Nice Breeze

Just a beautiful day in Coconut Grove, overlooking Biscayne Bay. A bit hot so the Atlantic see breeze is soooo nice here.

Power Lift

Lifting and launching operation in Coconut Grove. The green dingy is the kayak that can be rented for a stroll in Biscayne Bay

On the Waterfront

This is Bear, a nice, sweet and gentleman BIG dog. He is patiently waiting for his master from one of the many piers in Coconut Grove. Actually, come to think, he's not such a gentleman because he took a chair in a building for a fire hydrant. I miss that shot! Oh, Bear!

Monty's

This is Monty's on South Bayshore Drive in Coconut Grove. It's Sunday at noon but the traffic here is very light. Is that trouble brewing for this restaurant? It used to be full of people and there is no chance to find a parking spot. Ah... This economy is pinching hard. I got a few more photos inside, and it's pretty empty. In season, the stone crab here is its signature dish... Is it still the case? I wonder.

Upscale

The Village of Merrick Park has over 100 retail stores, many of them upscale brands; several dining locations, and three anchor stores: Neiman Marcus and Miami's first Nordstrom, along with Equinox Fitness Club and Spa. This view is from the end of Ponce de Leon Boulevard. Technically, this is in Coral Gables and I rarely, if ever venture into this place because it's too upscale for me. May be I'll take some "upscale" photos some day. The now quite ubiquitous "circle" you see in the traffic sign is designed and built into the roads of Miami to force motorists to slow down. I like that idea a lot.

Red-Hot Italian

This traffic scene is very often seen in the streets of Miami: Super expensive car; and the driver is on the cell phone. Here it is, guilty on both counts.

U-Bandit

And here is the University of Miami Health System "UHealth." Don't ever park in this parking garage. They will take your $20! Everywhere else in this area, the usual parking charge is $8. Where do they think we are? New York City?

Miller from UHealth

The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, an academic medical center founded in 1952, serves Miami, South Florida, South America, and the Caribbean in education, research, patient care, and community service. It is seen here from the University of Miami Health System "UHealth" that took over the former Cedars of Lebanon hospital at 1321 NW 14th Street, Miami. The Metro Rail station in view is the Civic Center station.

Banyan Tree Gone

8PM on a week day. This place is quite empty. A few years ago, this entrance had a beautiful giant concrete "tree" a la Robinson Crusoe's tree house home in the tropics. But some smart alec executive decided to dismantle it. Now it looks bare. I bet you that guy is long gone. I would have fired him myself.

Cuban Fast Food

Sunset Drive runs all the way from CocoPlum East to Krome Avenue West at the edge of the Florida Everglades has a lot of eateries. Here, at the intersection with 97th Avenue, there is a high concentration of restaurants. There is a strip mall on the left where the Subway shop of my previous blog is located.

Rich and Famous 911

The building in view is the Easternmost wing of the huge Baptist Health Kendall complex on Kendall Drive on a crisp, beautiful and gorgeous Sunday with the first mild cold front of the season. The weather is almost perfect, but that doesn't prevent people to have health crisis. This helicopter just landed and delivered a sick patient on a stretcher a few minutes ago.

Taxi Driver

This taxicab driver must have worked long hours until now, and clearly is exhausted. His cab is in the parking lot of a busy grocery store and he may be waiting for the rider who could be inside getting food or supplies. The car engine is not running and it must be hot inside. We are supposed to have cooler weather tomorrow. I hope so.

Money Sink

This is Macy's in Dadeland Mall, one of several such stores in Miami. Macy's, Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnati and New York, is one of the nation's upscale retailers, with year 2008 sales of US $24.9 billion. The company operates more than 800 Macy's department stores and furniture galleries in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico, as well as 40 Bloomingdale's stores in 12 states. Macy's, Inc.'s workforce includes approximately 167,000 employees. The company also operates macys.com and bloomingdales.com. Prior to June 1, 2007, Macy's, Inc. was known as Federated Department Stores, Inc. The company's shares are traded under the symbol "M" on the New York Stock Exchange.

Your Change, Please

Cash solicitation for the Homeless. The average motorist truly does not know what to do... To give... or not to give? That's the question. A vast majority turns the other way to avoid eye contact. Life is so tough!

Traffic Blue

Early morning today, the traffic was bad. The Palmetto Expressway Northbound looks like a parking lot. There must be an accident of some sort on it. I told you, Miamians are the worst drivers I know. I'm glad I didn't learn to drive here.

King Kong Kar

Who is driving this car? King Kong? This is a Humvee car. The Hummer name was sold to US General Motors several years ago by AM General. AM General continues to make the H1 for the military while GM has taken over manufacturing of the H2, such as this car. Both of these unique vehicles are sold to the public and have become popular vehicle! However, I see them less these days in this economy.

Scrambled Cumulus

This is what happens to low altitude cumulus clouds when there is atmospheric turbulence in the area: Scrambled white puffs in the early Miami blue sky.

Tough Going

Sunday morning, as usual, a flock of men looking for work hangs around waiting for job opportunities outside the Home Depot store in South Miami. Many men, few odd jobs.

Bananas

I bet everyone on earth knows the bananas, but many of you may not know all of the following: The banana fruit grows in hanging clusters, with up to 20 fruits to a tier (called a hand), and 3–20 tiers to a bunch. The total of the hanging clusters is known as a bunch, or commercially as a "banana stem", and can weigh from 30–50 kg. The fruit averages 125 g, of which approximately 75% is water and 25% dry matter content. Each individual fruit (known as a banana or 'finger') has a protective outer layer (a peel or skin) with a fleshy edible inner portion. Both skin and inner part can be eaten raw or cooked. Western cultures generally eat the inside raw and throw away the skin while some Asian cultures generally eat both the skin and inside cooked. Typically, the fruit has numerous strings (called 'phloem bundles') which run between the skin and inner part. The inner part of the common yellow dessert variety splits easily lengthwise into three strips. Bananas are a valuable source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, and potassium. In Asia, the banana leaves are used in multiple imaginative ways in local food preparation.

Making Babies

It sounds like a pet's name, but they are plants, baby plants. In Hawaiian keiki means “baby,” referring to a baby plant produced asexually (usually occurring in Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis, or Vandaceous orchid species). The keiki is a clone of the mother/father plant. Although the keikis look neat, they are usually a good indication that your orchid plant is under some kind of stress... unless you are an experienced green thumb and you encourage your orchid plants to make "babies" so you can share with friends. This is my Dendrobium superbum having quadruplet, or even octuplet... The general theory for Dendrobiums is... you withhold watering to produce flowers, and you water abundantly to encourage keikis. I did neither, and left it to Mother nature. The rain did grow these keikis, but... this plant will flower again the next cycle, in April 2010. But wait a minute... it did not rain much this year, so this plant is under stress and it is fighting for survival. Neat!

Moon Shot

Here is the moon in the Miami western sky early this morning. That branch trying to catch the moon is my overgrown oak tree. I understand that tomorrow, at about 7:30AM Eastern Daylight Time, NASA's LCROSS probe and its spent Centaur rocket stage will be purposely crashed into the large crater Cabeus. I will be having a front row seat right here. All I need to figure out is where on the disk it will hit. Now you know what looking for a needle in a hay stack is like. Or... this is like looking for a specially marked grain of sand in the Sahara desert. Try to watch? Not try to watch? Nah! Can't deploy my telescope because it's in a box somewhere. But it you want to, you can try to watch this event here.

Pizza Hut

Another one of the many places you can get pizzas in Miami... I would like to try them all, but never can find the time (or the $.) Is that person smoking? How rude!

Miami's Best

The name says so, this is my very favorite place for pizza. It's on US-1, across from the University of Miami's main campus in Coral Gables. A very unpretentious place and I've never seen or heard ads about this pizza place.

Scoreboard

On a week day, you will find a deserted Dade county stadium that is the home for high schools' athletic events. This is where the local high schools play foot ball games on Friday nights. The stadium is small, but the games are always very spirited. This is inside the Tropical Park between Bird ans Miller Roads just West of the Palmetto Expressway.

Winged Beans

The Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), also known as the Goa bean (kacang botol in Malaysia) and Asparagus Pea and Winged Pea (Lotus tetragonolobus), is a tropical legume plant native to Papua New Guinea. It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries, from the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. It does well in humid tropics with high rainfall.

This is the time that these winged beans are maturing. They are best eaten when smaller than about 1 inch. Here is one on the vine that is being invaded by countless many others that grow widely in this Miami climate (The leaves of this bean vine are on the top of the photo, lower leaves are from other vines sharing the same fence.) This bean has grown to almost full size, and it's about 6 inches now. Winged beans have parts of its plant that are all edible. The flavor of the beans has a similarity to asparagus. The large attractive flowers are often used to color rice and pastries. The young leaves can be picked and prepared as a leaf vegetable, similar to spinach. The roots can be used as a root vegetable, similar to the potato, and have a nutty flavor; they are also much richer in protein than potatoes. The dried seeds can be used as a flour and also to make a coffee-like drink. Each of these parts of the winged bean provide a source of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other vitamins.

Mobile Art

To show you how much we Americans love our cars, here is one for your enjoyment. This car must be unique if not in the entire USA, then it must be unique here in Miami. In case you are curious to know, this is a Lexus, a rich cousin of the mere mortal Toyota. I wonder how much a paint job like this would cost, and where and how it can be done. I have lots of idea to paint my car, or may be a collation of the photos from my blog? Any donation?

Don Uruguay

I only knew about this restaurant recently, and have returned three times. The food is surprisingly good (for my taste, that is... as for you, I can't guarantee so please don't blame me if you ever want to try this out and not like it.) This is one of a chain of 4 locations in Miami and this one is on Sunset Drive and SW 107th Avenue. It operates very much like a "Mom and Pop" restaurant, and I like their food and service.

Life and Death

Half a dozen live roses to share with the departed.

Challenger no, Cuda si

Errata: I knew this blog would attract a comment or two, and I stand corrected. This is NOT a Challenger, but it is a Barracuda. The year must still be 1970 or 1971. SO I changed the title of the blog to be more accurate. If you really are a fan, look here. You'll learn that the two cars are very similar, but they are not the same. Thanks to David for keeping me honest. The original blog is below.

Miami streets once in a while offer a glimpse of the past and a slice of history of the American muscle cars. This is a well restored 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T Convertible. In 1971, the film Vanishing Point featured a car similar to this in a death wish race against the law. This is a beloved American muscle car and the owners of these cars are quite proud of their ownership. This is a web site featuring the owners and fans of the two well known muscle cars made: the Dodge Challenger and the Plymouth Barracuda.

Thriving

This vine is growing like there is no tomorrow. It is wrapping around this coconut tree and began its climb I am not sure when. I wonder how high it will go. Let's wait and see.

Francais

This is a crepe kiosk in Dadeland Mall. Kiosks are becoming a common way of merchandising in America's shopping malls. I understand this crepe place is not as good as the CrepeMaker kiosk in the Falls, another Miami mall further South. I did not try either one (and probably will not any time soon) so I don't know if that's true. These crepes look too forbidding for me. Too thick, too stuffed and too many calories.

Easy to Grow

The Bodhi Tree, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), was a large and very old Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa) located in Bodh Gaya (about 100 km (62 mi) from Patna in the Indian state of Bihar), under which Siddhartha Gautama, the spiritual teacher and founder of Buddhism later known as Gautama Buddha, achieved enlightenment, or Bodhi. In religious iconography, the Bodhi tree is recognizable by its heart-shaped leaves, which are usually prominently displayed. It takes 100 - 3,000 years for a bodhi tree to fully grow. I had a seedling and just tuck it in a crack of an oak tree then I forgot all about it. Here it is today, growing well, in the same manner as an epiphyte. This, I did not know.

Volunteerism

It's Saturday morning. You are looking at the faces of a special breed of Miami teens of Miami. They are here, at Bird Bowl to spend the time, energy and heart to show that they do care. The event is the annual Special Olympics bowling competition catered to the disabled population. Task assignments, instructions and rules to follow are given by the manager before these kids start to work as volunteers to help the bowlers. The time spent here will be 4 hours or more. My hats to these youngsters. Thank you!

SubWay

No, not the kind you think. Not the London's Tube or Paris' Metro or other cities' subway mass transport systems. This is the SubWay, like in Submarine sandwich way. These sandwiches that can be mistaken for US nuclear submarines come in 6 inch or a foot long. For your metric type people, a foot is 12 inches, which is 30,48 centimeters. Now, that's a big sandwich! That's why these US postmen are happy because they are enjoying an American fast food tradition break from work.

Headless Fashion

Kors, born Karl Anderson, Jr and openly gay, began designing clothes at the age of 19 and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. In 1981, Kors launched the Michael Kors womenswear line at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. All are stores for high maintenance people. This is a newer store in Dadeland Mall, occupying the space of the now defunct Sharper Image. Headless mannequins are now the in things so all department stores use them to display their clothing apparel.

Rush Hour

This is 6PM South bound US-1. We love rush hour madness because we all love our cars here in Miami. The bus way is to the right and bus run much smoother... but here, a problem is to get to your final destination that public transportation does not take you. You can't walk here so personal cars are the answer. One person per car... that's the problem!

Bayerische Motoren-Werke

I was curious to know what BMW stands for. Now I know: Bavarian Motor Works, but am even more curious. Why do the Germans use English name for their company? This can't be right! How about this: Bayerische Motoren-Werke? That's more like it! But the Mini, the lovely Morris of yesteryears, English as English can ever be is now owned by the Bimmer guys! This is stuff that makes a Queen lose sleep!

Canals

Thousands of miles of canals, and their water control structures, are part of the Florida peninsula, especially in the southeastern parts of the state. Canals are artificial waterways that modify existing rivers or streams, or are dug into wetlands or uplands for navigation, drainage and flood control. The canals form the crucially important arteries that feed the Florida Everglades with the waters from lake Okeechobee in central Florida. The parking buildings on the left belong to the famed Dadeland Mall.

Wave Runners

It's Sunday, sunny and hot. I am going "Wave Running." How about you?

Miami - USA

No cell phone, no car, no credit card, no cash, no friends, no family, no home. All alone in a city of plenty.

Black and White

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an African American (it's more politically correct not to say "Black American") civil rights activist whom the U.S. Congress later called the "Mother of the Modern-Day Civil Rights Movement." On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Parks, age 42, refused to obey bus driver James Blake's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger. Parks's act of defiance became an important symbol of the modern Civil Rights Movement and Parks became an international icon of resistance to racial segregation. Race is such a difficult issue and the new US president must walk a fine line to avoid political land mines in this country.

This sign that is displayed on US buses gives you a glance of history of the US civil right movement, and it tells you that three languages are used here, although it is sometimes difficult to say which is the official language. Come to Miami to understand more.

Equal Time

Since I mentioned "Brown" in a previous blog, I am giving equal time for fairness to the other big parcel delivery company, FedEx. They used to have the longer name of Federal Express. Then the user coined the shorter name, and it stuck. Here is one of their smaller delivery truck outside Dadeland Mall. Mind you, both delivery services are excellent, but they are not cheap. I guess you get what you pay for.

Bus Way

I rode the bus today Southbound on US-1 at rush hour. As usual, the traffic is very heavy, but the bus have special treatment and they ride on their exclusive lane. Clear sailing. This is better than driving and getting stuck in a car. But I can't wait to get my car back! Boo Hoo!

Street Diggers

This is the continuation of a job by the county government hooking up city water service to this area that is on well water. This way, the city can pick up new water service that will generate new income. Not bad considering the US $427 Million that Dade county finds itself in short supply of. These workers must also be happy to have these jobs in this flaky economy. The two big plastic containers you see are for trash collection, the blue is for trash and the green is for recyclable trash.

Miami Nocturnal Fragrance

The Orange Jasmine - Murraya paniculata is a large multi-trunked shrub or small tree. It is also known as the China Box and belongs to the Rutaceae or Rue family. The fragrant “snow white" flowers stand out against the evergreen dark green leaves which are made of three to nine leaflets.This evergreen shrub flowers several times throughout the year, and produces fragrant jasmine-scented flowers and striking bright orange to red tiny fruits earning its namesake. It makes an outstanding boxwood-like hedge or decorative container plant due to its compact habit and dense glossy green foliage. It grows here as a hedge and it smells tonight o so heavenly. If you drive around Miami tonight, open your car windows and once in a while, you will get to sample this scent from heaven. It's so Miami!

Food Court

Dadeland Mall is surprisingly busy this time. This food court is overflowing with hungry and feeding people. I like the "sampler people" who hand out delicious small morcels of food to let you decide for yourself where to spend your money. I like the chicken dishes you can order here. Delicious!

Omelette

If you are very very hungry early in the morning, this place just South of Kendall Drive on US-1 can get you the biggest breakfast in town. They serve huge omelettes that will last you throughout the day. I know, I had one this morning.

Biscayne Bay

Across Biscayne Bay looking North from Broad Causeway towards Miami's NE 135th street.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

"This place is always packed on the weekends, and the crowd is young. There are always a lot of dancers from 5 to 8pm. Most are latina with a few black and white girls. There is a main stage in the middle of the club where two girls dance at a time and another smaller stage surrounded by the bar where one girl dances. The lapdance room has about 10 booths with no curtains so the bouncer walks in about once a song and checks on all the girls. It's the type of club where the girls walk around asking for tips after they finish dancing. In staying with the young crowd theme, the music is mostly hip hop/r&b with a little bit of modern day rock. You won't find any 80's hair metal here."

I don't know if it's obvious to you, but I swiped the above narrative right off the internet while I Googled BT's Gentlemens Club. I never paid attention to this place that is near the Sunset Place in South Miami. While stuck in traffic, this got my attention. Should I go in there to snap pictures? The bouncers probably will break all the bones in my body and I probably will need to bribe my way out by paying the girls. Nah! Bad idea! This is all you will see.

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is a restaurant chain based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., it specializes in fast Mexican-style food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and other specialty items. Stop right there! This is not the kind of food I like at all. But the building looks very interesting architecturally. It looks Mexican to me, and this restaurant is near Bal Harbor islands, a stone throw from Miami Beach.