Sobe! (South Beach)

I've had many requests for information about Sobe. Let me first say that I'm no expert. But I've been there enough to shed myself of the tourist tag.

South Beach is most famous for it's white sandy beaches, shopping and night life!

Sunbathing

If you plan to take a day trip there and you want a quieter patch of sand - stay north of 10th street, but not much further north than 17th street. (Remember, streets in Miami run east-west). Also note that it is lauded as a nude beach, but if the nudes outnumber the clothed, I never noticed it. Point is, I've seen maybe 3 nude beachgoers in 6 years there. You shouldn't feel compelled to drop trou.

Here's a map.

Shopping, if you can afford it, in Sobe starts with the Lincoln Mall (Lincoln Road - right around 17th street). There you'll find all the Banana Republic you can handle. It's an outdoor mall with great window shopping and very good food. There is no indoor portion of Lincoln mall except for each shop, so dress for the weather.

Nightlife is a much longer blog post so if you have a question, shoot me an email directly.

Holiday Inn Express Review

Just a bit of a review for those who need it:

The "main" hotel is:

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
13475 SW 131ST Street
Kendall, FL 33186

Hotel Front Desk: 1-786-837-2100

(hotel website)

Any further questions?

I, (Long), have a few more items to blog about including SoBe restaurants, things to do in Miami and a few more maps to help you all navigate round town. I've also got one neat and final feature that will be posted shortly.

Any other suggestions or questions? If so, click on the "comments" link at the end of this post and add your comment! Don't worry, NO SPAM! ;)

Thanks!

Places to Eat in the Kendall Area of Miami

Okay, so this isn't a comprehensive list, and quite frankly, most of you don't have much time browse, but if you find yourself with hunger pangs . . . you've got plenty of options.

Places to eat in and around Kendall (Southwest Miami)

If you're afraid of roaming too far from the hotel, Kendall Drive (aka SW 88th Street) is essentially "main street" in the Kendall area. Most franchise restaurants can be found there. Now, we aren't food critics and most of these places are no brainers, but there are a few gems to be found here.

Note: If you happen to roam to New York City, check out Andrea Strong's blog - thestrongbuzz.com - Andrea is engaged to groomsman Craig Weiner and will be joining us at the wedding!

Kendall Area Eats

Fast Food

• Chicken Kitchen (map), highly recommended!
• Pollo Tropical (map) or (second location map)
  

Burgers and Brew:

• Kendall Ale House (map) or
• Gatsby's (map)

"Upscale" American Bistro:

• The Cheesecake Factory (map)
• Flanigan's (map), a South Florida favorite.
  

Authentic Cuban!:

• La Carreta (map) - highly recommended (ask for the imperial rice) - they also have an AMAZING breakfast buffet!

Italiano:

• Macaroni Grill (map)

Sit tight for a quick roundup of places to eat in SoBe (south beach) - coming very shortly.

The Duong Family: This ain't the Huxtables.

It's been quite a while since we profiled Isabel's family and it's bout cotton pickin' time Long's family got its 15 minutes!

The nuclear Duong family (last name pronounced "Young"!) is made up of Anh, Lien, Long and Helen Duong. However, round these parts, you can't say family without bringing in the entire Tong family as well (a bit more on that later). Time is a bit precious these days, so I'll have to keep this short.

Anh and Lien are Long's bright and shiny parents. Anh is a retired physician and Lien is a jack of all trades, but her business card says something akin to "Senior Computer Programming Analyst." She is currently employed at the University of Florida's Infirmary.

Lien was also an on again off again restaurateur bringing Gainesville it's first taste of Vietnamese cuisine back in the late 70's with the help of her 5 sisters ... and again in the early 90's. Some of you may remember it as the restaurant that might also be a hotel, ambiguously named, "Inn of the White Lotus." One taste of the food and it was clear - this was definitely a restaurant - and a fine one at that!

Anh's "retirement" is filled with a rather hectic, "blackberry worthy" schedule which includes zen buddhist meditation and "small acreage farming" - the growing of vegetables that are native to Vietnam (and are probably suspect in the 48 contiguous).

Anh and Lien taught Long as much as his barely permeable brain could muster and are proud to call Long their son - most of the time. (jk)

Helen, Long's stepsister lives out in California with her husband Vince and their fireball Andre! Vince is active duty serving our country and has been bouncing back and forth on missions. It's been a few years since we saw them down in Florida, but then again, we probably owe them a trip out to Cali. Unfortunately, they won't be able to join us for the wedding, but we hope to see them soon (and meet Andre!)

Not pictured (but soon) is Long's father, Quyen, out in California. He's a retired landscape architect who is enjoying retirement and being a grandfather! He won't be able to attend the festivities either and will certainly be missed.

We were going to blog about the Tong family (which is held closely together by Long's mother and her five sisters - Thuy, Lan, Duyen, Am and Oanh) but there is simply no time (sorry!) You will all have the pleasure of meeting them at the wedding (except for Oanh who can't get away for the festivities).

Here's a glimpse of extended family:

Again, a good majority of Long's family including many cousins and people who say they are cousins just to be cool (it's not a problem, we think they're cool too) will be in attendance.

Man, we just can't wait until the big day.

See you all very soon!

Update on Hotel Inconsistencies

Okay folks -

Bear with me here . . .

So some of you have contacted me regarding a few errors with the Hotel Guest List (see attachment again here) from my last post.

Carlo Lima, the director/manager of sales at the hotel has asked me to eliminate myself as the middle man and to contact him directly. His email address is: clima@dhmhotels.com.

If you've already talked to me about your issues, you need not contact him about it - he's already on it.

Otherwise, feel free to email him (preferred) or call the hotel and ask for him - (786) 837-2100. Email is probably best so you'll have a bit of a paper trail.

If the only error is the number of adults/children in the room, it is NOT an issue. But if there is a problem with the number of nights, or you just don't see your reservation at all, please let Carlo know.

Thanks for your patience everyone.

-Long

Confirmation of your Holiday Inn Express reservation

So last week I had a chat with Dr. Dean who mentioned that he wasn't sure if the hotel properly took in his reservation.

I decided to call and ask the hotel if they could send me a "confirmed" list.

Here it is for your download and viewing pleasure: Holiday Inn Guest List

Note: Link has been updated - if you have problems downloading it, please refresh your browser.

Please take a look. If you don't see your name on there, email me at Lduong333@gmail.com and let me know. I'm taking a tally of any reservations that may have disappeared, if any, to the hotel manager who will then help assess the situation.

Thanks in advance!

Long

An introspective on the Rodriguez Family

So I thought it'd be nice for our friends to get a glimpse at the families involved.

I'll start with the Rodriguez family. Unfortunately, I don't have alot of pictures of Maria's (Isa's mom) side of the family because they are all in Costa Rica.

Meet Orlando and Maria Rodriguez!


Maria is a nurse at a local assisted living facility. She is loving wife and mother and a wonderful cook. Orlando, an equally loving husband and father is retired and loves Red Sox baseball. Maria is a native of Costa Rica and Orlando is of Cuban descent. Both also enjoy a brisk morning walk, a heated game of Dominoes and break dancing.


Pictured above with Orlando is Gilbert, Isa's brother. He's the consummate ladies' man but remains humble about it. He enjoys import tuning (car modification), Gator sports (thank the good lord) and hanging out with friends and family. If any ladies would like his number, please submit your application along with a $50 processing fee.


Last but certainly not least is the matriarch of the Rodriguez family who Isabel refers to as "Abuelita" which means Grandma. Abuelita is 90+ years young and has the respect, admiration and love of her entire family. She enjoys frequent family visits, particularly chatting with her grandchildren about world, local or even household events.


Isabel is very much a reflection of the warm, good natured family she was raised in.

If I can find pictures, I'll add her amazing extended family as well!

Stay tuned for a glimpse into the Duong family!

Update! Holiday Inn Express - Kendall

We finally talked to the booking director at the hotel.

Here's the deal.

Details:

• Only 30 rooms are guaranteed, but there may be more available after first 30 are filled.
• The rate is $109/night and it DOES NOT have to be prepaid.
• You will need a credit card to "guarantee" your room.
• You will have 15 days BEFORE your reservation to cancel.
• You must call in your reservations for these rooms.
  
  The number is (786) 837-2100.
  
  Reference the Duong/Rodriguez Wedding.
  (Please don't butcher Long's name in the process - it's pronounced "Young")
  
  Now, if you miss the 30 rooms, there may still be an opportunity to book rooms at $110/night through the website, but your reservation must be PREPAID in full when you book. If you choose to do this, it's still best to call in to make sure that all 30 rooms from the above arrangement aren't full yet.
  
  If you choose not to prepay, I believe the current rate is $127/night.
  
  If you miss the rush and can't stay at the Holiday Inn Express, you may also consider these hotels which are pricier, but near the reception hall:
  
  AmeriSuites
  Mr. Brian Rubine
  Tel.: (305) 279-8688
  http://www.blogger.com/www.amerisuites.com
  
  Crowne Plaza Hotel
  MIAMI KENDALL
  Tel.: (305) 279-7700
  http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/1/en/hotel/miamk?_requestid=367495
  
  We have not set aside any rooms in these hotels because if guests don't stay there, we'd be left holding the bag for the unoccupied rooms. Ridiculous huh?
  
  Three fun facts about the hotel:
  
  1. The Holiday Inn Express boasts the ONLY heated pool in the area!
  
  2. If you're planning on playing a round of golf, there's a putting green right out in front of the hotel!
  
  3. The hotel is right across the street from the Tamiami Executive Airport, NOT Miami International Airport. No commercial flights in, but if you feel it's time to take advantage of your fractional interest owned jet, or you think it's about time you charter your own aircraft, you're golden!
  
  
  Don't forget!
  

Driving Directions for Miami

Miami is LARGE. It's on a grid, but can be difficult to navigate. Avenues run North/South and streets run East/West (don't know about you, but I think the rest of the world has it the other way around . . . STREETS are supposed to run North/South)

So arm yourself with a GPS device in your rental car or be prepared with a map and directions!

To help you out, we've added a set of links on the right hand side for Maps & Directions. Should be easier than trying to stuff a bunch of directions in the invitations!

These are Google Maps.

It's best to click the Print LINK and get even more detailed driving directions.

The first set of directions is for the Church to the Reception Hall.

Other directions we plan to add:

• Airport to Hotels
• Hotels to Sobe (South Beach)
• Hotels to Church
• Hotels to the Hard Rock Casino (in Hollywood)
• Hard Rock Casino to nearest ATM (jk)

Booking your flight: Ft. Lauderdale vs. Miami International

Isabel and I were down in Miami last weekend and completely forgot how much you have to drive when you're down there.

The reception hall, the church and the hotels are all relatively close to each other (5-15 minutes) and are located in the Kendall area of Miami.

Ft. Lauderdale International Airport is generally cheaper to fly into for US domestic flights. It's where I've always flown in and out of when I lived in South Florida (but I lived right in between Ft. Laud and Miami). That said, it's a good little drive to the Kendall area of Miami where we'll be doing the wedding stuff.

So here are the pros and cons of both airports:

Ft. Lauderdale International:

Pros - Cheaper, cleaner, less hectic
Cons - A good 45 minutes to the Kendall area of Miami (a bit more gas money)

Miami International

Pros - Closer to the Kendall area
Cons - Hectic, crowded airport; a little bit pricier for US domestic flights (but you'll save gas)

Bottom line: If you've already booked your flight, don't bother changing it now. In South Florida, everything is 30-45 minutes away.

Latest Update on Holiday Inn Express

Looks like the Holiday Inn Express will finally open it's doors towards the end of this month. In about 5-7 days I have a scheduled conference to discuss booking with the sales manager.

We actually stopped by to see the hotel a few days ago and according to the on site contractor, the hotel is all done, but they are doing a bit of cleanup and dealing with permitting issues.

Now, the hotel only has 107 rooms, which is probably enough, but obviously I can't ask him to hold every single one forever.

So the second I give the green light, we'll ask that everyone book ASAP.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Long & Isa

Update: Holiday Inn Express

The Holiday Inn Express is set to open in October (pushed back from September.) We are frantically trying to get group bookings set up but they've been hard to reach.

We'd like everyone to stay at this hotel because of the convenience to Signature Gardens Reception Hall.

Please subscribe to this list for future updates on the Holiday Inn Express.

Thanks!

Signature Gardens (The Reception Hall)

Signature Gardens is one of the largest and most popular wedding reception venues in Miami.

[Do not mistake it with the sister venue, Signature Grand, which is in Ft. Lauderdale!]

Holiday Inn Express

The Holiday Inn Express, the closest hotel to our reception site (Signature Gardens) is not yet open but will be open in/around September 2007.

That said, it's difficult to book now and we're on the "list" to get discount rates. If you can wait until then, it's probably worth it to book. Otherwise check out the other hotel suggestions.

If you book this hotel online before September (when we can finally get rooms reserved) you may miss the discounted rate.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
13475 SW 131ST STREET
KENDALL, FL 33186

I'll update this post as necessary.