Young at Art Museum

I recently got a membership to the Young at Art Museum in Davie, and I have to say, it is the BEST play/museum/activity place we have been to thus far. In ALL of Miami.

Last weekend, we went to their Winter Festival and had a great time playing in fake snow, seeing Santa (the kids were NOT into him), listening to a special musical drum performance, and making a Gingerbread House (I’ve mentioned before my craft issues, so you can guess – ours collapsed…apparently you are NOT supposed to ice the entire roof).

This was in addition their usual amazing offerings – a great play room for kids of all ages (the 1 year old loved it!), crafts, crawl spaces, etch and sketches, kids art to look at, and more.  I’ve now been three times and each time we only get to sample all there is to offer.

I couldn’t recommend this one more highly, definitely worth the drive, and if you live close enough, they also have after-school activities that seem great…

http://www.youngatartmuseum.org/

Basel Best List

Four late nights in a row jumping between parties + Three days walking the streets of Sobe/Design District/Wynwood + endless hours looking for parking +  One baby still waking all night long + one 3.5 year old looking to start his day at 6 am, both thinking for some reason that I am their mother, here to provide them with love, care, attention, and food=ART BASEL 2012. Keep in mind this would not be my typical Art Basel life (I’m on couch in PJ’s by 8 pm most weekends) but I was on assignment for People Magazine.

Below, is my summary – with pix – of the best of Art Basel.  This was not taken from a motherly POV (i.e. wasn’t much to do for kids), but a fun wrap up nonetheless.  On that note, drum roll please…

Best Party Overall: SLS/Roberto Cavalli/Saks Bal Harbor/Rico Love Bday

I was lucky enough to cover Rico Love’s 30th Birthday Dinner at Katsuya, at the SLS Hotel, combined with a Saks Fifth Ave/Roberto Cavalli fashion show.  After a few days & nights of running between events, eating just little nibbles of food and splashes of alcohol, I was hungry.

The evening started with a cocktail party/red carpet and there was actually a generous amount of food being passed.


The fashion show (shockingly on time) – was suspended over the infinity pool – really cool looking, with some fun music to boot.  The dinner offered a plethora of family style food – from rock shrimp tempura to spicy tuna crispy rice to chicken, steak, sushi, and vegetables.

Nothing was left out. And while I wouldn’t quite consider Rico Love, Fat Joe, and Pharell and Diddy “my peeps”, it was really fun feeling their energy.  I also got to interview Kelly Rowland who is ADORABLE.  Jay Z and Beyonce were upstairs having a private dinner.  Click for my people article about the event.

Best Dessert: 

Valentino Cake pops – The Valentino Rooftop party on the Webster was short but sweet…literally.

The food was sparse BUT they handed out these cake pops which were seriously the best I have EVER had (not to mention adorable – they matched the Valentino polka dot resort wear).  I thought I was just starving, but when I saw the woman who works for Valentino the next day, she told me they tested hundred of pops to find the best one, and sent these down from NYC.  So I guess they were special!

Least Snooty place to see art: NADA Art Fair

NADA was at the The Deauville Beach Resort – an old, classic Miami Beach hotel.  My mom said she used to stay there with her family when she was a kid.  There is something comforting about a hotel that has stayed the same for 40 some-odd years (Granted, they could use a small facelift) but I hope they never go “glam”.

NADA was the perfect fit, this art fair is a “not-for-profit collective of professionals working with contemporary art. Our mission is to create an open flow of information, support, and collaboration within our field and to develop a stronger sense of community among our constituency. It is the only major American art fair to be run by a non-profit organization.”

The event was Free with free shuttle service from Miami Beach.  They Even had a public pool party.  AND, they have something for kids! For the first time, they brought their “Little Collectors” exhibit to the fair.  It’s for kids years 5 and up and looks like a great introduction to art for the little ones.  See their blog and info here:

http://www.littlecollector.com/blog/category/art-fairs/

So, next year if you feel at all intimated where to go/what to do and wonder if kids can be involved, be SURE to check this out!

Best Newcomer: UNTITLED ART FAIR

I’ve seen a lot of events erected on the sand (The Food & Wine Festival is pretty amazing), but none quite like this.  It was a huge art gallery in the middle of the beach.  Walls, paintings, sculptures, the works.  For the first time around, they really had their stuff together.

Something to keep an eye on for next year! http://www.art-untitled.com/index.php/what/

Best Chill Out Spot: AD OASIS

Art Basel has a major interior design element, Design Miami, and Architectural Digest went with this theme when they set up the AD Oasis at the Raleigh- a luxurious retreat created for artists, designers, collectors, and VIPs…created by celebrated AD100 designer Mark Cunningham.  Guests of the exclusive destination included Kate Mara, Zosia Mamet, Jane Seymour, Scout Willis, Fabrizio Moretti, Mia Moretti, Rick Yune, Kai & Sunny.

 The space consisted of a lounge by day with a café, gallery and spa treatments until it was transformed nightly into a glittering hot spot.  I attended the opening night party with The Strokes DJ’ing, and it was definitely a fun, not at all pretentious, event (and they gave us flip-flops, which were an absolute savior after four hours in heels for my used-to-flip-flops-and-Toms only feet.

The Raleigh has always been one of my favorite Sobe Hotels – cool, classy, and beachy, with a true Deco feel.  So, it served as the perfect backdrop for this event. And of course, AD does nothing half-assed – so the design was pretty amazing.

Pix: Kate Mara & John Mara, Zosia Mamet of GIRLS

 

Best Celeb Run-In/Interview:  Christian Slater. My generation was an overlap of the John Hughes teen angst movies mixed with the Heathers/My So Called Life era. Christian Slater was the star of one my favorites, “Pump up the Volume” which I would watch over and over, wishing I led a way more badass life than my gifted program/ballet three times a week reality.  His character was such the perfect mix of mysterious bad boy with sensitive, Eddie-Vedder esque poet. I interviewed him because he was on a panel with Adrien Grenier for the Young Arts Foundation.

He was ADORABLE and told me a funny story about his whole Miami Voting controversy.  He was surprised by all the attention the issue got, and because he was new to Twitter, he had no idea how many people would respond.  In fact, he told me a few days later he was out walking his dogs and three huge SUVs approached him, swarmed by Paparazzi and he thought – “wow, this thing has gotten really big!”.  Turns out, Kim Kardashian was getting out of the van….

Best Outdoor Installation: Wynwood Walls

Wyndood Walls is Miami’s cutting-edge free outdoor street art museum featuring internationally renowned graffiti artists such as Kenny Scharf, Shepard Fairey, among others.  The installation was already in effect, but Basel brought it a lot of attention and they did a cool pop up shop during the weekend.

http://thewynwoodwalls.com/

Best Food: Toro Toro, Intercontinental Hotel

The Intercontinental Miami showed off its $60 million renovation and 19-story digital canvas during a a large celebration.  ‘Entourage’ Star Jeremy Piven, Domestic Doyenne Martha Stewart and Photographer Patrick McMullan joined in the festivities.

The Celebration also Served as Grand Opening Soiree for Chef Richard Sandoval’s Critically-Acclaimed Restaurant and Lounge Concept, Toro Toro – which would explain why the food was delicious and plentiful!  The crowd feasted on a Pan Latin tasting menu prepared for the event, featuring: grill, anticuchos, ceviche and dessert stations throughout the lobby, as well as a tasting of the Latin spirits served at the Toro Toro bar.

Guests also experienced the newly installed Art Walls in the lobby, positioned around the hotel’s $20 million Henry Moore sculpture, The Spindle. The hotel presented its Art Basel showing with a New Media art show debuting three curated exhibits, as well as sculpture and 3D paintings.  The exhibits will run through January 31, 2013 and are free to the public and guests of the hotel. 

H&M!

For those of you who didn’t know (or weren’t invited to the 600-person craziness that was the opening party), H&M is now open on Lincoln Rd!! Chace Crawford, Flo-Rida, Matthew Morrison (of Glee), etc. hosted the event.

Chace looked adorable as always – I definitely have a old-mom crush on him and Flo-Rida rocked the house.

Unfortunately, they don’t have the kids stuff.  Do we start a petition? How do we fix this horrific injustice?

But they do have women’s stuff.  Remains to be seen if they’ll cater to the cheesy Miami/stripper-esque/Spring Break/ “I just got here from London/Pittsburgh/College and need to look South Beachy” crowd, OR if they’ll realize that J Crew Collection, with preppy-beachy (and not cheap) clothing is one of the most successful recent openings on Lincoln Rd, so they’ll buy for the audience who wants the traditional copied-from-the-runway H&M angle…we’ll see.

Either way, it seems the event was star studded and the opening is exciting.  Post Release and pix below.

MIAMI BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 07: Chase Crawford attends the VIP grand opening of the H&M Lincoln Road Miami Store on November 7, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for H&M)

 


 

 

 

 

MIAMI BEACH, FL – NOVEMBER 07: Flo Rida performs at the VIP grand opening of the H&M Lincoln Road Miami Store on November 7, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo by Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for H&M)

 

 

H&M DEBUTS FIRST EVER STORE IN MIAMI BEACH

Global Fashion Retailer Celebrates with VIP Event and Exclusive Performance by Flo Rida

H&M, Hennes and Mauritz, one of the world’s largest fashion retailers known for offering high fashion at affordable prices, celebrated its debut in Miami Beach last night, Wednesday, November 7th, with an extravagant event featuring a live performance by Florida native, Flo Rida. Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl, Matthew Morrison of Glee, Paz de la Huerta of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and Adriana De Moura and Lisa Hochstein of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Miami, were among the 1,000 guests who attended the party held at the new 24,000 square foot multi-level store at the historic art deco Lincoln Theatre on Lincoln Road.

Famed DJ Mia Moretti kept the energy level high while guests had the opportunity to be the first to shop the hottest fall fashion at the new store, enjoy signature cocktails and share photos from the interactive vintage photo booth. American hip-hop and rap artist Flo Rida took the stage around 9:30 p.m. and closed the night with a special performance of his recent chart toppers, even including shout-outs to H&M by incorporating the brand into the lyrics.

“It was a magical evening and the first live performance in the beautifully renovated Lincoln Theatre,” said Marybeth Schmitt, H&M’s continental communications director. “We are thrilled to be in Miami and share such an exciting experience.”

“This is my city, my town, and I look forward to coming here, said Flo Rida. “I look at it like club H&M. As soon as I hit the block and see how huge it is, it’s just out of this world.”

“If you’re going to put it (H&M) on Miami Beach, this is the block to do it,” said Chace Crawford.

MORE PICS: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/gyipa_public?nav=pr177401789

Book Fair

The Miami Book Fair, the time of year when the world is shocked to learn our city actually has people who like to read and even care about books, began this weekend.

This is one of those events that I wish I’d created.  It’s such a great outpouring of literary genius mixed with a dash of Miami spice…

In fact, I kind of wish I was Mitchell Kaplan – the dude who owns Books & Books and started the Book Fair.  Books & Books is basically one of the coolest companies I know.  Their model goes against everything the “experts” say should work – i.e. don’t start a small, family-owned store, everybody buys books on Ipad/Kindle/Amazon now, even if they buy real books they do so at the large stores like B&N and Target.  Alas, Books & Books keeps succeeding and expanding by offering well-selected basics (the newest/best books), unique gifts (they wrap! If you ever need a last minute gift, this is the place) and awesome food (they even have creative ideas like charging people $1 for reusable take-out bags so they don’t waste plastic).  Brills. Oh and their locations are pretty sick, should you want to travel between stores – Sobe, Bal Harbor, Hamptons, Caymen Islands and more. Not bad.

If you’ve never been to the fair – check out the schedule of events, they have lots of cool stuff – readings, food, kids events, etc.  This year Tom Wolfe opened with his new book about Miami.  I’ll review as soon as I read it :)

Today’s event is about Lemony Snicket…I’m also eying this weekend’s big book sale for kids.  Check out schedule here.

Pumpkin “Picking”

Today we went to Flamingo Road Nursery to get a pumpkin.  After all, it’s three days before Halloween and instead of going to some church parking lot and picking one out, we  wanted to make a fun outing with food and activities, so we made the 40 minute treck to Davie to check it out.

The outing was successful overall (in fact, Max, out of nowhere said “I’m having so much fun today!”, BUT I made three mistakes in the planning of this event:

1) Getting a pumpkin on the last weekend before Halloween at a family-friendly farm is kind of like Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve.  In other words, it was PACKED.  Like – anxiety-inducing crowds.  Lines, lines, lines…for everything from the hay ride to lunch to face painting, etc.  None of us are good at waiting.  I’m the worst.  My 3 year old has more patience than me.  Seriously – the other day we were getting him ice cream and I was losing my mind at the people in front of me taking forever while he calmly waited his turn. Embarrassing.

2) I still have romantic notions of fall in CT, when we’d go to a hundred-acre farm to pick pumpkins, apples, etc. and you’d take a hay ride and feel like you were flying through some kind of beautiful fall wilderness maze.   This, obviously, is not what we encountered.  For the majority of the year, you will NOT hear me complain about living in Florida, but those rare, breathtaking, golden fall New England days are something I’ll always miss.

The “hay ride” here (with a 45-minute line) was a vintage truck that drove on the pavement for six minutes and honked a horn.  Luckily none of us were interested.

3) I wanted to do way more than we were able to (big suprise.  Wait…you don’t know me. I often have visions of accomplishing or doing more than is possible/enjoyable in a given outing.)  This time, I thought we’d get a pumpkin, do face painting, have lunch, shop at the farmers market for local produce (and a Pumpkin Pie, as requested by Max), take cute pix I could post on Instagram just like the 56 other pix of the exact same scene posted by everyone else with kids, and walk around the nursery picking out flowers/plants we like as we have to do some landscaping.

Here is what we did:

Divided and conquered the minute we got there as parking was far from lunch, so I ordered sandwiches (Charlie was so excited that they had a Boar’s Head deli…then they didn’t have Pastrami) while charlie parked w/Benny & Max who was whining and “starving”, ate lunch standing up, tried to figure out the whole “ticket” situation – we didn’t have much cash of course, walked around aimlessly trying to find the pumpkin patch only to realize we were in it (a bunch of pumpkins under a tent. Not much “choosing” about it – you had to elbow people (darn kids) just to get to one), Charlie waited in line while we went to the bathroom (actually Max’s favorite part, “MOM there’s a bathroom in that truck!!!” Yah Max, it’s a port-o-potty, you’re excitement may dwindle when you step inside and lose a year off your little life.  It didn’t. And in all honesty the bathroom was quite clean), bought a cookie for Max because Charlie had barely moved up in line, walked around aimlessly playing the opposite game with Max, paid for pumpkins, went home.

This is to say nothing bad about the nursery itself…I’m sure on roughly 362 days of the year (I’m guessing Xmas tree shopping gets dicey), the place is a lot more manageable. And they handled it well.  It just wasn’t quite the natural, whimsical, Walden-esque experience I had envisioned.

Nevertheless, we had a good time, the boys were happy mostly, we got our pumpkins, and Max got to see a bathroom on a truck.

So maybe the lesson to us all is – lower your expectations, doesn’t take much to please 3 year olds and babies.

 

Construction Paper

So, I’m REALLY Bad at art. Like, so bad that I was the only kid in school who did not think their elephant painting was good.  I knew it sucked. If you think I’m being self-depricating, check out my recent drawing of Spiderman and the Green Goblin below (insisted upon by Max).  My husband asked me why they’re rapping.  I don’t know the answer to that.

 

My 3 and a half year old, on the other hand, really likes doing art projects.  So I’m trying my best to work with him. I actually love the idea of doing projects, I just suck at the execution. Now, I use the term “project” loosely, as these undertakings often end up with us sitting down, setting up paint, water, paper, and brushes and he:

a) Piles the various colors of paint on top of each other into a brown blob that rips a hole in the paper and leaks onto the table (IKEA table & chairs  – the best $19.99 I’ve EVER spent http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50178411/)

b) Paints his inspiration onto the wall behind him – what we’ve now designated the “art wall” (if we make it sound purposeful and creative, it’s not actually ugly blobs of paint that we’re too lazy to wipe off).

c) Spills the water everywhere so the project amounts to us wiping up dirty paint water and wasting a lot of paper towel

Nonetheless, every time we paint it’s a nice chunk of time doing something quiet, creative and together.  And we always laugh.  (Max told me today I “don’t draw things in the right place”…yah that’s one way of putting it).  So, I’m trying to learn other cool crafts we can do.

My mother in law is something of a master in the craft arena, but I just never think of these ideas naturally.  It’s just not in my DNA.  I have other talents (maybe) but Van Gogh/MarthaStewart I am NOT.

So, I decided to start from the beginning.  I bought a pad of construction paper which, kindly, actually includes instructions on what to do with it – genius.  We also bought glue and kid scissors.  And we did the most basic project – make a chain of “dudes” (that’s what we called them) and color accouterments on them such as eyes, ears, smiles, and of course,  a Batman & Robin.

The result ain’t pretty but It was really fun.  We might almost be ready for step two of crafting – tissue paper? Clay? Rubber cement I can sniff and make booger balls with?