Business

Miami Winters: The Lush Life and Hip Things

Published

10 years ago

February 10, 2015

Oakland Post

A Viceroy Miami hotel view of Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL

By Dwight Brown
NNPA Travel Writer

MIAMI (NNPA) – The likely anecdote for winter melancholia is a trip to a warm climate. Miami comes to mind. And when we think of Miami, South Beach has traditionally been the tourist hub. But these days, it’s only one of the entrees Miami is serving. Downtown, Mid Beach, Miami Shores… If you go to Miami, the lush life and hip things to do are everywhere.

Downtown Thrives

During the recession, when a herd of condos were built and few could find buyers or renters, downtown Miami was like a skyscraper ghost town, where only financial office buildings and business hotels prospered. Post-recession, those empty apartments/condos are full; people are walking and jogging up and down the streets. Restaurants attract urban warriors, nightclubs jump and life keeps a beat among glistening buildings, pristine streets and waterways with passing yachts.

The 148-room Viceroy Miami is a chic, stylish 50-floor hotel set in the heart of the financial district on Brickell Avenue. The elevator hallway alone portends the boutique luxury to come: checkered floors with diagonal designs, gold-dusted walls and copper colored ceilings, Asian-looking statues with pointy lantern hats. Head upstairs and the rooms face the Miami River where yachts like Mark Cuban’s sleep.

At The Viceroy, that common area is the FIFTY Ultra Lounge on the rooftop in addition to the sun deck and pool area on the 15th floor. Walk on to the verandah and chairs surround an 80-person hot tub and Florida’s longest infinity pool. Catchy energetic music fills the air and a party atmosphere prevails. Keep walking past the first two pools, and you’ll see the third ultra long one that is perfect for swimming laps and is less crowded. At the end of that pool there is a quiet deck area and a drop off into a waterway with spectacular views of Biscayne Bay and the island of Key Biscayne.

Off the back pool, a door leads to an elevator, which takes you to the Philippe Starck-designed 28,000 integrated square foot Spa at Viceroy Miami. A 2,500-square-foot gym features trainers, integrated wellness classes, yoga, Pilates and a spinning studio. A 5,000-square-foot white marble water lounge has a floating library, a reflecting pond, hot and cold plunge pools and dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows. Ten spa treatment rooms feature various treatments or packages: Journey for Her includes Viceroy Miami Signature Massage, Viceroy Miami Signature Facial, Classic Manicure, 2.5 hours, $285. Journey for Him includes Gentlemen’s Massage, Gentlemen’s Hot Towel Facial, Gentlemen’s Manicure 2.5 hours, $285. Prepare to be treated like a king or queen by therapists like Chrissanthi, who prefers a more natural approach to massages, “Massages are like cooking. You throw in a bit of everything (Swedish, Sports, Deep, Thai Stretching) until it feels right.”

Next to the pool area, the popular restaurant 15 & Vine Kitchen and Bar is a perfect place to sample tapas all night long. Try the Grilled Flatbread (topped with roasted garlic, leek confit, manchego cheese and truffle); go for the main course entrée Thai Style Bouillabaisse (served with lobster tail, mussels and halibut in a lemongrass coconut broth). Desserts include a Guava Sammie with caramel cheesecake, guava jelly and vanilla wafer. Eat inside or outside.

The uber-classy Cipriani Downtown Miami is on the first floor of Icon Brickell next to the water with views of boats the size of houses. The swank blue and white nautical interior combined with the striped Venetian flooring and Murano chandeliers make you feel like you are in the captain’s room on a very fancy ocean-liner. Cozy up to the delicate Langoustine Scampi Tempura appetizer; the house specialty pasta course is the delicious Baked Green Tagliolini with Praga Ham; for your main course the Veal Chop Milanese is flattened thin as a dollar bill and melts in your mouth. Spoil your sweet tooth with the delicate Vanilla Meringue and add a lump of the homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. This is the best tasting Italian food you will ever have outside of Northern Italy.

North of downtown on Biscayne Blvd., the Pérez Art Museum Miami in Museum Park is the haute museum. PAMM is an indoor/outdoor 200,000 square feet concrete wonder dedicated to exhibiting 20th and 21st century international art like the Buckminster Fuller Fly’s Eye Dome in the sculpture garden and Mexico City-based artist Mario García Torres’ multimedia exhibit.

Mid Miami Beach – Adults Only, Please

Leave Ocean Drive to the twentysomethings. Lincoln Road attracts a crowd of dense tourists like New York’s Times Square. If you want a vacation that’s calm, but near the hot spots, Mid Miami Beach fits the bill, especially, if you stay at the Carillion Hotel and Spa, at Collins Ave and 68th Street. Formerly the Canyon Ranch, this tranquil, health-conscious but lively place is the perfect stress reliever and a cure for winter depression. It sits on a less-traveled section of the beach. Walk into the vast lobby, and the 110-all-suite hotel invites you to relax the minute you step in the door with its soothing tan, brown and wood interior.

The one-bedroom suites come with kitchenettes, sleek living rooms, bedrooms and balconies. The bathrooms, with a taupe marble décor are big enough to host a party; a soaking tub and separate shower are a refuge within a refuge. When you head down to the oceanfront Carillon Grill for breakfast lunch or dinner, be aware that everything is fresh, as farm-to-table as possible, and there is a calorie count on each item on the menu.

Mornings, the place to be is on the beach catching the Eastern Sun. There is no noise. Cell phones are verboten; you hear gentle conversations and the water rushing in. No crowds. No loud radios or screaming babies. If you prefer swimming in a pool, a large one sits right by the entrance to the beach. There’s another on top of the Spa on the 5th floor for midday sun, and still another on the North Towers verandah for late afternoon sun and sunsets. You can sunbathe all day.

Four blocks north and two blocks east, North Shore Park Tennis Center flourishes with players in the middle of intense games, instructors giving adult clinics and teachers coaching children’s classes. At sunset, pick-up games of soccer abound on the adjacent fields. The same management company runs the courts at Miami Shores Tennis Complex at the Country Club, off Biscayne Blvd on 100th Street, which sits next to the club’s golf course. The tennis instructor Liburd “Burd” Germain oversees the six clay courts and three cushioned hard courts. A trip to these courts puts you in an up-and-coming neighborhood that is attracting couples from downtown and South Beach who want to buy an old house, refurbish it and start a family.

The Carillion’s magnificent, 70,000-square-foot Wellness Spa, the largest in Florida, is a scene-stealer. Lounge in a thermal suite, relax with spa treatments, swim laps on the roof top pool, and take a group fitness class. Adventurers can claw their way up the two-story climbing wall and headsets are provided at the Fitness Center. Exercise Physiologists like Oliver Medina can help you assess your body mass (fat, muscles, bone density), create a fitness and diet plan and regime that you can continue at home.

For dinner, head to the gourmet Villa Azur Restaurant & Lounge, next door to the Markowicz Fine Art Gallery and looks like the insides of a chateau. Homey-looking furniture is meticulously placed. The center room is in a courtyard with a lace-curtain ceiling under a transparent rainproof canopy embellished with white drapes and chandeliers. Feast on the French Mediterranean dishes prepared with an Italian twist. Start dinner with the Octopus with Traditional ‘Rouille” Sauce, which is sweet, savory. For pasta the Truffle French Ravioles are flavorful. The Dover sole a la Meuniere is magically filleted at your table. The Lemon Meringue Pie is tart and sweet at the same time.

South Beach Explodes With Hip Things to Do

No vacation in Miami could be complete without at least a trip to South Beach. It’s easy to get around; everything is within walking distance. Surfcomber Miami South Beach a Kimpton Hotel strikes the perfect balance between fun European bohemian living and quality service and food. The eclectic lobby with surfboards on the walls, eccentric furniture and statues of black sheep underline the playful atmosphere. The 186 cozy rooms are steps away from an expansive pool, an outdoor deck, large cabanas and a walkway with direct access to the beach.

The Surfcomber is within walking distance to the Lincoln Road pedestrian mall, shops, restaurants and nightclubs along Collins Avenue and Washington Avenue. Check out the: New World Symphony, a music academy/performing arts center for concerts and wall-cast film showings after dark. The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater has upcoming shows featuring Jessie J; Jackson Browne; Shawn Mendes and Ryan Adams. The Miami Beach Convention Center presents the International Boat Show, Miami Fashion Week and the South Florida International Auto Show.

To get an up-close look at the Miami Port, Fisher Island, Star Island, Downtown Miami, Biscayne Bay and the colorful Stiltsville Houses by boat, take a personalized tour with Ocean Force Adventures. Captain Mack, the tour guide, takes just six passengers aboard his intimate Zodiac RIB during the two-hour trips that focus on historical, cultural and marine life aspects. He’s full of stories, trivia and a bit of gossip (ask about Shaquille O’Neal’s old house).

The Surfcomber’s own lobby restaurant The Social Club is a nice place to dine. Sit outside and you can watch throngs of party people parade up Collins Avenue. The Crispy Alligator is such a unique Floridian appetizer you’ll call your friends back home to brag about it. The Caribbean Red Snapper (with pico de gallo, chorizo fried rice, black bean puree) is served twisted up like a feather on a church lady’s hat. Save room for the Maple Croissant Bread Pudding.

Oolite uses gluten-free ingredients and regional flavors in its cuisine. Don’t’ debate between the Green-Tomato Arepas (crunchy, fried green tomato & romescu Slow roasted duck & goat cheese) and the Wessel’s Barbecue Shrimp for appetizers. Eat both. The Creole Roasted Oxtail and the Lechon-Porksour orange & onions (a delicious cube of pork shoulder) top the entrée list. As you drink down the last drop of the Davis Bynum Russian River Chardonnay, look forward to the Florida Key Lime Pie.

Venture over to Bodega Taqueria y Tequila on 16th Street, it’s the new hot spot that combines Mexican street food and a clandestine bar. The front of the eatery looks like an innocuous storefront. Inside, on the left, is a faux Airstream taco truck façade with large windows where waitresses take orders for: Quesadilla Con Rajas with Mexican Chorizo, Pork, Chicken or Short Rib; Flame Broiled Pork Tacos with Red Onion & Cilantro; and other scrumptious Mexican soul food. By day the place looks like a spotlessly clean café. At night, as hordes of hipsters descend like locusts. You’ll notice a velvet rope on the right side of the room in front of a door marked “Baños.” That portal does not lead to the “bathroom,” but a cavernous bar room with couches, a pool table and an elaborate bar filled with enough liquor for 10 weddings and 10 Quinceañeras.

It’s your choice: Chasing pavements in the downtown quarter, luxuriating in the peace and quiet of Mid-Miami Beach or becoming a nightcrawler in South Beach. The Lush Life and Hip Things in Miami are a cure for what ails.

Visit NNPA travel writer Dwight Brown at www.DwightBrownInk.com.

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Air Quality Board Rejects Two Rules Written to Ban Gas Water Heaters and Furnaces

The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units. “We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

Published

2 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Shutterstock.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

Two proposed rules to eliminate the usage of gas water heaters and furnaces by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California were rejected by the Governing Board on June 6.

Energy policy analysts say the board’s decision has broader implications for the state.

With a 7-5 vote, the board decided not to amend Rules 1111 and 1121 at the meeting held in Diamond Bar in L.A. County.

The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units.

“We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

The AQMD governing board is a 13-member body responsible for setting air quality policies and regulations within the South Coast Air Basin, which covers areas in four counties: Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and parts of Los Angeles County.

The board is made up of representatives from various elected offices within the region, along with members who are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Rules Committee.

Holly J. Mitchell, who serves as a County Supervisor for the Second District of Los Angeles County, is a SCAQMD board member. She supported the amendments, but respected the board’s final decision, stating it was a “compromise.”

“In my policymaking experience, if you can come up with amended language that everyone finds some fault with, you’ve probably threaded the needle as best as you can,” Mitchell said before the vote. “What I am not okay with is serving on AQMD is making no decision. Why be here? We have a responsibility to do all that we can to get us on a path to cleaner air.”

The rules proposed by AQMD, Rule 1111 and Rule 1121, aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters.

Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 were designed to control air pollution, particularly emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Two days before the Governing Board’s vote, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa asked SCAQMD to reject the two rules.

Villaraigosa expressed his concerns during a Zoom call with the Cost of Living Council, a Southern California organization that also opposes the rules. Villaraigosa said the regulations are difficult to understand.

“Let me be clear, I’ve been a big supporter of AQMD over the decades. I have been a believer and a fighter on the issue of climate change my entire life,” Villaraigosa said. “But there is no question that what is going on now just doesn’t make sense. We are engaging in regulations that are put on the backs of working families, small businesses, and the middle class, and we don’t have the grid for all this.”

Rules 1111 and 1121 would also establish manufacturer requirements for the sale of space and water heating units that meet low-NOx and zero-NOx emission standards that change over time, according to SCAQMD.

The requirements also include a mitigation fee for NOx-emitting units, with an option to pay a higher mitigation fee if manufacturers sell more low-NOx water heating and space units.

Proponents of the proposed rules say the fees are designed to incentivize actions that reduce emissions.

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IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.

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Activism

Congress Says Yes to Rep. Simon’s Disability Hiring and Small Biz Support Bill

“As the first congenitally blind person to serve in Congress, I am incredibly honored to lead and excited to celebrate the House passage of the ‘ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act,’” said Simon.

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

The House of Representatives unanimously passed the “ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act” on June 3, marking a major win for U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) and co-sponsor Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN-08) in their bipartisan effort to promote inclusive hiring and boost small business accessibility.

The legislation establishes a federal partnership between the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the National Council on Disability to help small businesses across the U.S. hire more individuals with disabilities and provide resources for disabled entrepreneurs.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of cities, making them accessible for all will maximize local economic activity and broaden the job market to everyone who is seeking to contribute to their communities,” she continued. “Investments in business and talent in our communities shouldn’t be limited to just those who are not disabled. Full stop, period.”

Since taking office in January 2025, Simon has introduced six bills. The House has approved two of them: this measure and the “Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act.”

Simon, a lifelong disability rights advocate and former BART board member, has focused her career on improving access, from public transit to the job market.