Disappointed and embarrassed

I know that my ranting about the poor state of affairs in the Grove may come off as rude sometimes, but to be honest, I am concerned, like many others. What I am saying is what many others have been saying for quite a long time. You hear it all over the streets of Coconut Grove.

Daily I receive emails from residents concerned about what is closing around town and rumors they hear. I am stopped in the street daily by people concerned about the empty store fronts and the tree whacking plan. And if I am being emailed and approached, I am sure that those in charge around here are getting ten times that amount of email and questions from the community.

I write about the Grove daily, I can only ignore what's going on around us for so long. I always try to talk up the place, I like to write about events and fun things and new openings and things like that, but as the place gets bleaker and bleaker, it's hard to just make believe that everything is just great. I only blame the BID because the BID is the be all and end all when it comes to the Center Grove around here. They want to put their necks out and call all the shots, they want to take credit when things are great, so they have to accept the blame when things are not so good.

I am not picking on any one individual. But should we just ignore what's happening around here and act as if nothing is wrong? Is someone responsible? Is no one responsible? Is it the landlords and not the BID? But to be honest, the landlords ARE the BID. They pay the BID tax, they are on the BID board. Normally I would blame the poor economy, but when the rest of South Florida is booming, especially during tourist season, how can we assume that the poor economy is only hurting Coconut Grove? Makes no sense.

I have a large family event coming up soon and there will be lots of family members coming to town, many have asked about staying in Coconut Grove, they want to stay here rather than South Beach or Key Largo or other areas where they normally stay when visiting. And that has brought more awareness to the Grove for me because as I look around, quite frankly, I am totally embarrassed to have my cousins and relatives come to the Grove.

Just yesterday I was walking around the village with a friend who used to live here. She was totally shocked at all the shuttered businesses. It was quite embarrassing. We were walking behind these tourists (shown above) who were at a loss for things to do in the Grove as they walked down a block of empty store fronts.

I always tell people that I can easily get in my car and be in South Beach or Coral Gables in a few minutes, Brickell is right down the street, but to be honest, I don't live there. I live here. So while I can run out of the Grove to shop and eat and wine and dine, I prefer to do it here. But there are not many places to do that these days. I go to Lincoln Road often on Sundays where it is elbow to elbow people, especially during tourist season, and then I come back to the Grove and I hear crickets.

I stand in the Center Grove a lot and see the tour buses come through. They stop and one or two people get off, if that. These people on the top of the open air double decker buses, are not even intrigued enough by our village to get off the bus to spend some time here. Nothing catches their attention enough for them to exit the bus! They stay on and prefer Coral Gables and I hear that Little Havana is a big draw with the cigar rolling, Domino Park, food and culture. So as pretty as the Grove is compared to these other locations, people don't care. They don't want to stop and visit.

I am thinking my cousins are going to be very disappointed when they visit. And that disappoints me.