We all know my love for the street artists in Miami. I was running errands around Miami and I found several that I really liked, including this one, which caused me to stop my car, get out and look at. And I wasn't the only one. I looove it. It's in Wynwood, on North Miami Ave, just south of 29th Street:
And up close:
Right next to it, was this one:
And across the street:
Down on 25th Street:
You can see this one from 195, headed away from the beach:
And to get out of Wynwood, El Hombre and I found this one on the beach, on Lincoln Road between Collins and Washington:
I think it would be really cool to wander about the Design District and Wynwood with my camera, discovering these things
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
I just want to welcome my brother to the blogosphere. Go check him out and make him feel better about the fact that he isn't nearly as awesome as me...
A few weeks ago I went to visit family in Pittsburgh, and despite being horribly sick, I dragged myself out of bed and down to what they call the Strip District. Contrary to what you may initially think, this is not a collection of porn shops and strip clubs, it's actually a collection of grocery stores and specialty shops. And by grocery stores, I mean in the old-world kind of way. Little specialty shops, like butchers/meat shops, Fish shops, bread shops and more.
These shops are great because the meat is cut fresh, the bread is freshly baked and prices are much lower than you would expect. It surprises me that with our Latin and European populations down here, that we don't have an area like this.
Find pictures below:
This is the most famous store, and my family (all Italians) go here each time we go. The guys behind the counter talk to my grandfather and aunt in Italian, which is super cool to me. The inside: I used to think this place smelled weird when I was a kid because of all the spices. You can take any selection you want of salami, olives and cheeses.
There are walls of olive oils, vinegar and pastas
Across the street is a coffee shop, which I thought I would like more, but my brother snapped this cool shot, so I am posting it:
However, I was quite a fan of the Biscotti store. As you walk in, you are hit by a wave of wonderful. yummmm
And down the street from Macaroni is Woley's Fish Market, where you can get lunch or buy tons of fresh seafood: (I made my brother pose with this guy because I found it hilarious)
When El Hombre and I took the Bus Tour two weeks ago, one of the stops was in Little Havana. We walked down the street a bit, more than most of the other people, and I saw this guy:
I thought it was cool to sit and watch him in the beginnings of what I hope is a mural.
This is super late, I realize that. But sadly, this is the first time I have had the time and energy to sit down in front of my computer for any reason other than work for the past two weeks. I had been waffling over creating a post about COTM because it's been so late, but ultimately I decided better late than never. And the main deciding factor was because the two days I went, I was super relaxed. Maybe writing about that stage will bring some bliss into my life, right?
Anyway. So we went on the Friday kickoff event/Coral Gables Art Walk to see Conjunto Progresso, who were fantastic, as usual. The crowd had been milling around the stage for the previous band, but when Conjunto started, they gathered close to the stage, people played maracas and danced salsa with their loved ones. It was awesome.
It's hard to see in this light, but the band had as much fun playing as people did listening to them. They were an eclectic crew, most of which played several instruments and the younger guys liked to dance in sync. It was really fun.
As you walked around, there were the standard artists in the circles, as well as cigar rollers: To me, the whole event of the Coral Gables Art Walk is a homage to the Cuban culture, with art galleries that happen to be open. And speaking of galleries, you tend to find some sort of vintage car outside at least one. But this one was unique:
During the actual Carnaval on the Mile, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, there were street vendors, food, art (most of it generic, but some good things in between) and bands. Lots of bands. With a lineup of Suenalo, Afrobeta, Locos por Juana, ArtOfficial, Brendan O'Hare and Conjunto Progresso, you cannot go wrong.
This was Brendan O'Hare. Super awesome sound.
And here are some scenes from COTM: (Another example of art that is a homage to Latin culture... And one of my favorite things, Coffee) There were lots of dogs. I kept pointing out the ones I liked as examples to El Hombre Lebo Car!
I think my favorite thing was the fact that I was in my comfy bathing suite and BoHo gear, walking around in the sun, largely by myself at first, just exploring. After I got a free 5 minute massage from BlueCross BlueShield, I grabbed a coffee and a little table off the walkway, and soaked in the sun, listened to the bands in the distance and just relaxed, watching people with their families run past, looking at the street performers, games, giveaways and wares.
I just wanted to let you guys know that we are still here. It's just that things are absolutely insane at work, I've had to travel out of town and honestly I haven't had a moment to myself for about a week. I have photos and video from Carnaval on the Mile, which honestly probably won't get posted anytime soon so it will be outdated, but what do you do?
Before I moved to this city, I visited several times. As a tourist, I hit up the main spots, meaning South Beach, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, but it wasn't until I moved here that I found some of my favorite places, like Old Cutler Road, The non-Coco Walk part of the grove and some others. You know this because these are many of the places I go with the intention of blogging about them, showing them to people who are visiting Miami, or who have lived here but never seen this side of our city.
This past Saturday, I got to be a tourist in my own city again. El Hombre and I took a tour of Miami with The Miami Tour Company. We took the city tour, which leaves from the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, and takes you on a three hour tour of Miami and South Beach. This was a narrated bus tour (closed buses, with AC.. thank God because it was warm outside) that runs on GPS.
I know what you may say, three hours is a long time to be on a bus. But the tour takes you from South Beach to Coconut Grove, down Old Cutler, through Coral Gables and Little Havana, and ending in Bay Side, where you can continue onto the Everglades, Boat Tour or head back to the beach. Also, as El Hombre pointed out, you got alot of information about Miami in a small amount of time (and there is a bit of dry humor here and there.) Plus it stopped in the grove for lunch, at the Biltmore (once again, my favorite hotel in Miami) and in Little Havana, so you could snap pictures, stretch your legs and chat with the tour guide.
It was nice having El Hombre along because he is a Miami native, and I could verify information with him. We both learned a few new things, for example, I would never have thought we had the third biggest skyline, nor would I have realized the cemetery in the Bahamian Village was the backdrop for Thriller (you better believe I YouTubed that as soon as I got home.) I also had never been in the Bahamian Village, so that was kinda cool.
Overall, I think my favorite thing was hearing people's reaction to Vizcaya and the backroads of the Grove. So many people come here and never see anything other than the beach, and the view from the interstate on the way to the keys. This tour is cool because it lets you see a more "local view" of Miami. I don't have pictures because my camera sort of hates life, but I felt like I was reading back through my blog and adding some history behind my posts.
Last Thursday, I went toThe Miami New Times Artopia event in the Wynwood Arts District. Sometimes I am wary of these types of events because I feel like they can be cheesy, but this one was actually pretty cool.
As you walked in, there was a large, outdoor space with sponsors, music, models and a bar full of free alcohol. There were a few places you could sit and chill with friends before walking into the building, where the art was displayed.
We walked in, and to our left were several models, some of the vintage swimsuit variety, and some in the designer wear. There was also a pool. This was an interesting, somewhat hazardous setup, evidenced by the fact that this guy, dressed exactly like Kanye West (sorry, but that adds sort of a douchey aura to him already) walked in, spotted the models and totally started walking towards them, and falling straight into the pool. That was possibly the greatest thing I saw all night.
As you walked past the pool, you see the trailor park set-up, which I wasn't so sure about:
I get it, it's white-trash-class, or whatever. But in retrospect, it was just a funny sort of thing, and not really any sort of statement to me.
Local artist Lebo was also there, doing a live paint and showing art:
I know he isn't as "indie" or whatever as most things you see in Wynwood, but I still really like Lebo's style, and I am glad to see a local artist making it big here.
The New Times also arranged for tasty food, interesting performers and cigar rollers:
The guy in the blue was awesome. He kept getting in people's faces, which didn't seem to faze anyone. Probably because of the massive amounts of free alcohol.
This event, like Iron Fork, was a fun one. They are good venues to meet up with friends, hang out and wander around. The music was good, the art and fashion were intersting and the flow of the venue worked. And it was a night in Wynwood with a totally different scene than the art walk.
Only in Miami would you find a place where you pull off a major street to eat BBQ, ride ponys and rock out to salsa and reggaeton. And that place would be the Pitt, way down Calle Ocho/8th Street/Tamiami Trail, by the Miccosukee.
I am typically hesitant about BBQ in Miami because I am mainly a fan of Carolina BBQ, but when you've just come from a 15 mile bike ride, you get less picky. I ended up with ribs and El Hombre with the rib/chicken combo, and despite the fact that the ribs are all a dry rub, and not glazed the way I like, they were pretty good. They came with fries and a biscuit, which was more like a cross between a hush puppy and a biscuit. Tasty.
This place also had the cheesy factor which always appeals to me. I would never drive that far just to go for the food, but if you are out in the 'glades and you want to grab something on the way back, it's worth it to go.
