It's like Old Home Week at The Grove Spot

It's official The Grove Spot IS the new Grove spot. I see the same people there for breakfast at 9 am and then again at the bar at 9 pm. People just don't want to go home. I call it the "Breakfast Club."


Last night the place had lots going on. Robert Clark played his red guitar and the party atmosphere flowed from one end to the other. At right are Armando and Charlene Paz.


Gwen Taylor-Grayson had her birthday party at The Grove Spot last night and friends made new friends as they joined in on the fun.


The beer, wine and mixed drinks flowed. The party crowd found their new hang out.


The Olympics played on the tv's inside and people ate and drank and danced outside.


My friend Chris told me that the place had just the right set-up, there was so much space and there was so much going on. In one area people were dining, in another they were dancing, in another they were enjoying Gwen's birthday at another side, Robert was performing and at another friends were hanging out and laughing. There's a lot going on at The Grove Spot (3324 Virginia Street).

A celebration of Coconut Grove artists

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival Gallery (3390 Mary Street, suite 128) is presenting a taste of the past. Premiering Friday, March 5, with a cocktail reception from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, over 50 original lithographs will be unveiled from the Gold Coast Collection.

These feature the legendary Coconut Grove artists of the 1970's. It is comprised of signed and numbered pieces by Tony Scornavacca (this is one of Tony's pieces at left), Meredith Miller, Jack Amoroso, Roy Lohr, Su Yue Lee and many others. This collection was put together by William S. Doyle, who worked with the artists to produce these pieces. The art has been appraised and the pieces are in the permanent collections of several museums and many private collections.

Please RSVP for the opening reception to Katrina at katrina@cgaf.com or 305-447-0401.The exhibit will be on display through April 2, 2010. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.

City Manager to resign

According to the Miami Herald, City Manager
Pete Hernandez will resign.

Can't say I blamed him, the city is a total mess, financially and, well, just about every other way, too.

Woman's Club celebrating 119 years!

The Woman's Club of Coconut Grove (2985 S. Bayshore Drive) is holding a special 119th Anniversary celebration of the club on Friday, March 5 from 6 to 8 pm.

The Eighth Annual Young Artists Gallery will be previewed at the reception. Refreshments will be served followed by an awards presentation.

Please rsvp to info@coconutgroveevents.com or 305-446-2909.

Muvico is moving along for April opening

Dave Collins, BID Executive Director, took a little tour of the new Muvico theater at CocoWalk the other day. He says all looks good. Muvico says they will open phase one on April 15.

Phase one is 12 movie theaters in various sizes, some theaters are quite intimate. Phase two will consist of the bar/restaurant and possibly small bowling alley, to be opened in July.

Dave says that he saw scaffolding up and around all the theaters and in three of them, the platforms were in for the stadium seating.

While it seems that work is not being done, it really isn't rocket science and it's basically a bunch of rooms with chairs and a movie screen, to put it plainly.

The City was slow with the initial permits and when changes had to be made, according to the City, the new plans with changes, were slow in being returned to the City. So it's a bit of slowness on both ends that has kept the project from moving along.

While the actual Muvico company is not involved in the project, the Muvico name will remain on the project.

Aladdin's Grill celebrating 2nd anniversary

Aladdin's Grill (3415 Main Highway) is celebrating their second anniversary on Sunday, February 21. There's a party from 7:30 to 11:30 pm.

Enjoy delicious Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. There's a special belly dance and Indian performances by Florida's top dancers, also DJ and raffles.

Reserve a table now by calling 305-442-2608.

More ideas needed for Glass House

The Glass House in Peacock Park was discussed at last night's Village Council meeting. Ron Nelson, Chief of Staff for Commissioner Sarnoff said that they are still accepting ideas from the public before an actual RFP (Request for Proposal) goes out.

Currently surveys are in progress, also testing for asbestos and things of that nature, but while many feel it is a foregone conclusion that a restaurant is going in, they say that is not the case and public input is needed. What would you like to see done with the glass house?

The Chamber of Commerce and NET office would like to stay. According to the Chamber up to 20 tourists a day stop in for info and brochures, from the little welcome center they have set up there. They would like to continue operating out of that office.

If you have any ideas for the place, please email them to Ron Nelson at rnelson@miamigov.com.