefield.  It is the second office lease we have done together and they are wonderful to work with.  In addition to being the consummate professionals you would expect when dealing with Cushman, they are extremely responsive and readily available.    Collaborating with Andrew and Ryan created a smooth transition for the tenant I represented and is why I look forward to working with them again in the near future.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Commercial Real Estate Restaurants South Miami

Restaurants Important In Driving Retail Traffic

Pubbelly Sushi

 

Food has always been important in retail centers; all you need to do is check out the food court at any major mall to see how much space is devoted to food.  Increasingly, more formal sit-down restaurants are what is needed to drive traffic to malls, strip centers, or downtowns.  Dadeland Mall added many dining options when they renovated several years ago, Downtown Dadeland is starting to bustle with the addition of The Brick and Barley to their tenant list, and Brickell City Center has a variety of restaurants, including Quinto La Huella, Pubbelly Sushi, and American Harvest to name a few.

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coconut Grove Coral Gables Florida Life South Miami

3 Projects That Will Improve Miami

 

Proposed Hammock Trail
Proposed Hammock Trail

A couple of days ago a wrote about what South Florida will look like in 2070 if we continue developing the way we are.  The state of Florida is growing by 1,000 people per day, making traffic unbearable and threatening our quality of life.  Luckily, there are many projects going on in South Florida that will improve our community and increase property values around them.  Three of them include:

  1. The Miami Underline
  2. The Ludlam Trail
  3. Brightline

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coral Gables Pinecrest Things To Do

Make A New Year's Resolution To Attend These Cultural Events In January

Happy 2014!  Add attending one of these cultural events to your 2014 Resolution List.  They take place in spectacular venues that many of us take for granted and help promote the arts throughout Miami-Dade County.

Miami’s cultural season did not end with Art Miami and Art Basel, it merely took a small break for the holidays and is now back in full swing.  Whether you like art, music, or theater, you are sure to enjoy.

Young Arts Week January 6 -12

Fairchild’s Garden Music Festival January 9-19

PAMM second free Saturdays January 11, 10:00 a.m-6:00 p.m.

Pinecrest Garden’s Jazz In The Gardens January 11, 8:00 p.m.

Pinecrest Garden’s Fine Arts Festival January 11 & 12 10:00 a.m-5:00 p.m.

Miami International Art Fair January 17-20

Beaux Arts Festival January 18 & 19

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” (comedy) at Pinecrest Gardens, January 24-26

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare {Abridged}

 

Categories
Brickell/Downtown Miami Coral Gables Florida Life Pinecrest Things To Do

Make A New Year’s Resolution To Attend These Cultural Events In January

Happy 2014!  Add attending one of these cultural events to your 2014 Resolution List.  They take place in spectacular venues that many of us take for granted and help promote the arts throughout Miami-Dade County.

Miami’s cultural season did not end with Art Miami and Art Basel, it merely took a small break for the holidays and is now back in full swing.  Whether you like art, music, or theater, you are sure to enjoy.

Young Arts Week January 6 -12

Fairchild’s Garden Music Festival January 9-19

PAMM second free Saturdays January 11, 10:00 a.m-6:00 p.m.

Pinecrest Garden’s Jazz In The Gardens January 11, 8:00 p.m.

Pinecrest Garden’s Fine Arts Festival January 11 & 12 10:00 a.m-5:00 p.m.

Miami International Art Fair January 17-20

Beaux Arts Festival January 18 & 19

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” (comedy) at Pinecrest Gardens, January 24-26

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare {Abridged}