Tag Archive: Miami


Getting Stoned @Joe’s

Filed under: Travel, travels, Travels Around USA — 1 Comment
October 23, 2017

I’d be quick with this one. You may be all agog strolling the Art Deco-lined streets of Miami, but not as agog over a plate of stone crabs with the special Joe’s mustard and mayo (and whatever else) dip. An institution around here, many say it would be a crime to visit Miami without dropping in.

We had salad before digging in into those fat crab claws, and a slice of chocolate pecan pie after the delightful seafood platter. Too bad they ran out of key lime pie, which I hear is another bestseller.

The place is housed in this yellow building not too far away from the Art Deco strip and that building one always sees when watching CSI Miami 🙄 . Best to go off peak hours if you want to get seated. I noticed though that many locals pick up their takeaway here. The idea crossed my mind too even AFTER we’ve lunched here. For sure, I won’t mind getting stone crabs for dinner on the same day. But then, there’s the business of checking out the nearby Art Deco buildings and the crabs would have to be left, stoned and cold, in the car. 😩

So there. Take your pick. Dine in or takeaway, or both? By the time you’re done meticulously cleaning out those claws of all the crab meat you can get, you’re ready to check out those background scenes in your favorite TV series 😜

Then head back for more.

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The Rich & Famous of Sunny Florida

Filed under: Travel, travels, Travels Around USA — 1 Comment

Coming from a tropical country, I always always looked forward to trips to cool destinations. And I meant that literally. Lower temps are every tropical babe’s luxury, and I bask in the comforts of no-sweat, non-humid climates. But no, Florida is a major exception. Miami sizzles as did Manila when I left it. So, what best to do in this sunny paradise?

Bayside in South Beach offered many options. I’ve never done the tour of celebrity homes in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious. The boat tour of homes by the waters owned by the rich and famous beckoned and what better way to spend a hot, humid afternoon? The sea breeze will be refreshing and besides, I am now really and seriously curious.

I find it utterly mind-boggling to hear of over US$100 million homes and palm trees from Somalia costing $10,000 each. But then again, who’s to stop Dr. Frost from spending his money like a madman? Not many ladies know this doctor who invented the blue pill but many men of a certain age, stature and “habits” may remember this medicine man of Viagra fame.

And how about La Vida Loca Pop Star Ricky Martin? His white mansion confirms his sweet life on earth. Or rather, by the water. More Hollywood trivia: Michael Jackson gifting his celebrity bestie with a luxury home here. Such a generous gift for Elizabeth Taylor! Leonardo Di Carpio’s Villa looks like a location site for his movie “Great Gatsby”. And there’s also the white mansion of Emilio and Gloria Estefan.

Can i make a confession at this point? I couldn’t remember which house belongs to whom. 😔 Mi apologia. But if you come visiting, don’t be surprised to bump into Alicia Keys, Madonna, David Beckam, Shaquille O’Neal, Shakira and many other celebrities.

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That Ancient Spanish Monastery in North Miami Beach (Florida)

Filed under: Travel, travels, Travels Around USA — 1 Comment
October 22, 2017

Most visitors will hit the beaches and the stroll along Art Deco buildings in South Beach. Or perhaps they’d hop on a boat to view celebrity homes and if lucky, bump into suntanned Hollywood stars or the rich and famous. But I was drawn to visit this Spanish Monastery in an obscure place in North Miami Beach area. I was driven by my Miami-based friend who has not in fact visited this site the last 30 years she’s lived here.

There was a sprawling garden even before the Romanesque and pre-Gothic monastery was reconstructed here. Reconstructed, yes. The original site was in Sacramenia, Spain in 1133. That marks it a good 360 years before Columbus discovered the New World. Originally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the Monastery was renamed to honor the famous monk Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Cistercian monks lived in the Monastery for 700 years until a social revolution broke out in the 1830’s. The cloisters were then seized and sadly converted into a granary and stable.

Then came William Randolph Hearst. This media tycoon bought the cloisters and outbuildings in 1925. Stone by stone, the structures were dismantled, numbered, packed and crated in hay, and transported to USA. Unfortunately, hoof and mouth disease broke out in Segovia and the 11,000 wooden crates were quarantined, broke open, and the hay burned. But the stones were not replaced back in their original numbered boxes before being stored in a warehouse in New York where the stones remained for the next 26 years!

Meanwhile, Hearst ran into financial woes and it was only a year after he died in 1952 that the collection was again sold, and then resold in 1964. A wealthy philanthropist finally purchased the cloisters for the Episcopal diocese and the Monastery has since remained here with an active Episcopalian congregation. Now popular for weddings, photo shoots and as locations for film and TV shoots, it has been maintained very well to be enjoyed by visitors. The Museum Shop houses some antique decors from the original structures such as a series of corbels, coat of arms, bas reliefs, altars and religious statues. Worth a visit, if you ask me.

Lest I forget, the first time we visited (yes, we went twice) we even met this flamenco dancer posing, posturing and dancing in the gardens. Olé!

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