How Sweet It Is

Well that just about sums it up – see you next blog entry!


OK – details, details. These are two of the fine $500 mojitos that they serve at the Biltmore Coral Gables Miami Hotel. It took several days of bed-making and leaf-blowing to earn these puppies. (Actually we are quite grateful to Val’s magnanimity)

The Biltmore was built in 1926 and was the epitome of luxury for that era. Trains left major cities in the north with Biltmore – Miami as their listed destination.






Their swimming pool was the largest in the world for several years:


Notice the statuary between the columns on the right, very decadent. Johnny Weismuller was the resident swimming instructor and set a world record for freestyle swimming here. Aquatic shows were their source of survival during the depression featuring “…synchronized swimmers, bathing beauties, alligator wrestlers and the four year-old boy wonder Jackie Ott, whose act included diving into the immense pool from an 85-foot high platform.”

The grounds and spaces are just spectacular. It is currently home to a world-famous Sunday Champagne Brunch ($75 apiece – maybe next year) splendiferously arrayed in a gorgeous courtyard:



Coral Gables is quite the neighborhood. Our friend Paul (of Paul and Gregg fame) had a great house here when he first moved to the Miami area. Chip loved the pool and was a bit upset when Paul said he was selling the place. As you have seen where Paul lives now (“Gini and Paul Take A Walk” – Feb 2009) Chip quickly got over it.

Here is Coral Gables version of a public swimming pool:



It is in the National Register of Historic Places This is the Venetian Pool. Built in 1924, its 800,000 gallons are drained daily in the summer, every other day in the winter, and replenished by underground artesian wells. Formerly known as the Venetian Casino it also was the site for the likes of Esther Williams and Johnny Weismuller to cavort and frolic. Over one hundred thousand swimmers a year bathe in its splendor.

With Rich and Val the current guest stars the flavor changes once again. These two are experts on Miami Beach, its history and architecture. So the Biltmore and Venetian Pool were a must-enjoy when they arrived.

We also returned to the New World Center off Lincoln Road and took a tour of the facility. The interior definitely bespeaks Frank Gehry’s touch:





Chris was the duly appointed elevator operator for the tour. It helped cover expenses.

Rich Beaubien is a photographer extraordinaire. You can view his work on: http://www.intheviewfinder.net, Flickr and Facebook. Much of his day was spent roaming the beach looking for photo ops. Val and Gini juggled the pools, hot tubs, Lincoln Road, wine purchasing and walking. Chris just tried to keep up.

Chris provided some chauffeuring as the ambulating trio had set the Fontainebleu Hotel as their destination. When he arrived to pick up his charges he was met with:


James Bond is in the background on the balcony with Jill Masterson foiling Auric Goldfinger’s dastardly tactics in gin rummy.

The Fontainebleu is a real retro trip. It has recently been redone. We definitely enjoy the ‘bow tie’ floor of the lobby:



Also of some note is the Cheese Wall fronting Collins Avenue:



Richie is running around somewhere up there trying to get the perfect shot. Here he is in flagrante:



Next door is the more modern but equally elegant Eden Roc.



Its lobby is actually a beaucoup cool lounge:







Again, you can click on any of these photos to view them in a larger and more detailed context.

So just as the opening photo sort of summed up this week we have a parting photo for your viewing pleasure that depicts our heroes demonstrating their attitude toward the larger than life ambiance of the Fontainebleu lobby:



And awa-a-a-a-y we go!!

It's So Crowded Nobody Goes There Anymore

When you are hosting several different friends and family members over a period of 6 weeks you need to provide for both the visitor and yourself. There is a concern that a favorite tour, restaurant, walk or café is refreshing but even a prime destination can be frequented to the point of saturation. Also, not everyone has the same taste or preference in how to bask in leisure and free time.

So, thankfully, we were able to procure the above device to guard against these very instances. Our first vict…um participant was Kevin Richard,.our tenant from up north who was visiting us for two weeks and was last seen splayed across a banyan tree.

Using mostly the OSC and BYPASS buttons we were able to experience fishing and Hollywood simultaneously.

Kevin had his destination list for his southern excursion. It included many angling items. We provided him with the Honda Element so that he could fulfill his wish to go to Islamorada, a bastion of American fishing. His plan also included a trip to the IGFA (International Game Fish Association – he’s a member) Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum while he was there; a veritable double header.

Well the fishing happened but much to his surprise he discovered the museum had moved to Dania Beach, close to Fort Lauderdale – oops. So in a great humanitarian gesture we volunteered to drive him there the next day upon his return to Miami Beach. This would allow us to visit the Design Center of the Americas (DCOA). Voila! As the ibis flies they were less than a half mile apart – this was meant to be.

Here we have our guest hero emerging from aquatic bliss and enlightenment:



Meanwhile our hosting heroes were at the DCOA experiencing Film and Design: The Golden Age of Hollywood.

This is an incredible building described as: “…the largest to-the-trade design campus of its kind, showcasing 775,000 sq ft of extraordinary design products that suit the needs for any home, yacht or office project.” It is several floors of elegant showrooms arrayed throughout spacious hallways:



This is one of the atria on one end of the building.



Everything is an expression of art and style.

There was an incredible mobile suspended from the ceiling at the other end:



With the cooperation of many top designers they were able to dedicate showroom space to showcase 18 “breathtaking installations”. Each installation would be part of a “residence” where each room would be inspired by some Hollywood theme.

The ‘foyer’ was dedicated to:




The guest bedroom was dedicated to:



Well if this is business I’d love to see what’s reserved for pleasure.



And who would have thought that Chris would find the bathroom of his dreams? The piece de resistance was its cinematic inspiration:



This is the photo released by someone reviewing the installation but it does not quite do it justice:



That vertical piece of glass is at an angle to the wall but provides a splash-guard to the rain shower. An adjustable, hand-held shower graces the far wall. The ceramic column on the right is one of the two sinks. The drain for the shower is along the floor on the left and is only a few inches wide. Those are two cork stools in front of the glass. At the point where the stools are, the floor slopes very gently towards the drain. Here is a picture we took of the showers:



The black rectangles surrounding the mirror are cabinetry.
(You can click on the photos to make them larger)

What a day this was! We regrouped after our stereo experience and celebrated it at Taco Bell. The only reference at this point to summarize all this would have to be provided by Yogi Berra:




“If you see a fork in the road…take it!”

To Boom Or Not To Boom

“..to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.”

….How the hell was I supposed to know that this ‘sea of troubles’ would be my hip and my heart? I never checked the fine print.

Naively and romantically I thought that arms would be wielded for good versus evil; championing the downtrodden; obliterating ignorance; tilting against formidable odds while clad in a loincloth and a hint of mascara. Who knew?

Currently no peer communication is complete without a diagnosis or prognosis, a therapy, rehab strategy, prescription or mystical chant. Now some of this is pretty serious when cancer and stroke populate the conversation. These realities require attention, support, time, assistance, empathy and courage.

The rest of it forms an anecdotal spectrum of boomer existence.

“Well they went in to repair a rotator cuff and then they found out the tendon was almost completely torn..”

“Oh yeah, the lining in my heart just exploded. I felt fine, a little tired but okay. When I heard there was an ambulance coming I asked who was it for, they said ‘For you!”

“You have atrial fibrillation. This is the ‘common cold’ of heart ailments. Would you care for an ablation? Why of course! Do you have Bombay gin?”

“I was just bending down to sit on the toilet when, suddenly, I couldn’t move..”






Having a partner really helps.

It’s amazing what you now need two hands for – even three or four.








And, oh those second opinions:



But back to our favorite Dane (that would be Hamlet or Victor Borge – your choice). What is so ‘outrageous’ about our fortune? Could it be the lack of staff? Where is that valet and why is snow shoveling not one of the corporal works of mercy?

The big reality check is that Jack LaLanne is not immortal. Granted he made it to 96 but wasn’t that supposed to be a brief stop along the way to Elysian Fields? Desire may be our streetcar but there still lurks outrage. And how do you sling it anyway?

Now some of you out there may have just run a half-marathon, gotten a new job or are knee-bouncing grandchildren as we tweet. You are the levees against the sea of troubles. Just like Mr. LaLanne you brazenly wave your manacles and continue to tote that barge. The heck with the bales.

It’s not a level playing field is it? Individually we are counting our blessings and trying to remain positive. Collectively we are hoping that social security isn’t the equivalent of “I’m all in!”. Cashing in the chips may be the hardest part.

If we’re having a great time, why isn’t everybody here? If I’m having a bad time, why won’t it stop? Roseanne Roseannadanna comes to mind – “ You know Mr. Baron, you sure do ask a lot of questions!”