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Looking for something to do with the family this weekend? Start out tomorrow with a fee-free P.L.A.Y Saturday at Deering Estate in Palmetto Bay. P.L.A.Y stands for Preservation, Learning, Adventure, Year-Round and the day incorporates all of these in a beautiful, bay-front setting.
In today’s Miami Herald, there was an article about the new Centro Lofts that are going up in downtown Miami. This building will not have a parking garage and will instead opt for a Car2Go, bike racks, and public transportation to get it’s residents around. I moved from San Francisco and love the idea of not needing a car, but I am not sure Miami is quite ready for buildings without parking. First of all, it is hard enough to park downtown without all of the residents that are moving down there and this will only work if residents don’t have cars, not if they have cars and just park them elsewhere. The second thing is that it will work for people who work downtown or in an area with Metrorail service, but south Florida’s discombobulated public transportation system is not conducive for no car. How would someone who works in Doral get there? Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea, I am just asking do you think Miami is ready to go carless?
I recently visited Ecuador and enjoyed running on the Chiquinan Trail, a 20 km bike and running trail converted from an old railway trail.
While I was running, I thought it would be great if Miami-Dade had something similar. I was thrilled to find out it does, though most of it is still in the making. It is called Bike 305 and so far 130 miles, out of the 5o0 planned, have been completed. The current routes include Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay. I have run along several of the routes, without even knowing it was part of a grander plan to interconnect greenways, bike lanes, and trails. I look forward to running more portions of the route as they come on line!
I love chocolate, especially dark chocolate, so I am thrilled that the first ever Miami Fine Chocolate and Food Show is coming to Pinecrest Gardens this weekend. One of my favorite chocolate stores, Romanicos on Coral Way, will be there as well as Valor chocolates from Spain. Romanicos’ chocolates are pure artistry from their Tropical Collection, with painted fish motiffs, to their Nostalgia Habanera, with chocolates filled with dulce de leche and guava paste. My favorite from Valor is their 70% dark chocolate bar with banana. Pair any of these with red wine and…heaven!
I am looking forward to tasting chocolate from all of the chocolatiers that I don’t know yet and adding to my current stash.
You know what they say about real estate, location, location, location, and boy does 1542 Drexel Avenue #205 have it. Location: 2 blocks from Lincoln Road. Location: 1 block from Espanola. Location: 3 blocks to the Ocean. In the heart of Miami Beach, yet on a quiet, low traffic street, this fully furnished unit is the perfect Miami Beach Pied-A-Terre. Rarely available one bedroom. The last one bedroom for sale in this boutique building was in 2011!
If you are looking for an investment property instead of a weekend get-a-way, the last fully furnished unit that rented in this building was a studio that rented for $1500 per month! Listed for sale, fully furnished (minus the art work) for $170,000.
Several recent articles have highlighted the issue of preservation vs private property rights. I want to clarify that I am for historic preservation of relevant buildings but I think if it is done retroactively, it infringes on private property rights.
Both the Miami Herald building, sold to Genting Malaysia, and a Robert Browning Parker home in Gables Estates, currently listed for sale by Helen Nicastri of Coldwell Banker, have come before preservation boards with different outcomes.
A home in north Gables on Minorca and another in Miami Beach on Star Island are further examples of preservation boards trying to designate properties as historic when new owners purchased the property and applied for demolition permits.
If a property is designated as historic, it cannot be torn down and there are restrictions on the amount and type of renovations that can be done. You can check with local preservation boards to see if the property you are purchasing is on their list prior to purchasing, but if it is not on the list should a local board be able to designate it when you apply for permits to demolish or refurbish? To protect your investment, if you are planning to purchase a property built in the 1920’s-1960’s (Old Spanish, Art Deco and MiMo architectural styles) and want to renovate or demolish it, contact the local historic preservation board during your due diligence/inspection period.
Focaccia Bistro in the Grove is a small, charming restaurant that reminded me of the more intimate restaruants in San Francisco. On the night that we went, the place was at capacity, which overwhelmed the staff but did not detract at all from the pleasant experience. It was not noisy, suprising giving how close the tables are, and it was easy to have a conversation. The wine on special that night was a Sangiovese blend for $35 that was very nice and accompanied my seafood pasta, pictured above, perfectly.
Walkable neighborhoods are increasingly important to buyers. South Miami Avenue’s tree-lined street is a great example of what makes a neighborhood walkable: nice sidewalks, shade, distance between sidewalk and street and proximity to shops, restaurants, parks and work. This neighborhood is walking distance to Brickell/Downtown Miami.
Del Sur Market and Restaurant in Pinecrest, which was voted best restaurant in South Miami-Dade of 2012 by the Miami New Times, is a great little restaurant tucked into a small strip mall in Pinecrest . I stumbled across it several months ago, misguided by the word “Market” in their name. I went looking for Argentine cuts of meat for a parillada mixta I was having at my house. Turns out their restaurant has been so successful, they expanded the restaurant portion and shrunk the market portion of their space.
Last week I went with a group of friends and family for dinner. All of us had wonderful, fresh, homemade dishes (all of them were meat, though they do have a nice selection of pastas, chicken and fish) accompanied by two very nice red Argentine wines recommended by the owner, Hernan. We had such a wonderful experience that several of us when back with a couple of first timers the following week. This is one restaurant I am eager to go back to again and again. Not only is their food delicious, eating here will not break the bank!
Del Sur Market and Restaurant in Pinecrest, which was voted best restaurant in South Miami-Dade of 2012 by the Miami New Times, is a great little restaurant tucked into a small strip mall in Pinecrest . I stumbled across it several months ago, misguided by the word “Market” in their name. I went looking for Argentine cuts of meat for a parillada mixta I was having at my house. Turns out their restaurant has been so successful, they expanded the restaurant portion and shrunk the market portion of their space.
Last week I went with a group of friends and family for dinner. All of us had wonderful, fresh, homemade dishes (all of them were meat, though they do have a nice selection of pastas, chicken and fish) accompanied by two very nice red Argentine wines recommended by the owner, Hernan. We had such a wonderful experience that several of us when back with a couple of first timers the following week. This is one restaurant I am eager to go back to again and again. Not only is their food delicious, eating here will not break the bank!