Here’s to dining out and to working out

Sighted at Deli Lane: Former Miami- Dade County Manager Merr it t St ierheim, Dr. Eneida Rolden, the CEO of Jackson Memorial Hospital and two other bigwigs. Although I was very close to them they weren’t speaking loud enough for others to overhear them. P.S. — I hear that current City Manager Roger Carlton likes to go to Deli Lane, too.

And speaking of Deli Lane, owner Mike Maler is a regular at Ed’s Boot Camp, the one held at the city’s Community Center just about every day. Mike goes to the 6 a.m. work out and the best time to talk to him is right about 7 a.m. when he is just finishing up and he’s bright eyed and bushy tailed, and ready to rock and roll for the rest of his busy day.

Many thanks to Scott Baumann and the personal training staff at Fitness Together. This very private, one on one, personal training only facility is located right behind RA Sushi (on SW 73rd Street) in the city-parking garage. I have the privilege to work out a couple of days a week, with Frankie, Elisa, Melia and occasionally Scott, who take me through a vigorous series of exercises, including stretching, biking, tread milling (Gee, is that a new word?) weight lifting, squats, jump roping, boxing and lots more for around 45 minutes and then of course what makes it worth it all is at the end, you get the cool down stretching exercise that gets you back in the place physically and mentally so that you are set for the rest of your day. To find out more about the great folks at Fitness Together go to www.fitnesstogethermiami.com or call 305-446-3665.

Seen over at Casa Lario’s: Chip Black, the real estate big guy with EWM, who I hear just loves eating there on Saturday mornings with one of his partners in crime (just joking, Chip) and let’s see who else loves it there: Former Mayor Horace Feliu, Paul Marolf, Lee Stephens, Grant Miller and of course South Miami’s Finest love to go there, too.

Don’t speed in South Miami as the Constables on Patrol, AKA the Cops, are out enforcing the law, with radar galore right there on Sunset Drive right by City Hall. Then the cops also just love to be on the north side of Sunset from about 65th Avenue to 63rd Avenue or so, just waiting for you to make an illegal left turn in the morning. By the way, I think the fine is $179.

Went out of my zip for dinner the other night and went to The Fish House on SW 56th Street and 100 Avenue. This place is rocking and rolling literally, especially on Wednesday nights when music is live with their soon to famous Rock Wednesday, and if that is not to your liking, they’ve got Blues Mondays and Jazz Thursdays and lots of other very spontaneous music to entertain you. Oh, yes, the food and service is super duper. To find out more and hear a clip of some music check out www.fishhouse.com . P.S. While I was there, ran into Community Newspapers’ long time editor David Berkowitz and his wife Rita and family as well as Charles Ruiz de Castillo and Shirley and Horst Huber.

Quite proud of my wife, Susan, and our children. Our son, Jeff, just earned his Masters Degree in International Business and will be continuing his studies in Economics. Our daughter, Lauren, who is soon to be a senior, majoring in Public Administration, is presently doing an internship so that she can start to get a look-see at the inner workings of government.

And then of course, my wife, my friend and the mother of our children, is becoming quite the devotee of power lifting. A few months ago she competed in a bench pressing competition (that’s where you are on your back and you push up the weight).

Well anyway, she benched pressed 132 pounds. Well, gee, that was good enough for first place in her age group. Nope, I’m not disclosing what age group she is in. But I will say that, in a recent practice session, she benched pressed a whole bunch more. (Yup, I don’t mess with her.)

In the good old summer time, village-wise

Well, folks, Earth Week (Day and Month, also) is now past (although we suspect a few village officials are still picking ladybugs out their hair), the warm weather and rainy season are cranking up once again, so can summer be far away? June 21 is drawing near, and we can see more activity in the parks and other outdoor venues, at least until it starts getting really hot.

Good news for whizzz-BOOM fans. We hear that Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest, and Cutler Bay have joined together to help fund the 7th Annual July 4 Fireworks display at Black Point Park. Each city is kicking in a $3,000 donation to make sure this highly popular event will take place again, and we think they deserve a round of applause for doing so. Actually, you can be a sponsor, too.

For more info on that check out the official village website: http://www.palmettobay-fl.gov/ or call Village Hall at 305-259-1234.

Reminiscing, East Kendall’s Barry White recalls (North) Kendall Drive being called “the road to nowhere” when there were only horse farms “out west,” adding: Southeast or Southwest, Eighth Street was actually called Eighth Street, not “Calle Ocho.” Anything on SW Eighth Street after 107th Avenue was a rock pit or a farm. Forty-first Street on Miami Beach was actually called Forty-first Street, not Arthur Godfrey Road. No one had ever heard of Arthur Godfrey!

Continues Barry: “The major north/south artery for Miami was Seventh Avenue. North of 79th Street, a two-lane rock road all the way to the Broward County line. I-95, the Florida Turnpike and Alligator Alley did not exist. There were only two roads out of Miami to northern destinations, US-1 and Route 27, aka “Road 27.” US-1 was named “Biscayne Boulevard,” becoming “Brickell Avenue” for a short distance south of downtown Miami.

As US-1 continued further south, it passed through Homestead and “The Last Chance” saloon, so named as the last sign of civilization until Jewfish Creek, some 35 long miles straight ahead with trillions of mosquitoes along a desolate stretch between Homestead and Jewfish Creek. (You prayed your car would not get a flat tire, break down or run out of gas).

Thanks for the memories, guys! Went out of my zip for dinner the other night and went to The Fish House on SW 56th Street and 100 Avenue. This place is rocking and rolling literally, especially on Wednesday nights when music is live with their soon to famous Rock Wednesday, and if that is not to your liking, they’ve got Blues Mondays and Jazz Thursdays and lots of other very spontaneous music to entertain you. Oh, yes, the food and service is super duper. To find out more and hear a clip of some music check out www.fishhouse.com . P.S. While I was there, ran into Community Newspapers’ long time editor David Berkowitz and his wife Rita and family as well as Charles Castillo and his wife, and Shirley and Horst Huber.

Quite proud of my wife, Susan, and our children. Our son, Jeff, just earned his Masters Degree in International Business and will be continuing his studies in Economics. Our daughter, Lauren, who is soon to be a senior, majoring in Public Administration, is presently doing an internship so that she can start to get a look-see at the inner workings of government.

And then of course, my wife, my lover and the mother of our children, is becoming quite the devotee of power lifting. A few months ago she competed in a bench pressing competition (that’s where you are on your back and you push up the weight).

Well anyway, she benched pressed 132 pounds. Well, gee, that was good enough for first place in her age group. Nope, I’m not disclosing what age group she is in. But I will say that, in a recent practice session, she benched pressed a whole bunch more.

(Yup, I don’t mess with her.)

‘Kendall Drive’ never existed

Reader Fred Diamond wants to correct Department of Public Works spokesman Delfin Molins, recently quoted in this column in reference to what was called “Kendall Drive.”

“You can tell him that it DOES NOT EXIST,” declares Fred, noting the road known as North Kendall Drive became “SW 88th Street” once the county began its numerical designation for local roadways. Continues Fred:

“There is a road called South Kendall Drive which runs parallel to North Kendall Drive. After WW2, these roads received numbers and South Kendall Drive became SW 104th Street. North Kendall Drive got to be four-laned and paved (while) South Kendall Drive stayed a dirt road and even when paved, remained merely two lanes.

“Those were the boundaries of Mr. Kendall’s property and farm, both of them running from Biscayne Bay to the Everglades,” referencing Trustee Henry John Boughton Kendall, the Englishman who managed the original tract sold to a Florida land company in 1883, as retold by Jean Taylor’s history crediting County Commissioner Dan Killian with naming both roads as the acreage’s northern and southern boundaries.

“On an old-time map, both (Kendall Drives) are clearly marked,” adds Fred. “As kids on bicycles, we’d ride through the south side wilderness on South Kendall Drive, way before WWII.” (So there, DPW!) Further reminiscing, East Kendall’s Barry White recalls (North) Kendall Drive being called “the road to nowhere” when there were only horse farms “out west,” adding: Southeast or Southwest, Eighth Street was actually called Eighth Street, not “Calle Ocho.” Anything on SW Eighth Street after 107th Avenue was a rock pit or a farm. Forty-first Street on Miami Beach was actually called Forty-first Street, not Arthur Godfrey Road. No one had ever heard of Arthur Godfrey!

Continues Barry: “The major north/south artery for Miami was Seventh Avenue. North of 79th Street, a two-lane rock road all the way to the Broward County line. I-95, the Florida Turnpike and Alligator Alley did not exist. There were only two roads out of Miami to northern destinations, US-1 and Route 27, aka “Road 27.” US-1 was named “Biscayne Boulevard,” becoming “Brickell Avenue” for a short distance south of downtown Miami.

As US-1 continued further south, it passed through Homestead and “The Last Chance” saloon, so named as the last sign of civilization until Jewfish Creek, some 35 long miles straight ahead with trillions of mosquitoes along a desolate stretch between Homestead and Jewfish Creek. (You prayed your car would not get a flat tire, break down or run out of gas).

Thanks for the memories, guys! Ferro Property, scheduled to come before the County Commission last Wednesday asking Urban Development Boundary movement in West Kendall, was suddenly withdrawn by ex-Commissioner and now Atty.

Miguel Diaz de la Portilla. The 9.9-acre plot was part of the “Kendall Commons” planned housing development at SW 167th Avenue and SW 104th Street, only a few blocks from Baptist’s new WK Hospital, now being completed for opening in 2011.

Schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho popped up in a little-publicized “Town Hall” visit with parents at Kendall’s Barnes & Noble April 26 but won’t appear Monday, May 10, at a Kendall Federation of Homeowners Association 7 p.m.meeting at the Kendall Village Center civic pavilion. Someone else will report School District 7 affairs, according to Lawrence Percival, KFHA veep, who tries to keep everyone abreast of such doings.

Thought for the Day
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous Huxley

Got any tips? Contact me at 305-669- 7355, ext. 249, or send emails to < michael@communitynewspapers.com >.


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