Most people think of Miami as a city of beaches. That may be true, but we also have lots of trails for hiking in the wilderness. I’m happy to report the News Café is back! I can’t believe I finally visited the Margulies Warehouse in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami.

Miami Is A Hiking Town

Most people think of Miami as a city of beaches. That may be true but we also have lots of  trails for hiking in the wilderness. Some of my friends dedicate one day a week to venture out. I hear all kinds of stories from them about what they saw, how many steps they took, and how invigorated they felt upon their return. Chances are I will never go with them.  I can’t do the distance they do. I’m good for an hour then I poop out. However my best active buddies tell me to start slow and bring other beginners with me.

There are just a few of our options.

1-Shark Valley

This is a 15-mile loop that everyone raves about. It takes you deep into the Everglades. You will be able to see stunning landscapes. The big bonus is that there is a 45-foot observation tower midway through. That’s a great incentive. Let’s go together and enjoy the views.  Location: 40001 State Hwy 9336, Homestead.

2-Bill Baggs Cape Florida Nature Trail, Key Biscayne

The Robin’s Birding Trail is a three-mile loop in Key Biscayne I read that the trail is pretty easy if you compare it to others. We also get to see clear blue waters as well as the historic lighthouse, 200 years old!  Where: 1200 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL

3-Bear Cut Nature Preserve Trail, Crandon Park

The Bear Cut Preserve is a short two-mile hike that will lead you to the ocean while walking under the shade of tropical trees. All of a sudden the world opens up and you will be on several beaches and sandy dunes. The northernmost point of the trail is home to 6,000-year-old mangrove tree fossils that have since formed a coral reef along the coast. You must see this. Where: 6767 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne, FL

4-Snake Creek Trail

This trail connects North Miami Beach and Miami Gardens. Get ready to walk approximately 6.5 miles on its fully paved road. The trail passes through shopping areas so you can stop somewhere along the way! Where: 1601 NE 165th St, North Miami Beach, FL

5-Historic Virginia Key Beach Loop

Another trail running alongside the beach is located in the Historic Virginia Key Beach Park. I read that it’s a must for nature lovers. The beach also has incredible views while there are plenty of chances to spot wildlife. Where: 4020 Virginia Beach Dr, Miami, FL

6- FIU Nature Preserve

Surprise! This 11-acre nature preserve has been open on FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus for decades. Yet, many students and nearby residents don’t even know it exists! You will be able to walk down the  jogging path or guided nature trails. You will feel like you are  deep in the Everglades even though you are surrounded by the city. Let’s start this adventure. Get a pair of good walking shoes, carry a bottle of water and don’t forget your camera. We are going to be making friends with Mother Nature.

Start Spreading The News

Eliot Hess, Lois Whitman-Hess and Tom De Santis having lunch at Versace’s favorite table.

A few months ago, I wrote that News Cafe was reopening on Ocean Drive. Today, I am  happy to report that I actually experienced it. Eliot and I joined our friend Tom De Santis for lunch there because he has become a frequent patron. We used to be there all the time during the good old days, pre-pandemic. It’s difficult to evaluate exactly how I felt about dining at the new News Cafe because I am four years older, and the world has drastically changed.  Ocean Drive was once the symbol of paradise. Now it’s considered in a semi-dangerous area because of recent crimes.  That’s because many rowdy teenagers on vacation party on Ocean Drive till the wee hours of the morning.

I wanted the same vibes I used to get sitting outside across the street from one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We would hang out with friends for hours watching the fashionistas and celebrities pass-by. Life was so exciting then. We had our dreams and aspirations. Now we are happy if we get out alive. I don’t want to exaggerate the situation. A lot is being done to clean up the area so more families can return to what was once considered  a taste of European café culture.

The company website tells the best story of why News Cafe is so iconic. “It all started when restaurateur Mark Soyka opened the cafe and newsstand in 1988 on what was then a sleepy oceanfront boulevard. (Soyka had moved down from New York with his friend, real estate developer Tony Goldman, of Goldman Properties.) Within a year, it was a magnet for locals and tourists alike. Expatriates from other countries would stop in daily to purchase a newspaper from their home country at the newsstand and stay to read it over breakfast. The most famous of these daily patrons was fashion designer Gianni Versace, who was known to walk to the café each morning from his Ocean Drive mansion. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, News Cafe was as constant as the ocean across the boulevard. And like the tides, the café changed its scene multiple times a day.

In the early morning, locals would stop in for a coffee. Afternoons saw sunburnt tourists seeking a cold drink after a beach day. In the wee hours of the morning, clubgoers would visit to cap off a night of revelry. The café has survived several hurricanes, not to mention changes in Ocean Drive’s tastes and culture.

“Sadly in January 2021, News Cafe closed its doors for the last time……..or so they thought. Now, the restaurant is reopening at its original spot on the ground floor of the newly renamed Tony Hotel South Beach. The hotel, formerly known as the Hotel of South Beach, was given an upgrade and a new name. Goldman Properties purchased the News Cafe brand from Mark Soyka. Operated by V&E Restaurant Group, the restaurateurs behind Havana 1957, Cafe Americano, Paperfish Sushi, and others, the new News Cafe will stay as close to the original version as possible.” 

Setting up for lunch.

I personally can’t wait to go back to the restaurant. If you love the arts, you have to love News Cafe. It’s like a lucky charm for many people in the creative world who got their inspiration while  drinking a cup of coffee and soaking in the energy of other patrons.

There are many other restaurants along the strip that we can go to but the ambience is just not the same. If a bunch of the regulars starting showing up on a frequent basis, News Cafe would rock again. In time, it will do very well.  The day we ate lunch there, the restaurant was crowded, the service was excellent and the menu was diverse  enough that there is something for everyone.

All I can say is become a regular at News Cafe and watch your circle of friends expand. Everyone talks to everyone and you feel you are part of a community that just knows what the good life is all about. Get the details.

My First Visit To The  Margulies Warehouse

I can’t believe I finally visited the Margulies Warehouse in the Wynwood Arts District of Miami. I don’t know what took me so long but you can be sure I will be visiting this privately held museum on a much more frequent basis. The Warehouse presents seasonal exhibitions from the collection of renowned collector Martin Z. Margulies  as well as educational programs, and  special exhibitions and an international loan program. Miami has a number of private museums like the Rubell Museum,  de La Cruz,  and  El Espacio 23 (the Perez Collection) . Some of these collectors have several thousand pieces of art. Now you can understand why they need 50,000 square feet, or more,  to house the inventory.

Margulies is a real-estate developer and collector of contemporary art and photography.   By the way, you need to make an appointment to visit many of the private museums. That’s why I jumped at the chance to join my art group, Fountainhead Arts, when they invited a group of 30 year olds to tour the museum. Eliot and I didn’t really belong there but Kathryn Quinlivan Mikesell and Francesca Levy Nabors of Fountainhead allowed us to tag along. Art connects people in profound ways. We met at the Margulies Warehouse where Elizabeth Margulies, Marty’s daughter, gave us a private tour.

The Literary Life: Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures

If you ever make a trip to Miami, you must stop by Books & Books in Coral Gables and ask to meet owner Mitchell Kaplan. He might be at one of his other locations, but you get the best bet of seeing him live in the main headquarters.

As I mentioned before in The Three Tomatoes newsletter, Mitchell is probably the best known, and most appreciated person in Miami and throughout the publishing world. He is the biggest supporter of getting people to read with his vast collections of books to read, his live interviews and readings with authors, the establishment of a yearly book fair and his amazing podcast where he holds discussions with every imaginable writer.

A case in point is his recent live interview with Pattie Boyd, an English model and photographer. She was one of the leading international models during the 1960s and, epitomised the British female look of the era. Boyd married George Harrison in 1966, experiencing the height of the Beatles‘ popularity. She then divorced Harrison in 1977 and married Harrison’s friend Eric Clapton in 1979. They divorced in 1989. Boyd inspired Harrison’s songs “I Need You“, “If I Needed Someone“, “Something” and “For You Blue“, and Clapton’s songs “Layla“, “Bell Bottom Blues” and “Wonderful Tonight.”  Her new book Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures, features more than 300 photographs and artworks, with Boyd sharing full and intimate access to her personal archive for the first time.

Here are some of the things Pattie told Mitchell.

“I had kind of an inkling that there was a big change happening. I was working with photographer David Bailey. My agent phoned saying that after this session I was to go for an interview. There were loads of girls, as usual. When I went into the room, I recognized one of the guys (director Richard Lester, A Hard Day’s Night) because I’d done a TV commercial with him. Then I went home and my agent phoned in the afternoon telling me that I got a part in a Beatles film. That’s how it all started.”

Her new book Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures, features more than 300 photographs and artworks, with Boyd sharing full and intimate access to her personal archive for the first time. Listen to this outstanding episode.