Ideal Lifestyle Concierge

Is Live Music Alive In Miami?

2011-08-19T15:43:00.014-05:00

Miami is full of options to have a good time. So, instead of going to the same old place why not support your local live music scene. While this is not an all inclusive list by any means, it’s a place to start. This is not an endorsement of these locations since everyone has their own personal taste in music. Surf the websites, find out what other people are saying, ask your friends and then take a chance and check one out. You may even find your new favorite local band. One word of warning, some of these venues are located in neighborhood that for lack of a better description have a lot of “character” or “characters” may be the better word. So make sure you know were your going and stay safe.

The Setai: 2001 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Phone: (305) 520-6000
The tranquil and beautiful setting of the bar & courtyard is perfect for a Jazz Night under the stars. Every Thursday evening, local and national jazz musicians and vocalists perform live, playing classic, Latin, and smooth jazz.
Website: http://www.setai.com/dining/thebarandcourtyard

The Stage: 170 NE 38 St, Miami, 33137, Phone: (305) 576-9577
Relatively new live music venue (opened this year) located in the heart of the Design District. Chosen by the Miami New Times Best of Miami 2011 as The Best New Venue for Live Music.
Blog: http://www.thestagemiami.blogspot.com/
Miami.com article: http://www.miami.com/the-stage-article

Soyka: 5556 NE 4th Court 55th Street Station Miami, FL 33137, Phone: (305) 759-3117
Restaurant, bar and lounge - Soyka offers live jazz on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. without a cover charge. Come early and check out the mussels (in my opinion the best in Miami) and ask for extra bread for sopping up the delicious creamy broth.
Website: http://www.soykalivejazz.com/

Grand Central: 697 N Miami Ave, Miami, FL, Phone: (305) 377-2277
Chosen by the Miami New Times Best of Miami 2011 issue as the Best Live Music Venue. Grand Central has distinguished itself in the Miami nightlife scene by providing a mid-size d music venue where you can both enjoy live-music and party your heart out like you were smack in the middle of South Beach.
Website: http://www.grandcentralmiami.com/

Hoy Como Ayer: 2212 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33135. Phone: (305) 541-2631
Featuring Cuban/ Latin music by both local and international artists. Located in the heart of Little Havana. You may even run into a celebrity.
Website: http://www.hoycomoayer.us/
Miami.com article: http://www.miami.com/hoy-como-ayer

The Florida Room: 1685 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139, Phone: (305) 674-6152
Located in the beautiful Delano Hotel in South Beach. Live music and DJs spinning in a modern day piano lounge complete with a Lucite grand piano. Call ahead for live music schedule.
Website: http://www.delano-hotel.com/en-us/#/explore/?id=floridaroom

Tobacco Road: 626 South Miami Avenue, Miami, FL 33130, Phone: (305) 374-1198
Miami’s oldest bar featuring drink specials and live music every night. If you haven’t been here you have to try it at least once. Don’t expect any fancy digs but do expect a lot of local flair.
Website: http://www.tobacco-road.com

Transit Lounge: 729 SW 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33130, Phone: (305) 377-4628
Indoor and outdoor stages featuring local bands – bar, pool table – all you need for a good time.
Website: http://www.transitlounge.us/

Here are some other venues offering live music: Churchill’s Pub, Bougainvilleas Old Florida Tavern, Mr. Moes, Jazzid, Van Dykes, Bardot, Blue Martini, Brickell Irish Pub, The Vagabond, Electric Pickle, The Bar.

Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can help you put together the perfect day or night out for your out of town guests, friends, family, clients or even that special someone. We can recommend locations, make special arrangements and even take care of the transportation. You just have to show up and take the credit.

Are you a magazine hoarder?

2011-07-25T10:36:00.005-05:00

Magazine hoarders you know who you are. Do you read your magazines and then set them to the side just in case you want to access some information at a later date? Even in today's electronic media world, I personally still get excited when I receive a new glossy magazine in the mail box. Here are some tips to help you access the information and still reduce your magazine clutter around the house or office.

As you are reading through the magazine tear or cut out the articles that you would like to reference or read at a future date.
Scan the articles. If you don't have a scanner you can outsource this to a scanning company or Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can scan and organize your documents for you.
Save the articles electronically by category. For example: Recipes, Fashion, Gifts, Technology, Finance, Parenting - you get the idea. I suggest that you save the date as part of the file name.
The most important part - Get rid of the magazines and the clutter!

Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can help you organize and reduce stress and clutter in your life. For a free consultation please call us at 305-371-0077 or email us at CustomerService@IdealLifestyleConcierge.com.

Experience Art Basel

2010-11-30T19:46:00.005-05:00

Art Basel is upon us and there are so many options to explore in the satellite shows. Don't know where to start here are a few suggestions.

Aqua Art Fair, 1530 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.aquaartmiami.com/

Art Asia, 2901 N Miami Avenue, Miami, http://www.artasiafair.com/

Art Miami, 31st Street at Northeast First Avenue, Miami, http://www.artmiami.com/

Design Miami, Miami Beach Convention Center parking lot, Meridian Avenue at 19th Street, http://www.designmiami.com/

Fountain Art, 2505 N Miami Avenue, Miami, http://www.fountainexhibit.com/

Graffiti Gone Global, 70 NW 25 Street, Miami, http://www.gggexhibit.com/

INK Miami, 1850 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.inkartfair.com/

NADA Miami, 6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.newartdealers.org/

Pool Art Fair, 1433 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.poolartfair.com/

Pulse Miami, 1400 N Miami Avenue, Miami, http://www.pulse-art.com/

Red Dot Fair, 3011 NE First Avenue, Miami, http://www.reddotartfair.com/

Sanrio "Hello Kitty" 50th Anniversary and Art Exhibit, 173 NW 23 Street, Miami. Read more in the New Times, http://www.sanrio.com/hellokittyblog/small-gift/miami-new-times. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the art will be donated to Hands On Miami - http://www.handsonmiami.org/.

Scope Miami, 3055 N Miami Avenue, Miami, http://www.scope-art.com/

Sculpt Miami, 46 NW 36 Street, Miami, http://www.sculptmiami.com/

Verge, 1732 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.vergeartfair.com/

Zones Art Fair, 47 NE 25 Street, Miami, http://www.zonesartfair.com/

Zoom Contemporary Art Fair, 1751 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, http://www.zoomartfair.com/

Thanksgiving

2009-10-21T23:24:00.010-05:00

Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. One, it's all about the food and two it's all about giving thanks and spending time with family and friends. I love to cook and usually spend the two days leading up to Thanksgiving doing just that - all from scratch. This year I'm having 11 people over for dinner 8 adults and 3 children who happen to all be my godchildren. Lucky me!

I know having to cook for 11 people would be stressful to most people but I love it. It's about planning ahead and making sure you have and stick to a timeline. Here are some tips and resources that can help.

Not sure how long you should cook your turkey? Call these hotlines or visit the websites for recipes, cooking guides, FAQs and more! Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 800-Butterball or visit http://www.butterball.com/. US Department of Agriculture: 888-674-6854, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/.

Are you dreading the Thanksgiving rush at the grocery store? Shop early, don't wait until the last minute. Try to visit the store first thing in the morning right when it opens. You'll be sure to breeze through your list. Most grocery stores open by 7:00 AM so may be able to fit it in before you go to work. Why not outsource the shopping completely. Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can shop your list, deliver it to your home and even put the groceries away all while you are at work.

Did you know that you can buy a fresh turkey instead of a frozen one? This year save yourself the task of having to defrost a turkey. Groceries, gourmet shops, specialty stores and even online shops have fresh turkeys available as well as kosher and organic options. Most grocery stores require you to pre-order your fresh turkey ahead of time. So make sure to phone your favorite establishment. If you want to save yourself a trip, here are some websites that sell and deliver fresh turkeys -
Williams and Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/fd231/?cm_src=hero
Igourmet.com: http://www.igourmet.com/turkey.asp

One of the hardest parts of putting together the holiday spread is coordinating the timing of your dinner. What should you cook ahead, when do you put your turkey in the oven, what should you cook next? Real Simple magazine provides an easy to follow plan ahead schedule - http://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/how-to-get-all-done-a-thanksgiving-timeline-10000001550129/index.html

Are you in a giving mood? Why not purchase an extra turkey to donate to a church or shelter?Having guests over for dinner? Stock up on disposable containers to send home with guests for the perfect "doggie bag".

Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can provide assistance to get you through Thanksgiving and the holidays in general. No task is too small or project too complicated. Our on demand personal assistant services can give you the time to relax and enjoy what's really important - Truly enjoying your Thanksgiving Day!

Driving Fans to Your Facebook Page

2009-09-09T21:25:00.014-05:00

What is the purpose of having a Facebook fan page is you don't have any fans? Here are some suggestions to increase your fan base on Facebook:

Add a "Find us on Facebook" link to your email signature
Ask your Facebook friends to become fans of your business page
Send an email to your database of clients and ask them to become fans (Constant Contact is great for this)
Offer special savings/deals to your Facebook fans
Ask colleagues to recommend your Facebook fan page to their friends and fans

A great new gadget to add fans is a feature offered by Facebook for your website or blog (I've added it to my blog above). It provides a glimpse to your Facebook page and allows people to become fans directly from your website. Facebook provides a few lines of code that can be added to your website by your Web Master.

Here is an example of Coca-Cola's website using this feature: http://www.coca-cola.com/index.jsp

Here is Herbal Essensces website: http://www.herbalessences.com/us/default.jsp

Is your head spinning? It can be overwhelming but don't think you have to do everything at once. Maybe try one of my suggestions a week and see how it goes for you.

Don't have time for Facebook? Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can set up, manage and update your Facebook page for you. We have a new social marketing package to get you connected online. For more information contact us at customerservice@ideallifestyleconcierge.com or call (305) 371-0077.

Text or Email?

2009-07-01T07:34:00.017-05:00

Everybody’s texting these days, me too. Texting has quickly become a way of life. Even my hairdresser now texts me to confirm my appointment rather than calling me and all I have to do is text back “YES”. I love it!

Texting is convenient, quick and forces you to get the point across in as few words as possible. However, I’m a much faster “typer” than I am a “texter”; so when I came upon some information in Real Simple Magazine a few months ago I was thrilled. Did you know that you can text messages from your email? First, you have to know the carrier of the person you want to text. Next when you create the email, in the address line type the cell phone number before the address for the carrier, (for example: 1234567@txt.att.net). It's as simple as that.

Here are the addresses for the top carriers:
AT&T: @txt.att.net
Sprint: @messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile: @tmomail.net
Verizon Wireless: @vtext.com

Now all you have to do ask your clients or friends for their phone carrier and save it as a secondary email address in your contacts. I tested it and indeed it works. So you decide - text, email or both. You now have options.

If your business needs assistance with phone calls or confirming appointments Ideal Lifestyle Concierge can help. Our on demand personal assistant services can free up your time and help you concentrate on growing your business. For more information or a free consultation, please contact us at (305) 371-0077 or customerservice@IdealLifestyleConcierge.com.

Decoding Fruit Labels

2009-06-14T21:14:00.015-05:00

The other day I was in the kitchen and listening to the TV in the background when I heard something about fruit labels. The only thing that I knew about fruit labels was that they were annoying. Being a bit obsessive compulsive, I find myself peeling the labels of each piece of fruit/vegetable that comes into my home before I put it away. I digress, what I heard on the TV was that each fruit label tells you about the item you have purchased and are planning to eat. Here is how it works; the first number on the label tells you how the fruit has been grown. Fruits are divided into three classes, conventionally grown, genetically engineered and organically grown.

4 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit has been conventionally grown (using chemicals and pesticides)
8 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit was genetically engineered
9 as the first number on the fruit label means the fruit is organically grown (grown to the standards defined by the National Organic Standards Board

I decided to dig a little deeper. Did you know that 7 out of every 10 items in the grocery store contain ingredients that have been genetically modified? What this means is that scientists are using technology to transfer genes of one species to another. Mutation breeding using chemicals or radiation agents to mutate fruit DNA has been used since the late 1920’s and genetically modified fruits have been bred, produced and consumed for more than 10 years.

Now I am no expert, but I am concerned about the types of foods that I consume so I have made the choice to buy organic whenever possible. Do your own digging and let me know what you find.

Here are some websites/articles you might find interesting:
The International Federation for Produce Standards:

http://plucodes.com/default.aspx

Top Five Ways to Avoid GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) in Your Food:http://www.naturalnews.com/024865_GMO_GMOs_food.html

Ideal Lifestyle Concierge offers on demand personal assistant services to individuals and businesses. Personal Assistants aren’t just for the rich and famous. Ideal Lifestyle Concierge allows you to have a personal assistant on demand, and it’s affordable too! Hand us over your “To Do” list and consider it done! Need help with your groceries? We can purchase, deliver and even put them away for you. Call 305.371.0077, email customerservice@ideallifestyleconcierge.com or visit www.ideallifestyleconcierge.com for more information.

Winter Miami Spice

2009-01-21T17:22:00.017-05:00

One of my favorite outings is going to a restaurant and enjoying a nice meal with my husband and friends. I love to check out new restaurants and it seems that there is always one popping up. If you are like me, you are in luck. Winter Miami Spice is running from January 12 through February 12, 2009.

If you are not familiar with Miami Spice it usually happens during the summer months of August and September. Participating local restaurants offer a preset 3-course meal for lunch, dinner or both at a very reasonable price. For the first time this year they are offering a Winter Miami Spice with a lunch price of $23 and dinner of $36. Here is a link to the website which lists all of the participating restaurants, http://www.ilovemiamispice.com/.

Here are a few of my personal favorites:
South Beach: Blue Door at the Delano, Emeril's at the Loews, Kobe Club, Tuscan Steak
Design District: Fratelli Lyon, Pacific Time, Soyka, Grass Restaurant & Lounge
Brickell/Downtown: Capital Grille, Oceanaire Seafood Room
Coral Gables: Por Fin, Ortanique on the Mile

So go out and savor Miami's Fine Cuisine!

Holiday Returns

2008-12-02T19:18:00.004-05:00

Why on earth am I writing about holiday returns when you probably haven’t even started shopping for holiday gifts? Because there are things you need to know before you make that trip to the mall or before you go cyber shopping. Here are some tips for hassle free returns.

Know the Deal: Return policies are either printed on the receipt themselves or will be displayed at the register. Some electronics retailers (online or physical store) may also charge a restocking fee of up to 15 percent. So it’s best to know before you go so you don’t get any surprises.

Act Fast: Plan on heading to the stores as quickly as possible after the holidays. Most returns are accepted within a limited amount of time. Unless you have the original receipt, be prepared; you may not get the amount that you paid. Markdowns are common this time of year. Look on the bright side; you can take advantage of the post holiday sales as well.

Open At You Own Risk: You may be tempted to open the original packaging to check out the item even if you know you’re going to return it. DON’T! Items in the original packaging where the seal is not broken will be easier to return. And don’t be tempted to take off the tag on clothing until you are sure you want to keep it!

Be Patient: The week after Christmas is still the busy time for retailers and niceness counts. Remember to be pleasant to the overworked staff and if you’re not getting the answer that you want, ask for a manager. The cashier may not have the authority to override any policies. Also be flexible; you may get more by accepting store credit versus getting a cash return.

Don’t Get Blacklisted: Big retailers are using proprietary software to monitor return behavior and will reject returns if customers bring back items too often.

Online Returns: Keep original packaging and return packaging as well. Most online retailers will include a return label and return instructions are generally included with the item. If instructions are not included in the original packaging; go to the website or call the 800 number for instructions.

If All Else Fails: Re-gift, donate to charity or sell the item online at websites like eBay.com, Amazon.com or Cragslist.com.

Let Ideal Lifestyle Concierge assist you through the holidays. Here are some of the personal and corporate services that we offer: Addressing cards. Purchasing & Wrapping Gifts, Decorating, Party Planning, Mailing Gifts, Personal Chef Services, Returns. Don’t see what you need on the list. Call us we’ll be happy to accommodate your request.

Let's Talk Turkey

2008-11-16T01:40:00.007-05:00

Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. One, it's all about the food and two it's all about giving thanks and spending time with family and friends. I know the holidays are stressful to most people but Thanksgiving is the time to stop and really think about what's important.

Now that you have happy thoughts in your head, are you responsible for putting together the spread this year? Are you stressed out again? Here are some tips and resources that can lend a hand.

Williams and Sonoma: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/
Igourmet.com: http://www.igourmet.com/turkey.asp
Lobels: http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=458

One of the hardest parts of putting together the holiday spread is coordinating the timing of your dinner. What should you cook ahead, when do you put your turkey in the oven, what should you cook next? Real Simple magazine provides an easy to follow plan ahead schedule - http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/package/0,21861,1841009-1550118,00.html.

Are you in a giving mood? Why not purchase an extra turkey to donate to a church or shelter?

Having guests over for dinner? Stock up on disposable containers to send home with guests for the perfect "doggie bag".