GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 15

by Adrienne Wilson on

The end of the week has arrived and I can’t express how happy that makes me. But I’m not going to make this intro long winded or provide some silly intro on the close of the day and what you may have missed so let’s just get into it!

5. Where Have You Been? At Bluestockings:
Although I am sure there are other events around the globe similar to this Bluestockings event this is one in particular makes me wish I lived in the Big Apple. For those who haven’t the desire to be on the go or can’t but still love drooling and thinking on the travel tales of others this live storytelling events might make for a fabulous evening for you and a nice cup of tea.

4. Cruise Ship Work: It’s Possible:
In need of a new job NOW? Well I can’t promise you’ll land one on a cruise ship immediately, but you can start NOW to get out of your cube farm and onto the high seas for a few months. The air is much fresher out there.

3. Tickets on Sale for Beijing Olympics:
While Ember is busy bringing the daily Beijing 411, Jonathon stops to remind us that one of the world’s biggest events is coming up fast and tickets are now on sale. Will you be at the Olympics?

2. Talking Travel with Matthew Polly:
Ready to be inspired? Gadling contributor, Justin Glow brings us all an awesome Q&A from his chat with Matthew Polly. If the name doesn’t ring a bell fear not, but don’t and I repeat don’t try bullying this guy to fork over his egg roll or burger for that matter. Read the interview and find out what pushed him to leave everything behind to travel to the Shaolin Temple.

1. Weekend in Miami: An Overview:
Summer is on the way and thanks to Willy, those who are planning a getaway to Miami, Florida can check out this overview for a few links and ideas on how to spend 2-3 days time or more if you happen to have it! Though the beach is almost a given he also provides a glimpse at museums and dining and most importantly, where you may want to rest your head.

Weekend In Miami: Key Biscayne

by Willy Volk on

After we’d cooled off at the Venetian Pool, it was time to get hot again. So we put the top down on the convertible and headed to Key Biscayne. A barrier island only 6 miles off the southeast coast of Miami, the beaches on Key Biscayne are way more fun — or way more laid-back! — than any ordinary beach. Plus, Key Biscayne has a cool lighthouse.

Key Biscayne is home to two great beaches. After leaving mainland Miami and traveling over the Rickenbacker Causeway, past Virginia Key, and past the Miami Seaquarium, we came to Crandon Park. Here, on the northern end of Key Biscayne — with the Atlantic Ocean on the east side and Biscayne Bay to the west — parking costs $5. Nature-loving visitors can explore the various ecosystems of the Key (dunes, mangroves, coastal hammock, and seagrass beds) and observe herons, ospreys, songbirds, hawks, sea turtles, and butterflies. You can even track rare plants like the beach peanut, Biscayne prickly ash, and the coontie. This area, set aside as a Nature Area, is rough and wild — just like Old Florida.

Don’t want to hunt wildlife? No problem, because the adjacent beach is picturesque. Often ranked among the world’s best beaches, Crandon Park’s beach features an offshore sandbar, which makes wading in the area’s warm waters very enjoyable. Alternatively, if you’re a “beach active” person, there’s plenty of opportunities here for great fishing, parasailing, ultralighting, or jetskiing.

With virtually no waves and a shallow lagoon, it’s easy to see why Crandon Park is popular with day-trippers wanting to get away from the mainland’s more tourist-y beaches. Finally, with its soft, white sand, just sitting on the beach is pretty fun, too.

After checking out Crandon Park, we passed through the Village of Key Biscayne and wound south to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, which is totally worth the drive. Entrance to the Park is $5. We parked and darted to the beach (also awarded a “best beach” status), which wasn’t nearly as crowded as Lincoln Road Beach. Then I saw it: the lighthouse.

I had to climb it.

We hustled back out into the parking lot and around to the entrance for the lighthouse. As we approached, it slowly revealed itself.

Almost there…

We rushed to the door and raced up the 119 stairs to the top. On the way up, there were several windows to peer through. From some windows, you could see the ocean…

…from others, you could see the Keeper’s Cottage below.

Finally on top, we gazed out at the Atlantic Ocean.

In the distance, you can see some small buildings on the water. This is Stiltsville, a small collection of “shacks” in the flats of Biscayne Bay, built in the 1920s. These well-known landmarks are in danger of being torn down.

The view looking back at Miami. Uh… not so pretty.

The original lighthouse and cottage, built in 1825, were attacked and burned in 1836 by Seminole warriors protesting U.S. presence in the South Florida wilderness and resisting deportation from Florida to the West. Both structures were rebuilt in 1855. You can guess what happened to the Seminoles.

Looking down was exciting… but somewhat disorienting.

Nearby, a sea kayaker was enjoying the area’s lack of waves.

We clambered back down the steps and walked over to the Keeper’s Cottage.

Inside the cottage, you can watch a short film about the life of a Cottage Keeper.

If you’re in Miami, and you have a car and a free afternoon, I definitely recommend a trip to Key Biscayne. Although the Village doesn’t have that casual, anything-goes feeling shared by the rest of the Keys, the Park and beaches are beautiful, and there are plenty of opportunities for either beach-y adventure activities OR for just sitting on the sand.

Despite the beautiful day, the great beaches, and the fresh air, however, it was time to leave. We still had another stop to make! And it was bound to be the most fun — and the most unusual — yet!

Previously: Weekend In Miami: The Venetian Pool

Weekend In Miami: Afterglo

by Willy Volk on

After cruising the Lincoln Road area for dinner options but finding nothing, I wasn’t disappointed. After all, I had a back-up plan: Afterglo.

I had heard about Afterglo before we headed to Miami. Claiming its “beauty cuisine” is effective in beautifying the body both inside and out, the food at Afterglo is designed “to restore cellular health in the body, reverse the effects of aging, and reveal one’s true beauty.” Yeah, it sounded a little fruity, but we wanted to dine somewhere unusual, and Afterglo appeared to fit the bill. If it lived up to the hype, eating at Afterglo would be both good and good for us.

We had planned on eating at Afterglo for lunch, but when we walked by in the afternoon, the doors were shut: it’s a dinner-only place.

I had called ahead and asked if reservations were necessary. When the woman asked me what time I wanted the table, I told her 8 o’clock. She said, “You probably won’t need reservations.” But it was a Saturday night, I thought…

We showed up just past 8 and were amazed that we were the only ones in the restaurant. Guess we didn’t need that reservation, after all. By 9, two other tables were occupied. Note: Miami is a late-night city, and 8 o’clock is not considered late-night. In fact, it’s apparently early bird time.

Afterglo is beautiful inside. With an intimate Persian-esque atmosphere, the colors are soothing and luxurious.

I stopped and stared at the bar for a moment before heading to my seat. The rock literally glowed from within.

We ordered some drinks and took a look at the frequently-changing menu. After talking to our waiter — who was hip, but not pretentious; knowledgeable, but not condescending; sincere, and not smarmy — we decided to start with an appetizer. We ordered the Venison and Truffle Tataki: “Free-range venison with fresh shaved truffles, with a salad of julienned apples, crushed juniper berries, and spiced pumpkin seeds, drizzled with truffle oil, raw honey, pumpkinseed oil, and apple cider vinegar.” If you don’t think that sounds delicious, let me say that, for the record, it was so good, I forgot to take a picture of it. So instead, I’ll present this one:

Next, we ordered dinner. I ordered Wild Mushroom Stuffed Organic Chicken Breast: “Wild-harvested mushrooms and cave-aged gruyere-stuffed chicken breast with fig pangravy and organic grilled tamarind vegetables.”

My wife ordered a special: Mahi-mahi topped with mango salsa. In her enthusiasm to eat, the picture she took turned out a little blurry. You get the idea.

Both our meals were exquisite: the flavors were unusual but not conflicting, and the presentation made you eager to take the next bite. While I can’t say whether or not my cells were any healthier after eating my meal, I enjoyed the taste of every bite and I seriously felt healthy eating it. Therefore: time to order dessert.

I ordered The Beauty Inside: “A warm molten chocolate cake filled with an aromatic blue cheese ganache with a roasted pear compote, mixed berry sorbet, honey drizzle, and black pepper.” Pepper and chocolate? Blue cheese and chocolate? Weird, I know, but I was willing to try, since my entree had been so good. Not only was the description out-there, but the presentation was amazing, too!

My wife ordered the Honey Pot: “A walnut tartlette filled with banana cinnamon creme, topped with sliced banana and orange segments with an organic raw chocolate sauce drizzled with a choice of honey or agave syrup, and sprinkled with hemp seeds.” The Honey Pot is a totally raw dessert with absolutely no sugar added. It was unbelievably good. (Again, sorry for her enthusiasm.)

After eating, I had to ask our waiter what the unusual structure in the middle of the dining room floor was. First, he told me that it was reserved for small parties. Then, he added that on the first Saturday of each month, Afterglo holds an “Erotic Party Night.” Featuring pole-dancing, airbrush-artists, and fire-twirlers, the action revolves around this 16th-century marble gazebo surrounding the private elevated dining platform. Equal parts romantic and cool, I wished we’d eaten in there.

In total, dinner cost us $162, which was steeper than we expected, but this was the best dinner we’ve enjoyed in months. The food looked good, it tasted good, and it “felt” good, too. In other words, I wasn’t over-full from too much food or lethargic from food that was too heavy. However, don’t just take my word for it. Check out some of the other reviews of Afterglo:

  • Gayot: The kitchen takes what is essentially an all-organic, sustainable, seasonal and free-range pantry and creates some truly outstanding dishes.
  • Sun-Sentinel: It has a staff that is warm and friendly and that knows newcomers are not going to be instantly won over, so they make an effort to help. They won over everyone I took to the restaurant.
  • Miami Herald: Here’s what you’re missing if you haven’t yet tried this new South Beach stunner: Amazing, cutting-edge cuisine.

If you head to Miami, I certainly recommend trying Afterglo. Maybe I’ll see you there one Saturday night!

Weekend In Miami: The Beach

by Willy Volk on

After changing clothes in our hotel, we hustled to the beach. We were anxious, as South Beach’s beaches are famous for their pristine sands, emerald waters, and strutting model wannabees.
One of the first things you’ll notice about many of South Beach’s beaches is the fabulous, dramatic entryways they offer. For example, this curving courtyard takes you from the major, car-filled thoroughfare of Ocean Drive to the quiet beach in about 60 seconds. You can literally hear the sounds of the city fading away, being replaced by the sounds of the waves. It’s like a real-life Corona commercial.

Once on the beach, I skedaddled straight to the water to look and feel it. It was so clear… but a bit cool.

I turned and saw how crowded the beach was.
Into the horizon, there were people everywhere.

I referred to this sign-less, nameless stretch of beach as “Lincoln Road Beach.” Just north of flashier and trendier Lummus Park Beach, and just south of smaller, quieter Collins Beach, Lincoln Road Beach is family-friendly and tourist-intensive.

Some people had encouraged us to go to Haulover Beach — several miles north — for some beach time. However, Lincoln Road Beach was close to the hotel, which was very appealing. Moreover, the north part (and only the north part) of Haulover is an officially-recognized naturist beach. In other words, it’s clothing-optional. My previous clothing optional-beach experience had been icky — lots of men cruising past, sizing me up — so we decided to avoid that.

In any event, this beach was nice, and the sun felt good on my face and back. Though there were a number of college-aged girls sunning themselves, there were no topless Saline Machines wandering around, like CSI: Miami would have you believe. As soon as I laid down, I fell asleep; if you want to see more of what the local beaches look like, check out Miami Photo Meetup or Miami Travel Photo.

If you don’t want to head to Lummus park, Lincoln Road, or Collins Park, there are a number of beaches in greater Miami. At the end of the weekend, our favorite turned out to be Key Biscayne’s Crandon Park Beach. But more on that later.

Previously: Weekend In Miami: The Greenview Hotel

Weekend In Miami: The Greenview Hotel

by Willy Volk on

After all that thinking we’d done at the Museum of Thinkism, it was time to check into our hotel, change clothes, and head to the beach for some afternoon-time relaxing.

Not certain where we wanted to stay, a friend of my wife had told us we should head to the Lincoln Road area — considered the premiere shopping destination in South Beach — because we would undoubtedly want to spend lots of time there. I did some searching and discovered the Greenview Hotel had rooms available.

To us, the location of this 43-room hotel sounded good: one block from where the pedestrian-only shopping area of Lincoln Road begins; three blocks from the beach; and a 5-minute jaunt to “the rest of South Beach” (we could easily walk to the Art Deco District). We eagerly booked a room.

The lobby of the small, boutique hotel was impressive, I thought. Quiet, clean, and white, it was a soothing environment. Overhead, Marlene Dietrich music played softly. Behind me is reception.

To the right, there’s a casual seating area, and a very small office with Internet access (see the guy using the computer?). The elevator is in the lower right-hand corner of this picture. Be warned: it is the smallest, jolting-est elevator in this hemisphere.

Continental breakfast is provided just to the left of the brown folding half-wall in the left of this shot.

After riding the aluminum-paneled elevator to our floor, I was a bit underwhelmed by the hallway. Uh-oh, I thought. What have I gotten us into?

However, our room, though small, was clean and comfortable. Unfortunately, it didn’t offer central A/C, but the small window unit was adequate… once it got going.

I have to say the sisal rug lining the floor was very uncomfortable on bare feet.

The bathroom was a bit minimalist, though the shower was quite large.

All in all, the room was adequate, and we enjoyed using it as a base of operations:

  • It was quiet.
  • It was centrally-located.
  • It was clean.
  • It was priced right ($140/night).

Although this price might seem high, we thought it was a good value for the money for accommodation in Miami during the high season. That said, next time, we probably wouldn’t stay there, for two reasons:

  1. There are so many hotels to “sample” in the area, that — unless you really love one — there’s no reason to go back. (Possible options for next visit include The Loft Hotel, The Viscay Hotel, The Blue Moon Hotel, The Chesterfield Hotel, and Villa Paradiso.)
  2. We were somewhat disappointed with Lincoln Road. But more on that later.

We quickly changed and headed for the beach!

Previously: Weekend In Miami: The Museum of Thinkism & The Dynamo