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.

The dockside bar isn’t a secret, but sure feels like a hidden treasure protected behind the tall stacks of boats of its boat yard neighbor. It’s not the pricey glitzy place you might picture in your head when you read of "arriving" in Miami. However, it’s the most relaxing dockside locale that belongs more in Key West or, even better, the corner of an unknown island and it’s right in the middle of it all, minutes from downtown Miami and a couple of blocks from the main shopping area of Coconut Grove.

I don’t go there too often as if somehow the place becomes less special with each visit and I try to savor that first romantic feeling – plus I somehow keep getting the same, solitary, incompetent waitress that I’ve refrained from complaining about. Sitting there in the plastic chairs, overlooking the docked sail boats waiting for some fish and chips and listening to the band off to the side, I might have once entertained the thought that it would be a great place to pop the question – yeah, just a little sappy coming a from a single, yours truly.

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 almost just sliced fresh tomatoes with a hint of mysterious flavor. They make the, sometimes bulging out of the tortilla shell, delight in front of you with your choice of parts – lettuce, guac, cukes, rice, choice of beans etc. And there’s no difference in price whether you go for the chicken or steak (unlike the previously mentioned chain). The toppings bar is minimal with about four choices of sauces for adding to your food or dipping the chips in. The medium hot sauce, which me makes cringe at the thought of trying the "hot", adds the perfect zing to my meal.
And ladies, the Moe’s I go to off of 17th Street in Lauderdale seems to always be filled with firefighters and cops from various agencies. I guess they know a good burritto too. Don’t say I’m not an equal opportunity writer. I’ve enjoyed some other noteworthy burritos at Zona Fresca and Baja Fresh.

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 Road ID, sold at www.RoadID.com, is the high speed low drag (I love high speed, low drag) alternative to running with your driver’s license in your shorts. But what if you are biking or swimming? What if you want to convey more information than just your address – like your emergency contact info or any special medical needs such as drug allergens? Wear the Road ID.

photo acquired from roadid.com

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 am all about supporting products that could save a life and apparently already has. This is one I’ve been meaning to get for a while now, especially since my dog tag jingles, bounces, snags my chest hair, was, uhm, accidentally left behind somewhere and …doesn’t convey all of the info it should, like "Call So and So."
The Road ID is pretty cheap to begin with but definitely a must for anybody that pretty much leaves the house, let alone participates in any kind of risky sport. You can try and use coupon code # ARR5178 for an additional $2 off. I just ordered my Ankle ID in the interactive edition. The interactive feature allows first responders to access a web page with your emergency contact and medical data which you can update on the fly instead of ordering a new informational plate every time you move, switch insurance companies or break up with you emergency contact. 

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