He sees dead people; maybe

The other night, we were having a condo meeting back by the pool, one of my neighbors called from the other side of the building telling us to come over. He was in his car, paralyzed by fear. Now picture this, my neighbor always reminds me of John Goodman, the father on the Rosanne show. He sort of looks like him to me, he's big and burly. There have been times when he yelled at me so loudly and forcefully, that he can be really overbearing, I would be looking up at him like a little mouse, two inches from his chest and he would be shouting at me like a lion, picture the wind blowing from his being with all that force, into my face, like you see in a cartoon, so seeing him paralyzed by fear is really weird.

So this big guy, calls us over and he has his car headlights shining on the easement next door to our condo, it's a path to the bay and it's basically full of mangroves and is very jungle-y. He says he sees 11 people in the easement staring at us. We all started looking as people go in to fish at night, but they usually throw things on the boats or cause damage, so we try to keep them out. But we didn't see anything. Then he says to me, "Don't you see that woman there holding a bag staring at us?" He had the headlights shining right on the spot where he saw the woman. But I didn't see anything. Next he saw two people in one of the cars, but there was nothing there. I thought maybe he was seeing the top of the headrests.

Now the other neighbors were thinking he was crazy, but I'm wondering if he was seeing apparitions of old Tequesta Indians or something. He has told me in the past more than once of seeing this very tall guy there late at night, standing and staring at him, dripping wet, as if he just came up from the bay. Other times he told me of people being smuggled in through the easement, but no one has ever seen any proof of this.

Of course, I like to think it was Indian apparitions. After it all settled down, we all went back to our condo meeting, but right after, I went upstairs and watched Ghost Adventures and The Dead Files, smiling, thinking that we may have something like that going on right downstairs.

At 3 am, I was awakened by a phone call. It was my neighbor. I ignored the call and tried to get back to sleep. I am assuming he butt dialed me by mistake, but maybe he was seeing the Tequestas again and wanted to warn me. 

Overpriced restaurants

I'm really feeling ripped off at Grove restaurants these days. Just last week, two places really took me. One place charged $12 for a health drink and $14 for a dry salad, 90% bean sprouts, no meat, hardly anything else (no, it wasn't The Last Carrot), I go to The Last Carrot almost daily and get a great lunch at a great price, but this other place lost my business forever. And to top it off, they are across the street from a former toxic dump!

The other day my friend and I went to another place, their $13.99 lunch special ended up being $40 per person with the tip, we didn't have appetizers and we drank iced tea. No dessert either.

Another place I frequent always charges about $5 to $7 more than they should for common items and we were shocked one time to pay $6 for a glass of grapefruit juice, they casually asked if I wanted a refill and that ended up being another $6! Because they feel the need to add that extra $5 to $7, I no longer go there. The nickle and diming really bothers me.

Stop it guys. It's not right.

I can see why Subway has lines around the block every day. Maybe if some of these local restaurants would be reasonable they would make it up in volume.

This past weekend I was on Lincoln Road in South Beach. Almost every restaurant, on a Sunday, had $9.95 lunch specials. They had a large variety to choose from and there was a lot of food on the plate. I ordered spaghetti with meat sauce at once place, which I think came with a side. I couldn't eat it all, it was enough for maybe three meals. One of my friends got a steak sandwich with a side and another got a burger with a side. All for $9.95 each.

It's sad when $9.95 is considered cheap for a burger. But it sure beats some of these prices I see around the Grove.

Epicure Gourmet Market, a welcome addition

We checked out the new Epicure Gourmet Market Sunday and it was just as great as the South Beach store. There are still a lot of items to be added but the place is bright, clean and full of goodies.

The store is located at LeJeune and Ponce de Leon Blvd, right across US1, in the lobby of the new apartment complex; very convenient to Coconut Grove. And there is plenty of free parking, inside the garage and out in a surface lot.

They have all the items you've seen at the South Beach location; lots of prepared food and produce; an olive bar, lots of pastries and lots of items like jellies and sauces and things.

It really is a pleasure to have the addition to our neighborhood. Now all we need is a Trader Joe's that's close by.

Epicure has their own brands as well as all the major brands. They have lots of special chocolates, meant for holiday gifts, and even something like this chili or the soups that come in jars like this would make great gifts. Just put a bow on the top. My friend bought matzo ball soup, right in the jar with all the matzo balls in there floating around.

There's a huge wine selection with something for everyone.

My favorite spot may be the cafe area. You can bring the food you purchase from the deli and eat there or they have a large menu for breakfast and lunch, where you can be waited on at the counter or at tables. There are lots of tables, inside and outside. I love the counter,  even though it's modern, with lots of chrome and glass, it reminds me of those old fashioned lunch counters in Woolworth's. Remember them?

Maybe it was because it was was Sunday morning and it had that type of relaxed group of people, but it just has a nice, homey feel to it. And get this, we ate free! We were comped.

They are so attentive there, that Jason, the owner told the waiter not to charge us. Why? Because he thought I didn't like the coffee. He said he saw me make a face when it arrived. But I don't remember doing that, for all I know, I was holding in a sneeze or something, it wasn't intentional. And this was just as the coffee arrived, we had not even received our food yet and he already decided that we would be comped! But we were not unhappy; we were thrilled to be there. And thrilled that they are here.

The food was great, and the service, too, there is plenty of staff; all nice and friendly.

Epicure Gourmet Market is open daily from 8 am to 11 pm.

Christmas Fun Day at Armbrister Park

One Grove Foundation, JAM Productions, Inc, The Gore Family and Got it All Here are hosting a community-wide Christmas Fun Day on Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25 from noon to 7:30 pm.

The event, at Armbrister Park (236 Grand Avenue) is a family-friendly event, to provide Christmas fun in a safe and friendly environment.

"It's a chance for all of us to come together for the day and celebrate what unites us as a community," says Octavius Veargis, president of One Grove Foundation. It's a time for the community to come together and celebrate. Octavius likes the idea of people coming together as a community force and giving back. It helps reiterate the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child."

The goal of One Grove Foundation is to bring structure, unity and peace to the community.

Residents will be able to be proactive at the event by volunteering to take part in the activities that are scheduled throughout the day. All children will be provided with food and drink. In addition, there will be a live DJ, arts and crafts, raffles, a fashion show, along with popcorn and snow cones.

Everyone is welcome, the event is free.

Festivus for the rest of us

This would have been a good event for the Grove each year. It's a Festivus celebration, the Sobe Local Festivus.

Join in for food, drink, art, architecture and live music delivered in a uniquely unpretentious way at the inaugural SoBe Local Festivus. The event is December 18th at 7 pm in the Jackie Gleason Room at The Fillmore Miami Beach (1700 Washington Avenue), with food provided by local pig roasters La Caja China, a complimentary bar, a live art exhibition by acclaimed artists KRAVE (aka Daniel Fila) and Ruben Ubiera, a video contribution from the students at FIU's Miami Beach Urban Studio, and live music provided by local Latin funk artists Suenalo.

Cost is $15 per person. There is limited availability so please buy your tickets early. And don't forget your pole (just kidding, they should have a Festivus pole there). You can purchase tix here.

The "real" Festivus is December 23, so you can enjoy this one a week before and then enjoy the real one.

SoBe Local is about bringing locals together to enjoy and appreciate all that South Beach has to offer. Every SoBe Local experience is purposefully designed to be fun, artful and educational, and the SoBe Local Festivus is no exception. It's their way of throwing a holiday party - a completely relaxed, come-as-you-are celebration of life in our uniquely special corner of the world. 

New Police Substation approved for Grove

A new Police sub-station has been approved for Village West. Starting in January,  at 3727 Grand Avenue, will be the new police outpost. The station has been funded for two years, hopefully to be renewed after that.

Champagne and cupcakes at The Blonde Bistro

The Blonde Bistro coffee shop celebrated their grand opening with a party on Thursday night. Pearl Meyer and her staff welcomed Grovites from all over. Blonde Bistro is inside The Blond Tulip flower shop at the Mayfair Atrium, right off Florida Avenue.

The new coffee bar offers an array of extraordinary micro crop coffees and espressos from around the world. In a special arrangement with the Blonde Bistro, Java Exotic Imports supplies their finest micro crop coffees,  from the exceptional and smooth El Salvador Los Planes to the “citrus note” Ethiopia Sidamo African coffee.  

Lots of pastries and cupcakes are available too, as well as smoothies and other great items. The party offered champagne, too, as well as all the coffees on hand which could be tried.

The Blonde Tulip looks very Christmas-y these days, too. They did the decorating at Mayfair including those 6 foot wreaths and Christmas tree, and the flower shop is like a winter wonderland.

Guests enjoyed the famous Misha's Cupcakes  along with some of the best French Pastries in Miami...from delicious Macarones, Chocolate croissants, Brioche and other French classics from renowned French Pastry Chef Franck Monnier.

The Blond Bistro is open daily from 10 to 5, stop in for a cuppa, some sweets and some flowers. All in one location! By the way, The Blond Tulip was voted "Best Weddings" by The Know for four years in a row.

Family Day on Aragon

Today, Saturday, December 14, is Family Day on Aragon in Coral Gables.

It's a family friendly day, full of fun activities. It happens the second Saturday of each month.

Start at Books & Books, 265 Aragon Avenue, at 10 am for story time,  head to the Gables Cinemawww.gablescinema.com, 260 Aragon Avenue, at 11 am for a screening of “Pompeii: The British Museum,” and make your way to the Coral Gables Museum, 285 Aragon Avenue all day long for the annual Gingerbread House Competition and a Holiday Artisan Market in the Museum Loggia from 11 am-5 pm. Check out locally made crafts, specialty foods and other great artisan products that will make for great gifts this holiday season. A fun and family-friendly way to check off your holiday gift list.

 For more info, call 305-603-8067.

Arts and Toys Holiday Event at Mayfair

The artists will be at it again Saturday, December 14, for The Arts and Toys Holiday Event at the Streets of Mayfair.

It's a toy drive for the St. Alban's Child Enrichment Center and Toys for Tots.

Santa will be there and also an art raffle.

The event which was last week will also be December 14 and 21 from noon to 5 pm each day. This is a free event.

Sponsored by The Streets of Mayfair, Out of Africa and GroveHouse Artists

Important vote on Playhouse scheduled next week

I was at the Grove Green Market yesterday, right in the shadow of the Coconut Grove Playhouse, which reminds me that this Tuesday, the county commission will vote on the future of the Playhouse. 

According to a few people I've spoken with who are in the know, they say the vote looks good. While there are those who wish to tear down the structure and put something new and shiny on the spot, restoring the building to it's former glory is what is on most people's minds. 

There is a January 15 deadline to pay expenses and while millions are still due to creditors, $120,000 is what is due by January 15. The State of Florida, the current owner wants to clear the title. They have been good in fixing up the premises, fixing the broken scaffolding, painting the rotting building, fixing windows, etc. There still does seem to be people living inside the old structure and a year or so ago, a bunch of skateboarders demolished the place, destroying whatever was left inside, including the office computers and equipment, etc., which by this time would all have to be replaced in the renovation anyway.

A 50 year renewable leas with the county is the goal, once the county receives possession from the state.

Interestingly enough, of the $3.5 million that is due, many of the creditors are willing to take much less.

While the Aries Development Group always gets a bad wrap, they did agree to drop their claim of $1.5 million down to $15,000. A nice gesture. They invested money hoping to develop the property. That's not to say they still don't want to develop the property.

The City of Miami is owed $1.9 million and the Coconut Grove BID is owed $34,000 in assessment fees and there are bunch of other creditors which all add up to the $3.5+ million.

The County would like to have FIU and GablesStage run the show once the Playhouse is back up and operating. It's been closed since April 2006.

Interestingly, a lot of the debt money could come not from the playhouse itself, but by the parking next door, It generates  over $200,000 per year and that money would be used to help pay down debt.

Introduction to Meditation

Zen Village is presenting Introduction to Meditation. 

Within this two hours wrokshop, Master Tsai offers an insightful class in which she explains what is meditation, how to practice meditation from the beginning levels to the more advanced levels. In this class Master Tsai will explain different view and techniques of meditations like: mindfulness, calm abiding (samatha) and insight (Vipassana ) meditation as well as compassion (Ton-leng ) meditation as path of learning, all which will bring about more peace of mind and better health to its practitioners. This introduction to meditation course is for all those who wish to begin a meditation practice but need to understand and learn the basic concepts to get started as well as to have over all understanding of meditation.

Limited space available, please call Zen Village to reserve your space. The class is Sunday, December 15 from 10 am to noon.

Donation: $50. You may pay and RSVP here.

Zen Village is located at 3570 Main Highway. For info: 305-567-0165.

Voice of Angels; Miami Children's Chorus

The Miami Children's Chorus shares the magic of the holidays in Voices of Angels. The concert will feature all three ensembles of the Miami Children's Chorus performing holiday favorites and multi-cultural choral pieces representative of many holiday traditions. Voices of Angels beautifully captures the spirit of the holidays, which shines most powerfully when a chorus sings as one! Come and be thrilled by the 150+ voices of the chorus.

The Miami Children's Chorus is supported in part by the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the City of Coral Gables.

The concert is Sunday, December 15 at 4 pm.

Admission: $20 Adults | $5 Students and Seniors (In Advance) - $25 Adults | $10 Students and Seniors (At the Door)

The Church is located at 536 Coral Way. 

For more information about the Miami Children's Chorus, and a complete season schedule, visit miamichildrenschorus.org or call 305.662.7494.

CanesFest Family Friday Bowl Practice at UM

The University of Miami will host its CanesFest Family Friday Bowl Practice from 5-7 p on Friday, December 13 at Cobb Stadium. Sebastian the Ibis, Miami cheerleaders and the Hurricanes dance team – the Sunsations - will be at practice, while food trucks from all over Miami will gather in front of the stadium. 

Bounce houses will be on site for the kids, who can also take their photo with Santa Claus. The Hurricanes will also be collecting toys for "Toys For Tots” as part of a drive to help make the holidays special for youth in the local community.

Fans in attendance will have the chance to purchase Russell Athletic Bowl tickets for the December 28 showdown in Orlando. Best of all - admission and parking for practice are free. 

For Friday's practice, fans can park in the Ponce Garage – all those attending the open practices must enter Cobb Stadium through the entrance along San Amaro Drive.

Toys for Tacos

The Sandbar is holding the Toys for Tacos toy drive this Saturday, December 14 from 1 to 7 pm. Bring a new unwrapped toy and receive one free drink or world famous taco.

The toys will go to the children of Village West at The Barnyard and St. Alban's Child Enrichment Center.

The Sandbar is located at 3064 Grand Avenue.

Artists at Vizcaya Walking Tour

Vizcaya is presenting Deering's Contemporaries:  Artists at Vizcaya Walking Tour on Saturday, December 14 at 10 am.

James Deering, builder and owner of Vizcaya, encouraged creativity by commissioning contemporary artists to create works specifically for the estate. Join the Curatorial and Education Staff and stroll through Vizcaya (complete with some behind-the-scenes access) to explore five works by artists of Mr. Deering's day.
  
Tickets $25; available onsite only beginning at 9:30 am the day of the program, in the courtyard. 

Tickets include general admission to the museum. Space is limited and tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis.

Vizcaya Museum and Gardens is located at 3251 South Miami Avenue. 

For more information, go to www.vizcaya.org or call 305-250-9133.

Coconut Grove Chamber holds Christmas networker

The Coconut Grove Chamber of Commerce held their yearly Christmas party/networker on Wednesday night at the Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery. As usual, it was a great event, as you see people there who you have not seen for a long time. There was a toy drive and lots of great catered food and drink.

Above from left, Adriana Clamens, Michael Vandormael, a tax and estate planning attorney; PR man Seth Gordon and Martin Zilber, running for Circuit Court Judge in 2014.

Event planner Gaea Garrity, Tom Falco and Barracuda Bar owner Lee Kessler.

At one point, I was standing with friends Ken and Steve and as they called the raffle tickets, all three of us kept winning the prizes, one at a time! They would call my number, then Steve's then Ken's and then me again and so on! We had a lucky night. 

The art ladies: Lilia Garcia, Katrina Delgado and Erika King.

Host of the event, Monty Trainer with Yvette Joseph and Chef George Valcourt, from Timo's restaurant, who catered the event.

There was a little bit of everything form sliders to crab rangoons and chocolate chip cookies.

Home invasion suspect arrested

"Last night our Problem Solving Team was able to locate Jerod Danny Mays, D.O.B. 6/2/94. He has been arrested and charged with one count of armed home invasion robbery, one count of armed false imprisonment, and one count of armed robbery in relation to the November 13th incident in the 3800 Block of Oak Avenue," says Police Commander Manuel Morales. 

You'll remember last month that a couple of teachers were accosted at gunpoint right outside their house. Mays allegedly sexually assaulted the woman, pistol whipped the man and then made off with electronic items like ipads and cell phones.

Live Jazz at the Grove Green Market

Arthur Barron

Here's something new added to the Thursday Grove Green Market -- live jazz.

The Arthur Barron Trio, highly-acclaimed jazz artists, will perform at the new green market Thursday, December 12, from 5 to 7 pm.

The Grove Green Market is every Thursday from 2 to 8 pm in the Coconut Grove Playhouse parking lot (3496 Main Highway). Admission is free and so is parking, which is free and right on the premises. Also, there's a free bicycle valet right there, too.

The Arthur Barron Trio, Abel Paboan on keyboards, Paul Stewart on guitar and Arthur on saxophone and flute, are the first to perform at the new free jazz concert series at the market sponsored by the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District and Seasons Farm Fresh.

The Grove Green Market supplies locally grown fresh produce from South Florida farmers. It supports healthy living and encourages sustainable growing practices by bringing local farmers to Coconut Grove. All participating farmers and vendors are located within just 40 miles of the District. In addition to fresh fruits and vegetables, the market will also feature vendors selling local honey, jams, olive oils, artisan breads, grass-fed beef, seafood, spices, and juices.

Avenue J; alternative/Indie rock concert at Barnacle

Chabad of the Grove will present Avenue J, an alternative/Indie rock concert with a Jewish flavor and a lot of great music, Tuesday, January 14, 2014, from 6:30-10:30 pm at The Barnacle (3485 Main Highway). The historic Grove setting and tropical hardwood hammock is the perfect setting for this groundbreaking event. Avenue J promises an evening under the stars with plenty of great new music.

“We’re really excited to be offering this event at The Barnacle, which is an iconic Grove location and really beautiful for an outdoor evening event,” said Rabbi Getzy Fellig of Chabad in the Grove. “We’ll have the breezes from the bay and a setting of Old Florida history for this very New Age Florida event.”

Because this is Alternative/Indie rock, the artists have widely differing styles, so there is likely to be something that will become a new favorite for everyone. Alternative and independent music is a good antidote to the mass-produced mainstream and, in the case of Avenue J, very much in keeping with the Chabad mission of promoting the enrichment of life through celebrations of Jewish culture. 

“Having these new artists bring their music to Coconut Grove, we feel, at Chabad, is a great way to reach people who might not ordinarily go to a Jewish or Chabad event,” Rabbi Fellig said. “Some of the music is more specifically Jewish, whether in style or in lyrics, some of it less so, but at all times we have something different going on, something that nurtures the individual soul.”

The concert’s headliners, “The Breslov Brothers”, are a story in themselves. Reality TV rock stars Ari and Gil Gat are brothers who perform classic rock standards while looking like the wedding band in “Fiddler on the Roof”.  Their recent success on “Rising Star," the Israeli answer to “American Idol," is proof that the mainstream world loves their take on rock standards such as “Hotel California” and “The Sound of Silence." Ultra-Orthodox Jews typically do not watch much TV and neither Ari nor Gil personally own a television set. “The Breslov Brothers” appearance at Avenue J will be their first appearance in the U.S. following their success on Israeli TV.

Other artists hail from different parts of the U.S. Distant Cousins is a multi-layered collaboration of three musicians from Los Angeles; Levi Robin currently touring and opening for Matisyahu, comes from Brooklyn, and Aaron Holder is a local from Miami Beach.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.avenuejfestival.com. Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased from the website. Bring a blanket to sit on and enjoy the ambience of The Barnacle. Avenue J will be a night to remember and Chabad in the Grove is proud to be bringing this unique event to South Florida.

Chabad in the Grove is the hub for all things Jewish in Coconut Grove and South Dade. Chabad offers a myriad of events and services for the Jewish person, regardless of one's background or affiliation.

Blanche Park toxicology study released

The City of Miami presented the results of the Toxicology Study performed at Blanche Park by the Florida Department of Health at a community meeting Tuesday night.

The Toxicology reports are back for Blanche Park, SCS ES Consultants conducted the study regarding the "remnant ash" consisting of glass and heavy metals.

The test results show that public exposure of the toxins to groundwater is not expected. Two wells on site did test positive for toxic chemicals, but there is no human exposure to this water said Wilbur Mayorga, PE Chief, Environmental Monitoring & Restoration Division for Miami-Dade County, who conducted Tuesday's meeting. The water in the park comes from public water supplies, not private wells. 

According to Mr. Mayorga, Miami-Dade County's drinking water meets all regulations and standards as being pure.

As for the soil in the park, astroturf is protecting the soil from contaminating people as the public does not have immediate access to the soil because of this barrier.
Results of all analytes (dioxins and metals) fell at or below the FDEP's residential Soil Cleanup Target Levels and will unlikely cause illness.

The perimeter area around the park was also found to be safe.

They are not quite clear about the exposure of the area before the astroturf was placed, but it looks as if people should not be alarmed. Gravel was placed between the soil and the astroturf as a barrier. Two different types of turf were used in the park.

Up to 6 inches of soil was tested, the "public health layer." They did not go further down as 6 inches was deemed accurate. The entire park was tested from the children's playground over to the dog park area.  30 samples were collected from the park. The toxins were found to be less than Florida's residential toxic chemical clean-up target levels of concern. Arsenic levels came out to be the highest, but that too, was found to be below health concern levels for adults and children.

"No impact to health is expected," said Wilbur Mayorga.

Parents in the audience questioned the results. Mr. Mayorga assured them that the tests are all accurate and all toxins were below health benchmark levels. Parents felt that astroturf could not possibly be the cure-all for the problem. 

No public health actions are recommended at this time. Many doctors from various hospitals and cancer centers were present at the meeting. They all agreed that there is not a health concern.

Merrie Christmas Park and Douglas Park, also found to be toxic, have no seal (astroturf) to protect people, so the parks are currently closed. DERM is satisfied that Blanche Park is safe, that is why it is currently open. But the City will still come in and remove two feet of the dirt and replace it and then replace the gravel and then the astroturf which will be a long remediation process. This job should be done by spring 2014, starting in January.

As for Merrie Christmas and Douglas Parks, they should be cleaned up by the city by June 2014.

Lincoln Park (2950 Jackson Avenue) in Coconut Grove will be turned into a children's park to accommodate the children who frequented Blanche Park. It will not be a dog park.

Parents present still were not satisfied with the answers and were bothered by the fact that Blanche Park is still open. Commissioner Marc Sarnoff at the meeting, suggested that people not bring their children to the park if they were concerned. 

But parents were concerned about bigger things like, "What about before the astroturf was installed in 2010 and 2013? What about the dirt and sand that children have been playing in and eating for years?"

At the end of Tuesday night's meeting, doctors were available for private consultations.

The report is here.