It's Back! Miami Spa Month

July is Miami Spa Month! For a little over $100 (I know, still not THAT much of a bargain but it's better than the full price) you can visit some of the best spas in Miami and receive treatments like facials and different kinds of massages. Check out the link to participating spas: http://www.miamispamonth.com/participants.htm. I think I may be visiting the Biltmore for their spa package :)

Post 4th of July 305 coverage

Forth of July is one of my favorite holidays (behind Halloween of course.) There are so many good things around it - It's a celebration that calls for BBQs, gatherings with friends, fireworks and general summer shenanigans.

This year has been really up and down for both me and El Hombre, so we took the long weekend to enjoy the new kitten, go to a couple BBQs and try to catch fireworks. We also decided to explore a new beach: Bal Harbor Beach. Now, it never occurred to either of us to go to Bal Harbor for the beach. We both really like Hollywood if we feel like going for a drive, or we generally end of on different parts of Miami Beach. But Bal Harbor got the Miami New Times Best Beach recognition, so we figured, "why not?"

Let me tell you, it's definitely the way to go. It's got wide beaches, and surprisingly, it wasn't overcrowded. There were lots of shells and the water was really clean and clear. It also stays shallow so you can go pretty far out into the water if you so desire, and still see your feet.

Here's some shots:




I spotted the crab, upside down in the water, so El Hombre decided to check it out. It had been stepped on or something, so El Hombre decided to have some fun with it.

(ew)

After the beach, we went to a BBQ with friends, set off some fireworks and then headed downtown to catch the City of Miami Fireworks. We decided to avoid the absolutely horrible traffic by parking in Brickell and taking the MetroMover. Let me tell you, we were crammed like cows in a cattle car with a bunch of other people ready to throw down. Despite not being able to move, it was really entertaining to have everyone hoot and holler everytime we turned a corner, and shout like we were on a roller coaster when we went up the big hill. Unfortunately the City of Miami fireworks show was a massive fail because it apparently was only 15-20 minutes long, so we completely missed it. We ended up walking around the park to Bayside, watching families chill out in the grass, kids rolling down the hills and everyone milling around.


After I almost got beat down for wanting to use the bathroom sink to wash my face at Bayside, we elected to get back on the MetroMover and go home, where we observed the terrible terrible traffic.


IF we decide to go next year, we definitely will do the metromover thing again. We didn't sit in a lick of traffic the entire way home. But from what I heard, all the other areas that did fireworks were able to put more money into it, so I don't know that I would do the whole downtown thing again.

Moshi Moshi

Funny story. You know, if you are a girl in your late 20s, in a committed relationship for about a year and a half, I guess people get anxious. Because I posted a status update that said, "Christina has some news to announce soon" and EVERYONE apparently thought I was pregnant. Not engaged, not getting a new job. Pregnant.

Now El Hombre didn't help much by adding to the fury with a post, "It involves a little one." This only set people off more. I started getting text messages like crazy and one of my best friends called from North Carolina at midnight to ask what was going on. Once I logged in and saw the fury, I decided to mess with people a little more, and I'm sure my friends who didn't know about the kitten plan are not so amused right now. Well, sorry to disappoint, but there is a new little one and El Hombre's and my little family is growing. Check out little Moshi:






She is two pounds and 8 weeks of pure cuteness. Last weekend we went to a nursery down on Miller to look for new hedges for El Hombre (we lead such exciting lives sometimes) when he pointed out the kittens. She was the only one with these really cool thick stripes and was so super cute. So I thought about it all week and decided that my current cat will learn to love her too.

So no, not an exciting story about Miami, so sorry. But I thought I should share!

My take on Michael Jackson

Today was crazy. I mean, today two iconic people passed away. I think we all were ready for Farrah Fawcett to pass. She had a rare and terribly painful cancer. But Michael Jackson? The man has been on a downward spiral since the early 90s (remember Free Willy everyone?) but he is truly an icon. I remember being a kid and rocking out to Thriller on cassette tape in my mom's van, and on record at our house. My brother, now a musician himself, used to put on his "fancy clothes" and dance to Michael Jackson (he was six.) And I will always remember how we used to go into our playroom, put Thriller on the record player and turn off all the lights for the Vincent Price part, just to scare each other.

It's strange, knowing that a pop music icon that you listened to almost obsessively as a child has passed on. Especially when it was so unexpected. He wasn't old, he didn't appear to have any sort of cancer. The only indicator that he may go young would be how much he mutilated his own body, and how badly he feared germs. I don't know if he ever molested those kids, and I won't lie, I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but that's not the point. Now it really feels like the end of an era.

And on a final note, I find it interesting that this story broke with a non-traditional medium. However most of the people I follow on Twitter, and many I met today at a networker event all said the same thing: I won't believe it until it's reported on the AP Wire, CNN or similar. So maybe the traditional media is not one of the deaths we are seeing, but merely a transformation. Either way.

South Point Park

I realize that I am late in the game with this post, as everyone else in the blogosphere posted about the opening of South Point Park in South Beach, but I just went for the first time since the grand opening and I'm throwing my $.02 in.
Since I moved off South Beach, almost three years ago, I haven't been back to that area, but before I used to go walking at least three times a week down to the southernmost tip of South Beach, sit on the rocks and relax. Only a few times did I ever wander up towards the park, and I remember it being picnic tables and grills, sort of a smaller version of Crandon Park in Key Biscayne.
On Sunday, El Hombre and I went on a mission to get me out of my irritable, cooped-up mood that I had been in all day, and on the spur of the moment, we elected to explore South Point Park.
I love it. I think it's so cool. I like the windy paths through the trees:
complete with benches to occasionally rest on.

I like the combination of tall buildings and the views of Fisher Island through the palms:



And I love that the path becomes elevated so you can catch a view of the water:


There's also a pretty cool playground for kids:


With funky benches for parents who want to relax and watch their kids play:


There's also the path that borders the water, with these things that light up at night:

and a view of downtown, through the port authority:


As we wandered down the hill, and towards the beach, I also caught some cool pictures:



We wandered out onto the rocks that jut out into the water where we saw many groups of friend camped out, enjoying the last few rays of the late afternoon sun, people fishing and taking pictures.


We also found a hidden cutey face!


South Point Park is awesome. The whole vibe was very laid back and fun, with kids running and shrieking the way they do when they are having the time of their lives, couples of all ages strolling, holding hands and laying on their backs in the grass, and families gathered around tables and benches. It's cool to find such a chilled out and happy environment in South Beach.

Driving in Miami

Today I was pretty stressed out at work. Really stressed out actually. So I went out to eat by myself. All was going ok, I was eating my salad and checking my email on my phone when I decided I felt like walking from Panera to PetSmart to go look at the kitties up for adoption (I'm a cat person so looking at the kitties makes me feel better.)

I was walking along and I saw a crowd of people gathered around, taking pictures of something and gaping. It wasn't until I stepped on glass until I saw this:


Apparently an elderly driver gunned the gas instead of the brake, rode over the parking curb, the side walk, plowed down a pretty heavy-duty sign and went straight through the window. Fortunately nobody was hurt, but damn! That's alot of car power, I mean, looking at the pole completely flattened and the damage on the car, the guy had to have really hit the gas hard.

I feel sorry for everyone involved, but really this is a sign that we need more strict regulations on drivers licenses, because while it sucks to realize you are getting old and your freedoms are waning as you have a more difficult time getting from place to place, if your motor skills are getting that bad, you shouldn't be behind the wheel of a car.

Thrifting in Hialeah

What could be a more interesting experience as a Gringa (who speaks very little Spanish) in Miami than an experience in Hialeah? Especially one that entails going to a collection of thrift shops on a weekend? Well, I did just that, with El Hombre in tow. We headed up to Flamingo Plaza, which is heralded as some of the best thrifting in Miami, to see what they had going on. We found gentlemen selling plants off the back of trucks, people in old cars with a PA System advertising pizza and lots and lots of shops with all sorts of things in them, including old stoves, bar chairs, wedding dresses, underwear and more. Many of the home furnishings, vhs tapes and board games reminded me of my childhood from the early 80s, like this:


Random things like this:

And who doesn't need a glass boot-shaped cup?


In addition, many of the clothes they had were your standard, basic pieces that people don't want, can't wear, etc, but then there were some truly glorious pieces:



(El Hombre was trying to decide which one would match his hat best)

I wish I could have grabbed pictures of the many late-80s wedding dresses with stains and huge bows, but I couldn't get around the crowds and I sort of felt bad. But I took advantage when I saw one in the window:


Outside of Red, White and Blue, which is by far the best and biggest shop, this guy was playing some tunes:

Kinda reminded me of Charleston.