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Back in college, I interned a couple of summers at Crispin Porter and Bogusky in the Grove. This was before the ad agency became a national powerhouse and the future from my undergraduate eyes was nothing but bright. It was there that I would get introduced to my favorite place in South Florida to grab a bite or a beer, Scotty’s Landing.
By tagging along across the street from our office with other interns or actually being invited to join some of the key players out, I couldn’t have found a better atmosphere to induce a feeling of arrival. Continue reading Scotty’s Landing – Coconut Grove’s Secret Dockside Eat
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Side Bar, as it’s more known at night, is a small establishment in the Miami and Fort Liquordale scope of things but does really well on Friday nights – thanks in part to its resident DJ spinning the right mix of dance/hip hop and remixes of current chart toppers and to the attitude free bar staff which includes Joe. There are four bar tenders working away at Side Bar yet Joe, in his solitary corner off to the side seems to always have a never ending crowd waiting to be served and say hi. I think people just like to see him work his magic. There’s no juggling of bottles like in Tom Cruise’s movie, Cocktail. He just works at sweaty Flash Gordon speed subtly demonstrating his special skill for remembering everyone and everything, including the order of who’s to be served, regardless of the size of the bills or cleavage held up in front of him. The millitary uses dog tags in part to help identify service members who have been rendered incapable of communicating their identity due to either a severe accident – or death. The idea of us regular schmoes possibly "benefitting" from a dog tag is admittedly pretty morbid. But anyone that does anything off of their property alone should have a form of identification on them. Thinking back to all of the spills I’ve taken road or mountain biking, sports I often do alone, there’s a real chance I might get get take a nasty fall, get side swiped in traffic or just be the klutz that I am and get knocked out. Heaven forbid something like this happens, and it’s definitely possibility, I’d like who ever finds me laying there to know who I am, who to call and have access to any special medical info.
The product in its most popular forms comes in either a wrist or ankle bracelet. These bracelets hold a little metallic card that carries the info you want emergency response people to have should they find you unable to communicate that info yourself. The company also offers the option to load your info to a database that a first responder could access on a web page with your bracelet’s info. This sounds handy for those of us that have specific medical concerns or change addresses a lot. I would probably add to my file DO NOT MRI NECK because of my little metal plate. They would probably figure that out with an x-ray first but you get the idea.
I travel to both Port of Miami and Port Everglades (serving the Fort Lauderdale area) on an almost daily basis shuttling cruise ship passengers between the ports and the airports or area hotels. Both ports are huge, compete with each other for being the largest ports in the country for both passenger and cargo traffic alike, and are extremely invaluable to the economy of South Florida. Without either one, there would be a very huge void. But I if were to recommend one port over the other (and I do quite often), strictly in regards to providing the best and most accommodating access to the cruise industry customer, the choice is clearly the Port of Miami.
Two main reasons: -the Port of Miami has effectively separated the passenger side from the cargo side -the infrastructure at Port of Everglades seems to be setup willy nilly with no clear goal of uniformity – or aesthetics for that matter.  When you enter the Port of Miami, which is conveniently connected to downtown Miami, you go over a bridge which has magnificent views of water and skyline on either side. You’re sure to recognize the locale from many a movie and for some, scenes from the cheesy CSI: Miami TV show. You’re almost certain to travel into the port effortlessly without a wait in line of traffic and are welcomed with an up to date overhead electronic sign displaying the location of your ship and palm trees a plenty.To get into Port Everglades on a busy weekend, you’re welcomed by the four smoking stacks of the Florida Power and Light facility and a wait in line to get through the traffic check point run by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Since the cargo and fuel refinery areas are commingled with the cruise terminals the whole port is a secure area. To me, this leads to a very poorly protected port in regards to the security of the cargo and fuel refining operations and an unnecessary hassle for cruise ship passengers. I’ve seen the sheriff’s office ask many a cabbie to open their trunk only to see some large suit cases and just wave them on through after confirming there’s luggage in the trunk. .jpg) Once inside Port Everglades you have to find your ship by navigating through stacks of cargo containers, a dozen fuel tanks and a rusty freight ship here and there. It is a scene straight out of the Jersey mafia drama, the Sopranos. There seems to always be chaos at the terminals (none of which look alike) and the sheriff’s office hollering and screaming at everyone. I saw a lady in tears after her husband was yelled at for pulling up to the wrong spot to pick up the family and luggage after a cruise – there is no right spot. You can see from the satellite images below that Port Everglades consumes more overall acreage. This is obvious from the refinery function. But you should also be able to see that everything is mixed together without any seperation of function. It seems Port Everglades is set up and is able to accommodate additional ships on the fly. But this very flexibility doesn’t seem to be thought out, or at the very least, implemented well. Every exodus from this port comes with a sigh of relief. Port of Miami
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.jpg "Can you find the cruise ships?")
If I were I a buyer for a tactical products reseller (one of my alternate universe dream jobs), I’d be accused of taking bribes from Blackhawk. So far I’ve bought a couple of backpacks from them, a holster for my G19, and a pair of kick a@@ desert boots (pun intended). The company is run by a smart former Navy SEAL along with other former SEALs and special forces operators. Their gear is made specifically for those that go beyond the front lines and is designed with their direct feedback. Most of their products are available to the general public with the target audience being the select few boots on the ground that need the absolute best along with the other that need or just crave high speed, low drag gear (like me). I absolutely love my X3 RAPTOR backpack. It is rugged and voluminous but not insanely huge or embarrassingly unyielding like other packs I’ve owned. It’s the perfect pack for any trip over a couple of days. The pack has a bladder and hydration hose ( can be tucked away in the pack) that is perfect for the long hiking and camping (or black ops) adventure. I opted for the neat, neutral and sporty black as to avoid looking like a service member during my urban expeditions. The pack is rugged with eyelets throughout each compartment for water drainage. Heck the pack is jump-able!! It is set up so that you can take your gear with you the next time you jump out of a C-130, so you know the thing is tough.
 The X3 - the best medium/large pack out there today My Blackhawk assault pack (meant for three days) lasted me well over three years of week in and week out travel and abuse from yours truly. That says a lot if you know me. Preparing for my past trip to Iraq I wanted the lightest boots I could find. I ended up finding the Blackhawk Desert Warrior Wear boots to be a good looking choice and after three hours of searching, found a pair of the popular boots in stock here. These lightweight, breathable, non slick soled babies didn’t need a break in period like every other boot I’ve every owned. They don’t even feel like boots for that matter.  Warrior Wear Desert Ops Boots (image from blackhawk.com) One seasoned contractor who spotted me wearing them asked, “Are those the new Warrior Wears? They’re supposed to be lighter than the Oakleys.” He was referring to the widely popular Oakley boots used by many a SEAL and Ranger. Personally I think the Oakley’s are a little too sneaker like for my taste. I’m not a licensed Blackhawk dealer but if you’re interested in a pack or a pair of boots, let me know. I might be able to hook you up at deep discount.
Besides being a loyal friend and one the sharpest, hardest working, guys I know, Charles Zimmerer is both an accomplished attorney and a meticulous CPA. His passion is in finance. Not only does he know a lot about the tax code and preparing filings, his execution is well planned, suprisingly quick and as you can guess, highly effective. I’ve unleashed Chuck on some issues that I couldn’t seem to resolve on my own. Once Chuck was involved the situation was resolved favorably almost overnight. If you are looking at your tax situation and are shaking your head in frustration, give Chuck a call. You’ll be happy you did. Charles Zimmerer, CPA, Attorney at Law 954-895-0605 I might go to the local shop with the attractive manager (I’ve already said too much) for something simple like a tube. But when Bianca, my mountain bike, needs some true love, I take her to the guys at Bicycle Generation in Deerfield Beach. If I were going to bring home another bike, chances are more than likely it would come from them. I’ve bought four trusted steeds over the years since I got hooked on cycling. Of those four two were bought in a store. Those two, my first mountain bike and my first road bike, were both bought at Bicycle Generation. Like every major purchase, I did my homework when I decided to invest in my first bike. I knew exactly which model I wanted before even setting foot in a store. With that model in mind I called every Trek dealer in a 80 mile radius. Admittedly, I’ve bought cars with less homework. I got a quote below MSRP at one place and then dialed the next shop down on the list. I ended up getting Leo, the owner of BG on the phone. Leo gave me a competitive price and threw in all kinds of attractive extras such as a free first tune up on the bike and a discount on merchandise for being a bike customer. The deals are always changing but a purchase at BG is always sits well. The staff at the store want to keep you happy – not only out of sheer business principle but I truly believed it is because they are excited to share in your passion for cycling. I’ve come in the bike with a broken bike dismayed at the prospect of not riding for a few days to find myself being able to ride that day. On the spot repairs can’t be reasonably be offered or delivered by bike stores. They’re pretty busy. Yet the guys behind the counter are the type of people to help you out if they can. The atmoshpere in the store is laidback and friendly regardless of how busy the foot traffic in may be on a particular day. The guys running the shop (now Leo’s son and gang) all seem to be friends. They all ride – both on and off road. You’ll see them on the trails and at the charity rides where Leo himself will make a star appearance and hit the pavement. In or out of the shop, there’s no difference between customer and employee – everyone’s a fellow rider. They know the bikes, your needs and probably have felt your same pains at some point. One of the guys races at a semi pro level (last I heard) but is humble as can be. The store doesn’t sponsor a racing team. So preferential treatment isn’t reserved for store sponsored racers like in many of the stores around here. The store carries several brands and can order anything from the rare nut and bolt to your dream racing gig. The staff are well versed at helping customers at all levels from the first time rider and children’s bikes to placing an order for multiple dreamy high end rigs for an international customer involved in competive cycling. Warranty returns and replacements are processed with relative ease. Bicycle Generation has shown no interest in expansion into a chain of multiple shops. The store seems content in providing top notch service to their loyal customers. We’re loyal for a reason. Bicycle Generation 1346 E.Hillsboro Blvd, Deerfield Beach, FL 33441 954-427-1484 www.bicyclegeneration.com Admittedly I’ve used fitness-singles.com or the dating website wouldn’t have earned its way onto Paulie’s Picks. OK, I’m actually still active on there. There are a few reasons why I have a profile on fitness-singles.com versus the many, many other choices out there. Obviously I’m on the market and actively seeking a romantic interest. And you can presume from the context of the name that I’m seeking someone who is active and fit - just like me!
Update: I’m not on FS any more. There is nothing with the site in particular that led me to this decision. Like I have said above, I have had the fortune of meeting a couple of great women who shared a lot of mutual interests while I was a member – my original goal. I have instead chosen to forgo the energy required to be involved on any dating site and to let fate do it’s thing as well. Let’s just say I’m happy with the way that’s working out for me:)
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Copyright © 2010 Paulie's Picks - All Rights Reserved |
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You might find me eating a burrito at Lime Fresh on Alton Rd (just south of Lincoln) in Miami Beach. But it’s not for the food, instead for the, atmosphere – to eat among the model types that walk in from the infamous Flamingo and Floridian condos that are the local meccas of hedonistic materialism. If I really want a tasty and hearty burrito, I get the Home Wrecker from Moe’s Southwest Grill. There’s a reason Lime Fresh has about fifty various hot sauces in addition to the salsa bar for toppings for their entrees – to add taste to what would otherwise be a bland burrito. Well, there’s definitely no lack of taste in the Home Wrecker which I like with steak, rice, black beans, salsa, guac and some extra sour cream (shhh!!!). I think the key is in the thick salsa, which is .jpg "Joe Macaione hard at work at Himmarshee Bar and Grill, Fort Lauderdale")
Despite being the committed work out nut I’ve become of late and now somewhat of a stranger to the bar scene, if I were to win the lottery, which you’ll learn to be a common opening theme of mine, I’d throw a big party to clebrate and boast – and I’d hire Joe as my bar tender for the evening. Joe must have played and dominated the game "Memory" as a kid A LOT. I could introduce you to him one slamming night at Himmarshee Restaurant and Side Bar. He’ll greet you with a smile, shake your hand or give you a kiss on the cheek and serve your drink of choice. Should you pop up at his ever packed bar six months later I do not doubt that he will have remembered both your name and drink -regardless of your looks or gender. He’s like the Rain Man – in a good way. 
Sometimes I definitely misread a book by it’s cover. When I checked out Mr. Conde’s info on his websites before sitting in on one his many training sessions I was skeptical. His photo depicts the large frame and stature, mean in demeanor, and thuggish line beard wearing of what you would think to be a normal kick in the door gang cop. Well sometimes you have to play the part – especially when your day job is a feet on the ground officer in what could be considered the most violent district in the country. Within ten minutes of meeting him in person I realized he is all business. Not only is he serious about all of his commitments (full time cop, government and private tactical training instructor, owner of an executive protective agency, and husband and father) it is evident that he carries the industry expertise to back it up. I don’t know (and probably don’t want to know) how he got some of his experience. It is world experience that is by no means limited to S.W.A.T/emergency response team activities. His knowledge also includes how to successfully conduct personal protection and military special operations missions. His training encompasses real world lessons learned with tweaked variations of current and industry proven standard techniques. The training is orientated to provide operators with the right tactical mind set to handle situations professionally, efficiently and safely. All maneuvers taught strongly emphasize these ideals with safety of the principle (the protected client ), the operators and the integrity and professional image of the mission in mind. 
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Although the website doesn’t seem to be as popular as it could be (or I’d like), there are usually a decent number of women in my age group around my zip code of which a smaller group who have my additional desired profile attributes such as education, lifestyle descriptions and my subjective ,picky to a Seinfeld-esque level, preference towards their looks and perceived personalities. Despite this relatively small number of potential fits, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some great women who were down to earth and were active in at least one of my favorite outdoor activities such as cycling, running kayaking or diving – in some cases all of the above. I’m still friends with most of them. Of course you always have the bad apple that intentionally misrepresented their fit lifestyle on the site but outside of criminal behaviour, the site can’t be expected to control that. I don’t know about the number and quality of the men on the site but I’m on there, so that right there should say something about the latter. In all seriousness I’m sure the ratio follows that of the other online dating services out there, leaning towards a higher percentage of men. I’d also speculate that just like the ladies, the men are active and take fitness in their lives seriously.
