For those of you who have been laid off, think you are about to be laid off, or are just in general trying to save money, This is a great blog to follow. Miami on the Cheap reports on things going on in Miami and surrounding areas that are low-cost and seem pretty cool

Shark Valley

I love the sun, I love being outside and I love being active. These are some of the many reasons I appreciate South Florida so much. Usually on the weekend, I end up walking around outside, either in my neighborhood or on the boardwalk or something.

This past weekend we did something different. We went about 17 miles past Krome on Tamiami Trail to the Everglades and went biking in Shark Valley. Shark Valley is part of the Everglades National Park, within the park there are tram tours, an info center and a path through the park. But it's not for the faint of heart, it's a 15 mile path, with some offshoots to see bobcats and otters (we saw neither.) But on a nice day, it's great for biking because its a wide, level paved path. I wouldn't recommend it for the summer though, as very little of the path is shaded.

It's fun though, because the scenery is beautiful and you can see alot of wildlife. Some of my pics I took from my bike, others I swung around and jumped off. Here are some of my favs:





(a long road ahead of us)



(baby croc)

The marshes made me nostalgic for the South Carolina lowcountry. So peaceful



The view from the 7-mile halfway point.

If you are into biking, it's totally worth going. The path is long enough that you can coast and absorb the scenery around you, but it's also perfect for those moments when you hunch over the handlebars, throw it into gear and tear down the path with the wind in your face. Just don't forget sunscreen and water.

New Blog Alert!

Hello all!

I would like to welcome my good friend, Rose to the blogosphere!

Rose is a former-journalist-turned-chef, and graduate from Johnson & Wales University. She just started blogging with the Examiner and will be writing specifically about ethnic foods and restaurants here in Miami.

South Miami Art Fest

This weekend I was really excited to go to the Greek Festival because the one in Charlotte is really cool. Man. This one had nothing on it. So we ditched out the festival and drove to South Miami for the art festival. It's set up like the Carnival on the Mile, only with no stages and much smaller. I like both of these festivals because they are the opposite of the Coconut Grove Art Festival - smaller and less crowded.

We are in "perfect weather" season of Miami, with temperatures reaching into the upper 70s and low 80s, which makes walking around outside, not only bearable, but actually enjoyable.

Which is why I was perplexed to see these on sale for $200:


I also thought it was interesting that there were fake orchids, considering you can throw a rock and hit an orchid stand in this city (even on side streets)



There were alot of artists hawking traditional landscapes, and the overly colorful caribbean-influenced art that I am not crazy about. But there were some "pop art" pieces that caught my eye, including this artist, who designed this year's Carnival on the Mile poster:


There was also this artist, who had an interesting use of mixed media on canvas. I liked this picture because it had a cat:


This one caught my eye, I forget the artist:


And speaking of cats, this one was hanging with his owner:


But the South Miami Art Fest wasn't all about cats and art, there was food too:


And puppets!




And if you want to adopt a greyhound (I'm not poking fun, my friends have adopted two from this organization) then you could talk to the Greyhound Rescue Mission:

Robert is Here

Ever since I discovered the Homestead Farmer's Market I have wanted to go a little further south to hit up Robert is Here. I had been hearing about this fruit stand for a bit, and then when a few other local bloggers hit up the area, I decided to do the same.

Robert is Here is a fruit stand located down in the Redlands and it's been around since 1959. If you go now, it's much more than a fruit stand. They have canned jams, honeys and sauces, much like a shop you would find in the Carolinas, and in the back they have several types of animals.

When you arrive on the weekend, like we did, you will see vintage tractors and cars:



and depending on the time, you may be greeted by live music. As you walk into the stand, you are hit with the scent of fresh citrus fruits, slightly sticky and sweet, yet refreshing at the same time. As you walk further in, you discover a medley of local veggies and crafts:




They also are known for their shakes. If you are there on a weekend, it's best to order your shake, and then wander outside to see the animals:



(cutest things ever!)






You can also scope out the fields, in case you had doubts that their produce is locally grown:



All in all, it was a fun experience. Much better than fighting traffic to the boat show or the Coconut Grove Arts Fest. It's especially fun if you have kids, because they get a kick out of the animals and the shakes. We ordered our (extremely tasty) Key Lime shake, and while we waited, we devoured a mango from Peru. Because on a warm 80 degree day there's nothing better than sweet fresh mangos and shakes. mmmmm

Guest photos

Dear friends,

I just wanted to let you know that my roommate, the ragin' cajun, spent Valentine's Day on Key Biscayne. It was a great date idea (not that I coached him at all, you know I would never do that.) He pulled off a unique day by making a picnic lunch and chillin' on the beach. And he took some photos.

Why do I tell you this? Afterall, you guys don't even know the ragin' cajun. Well. I like to share. And I thought of you. So, this is for you, my friends who give me hell during hurricane season:









So tell me, how's your winter? It's 70 degrees at night, and 80 during the day.

Loves ya,

Christina

p.s. I'm mad his camera takes better pics than mine at night.

Post V-day coverage

I haven't ever been big into Valentines Day. Growing up, my family never really put much stock into it. We aren't some crazy weird religion that doesn't celebrate holidays or birthdays, but my mom is from Europe and I guess it's not celebrated there.

But this v-day was nice. Literally. This past weekend was beautiful, nice and warm and sunny. We spent the day walking the boardwalk (I will take full advantage of it until they tear it down.) In our walk we saw lots of families out enjoying the day and a wedding on the beach (cheesy as hell, but the bridesmaid dresses were pretty.)

The evening was beautiful too, a cool 70, perfect for walking around. We hit up Wynwood (but no music this time) and the crawl was dead, which I prefer because it's not flocked with underagers trying to score free beer. Several galleries closed, including FiFi, but I liked alot of what I saw out there.

At Praxis, Francisco Uribe was displayed, which I loved, because he is really interesting in his use of materials. He is the guy who did the Animal Farm exhibit during Basal. This time he used shoestrings on traditional canvas, making the pieces more 3D. Check it out:



and from an angle:


At Diet, I found these, which my inner ninja-nerd loved:



Across from Diet, there is a very Jackson Pollock-inspired gallery, which sometimes I like and sometimes I don't. The following is one of those that I can't decide on. It's strange, kind of like those out-there red-carpet outfits on A-list celebrities trying to stand out:


Pan American had alot of their "optical illusion" style pieces up, but I didn't get a good photo, so I didn't post it. This gallery is becoming one of my favorites because they have a good mix of artists, they change it up and they always have something that makes you stop and observe, like this:

They actually shot the piece after it was put behind glass.

ISM also had new stuff up. Once again, I like their mix of artists (admittedly, when they have the roadkill stuff up, it sort of creeps me out and that hasn't been displayed for awhile)
I like what they did this time:

A close-up:

I loved this:



Then of course, as we were walking around, I caught some scenes from around Wynwood. As I was taking these pics, I realized that often I walk away from Wynwood with just as many pictures from the streets as I do from the galleries, and honestly, that has just as much draw for me, because you see art blooming in this neighborhood full of graffiti. I like that it sort of rubs out the pretension that clings to these things.




All in all, it was a good night. We finished up by heading to Transit to meet up with El Capitan and El Pedrino to catch a few drinks and jam out to the Spam Allstars. And again, for Transit on a Saturday night with a band like Spam, it wasn't too packed. I don't know if it's the economy or people were just busy getting romantical (yes I am aware that's not a word) with their significant others, but I appreciate being able to do things like dance, walk around and breathe when I am out listening to music.