I have the perfect place to meet up with folks you have never met before. The Signature Bridge that is under construction now will redefine the Miami skyline and will connect several neighborhoods. We had a great time with The Three Tomatoes this past weekend, with a fun visit with head Tomato, Cheryl Benton.  Miami is proving to be a “wonderful town” with the super-rich gobbling up condos by the minute.

Blind Date Dinners

A friend of mine who lives in Coconut Grove is an executive in the transportation business, a philanthropist, an art collector, an artist, a gallerist, a musician and singer, and a networker. He also travels all over the world for work and pleasure.

I’ve written about Dave Ross before for The Three Tomatoes. He is third from right in the top row wearing a blue shirt. I wanted to be sure that if you travel to Miami that you know about Dave’s networking dinners at the Red Rooster restaurant in Overtown. It’s owned by Marcus Samuelsson, yes, the same renowned chef behind many restaurants worldwide, including Red Rooster in Harlem (NYC) and); HAV & MAR in Chelsea  (NYC); several Marcus locations, including Montreal, the Bahamas, Newark, and Atlanta; and his newest concept, Metropolis at the Perelman Performing Arts Center  (World  Trade  Center, (NYC).

It’s the perfect place to meet up with folks you have never met before because the restaurant serves southern comfort food, and you are going to need that during these sessions. They exercise your brain on ways you haven’t experienced for a long time.

Dave goes around the table asking questions about topics you haven’t thought about in a long time or never. Some people give deep emotional answers that cause them to choke up and start self-examining. Others reveal certain truths that they never discussed out loud before and are relieved to finally share their thoughts.

These sessions can really take you out of your comfort zone but at the end of the evening you want to do it again.  Why? Because this is something different and you like the novel experience. Dave does recite a spiritual prayer that soothes everyone and gives everyone some keepsakes that are fun to own.

The dinners are named after his dog, Henley, a Doberman Pincher, because that breed is intelligent, alert and tenaciously loyal. Sounds good to me.

Welcome to the Miami Signature Bridge  

 If you are wondering why the MacArthur Causeway is so backed up with traffic all the time, it is because of the new $840 million Signature Bridge that is being constructed to improve the connection between the I-395, SR 836, and I-95. The project is expected to be completed in late 2027. The structure’s distinctive arches are intended to symbolize Miami as a community where people of different cultures live together.

The structure’s six sweeping arches will redefine the Miami skyline. Spanning 1,025 feet across two busy downtown Miami roadways, its largest arch is 325 feet above the ground and measures 650 feet across.

What’s even more exciting is that over 30 acres of public/community space is being created under the bridge to connect the neighborhoods of Overtown, Downtown Miami, Omni, and Edgewater. Miami folks love big expansive parks. This one is going to be devoted to culture because of all the museums and performing arts centers that are now within convenient walking distance to each other.

The Three Tomatoes Live In Miami Beach

We were thrilled to spend time with the leaders of The Three Tomatoes last week as Cheryl and Stu were in town visiting their very good friend, advertising executive, Joanne Davis who just published her book, “How to Get Your Agency to Run through Brick Walls…Without Paying More.”

Joanne is an active member of The Three Tomatoes and a very well-known consultant in the advertising business.  I just bought her book. Cheryl had her own advertising agency too before starting The Three Tomatoes, so we traded wonderful, and not so wonderful, business stories.

We all know how to live large and our meal at Via Emilia, a wonderful Italian restaurant on the beach, was just that. The six of us dined on two Tomahawk steaks. It was divine. Yes, plenty of wine was shared too.

That evening was a true love-in experience. It was so nice in these times to be with a group that was upbeat and only wanted to provide each other with positive vibes.

That’s exactly what The Three Tomatoes is all about. Spread the word.

Miami Needs a New Gene Kelly Song 

“New York, New York, it’s a wonderful town! The Bronx is up and the Battery’s down.” In Miami we are singing “Miami Miami it’s a wonderful town. The luxury condos are up and the time to decide to buy is down.” Real estate agents report that the super-rich are buying the most expensive condos in Miami and Miami Beach in record-breaking minutes.”

One of the top real estate agents told me the other day that one of his very wealthy clients bought a $25 million plus condo in 10 minutes. He made that decision in the sales office, never seeing the unit itself, the views, the finishes, etc. He knew what he wanted, heard what he liked, and quickly said yes. That’s the way the rich operate when they want something. In the case of Miami, ever since the COVID pandemic, the rich want beaches, blue skies, and warm weather.  No dawdling around. They make decisions very quickly.

Of course, the rich always operated like that wherever they went but a number of my real estate contacts said despite economic reports to the contrary, Miami luxury condo sales are selling faster than ever.

Rich or poor, it’s nice to have money.