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December 2010
www.MiamiandBeaches.com
OUT AND ABOUT IN MIAMI Thank you for your continued support of Greater Miami and the
Beaches! The December issue of the monthly Greater Miami Convention &
Visitors Bureau Media Relation’s e-newsletter is filled with
story leads you can develop,
including exciting news and events.
Enjoy! ROOTS IN THE
CITY FARMERS MARKET RE-LAUNCHES BUILDING ON ITS MISSION TO NOURISH OVERTOWN: Roots In The City Farmers Market will re-open for business on
Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at noon. Launched with the support of Wholesome Wave Foundation, the
market debuted to national attention in April 2010 as the only wholly
local farmer-operated market in Miami and the first urban farmer’s market in
Florida to double the value of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP) benefits (also known as food stamps) towards the purchase of
locally-grown produce. Roots
In The City Farmers Market is located in Overtown, at the corner of
Northwest Second Avenue and Tenth Street, and will be open to the public every Wednesday (accepting
cash and electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards) and now Fridays
(accepting cash) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. through May 2011. To celebrate its sophomore season, Roots In The City Farmers
Market will showcase an expanded commitment to nourish the Overtown
community. Farmers and artisans from the agricultural heart of
South Dade, including Teena’s Pride, Bee Heaven Farm, and Hani’s
Mediterranean Organics, will join Roots In The City’s growers to offer a
bounty of organics, herbs, fruits and vegetables, goat cheese, heirloom
tomatoes, and honey on Wednesdays. Roots In The City’s produce will be
available for sale exclusively on Fridays. For more information, contact
Karen Barofsky/Gabi Rodriguez, Brustman Carrino Public Relations,
305-573-0658, bcpr@brustmancarrinopr.com.
MIAMI HOLIDAY SHOPPING AT THE WORLD'S GREATEST INDOOR
FLEA MARKET: The Miami Beach Convention Center becomes the biggest and best
shopping destination in Miami with over 400 vendors – more than any mall
in Florida - and unparalleled savings for Miami’s deal-hungry consumers
Dec. 16-19, 2010. A vast selection of new and collectible merchandise
including: apparel, jewelry, giftware, toys, home goods and accessories,
electronics, specialty food items, travel accessories, pet items, stocking
stuffers and much more will be available. Top vendors such as: Cyber Tech,
the latest in consumer electronics (from micro cameras to super-slim
laptops); Dazzle Dees, ornate home décor; Boomerang Fishing, sporting
good; Reeftop Aquariums, unique and custom aquariums, among others. For
more information on The World’s Greatest Indoor Flea Market, please visit
the website at www.wgifm.com. Media contact: Lana Bernstein,
305-372-2502, lana@zakarinpr.com. THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH AND DECOBIKE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE THE DEBUT OF A REVOLUTIONARY
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM: The City of Miami Beach along with their official partner,
DECOBIKE will debut their revolutionary public bicycle sharing and rental
program in the world-famous South Beach Art Deco district as the country’s
first “Green,” city-wide public transit program, starting mid-December
2010. With nearly two years of careful planning already complete for this
innovative program, Miami Beach has preempted other municipalities that are now just beginning
to consider bike sharing as a viable public transit option.
The policies and actions of this vibrant city are historic and
in many ways revolutionary. The need for cars and fossil fuels is being
eliminated in this exclusive enclave of celebrities, models and
trendsetters. DECOBIKE (www.decobike.com) is a Miami-based company that
is looking to lead the way in the “greening” of our cities and campuses.
They are fast becoming a leader in the global bike sharing industry and
have an aggressive expansion plan that is focused both domestically and
internationally. The DECOBIKE program has been strategically customized
for South Beach. The initial deployment will consist of approximately 1,000
custom DecoBikes and 100+ solar-powered, automated stations. These
stations offer easy-to-use, environmentally conscious transportation
accessible throughout the City. The program is expected to expand rapidly
to become the country’s largest system at over 135 stations and 1,600
bikes to satisfy the growing demand for a cleaner, healthier way for
commuters and visitors to enjoy South Beach. For more information, please contact Deborah Scarpa at (305)
586-4022 or dscarpa@djs-marketing.com. SHOPPING AND THE CITY HOLIDAY SEASON 2010, SONESTA STYLE: Shopping is more exciting than ever thanks to the new “Shopping
and the City” promotion by the Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove,
bringing together the best of Miami for pre-holiday shopping jaunts through December. The Sonesta Bayfront Hotel Coconut Grove’s “Shopping and the
City” package offers a phenomenal value and entertainment experience. This
includes early check-in, complimentary valet parking for one vehicle, a
$20 Sawgrass Mills gift card and a coupon book worth $500 in savings at
the mall’s numerous stores – all for the exclusive price of $179 per
person, per night. Sawgrass Mills is the second most-visited attraction in the
state of Florida, containing more than 350 shopping options. Nights in Coconut
Grove are filled with great shopping, restaurants, and entertainment that
includes Panorama, the restaurant at the Sonesta, as well as the Paragon
Grove 13 movie theater, and much more set in the tropical ambiance of the
bay. To reserve, please use the promotional code: shop10 at http://www.sonesta.com/CoconutGrove/index.cfm?fa=misc.page&pageID=30564
or by calling: (305) 529-2828. LORDS SOUTH BEACH OFFERS NEW OPTION FOR GAY
TRAVELERS: the 53-room, Absolut-partnered bar, and scene-stealing
restaurant Cha Cha Rooster, Lords South Beach (1120 Collins
Avenue, Miami Beach) is the latest Miami boutique hotel in the growing
field of gay hotels and resorts. Lords has taken over the Nash Hotel’s
space — morphing into a sleek, stylish and sexy look. With three plunge
pools, a penthouse and cabanas, and a 9-foot tall fiberglass polar bear to
greet guests in the lobby, the hotel wears its playfulness on its sleeve.
For more information, please visit www.lordssouthbeach.com. WYNWOOD KITCHEN & BAR OPENS: Certain to be one of the coolest and most visually striking
new restaurants in the nation, Goldman Properties’ Jessica Goldman
Srebnick and her partner and father, visionary C.E.O. Tony Goldman, have
opened Wynwood Kitchen & Bar (WKB), at 2550 N.W. 2nd Avenue, in
Miami’s emerging arts district.
Featuring original artwork by some of the greatest artists from the
urban street art scene and innovative brasserie style cuisine created by
master chef Marco Ferraro, also at the helm of their award-winning
South Beach restaurant, Wish, WKB offers an artistic dining and cocktail
experience perfect for cultural and culinary adventurers. The WKB exterior
is swathed in murals by twin Brazilian artists Os Gemeos, the American
collaborative Dearraindrop and renowned artist Kenny Scharf and
incorporates a bar area collaged from top to bottom by acclaimed graffiti
artist Shepard Fairey, in his trademark palette of red, black and
gold. German artist Christian
Awe created panoramic 20 foot canvases of his explosive abstract art which
adorn the dining room. Outdoor dining faces Goldman Properties’ art park,
Wynwood Walls, which encompasses a series of 15 breathtaking murals by
leading international artists. A multi-colored sculptural man, by David
Benjamin Sherry, rising 11 feet high at the entrance welcomes guests to
the restaurant. The ultimate American brasserie, WKB has cooked up a
unique recipe that will give diners a wide range of stunning culinary and
visual experiences. For more
information, please visit www.wynwoodkitchenandbar.com.
NEWLY REMODELED SPA AT MANDARIN ORIENTAL, MIAMI: In celebration of its 10th anniversary, The Spa at
Mandarin Oriental, Miami, the only Five-Star Spa in Florida, has completed a significant refurbishment with the redesign
of its public and private spaces. Guests can experience the new spa and
reserve the “10th Anniversary Spa” package offering the ultimate
combination of relaxation and pampering and nourishing treatments. Designed by Robert D. Henry
Architects, the spa’s public areas are bright and lively and include a spa
welcome reception and new retail boutique. A gold beaded circular backdrop,
resembling a luxurious golden blanket, welcomes and envelops guests at
reception. The spa’s private areas include separate relaxation lounges for
men and women, locker facilities and steam and sauna. Here, lighting is dimmed and the
sound of water soothes the senses. Spa guests are encouraged to step into
the steam room and sauna complete with inviting subtly-glowing benches and
decorative patterns of mosaic and indulge their senses in the rejuvenating
experiential showers. Soft
chocolate drapery defines the relaxation area which is the perfect place
to meditate, cool down and take a respite from the
Miami scene on body-contoured wood loungers that have been
ergonomically contoured to caress the body. To enjoy the spa in its entirety,
the “10th Anniversary Spa” package combines a variety of results driven
treatments designed for detoxification, an energy boost and an overall
therapeutic experience. The program lasts five hours and costs USD 640
plus gratuity and includes a Contour & Firm body treatment, Time
Reversal facial, Anti-Aging Manicure, Reviving Pedicure and a Bento Box
lunch served poolside. For more information or spa
reservations, call +1 (305) 913 8332 or visit www.mandarinoriental.com/miami.
TOP CHEF MASTER CHRISTOPHER LEE OPENS EDEN SOUTH BEACH: eden South Beach, a new locavore-inspired, Seasonal American
restaurant, bar and lounge will restore the historic building at 210 23rd
Street to reflect the mood of its lush, wilderness-like atmosphere, where
all inhibitions are lost and eating from the garden is considered a
standard, not a sin. With the quintessence of paradise and the modern
attitude of South Beach, owners Kelley Jones, acclaimed chef Christopher
Lee, nightlife magnate Chuck Schafer and local entrepreneur Lawrence Rizzo
are set to arouse South Florida’s dining and nightlife scene with
something new to discover. The executive chef is James Beard Award-winning
and Top Chef Masters alum Christopher Lee, known best for his artfully
presented and refined take on national cuisine. The extensive menu, a combination
of “New American Classics,” farm- and garden-fresh ingredients and artisan
products at their seasonal peak, features simplicity at its finest. The
3,000-square-foot interior space features a palette of warm gray, black
and white with bright emerald accents throughout, the latter inspired by
chef Lee’s culinary color wheel. Guests will be greeted by a 10-foot
feature wall draped in orchids and exotic greens mounted against silvery
faux pony fur, the same color of the natural stone topped bar, which seats
10, and serves as the perfect place to enjoy one of
eden South Beach’s exotic signature cocktails, made in-house, also sourcing the
garden’s bounty. The private outdoor “Garden of Eden” offers a gracious,
landscaped patio serving as the perfect backdrop for either an afternoon
respite in one of the four cabanas, a two-course meal at a dining table or
a late-night bite with cocktails and friends at the custom-made mirror,
quartz and ceramic bar. An
array of fresh herbs and “forbidden” fruits including papaya, rosemary,
Meyer lemon, chives, key limes, mint, fennel, bananas, cilantro and more
will be utilized in more than 20 percent of the menu and not only enhances
the aromatic, al-fresco ambience but also offers guests a glimpse of what
goes into the kitchen. For more information, please visit www.edensouthbeach.com. BUENA VISTA’S NEW MUSIC AND WINE BAR: Blue Piano, a new bohemian music lounge and wine bar pouring
you rare vino, is now open in Buena Vista. This place feels a little like a neighborhood wine bar in
Buenos Aires, complete with a polished wood bar, candlelit tables and
flamenco music set to just the right volume. And if you sneak in here with
a date after 10pm—which we recommend—you’ll find a Billy Joel type tickling the
ivories of a small piano with everything from Spanish classics to Elton
John. Settle in at a small wooden table and start with a few dry whites
from Austria (the wine selection was put together by the former sommelier
at Fratelli Lyon). Pair it with platters of cured meats, cheeses and
arugula salads. And if beer’s your thing, there are five microbrews,
including a Blue Point Rastafa Rye Ale out of
New York. For more information, call
305-576-7979. Calendar of Events: WORLD'S GREATEST INDOOR FLEA MARKET December
16-19
www.wgifm.com ZOO LIGHTS
December 17-30
www.zoomiami.org KING MANGO STRUT PARADE
December 26
www.kingmangostrut.org MIAMI HEAT VS. NEW YORK KNICKS
December 28
www.heat.com BAYFRONT PARK'S NEW YEAR'S EVE
December 31
www.bayfrontparkmiami.com CITY OF MIAMI BEACH NEW YEARS EVE
December 31
www.miamibeachfl.gov ORANGE DRIVE
December 31-Jan.2
www.orangedr.com TO CONTACT US AT: 1-888-766-4264, Media@MiamiandBeaches.com
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