Miami & Other US City Guides by West Elm

By now, most of us are very familiar with the American furniture store West Elm. But did you know that they also publish some cool (free) City Guides on their official website for a handful of American cities? Well, if your answer is no, don't feel bad, I didn't know this either. I just happened to find the guides by accident, as I was perusing their website for outdoor furniture on sale!

My recommendation, take a minute to visit the West Elm web page. I was pleasantly surprised with the content of their guides. I specifically looked over the Miami City Guide (because I live in Miami) and I found that it contains truly original, uber-cool suggestions for places to visit and things to do.

These city guides are also brief and concise - one page or two long, so they're easy to print and take along and since I'm not as familiar with the other cities listed, I'm going to assume that the other seven or eight free City guides are of the same quality of "coolness".

Take a look at them in the link below (or access by visiting the following internet address:www.westelm.com/we-love/be-inspired/city-guides). Also, if you have a minute, drop me a line and let me know what you think of these guides.

Enjoy the visit! and happy trails!

City Guides | west elm

The Sunday Lincoln Road Antique & Collectible Market

Now that it's October, and the climate in Miami Beach is at it's best for outdoor activities - temperatures are at low 80's, there's zero humidity and a there's a delicious cool ocean breeze blowing steady most of the day - it's the perfect time to visit the Lincoln Road Antiques Flea Market held on Lincoln Road on Sundays from October through May.



Lincoln Road is a blast! You can people watch all day and never get tired, you can hunt for cheap trinkets and lost treasures in the flea market, you can eat in trendy outdoor cafes or you can just walk around and take it all in.

If you go, you can start your day with a brunch at one of the many hip outdoor cafes on Lincoln Road. If you're not familiar with Lincoln Road, it's a beautifully designed pedestrian mall, five to six blocks long. It's lined up with a wonderful variety of modern boutiques and European styled outdoor cafes.


Some possible restaurant options for brunch on Lincoln Road are Balans UK, The Van Dyke Cafe, Segafredo's, The Ice Box Cafe or the Cafe at Books & Books. There's also the ubiquitous Starbucks Cafe and a Nespresso if all you want is some coffee and a pastry. Whatever your choice, take your time and just relax, because the flea market stalls wont be fully set up until noon and that's about the time the colorful beach characters start to show up.


Soon enough, there will be about 100 vendors ready to sell you anything in the flea market. Funky period furniture, antique sunglasses and jewelery, designer vintage wear, African masks, Indonesian Buddhas and all sorts of collectibles and colorful curiosities.


If this is not enough to keep your interest, visit the many boutiques along Lincoln Road. There is a MAC (computer store) and a MAC makeup store; There is an Anthropology store and Banana Republic, Bebe, BCBG, JCrew and many more. Tons to see, touch, try on sample, purchase, peruse, etc. If this still is not enough to keep your interest, there is a multi-screen, state of the art cinema in the corner of Alton and Lincoln Road. It usually offers a nice line up of foreign films and latest releases. What ever you decide to do, I'm sure you will really enjoy your day.

Lincoln Road is located between 16th and 17th Streets in South Beach and between Alton Road and Washington Avenue. Two blocks away from the beach and about 15 minutes from the Miami International Airport.

For more information about the Lincoln Road Flea Market, please click on the following link.

Lincoln Road Antique & Collectible Market Sunday Schedule

Oh la la! Nespresso in Miami Beach!

Lincoln road now has it's own swanky Swiss Nespresso Cafe, one of only three in the United States!! and yes it's amazing coffee!

Remember my earlier post on the best coffee I tasted in Paris at the Nespresso's on the Champs Elysees? (link enclosed) Well now we can have that same memorable experience in SOBE (South Beach). Hello Nesspresso South Beach, here I come! POSTCARDS FROM THE AIR: PARIS - Memorable Coffee at Nesspresso

Nespresso in Lincon Rd. opens daily from 10am to 10pm and serves "the coffee experience". They do not sell cups to go, they only serve coffee in ceramic white cups while you sit at their fancy coffee bar or in one of their multicolored modern chairs in their modern coffee restaurant.

Each cup will set you back around 4 to 5 dollars, depending on weather you order a single or double shot cup of coffee and you can select the flavor you prefer from an impressive menu of delicious world brews.

Nespresso SOBE serves salads and snacks to accompany their coffees, but their main attraction is, you guessed it, their memorable coffee! The Nespresso cafe is also a Nespresso shop where sublime Nespresso coffee makers are sold for $200 to $700 dollars a piece.

Next time you go to South Beach, stop at the Nespresso SOBE coffee bar at 1111 Lincoln Rd. and don't forget to enjoy the people watching!

Fun in Miami - Kitesurfing Lessons in Biscayne Bay

For an amazing experience in Miami, head to Key Biscayne for kite surfing lessons with the pros from Miami Kite Boarding. I just completed my first two hour lesson with them and it was exhilarating! I swear! I can't wait to go back!

Classes are held in the beautiful shallow waters of Biscayne Bay, inside Key Biscayne's Crandon Park. Call ahead to schedule your lesson and they will provide you with all the necessary gear. Bring a hat, sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. Also, it helps if you wear a long sleeve shirt and a pair of long shorts (so you can wear their harness comfortably over the shorts). If you have neoprene booties, bring those too, but if you don't own a pair, don't worry, they have a bunch to lend out.

Lessons can be scheduled for 10 am or 1 pm everyday and prices vary according to the learning package you select (check their website for more information on this). We chose a two hour morning class that cost us $150 dollars each. It was a good call, the beach was cool and empty when we first arrived and the two hour lesson was long enough.

During our lesson, we first learned to prepare a kite for flight. For this, we cleared the lines of knots and hooked the lines to the kite. After this, we launched the kite in the air and practiced "feeling" the wind with the kite while our feet were firmly grounded on the sand. Initially we used a small training kite that measured only 3 meters by one. But even though this was a tiny kite, we quickly learned that it was powerful enough to drag us through the sand if placed in the right angle to receive the full force of the wind.

Stewart, our friendly Aussie instructor, told us that women were faster learners of this sport. Why? because, he claimed, learning to maneuver the kite was not so much about muscle, but about finesse and women were better at this. Humm, that sounded encouraging.
On my first attempt at holding and directing the kite in the wind, I realized that it was not as easy as I had first imagined. The kite was extremely sensitive to my shifting of the handle bar and it tugged heavily on my arms. One wrong move and it could fly out of control into a "danger zone" - the area in front on me where if the kite were to go, it would knock me to the ground in a fraction of a second, that fast, boom, down. After a few tries, I began to get the "feel" for the wind and for the kite. It was a rush and I was hooked!

If you're interested in a Kite Surfing lesson, please check Miami Kite Boarding's website in the following link - Kitesurfing Lessons - Miami kiteboarding Lessons

Miami Kite Boarding - IKO Certified
305-345-9974
info@miamikiteboarding.com