August 7th, 2008
Just a quick note to let everyone know that some changes have taken place at b5media, and The South Florida Traveler will be affected. Although this blog will be on a hiatus, I will still be around. In fact, I am very excited about the changes. The South Florida Traveler will merge with Southern Byways, and this will turn into more of a mega blog covering the area from Texas to D.C. Since South Florida is my home, it will not be forgotten by any means, but now you will be able to learn about travel destinations throughout the south. Hotels, restaurants, day trips, and festivals — they will all be covered. So come on over and check out the site. See you there.
Oh, and by the way, you can still follow me at Dine Magazine as I cover the the dining scene in South Florida.
Tags: b5media, dine magazine, Southern Byways, The South Florida Traveler
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 6th, 2008
A few days ago I read a post by one of our b5media bloggers at The Hawaii Traveler. Jody was talking about a national movement call Baby Loves Disco. Have you heard of this latest craze? I hadn’t until I read Jody’s post, and I was even happier to find out that its taking place in my backyard, or nearly.
Baby Loves Disco is taking children out of the bar/club/high end restaurant scene (until this day I will never know why kids should be in the middle of the action where liquor is flowing, music is playing - you know the scene) and giving them a place of their own. This is not just a babysitting club, rather a hip nightclub (Barney is banned)- in our case - Revolution in Fort Lauderdale. For the event, the club is transformed into an afternoon dance party where real music is spun and mixed by DJ’s featuring classic tunes from the 70’s and 80’s. The room is then filled with bubble machines, baby changing stations, a chill-out room, healthy snacks and lots of dancing. What a great change from your routine, and a chance for kids of all ages to come together - in a place that is meant for “kids.” After reading that, it made me wonder what are the other kid-friendly places to go to in South Florida:
- Lion Country Safari: I previously posted about this place here where children and their parents alike can take a walk on the wild side.
- Walt Disney World: Ok like we didn’t know that. But did you know that b5media has a blog devoted entirely to WDW? You can find it here.
- Butterfly World located in Coconut Creek
- Miami Seaquarium: Did you know that this was once the setting for the TV Show, Flipper?
- Visit animals throughout the world at The Miami MetroZoo
- Young at Art Children’s Museum: This interactive children’s museum will help them develop their creativity while learning about different cultures, history and the environment.
- Boomers! A state of the art playland for children of all ages. It includes video games, laser tag, mini golf, bumper boats, go karts, a climbing wall and more.
- Crandon Park (Key Biscayne): Combining a park and the beach into one, this 2 mile long beach is often name on the top 10 list of the best in the country and has areas set aside for picnics, grilling, cabana rentals, biking, kayaking, an amusement center and even a carousel. There’s also a marina, championship golf course and a 27-court tennis center.
Photo Credit: Sarcasmo @ flickr
Tags: Baby Loves Disco, Boomers, Butterfly World, children, Crandon Park, dancing, Fort Lauderdale, Lion Country Safari, Revolution
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By Katherine Lynch -- 3 comments
August 6th, 2008
Yes, you heard correctly. Delta announced today that they will be offering the convenience (soon to be a necessity) of broadband Wi-Fi on over 330 domestic flights. Woo-hoo! They will be using the Gogo system for this service which will allow any Wi-Fi enabled device to access the Internet.
Free of charge? Of course not, but it will only be $9.95 on flights 3 hours or less and $12.95 for flights longer than 3 hours. Although, they did not give out the launch date, they did mention that it would be launched this fall.Service will launch on Delta’s 133 MD88/90 aircraft and will quickly expand to include over 200 Boeing 737, 757 and 767-300 aircraft. They expect to have these all connected by next summer. Gogo seemed to be the ideal system for Delta because it is reliable, lightweight and offers free access to online content from The Wall Street Journal & Frommer’s.
Photo Credit [Andrei Dimofte @ flickr]
Tags: airline, Delta, Gogo, Internet, Wi-Fi
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 5th, 2008
For those of you that who are not familiar with Baleen and Grove Isle, you are missing out. This romantic restaurant overlooks the waters of Biscayne Bay and provides a relaxing and intimate experience to all those who escape to this culinary wonderland.
Now, here’s another reason to make your way to this South Florida landmark: On Thursday, August 7th they will be hosting a Gourmet BBQ supporting the scholarship program at The American Institute for Wine and Food.Baleen has created a zinful BBQ sauce from Ravenswood Zinfandel Big River and their special summer menu will be paired with the top wines from Ravenswood. Just reading the recipe for the Summer Corn “Chowder” which features seared Sea scallops with a sweet truffle corn broth and lobster hash makes my mouth water..then there is the Apple Pie Salad and that is just one of the four finger-licking courses. The feast starts at 7:00 pm.
Tickets are available at aiwf.org and are $80 for members, $90 for non-members.Baleen is located at Grove Isle Hotel & Spa, 305-858-8300
Here is the menu:
- Reception: Hogue Cellars Genesis Riesling
- 1st course: “Pork n Beans” - smoked confit pork belly with a black bean relish served with Ravenswood Chardonnay
- 2nd course: Apple Pie salad - cinnamon grilled apple topped with micro greens and citrus vinaigrette served with Ravenswood Zinfandel
- 3rd course: Summer Corn “Chowder” - Seared Sea scallops with a sweet truffle corn broth and lobster hash served with Ravenswood Zinfandel Dickerson
- 4th course: Ravenswood Zinfandel BBQ Short Rib - braised bone in short rib on top of a warm potato salad and a Ravenswood Zinfandel BBQ glaze served with Ravenswood Zinfandel Big River
- Dessert: Ooey Gooey Butter Cake - summer raspberries and a cafe con leche coulis
Photo Courtesy of Grove Isle Hotel & Spa
Tags: , American Institute of Wine and Food, Baleen, Coconut Grove, Grove Isle, Ravenswood, wine
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 5th, 2008
July was an exciting month here at The South Florida Traveler, and best of all traffic increased - yes, I received more traffic in 1 day last month than I did during my first month on board. :) In knowing that I’ve been busy and I’m sure you have too, I thought I would share some of my most popular posts from last month. Let me know what you think. Here are the top 5.
Photo Credit [Cindy Morales]
Tags: b5media, ice cream, museum, Norton, Open Table, Sloan's, South Florida Traveler
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 4th, 2008
Can you imagine going on vacation without having to worry about transporting your luggage? A true luxury - right? Well the increasing travel rates are causing some drastic measures by some, but is this the answer? Here’s how it works:
- Place your order
- Pack your bags
- Have your bags picked up
- Board the plane
- Arrive at your destination and have your bags waiting for you
Is this the answer for you? The Luggage Club provides door to door service, it gets rid of the hassles of dealing with checking in luggage at the airport, they accept MC, Visa and AMEX, they deliver to the continental US, Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and have office internationally, they ship just about anything (golf clubs, standard luggage, business equipment, etc.) and offer next day AM, next day PM, 2 day or 3-5 day service.
Is it worth the price? I went to their website and plugged in my luggage for an upcoming trip that I’m going to be taking to Wisconsin and the price tag for one medium upright bag for round trip delivery ranges from $176.48 - $478.
Ouch! Is it worth is? This is one for you to decide, but its definitely an option. Happy flying.
Photo Credit: Laura Bell @ flickr
Tags: flying, luggage, The luggage club, travel
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 3rd, 2008
Cafe Martorano - a Florida classic - an Italian restaurant in Fort Lauderdale known for its Italian food, unique atmosphere and for its 3-hour wait time. Why on Earth would anyone wait that long for a table? Is it the food, the atmosphere? Owner and Chef, Steve Martorano sat down and shared a little insight into what makes this place so sought after.
Do you take reservations? Why not? Does the wait time add to the image you want to portray?
SM: The fun of Cafe Martorano is the lack of reservations - the anticipation of waiting adds to the experience. Sitting at the bar and people watching while watching the movies and films adds to the sense of excitement. Vegas does take reservations. (He also has a restaurant at The Rio in Las Vegas.)
Where did you get your recipes? Did you borrow from friends and relatives and make them your own, or did you recreate your favorites from scratch?
SM: Growing up, I had never been to Italy - why should I try to cook like they do there, I’d never been there. But I know how my mother cooked in South Philadelphia. I watched her create dishes, all I did was bring it higher with quality. 90% of what we do on our menu is old style Italian; we just brought it up with quality.
Do you have a favorite ingredient? A secret ingredient some people might find surprising?
SM: The Holy Trinity - Olive Oil, garlic and basil Read More
Tags: Cafe Mortarano, Fort Lauderdale, Italian, Philly, reservations, The Rio
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 3rd, 2008
Are you looking for a great night out with fabulous food, free flowing wine, music and the hottest fashions? If so, you are in luck this week as CityPlace Uncorked comes to West Palm Beach. This annual event brings together a sampling of menu items from the restaurants and night clubs in CityPlace, wines from Republic National, a silent auction and more at the Harriet Himmel in CityPlace. A portion of the proceeds go to benefit West Palm 100.
When: Thursday, August 7th
Time: 7:00 - 10:00 pm (After party at Blue Martini)
Where: Harriet Himmel Theatre
Cost: $60 in advance/ $75 at the door
VIP tickets are $100 and include a private pre-party, exclusive tastings, gifts and more
For tickets call (866) 449-2489 or visit Complete Ticket Solutions
Photo Credit [Beatbull @ flickr]
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
August 2nd, 2008
George Michael is back in South Florida with his tour for his latest album Twenty Five that was released in North America on April 1, 2008. After successful runs in his original 25 Live tour in 2006 and his European “25 Live Stadium Tour 2007″ it was inevitable that he move forward with a North American tour. This is his first tour in North America in 17 years and highlights of TwentyFive, a 29-song, 2 disc compilation of George Michael’s best work along with 6 new releasees. When: Sunday, August 3, 2008Time: 7:30 pmWhere: Bank Atlantic Center, 2555 Panther Parkway in Sunrise Price: Tickets range from $35 - $225 and can be bought at Ticketmaster.
Photo Credit [Reza Vaziri @ flickr]
Tags: Bank Atlantic, George Michael, TwentyFive, Wham
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By Katherine Lynch -- 0 comments
July 30th, 2008
As much as I complain about Bank of America month after month, I still manage to give them my business. Why? Initially it was convenience as I used to be able to do my grocery shopping and my banking in the same trip, but that stopped years ago when Publix closed the B of A in my local store, but I’m still there.
I recently learned of a new perk that Bank of America added to their accounts (checking, debit or credit cards) called the Museums on Us program. This program allows card holders to receive free admission to nearly 70 museums nationwide on the first weekend of every month all year long just by presenting your Bank of America card. And for those of you that tend to be a little forgetful, they even send text message reminders.
Here’s a list of museums that honor the B of A card in Florida:
For a list of museums in other states, visit Museums on Us.
Photo Credit [Go Card USA @ flickr]
Tags: Bank of America, discounts, Florida, Miami Art Museum, Miami Children's Museum, Morikami, museum, Museum of Art, South Florida Science Museum
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By Katherine Lynch -- 1 comment
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