So What Do You Think Of Miami Beach?

We believe we have documented evidence of what a conscientiously applied program of South Beach and regular solar care will produce:



We would show you ‘before’ pictures but it is best that we think of them in their current incarnation. This picture was actually taken on the mainland in Coconut Grove at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens.

Vizcaya is the former home of James Deering, vice president of International Harvester. For those who might be curious the Deering Harvester company merged with the McCormick Reaper to form International Harvester. There was an eruption of money that resulted in land being purchased in Coconut Grove.

By 1916, and after spending 20 million dollars, Mr. Deering had produced an estate that showcased the Italian Renaissance style with a Miami Beach appreciation.

Here is the Venetian look:



In the background is the Tea House.

To the left is the Great Stone Boat:



Funny, the Empress Dowager of China was also famous for a stone (marble) boat. You would think they would have had a better concept of buoyancy with all their money and all.

As to Vizcaya, itself, let us turn 180 degrees and look at it from its best perspective from Biscayne Bay:



The archway on the second floor above the three blue openings was the private balcony of James Deering. He would surreptitiously gaze at the public who could roam the gardens on the weekends.

Sadly he only lived until 1925. In 1926 a hurricane did tremendous damage to the property. Its history is filled with minimal staff and hurricanes. Finally in 1952 a token amount of 1.3 million was paid by Miami-Dade County and the next year the property was made available to the public.

The gardens were not completed until 1921 due to the outbreak of World War I. They have moonlit tours once a month in the gardens. The original 180 acres have been reduced to 50 but it still remains beautiful:















We were also impressed with the number of celebrities we encountered.

“What Link from yonder window breaks?” Well that would be Chris Link, soon to be Dr. Link in a few short months, taking a break from bedside ministrations to entertain a duet of damsels:



And did we not say that HGTV is ubiquitous? Though he shyly turned from our camera, we encountered David Bromstad (he of the blue shirt) filming an episode for his Color Splash show for the House and Garden TV network. There was appropriate oohing and ahing:



We all know that the Miami area is a mecca for fashion and style. This picture says it all as to the allure of Vizcaya and the world of Elle and Vogue:



Let’s just think of them as the Mamarazzi.