themiamiguide:

A Dog Day of Summer in The Village of Merrick Park

A pet-friendly event for mid-summer? Believe it or not, there are such happenings that not only allow you to bring your most faithful companion along to, but are also all “about” them. In Coral Gables this weekend, for instance, The Village of Merrick Park is hosting what’s being billed as The Doggy Days of Summer. It’s an invitation for dog lovers to bring their best friends to the pet-friendly center (location: The Garden) for a doggone afternoon and howling good time....

July 11th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

South Beach Men’s Fashion Show 2009

It is that time of the year, when fashion and the catwalk become uppermost in the minds of many of Miami’s fashion-conscious. It’s called Fashion Week, Swim Week, and many industry events related to them. Given that summer has also arrived with some record high temperatures for early July, it can’t be trivial to be thinking of what looks good on the beach at the moment. And in this part of the world, what a guy wears in the outdoors that’s body-enhancing is almost as important...

July 9th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Living Art Strikes a Pose at The Museum of Art/Fort Lauderdale

From ancient Greece to our own twenty-first century, the definition and achievement of perfection in the human form goes on challenging athletes and artists alike. While the boundaries of that perfection continue to change, you can draw a line of progression in the aesthetics that stretches from from past to present. Then and now stand side by side and come alive on on Thursday, July 9, at 6:00 p.m., when the Museum of Art | Fort Lauderdale, Nova Southeastern University and the 2009 NPC Southern...

July 8th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Solé on the Ocean: Active and Serene Lifestyle by the Waves

Solé on the Ocean supplies as much solitude or company as your mood and needs dictate. This new addition to the northward expanding hotel scene has an idyllic setting, stylish architecture and interiors, amenities and entertainment, plus the glories of the finest white powdered sands just yards away. The design and ambience here is residential — and that’s appropriate, since the location is at a distance from the downtown hustle of south Miami Beach and the 147 fully furnished units...

July 8th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

3rd Annual Miami Fishing Tournament

How did you first learn how to fish in the ocean? Was it trial-and-error, did you even have the opportunity to get down to a coastline to try your hand at it, or did circumstances make this fantatic experience something that was always out of reach while you were growing up? Some of us were lucky enough to grow up by an ocean, and learn some of the basic skills of fishing from seasoned pro’s, but luckily there are organizations these days that can provide some help and support to the youngest...

July 3rd, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Celebrating the National Birthday, Miami Style

That pattern of rainy June weather that has filled south Florida skies for weeks on end now will hopefully taper off by the first week in July so that the glorious fourth can be gloriously comfortable. Temperatures do drop into the seventies at night still – and if we are lucky, it will still be just pleasant for fireworks and celebrations this coming holiday weekend. Certainly, the lineup of entertainment around town as far as open-air fireworks and good times are worth considering it if you...

June 30th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

A Suite View from Z Ocean

However you arrive at Z Ocean Hotel South Beach, it’s likely to be a little different than other arrivals you’ve experienced at South Beach hotels. For one thing, it’s probably unique in having entrances on both Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive. If you make your entry from the Ocean Drive side, you are actually welcomed trhough a breezeway that serves as an expansive open-air lounge and lobby. Ambient waterfalls and salty ocean breezes mingle in your senses, and you’ll likely...

June 30th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

17th Annual International Mango Festival

Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden is really brilliant in what they choose to highlight by way of festivals that are both “tropical”, “edible”, and maybe something you haven’t seen in a festival anywhere else yet. So for instance, they have an annual chocolate festival, but also an annual mango festival — an item sure to bring nostalgic pleasure to many populations resident around today’s Miami. This year, the 17th Annual International Mango Festival celebrates...

June 28th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Miami Spa Month 2009

Although we personally don’t “spa it” much — doing a men’s facial once a year to get the blackheads out is about the full extent we’ll tolerate — we certainly have friends and acquaintances who are either hard-core aficionados of the innumerable benefits of the spa, or even follow spa events as part of their profession. Aside from all that, Miami just happens to be one of those cities that due to location and demographics, has such a powerful spa fan base...

June 26th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Miami: Then and Now – Snapshots of Enduring Magic

The photographers and authors of Miami: Then and Now clearly have a heartfelt and very visual connection to the city of Miami. Although there’s many coffee table and urban biographies of Miami to choose amongst, and many that take some interesting angle on one aspect of the town and its development over the past century, this particular book doesn’t strike any extra poses and lets the changing faces of Miami then and now speak to you directly — for better or worse, richer or poorer. The...

June 24th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

The Pink and the Green of Flamingo Gardens

What did travelers used to think of first when Florida came to mind? Long before Ocean Drive or South Beach became the bywords for defining Miami, flamingoes were the symbol of natural and wild south Florida. Today, you can still see them, along with many of their fellow tropical inhabitants, at Flamingo Gardens. This botanical garden and wildlife reserve is just a short ride north from Miami up to Davie, a small inland town west of Fort Lauderdale that has a lot of old Florida feel to it, along...

June 21st, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Saying it Right Miami Style for Father’s Day June 21

What can you do for the father that has seen, done or had it all to say thank you again in a special way on Father’s Day this year? Luckily, if you’re in Miami at least, there are more than a few very different types of establishment that want to bring you through their doors with some creative and cost-effective offers that will make a new impression on the old man. While many retail, entertainment and hotel establishments have something special in store just for a paternal treat,...

June 19th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Miami’s Window to the Universe of Fitness

While Miami certainly has its own local thriving and expanding fitness scene — be it eastern, western, or global practices — it’s always great to also have an annual international event that brings together fit-minded men and women from around the country and the world to search for the best of the best. This year, the Fitness Universe pageant and Musclemania Universe are the highlight events at four days of events, expos, seminars and after-parties. There are several distinct...

June 18th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

The Gables: Village with a Plate for Every Taste

Building on its village appeal and walk-around charm, downtown Coral Gables continues to expand on its variety of new eateries in 2009. The area’s culinary appeal nowadays encompasses the lunch crowd as well as sophisticated foodies dining after dark. New additions to the area’s culinary roster of more than 70 restaurants include The Sports Exchange, an upscale sports bar and restaurant with 23 high-definition plasma televisions; Chilorio’s, a casual-dining Mexican restaurant; and Pasha’s,...

June 17th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Miami’s Farmer’s Markets: Refreshing Your Diet Communally

Like any large and geographically sprawling metropolis, in Miami there’s certainly the temptation to keep your meal planning simple by either eating out, eating pre-prepared or refined foods, or relying on what you can just grab at the local supermarket produce section. It is the easy and most conventional way for many (too many?) to still feed themselves in the course of a busy week. Thankfully, the opportunity to break free of that pattern all began to emerge around Miami as early as 1997,...

June 11th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

EPIC – Downtown’s New Lifestyle Waterfront Hotel

Located in downtown Miami at the edge of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay, EPIC is one of the newest properties belonging to Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, having just opened opened December 15, 2008, and strives to combine the timeless style of a cosmopolitan boutique hotel with the amenities of a resort to create a sophisticated recreation oasis for guests. EPIC’s sleek, 54-story, elliptical-shaped high-rise features 411 guestrooms and suites, including two luxury corner Presidential Style...

June 5th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Viceroy’s Club 50 – a Feast for Eyes and Ears from 50 Floors Up

A tropical bay that becomes more spectacular than ever from the ultimate elevation, Biscayne Bay is part of the unforgettable panorama that mesmerizes you when you are up 50 floors above the city and its shorelines at Club 50. Along with that, you are also treated to some fine jazz tunes nowadays, thanks to the fact that every week is also the setting for a three-set performance by improvisational jazz trio Jazzilla. Located atop the recently opened swank Viceroy Miami in the downtown Brickell area,...

June 3rd, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

Connecting with Tropical Fruits: Redland Summer Fruit Festival

Whether you are a long-time gardener of fruits, newcomer to getting your fingers in the earth to grow things for your table, or someone seeking a wide-ranging display of what can be grown in your own backyard, one venue and event to connect with a huge array of possible fruits to sample and even grow yourself is the upcoming Redland Summer Fruit Festival. Taking place this year on June 20 and 21, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. out at the Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead, this showcase for what grows...

June 1st, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

An Early June Volley at Voran Beach Volleyball Tournament

Beach events in Miami seem to be catching on along the entire Atlantic stretch of Florida coastline all the way from Key Biscayne north right up to county line. No longer do you see the party or opening event happening just along Miami Beach shores, now if you can hold an event on the sand or a pool deck, it can happen anywhere that Collins Avenue or AIA runs past. Till now, the somewhat quieter community of Sunny Isles was not the first place you might think of for a lively beach event, but that...

June 1st, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More

All That Summer Jazz Kicks off a Gables Concert Series

Jazz has a long and colorful history running somewhere way back into the entertainment scene of the magic city, and something that’s contributed a great deal to that very magic. It’s also a local history we admit to still be catching up on. Meanwhile jazz goes on as an integral part of the entertainment panorama each year, and this summer brings along an early highlight in the season with the Coral Gables Community Arts Program’s Summer Concert Series, which opens with an outstanding...

May 30th, 2009 | Rest of the World | Read More