Dynamic Swedish fashion forward retailer H&M opens store at Aventura Mall today - Finally! Store near me is located near Bloomingdale's on far south side of Aventura Mall; @hm, @iamdwerbowy

H&M Finally! November 14, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.

Despite the fact that it's been known since mid-July that the Aventura Mall less than two miles south of me would be opening a large 25,000 square foot Hennes and Mauritz -H&M's- the Mall's official website hasn't been updated as you might expect it would be to accurately reflect the store's grand opening today, and show customers where it is on either a stationary or interactive map. http://www.aventuramall.com/ Nice going!

Way to embrace the technology!

The Aventura Mall website, http://www.aventuramall.com/stores-directory/mens-apparel.html?sobi2Task=sobi2Details&catid=5&sobi2Id=436

says that the H&M is on... "Level: upper level."

Some of H&M's in-mall promotion. November 14, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.

But located next to what? Near what major anchor store? On what side of the Mall???

Such obvious questions, yes?
Good thing I'm here to answer those questions in an intelligent fashion.

Late afternoon, looking east at Bloomingdale's, Aventura Mall, Aventura, FL. November 14, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.

Actually, the truth is that H&M will be located on levels 2 and 3, near Bloomingdale’s, above, on the far south side of the Mall. 

If you're heading over there for the High Noon opening today, like I am, be smart.

Whatever you do, DON'T park near the Bloomingdale's or you will be circling forever.

Instead, park closer to near the Sear's and come into the Mall near the entrance to the AMC 24 Theatres and the Starbucks, and save yourself some time and aggravation. 

You're welcome!

If you see this when you walk into the Mall, you successfully followed my directions!
November 14, 2012 photo by South Beach Hoosier. © 2012 Hallandale Beach Blog, All Rights Reserved.

Daria Werbowy, @iamdwerbowy,  https://twitter.com/hm

H&M's Holiday 2012 ad campaign featuring Daria Werbowy, on location in Zermatt, via Wendy Lam at her fashion blog, Nitrolicious: http://www.nitrolicious.com/blog/2012/12/11/hm-holiday-2012-ad-campaign-featuring-daria-werbowy/



View Larger Map

Oh-là-là with ten exclamation points! Perfect chemistry: Dior Addict + Dutch supermodel Daphné Groeneveld channeling Bardot + Saint Tropez + Jonas Åkerlund's vision = Magnifique!

Dior video: DIOR ADDICT Fragrance [Director's cut] AND DIOR CREATED ADDICT

June 20, 2012 http://youtu.be/8ZAKwpdgTZI

Oh-là-là with ten exclamation points! Perfect chemistry: Dior Addict + Dutch supermodel Daphné Groeneveld channeling Bardot + Saint Tropez + Jonas Åkerlund's vision = Magnifique!

Oui, la chimie parfaite!  

And Jonas Åkerlund devising the idea of her as Brigette Bardot circa 1956, that's f-ing genius!

jmannen77 video: ...And God Created Woman (1956)

http://youtu.be/A2zUriGLqbE

There's no substitute for serendipity, breakaway speed, Bloomington, Indiana in the Fall, letting the facts speak for themselves, lasagna and... perfect cotton candy pink lips!

Some recent Paris Match articles and photo archives of Brigette Bardot:

http://www.parismatch.com/Tags/Brigitte-Bardot/

And take a look at her on the cover of Elle (France) in 1955, the year before the film came out:

http://magazine-covers.lucywho.com/elle-magazine-france-august-1955-magazine-cover-t2869314.html and check out this one from Elle (France) in November of 1955:

http://magazine-covers.lucywho.com/elle-magazine-france-november-1954-magazine-cover-t2757808.html

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!! 12 exclamation points

Yes, presaging Julia Ormond!

Photo gallery of ad campaign at: http://www.dior.com/magazine/en_gb/News/And-Dior-created-Addict# 

Read the story DOWN, not vertical

More on 17-year old Dutch model Daphné Groeneveld:

http://www.dior.com/magazine/en_gb/News/Addicted-to-the-Girl

http://models.com/models/daphne-groeneveld

Dior's website, newly-renovated earlier this month, is, in a word: AWESOME!  http://www.dior.com/home/en_us/

http://www.dior.com/magazine/en_gb/News/And-Dior-created-Addict

http://www.youtube.com/user/Dior

http://twitter.com/#!/dior

Closest location to Hallandale Beach for Dior products is the Nordstroms at Aventura Mall, http://shop.nordstrom.com/st/nordstrom-aventura

Director Jonas Åkerlund's website http://www.jonasakerlund.com/ 

http://www.jonasakerlund.com/commercials#dior/addict_fragrance

The last Daphne your faithful blogger concerned himself with was also from Holland, die Nederlands, mid-1980's University of Miami ace diver Daphne Jongejans. 

Brains, talent and beauty in perfect proportion 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIxB0znQLdQ

Yes, back when U-M's women's athletics was fun -and relevant.

Speaking of Coral Gables, ever see the photo of Brigette Bardot that's at The Biltmore Hotel?

Oh-là-là with a dozen exclamation points!

Again!

Gridlocked traffic? Bad drivers? Bad roads? Hallandale Beach has got that covered -and preserved on Google Maps! And next-door Aventura remains gridlock city, too!

View Larger Map

U.S.-1/S. Federal Highway & S.E. 5th Street, Hallandale Beach, FL as seen by Google Street View, April 2011. Looking west from Village at Gulfstream Park. For those of you who live far from me, there's no traffic light there, rather it's just traffic going in four different directions all at the same time! SNAFU!

The image above is of the intersection directly in front of Hallandale Beach City Hall, to the upper right, and the Main Post Office to the left,

(Correct, the Post Office whose parking lot was pitch-black at night for over an entire year,)

How perfect is this image for describing what things are really like here in chaotic S.E. Broward County, where someplace four miles away can take 20 minutes to get to?

From my perspective, the only thing that's really missing above are the cars making the illegal left-hand turns south onto U.S.-1 from The Village at Gulfstream Park retail complex -near Crate & Barrel, Container Store, Pottery Barn and West Elm- which I observe a few times a day, but which the HB Police, located across the street next to City Hall, never EVER notice.

Even though the vast majority of the thousands of seasonal French-Canadian residents this area gets every Fall and Winter have long since started making their trek back to Québec and Ontario, in the late afternoon here, there is still often gridlocked traffic on U.S.-1/Federal Highway/Biscayne Blvd. from Hallandale Beach Blvd. all the way south to the Ives Dairy/N.E. 203rd Street exits in Aventura, a few blocks south of Aventura Hospital, a place that as many of you know, I have become all-too-familiar with over the past two years.

That's a distance of just barely below three miles, one I frequently walk when the weather is nice and I'm going to catch a movie or do something at the nearby Aventura Mall, but it's often at least a 15 minute drive, since there is no other way available to get to that part of HB because of the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway and Gulfstream Park.

(Most smart people in Aventura needing to get to I-95 North know that to beat the impossible traffic on Ives Dairy, it's much quicker and less-stressful to simply make a left on N.E. 208th Str. and catch E. Dixie Highway north -parallel to the FEC Railroad tracks- which becomes S.E.1st Ave. in HB, then hang a left across the RR tracks at County Line Road (N.E. 215th Street/S.W. 11th Street) and then take it to S.W. 8th Ave., turn right and go north, coming come out on Hallandale Beach Blvd., with 1-95 a half-mile to your left.)

These physical and geographical hindrances to easier and more common sense driving in this crowded area are made worse by the inadequate and myopic planning by the City of Hallandale Beach the past 45 years, as I'll be discussing in much more detail soon, since there has not been a single new road going north-south or east-west in that area to relieve the stress on U.S.-1 in the past forty-five years.

This is made all the worse by the deal struck years ago by the officials of Gulfstream Park with the City of Aventura -and the silence of FDOT- to NOT create a road extending N.E. 213th Street west from U.S.-1 to E. Dixie Highway, despite plenty of space to do so, to get traffic onto secondary roads with no residents.

Gulfstream's deal with the City of Aventura forces all north-bound cars to pass Gulfstream Park.

It's no mystery why there's gridlock around here, since there's plenty of blame to go around.

View Larger Map

Elsewhere in the state, over four hours north of us, we have news about the the logical result of living in Florida for too long: Bad Florida drivers, Bad Florida gridlock and Bad Florida roads equals...VERY BAD Judgement

Cops: Girl's Kin Towed Her Toy Car Behind SUV. Drunken Florida grandparents busted for child cruelty

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/grandchild-towed-behind-suv-578912

Public meetings start this week for Miami-Dade County FY 2011-12 Proposed Budget & Multi-Year Capital Plan; Aventura mtg. is Thursday the 4th

FY 2011-12 - Proposed Budget and Multi-Year Capital Plan

Budget-in-Brief (1.41 MB)

View the Proposed Budget

Miami-Dade County Budget homepage: http://www.miamidade.gov/budget/

I plan on being at the Thursday night meeting in Aventura at 7 p.m.

19200 West Country Club Drive.

Warning: There are no directional signs on or near U.S.-1, Aventura Mall or other main roads indicating where the Aventura Govt. Center is located, and trust me, asking directions in the area is a fruitless exercise.

The best way to get there is to turn EAST at U.S.-1 & N.E. 195th Street, hugging the south border of Aventura Mall, and as you approach W. Country Club Drive, make that right onto the road, then drive under the Lehman Causeway/NE 192 Street, or what everyone I know calls 'the Lehman Bridge.'

The ugly multi-story building on your right is the one you want.

See the map at bottom.

Be sure to have plenty of photo IDs with you and to allow enough time to be hassled just trying to get in.

The City of Aventura acts like that city building is The White House!

It's NOT, as I've been to The White House plenty of times, and the adjoining buildings, too, like OMB, and trust me, the people in D.C. handling security are much friendlier and professional.

*BEFORE you drive under the Lehman Causeway/NE 192 Street, MAKE SURE you stay in that right lane and are NOT forced by traffic into a turning lane.

If you are not careful and get frustrated with the traffic, you can easily be forced into a turning lane, which may cause you lots of problems, inc. possibly having to drive east parallel to the causeway. Once that happens, you can NOT make U-turns or make right hand turns to turn around due to the buildings.

You will have to drive for five-10 minutes depending upon traffic in order to get back to where you just were.

Just saying...

View Larger Map

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=19200+West+Country+Club+Drive&gl=us&t=h&z=16

The Wrap on Borders Books post-Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Was their getting out of Aventura in October a portent or a symptom?

I'd been meaning to discuss the whole situation with Borders Books & Music for a while now, given their decision in September to pick-up stakes and close their Aventura location in October, even before the holiday season.

Part of when they chose to pull-out may've well had to do with when their lease was up at a location off of Biscayne Blvd. & N.E. 203rd Street that couldn't have sucked more, esp. once the next-door yenta-friendly Bed, Bath & Beyond went ker-plunk well over a year ago, since the Chilli's fronting 203rd is NOT exactly the most-compatible retail draw for the literary set in northeast Miami-Dade and southeast Broward.

This morning there's a good piece at The Wrap that gets into what the company's future plans are.

Borders Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
By Anonymous
Created 02/16/2011 - 06:00
Published: February 16, 2011 @ 6:00 am

Borders, the nation's second largest book chain, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Wednesday, and said it will close as many as a third of its U.S. stores.

"It has become increasingly clear that in light of the environment of curtailed customer spending, our ongoing discussions with publishers and other vendor related parties, and the company's lack of liquidity, Borders Group does not have the capital resources it needs to be a viable competitor," Borders Group president Mike Edwards said in a statement.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.thewrap.com/media/article/borders-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-24783

More on this topic later as I try to dig up some photos of the Aventura location I've taken over the past year to full demonstrate part of the geography problem they had down the street from me, one that could easily be solved by opening a location in Hallandale Beach.

This Borders was my #2 gift certificate-buying spot for my three nieces in suburban Maryland, after the Aventura Target on Biscayne Blvd. & N.E. 213th Street finally became a grocery location in mid-October, much to my delight.


Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/09/02/1804298/borders-in-aventura-to-close.html

Posted on Thu, Sep. 02, 2010
Borders in Aventura to close

Jared Goyette

At the Borders in Aventura, about half a dozen yellow and black signs hang from the ceiling. More are stapled to the bookshelves. The signs bear bad news for local book lovers who still like adhere to what has for some become a quaint notion: books should be bought in person, from a store in your neighborhood, even if it is a national chain.

"EVERYTHING MUST GO!" one reads.

"STORE CLOSING. THIS LOCATION ONLY!" another says.

The Borders in Aventura will make its final sale on Oct. 16, after 16 years of selling books, coffee, music, toys and assorted knickknacks at 19925 Biscayne Boulevard, just south of where Ives Dairy road intersects with U.S. 1.

Aventura will be left with one major book store - Barnes & Noble - whose future is far from certain as that company is currently up for sale.

The Borders in Aventura is closing because its sales didn't meet company objectives, according to Borders spokeswoman Mary Davis. Employees who are in good standing will be given the chance to transfer to other stores with available positions. Others employees will be offered severance packages. Davis didn't say if any employees would be laid off.

The cafe in the store was packed on Wednesday afternoon, and a steady stream of customers browsed the aisles, some no doubt drawn by the closing sale in which all books, CDs and DVDs are 20% off, while gift items, like games, puzzles, or key chains are discounted by 30%.

The discounts are unlikely to increase by much, as the company plans to ship any unsold books back to publishers or to other stores. (That would be better than that happen after the closure of Borders sister company WaldenBooks, which used to operate at the Aventura Mall. When the chain closed all its stores, dumpster diving readers started a campaign to save the books that the company had unceremoniously thrown away.)

The sale came as little consolation for Robert Gardiener, 30, of Hollywood, who had been a regular customer.

"It's horrible," he said. "We come here at least once a week for the cafe and to check out books and this totally is a bummer."

Like a lot of the store's customers, Gardiener is a Borders person -- he prefers Borders over Barnes & Noble the way some people prefer Macs over PCs or vice-versa. He choses Borders over its competitor because he finds the store to be "less congested," and because he had developed a good rapport with the employees.

Margo Mintzer, 74, of Aventura, has been coming to the store since it opened. For the last year, she's met with a knitting group once a week in the cafe.

"I'm very sad about it," she said. "When I pulled up and saw those yellow stickers, I was like, what are we going to do now?"

Mitnzer is worried that it will be difficult for the group to find enough seats at Barnes & Noble or at one of the nearby Starbucks once the Borders closes. That's a concern shared by Alina Balean, 25, a graphic designer who frequents the store enough to be the 'mayor' on Foursquare.

She's been coming to the location for 8 years. It's close to her home in Hallandale, and is a convenient place to hang out, listen to music, read and buy books. Balean sees Borders as a valuable "third place," somewhere she can go that is neither home nor work, where she can go to be free of her routine and to-do lists.

Now that Borders is closing, she's worried that the Barnes & Noble and the Starbucks will be too crowded, and she doesn't think the mall is a good option either.

"They're no common place to go," she said. "If you want to go hang out somewhere, where are you going to go?"

The closure of the Aventura store at a time when the company is struggling. On Wednesday, Borders announced that its second quarter revenue fell 12 percent. Books sales have been weak, and an increase in online sales has failed to make up the difference.

For Lauren Grabois, a first grade teacher at the Aventura City of Excellence Charter school who was shopping at Borders on Wednesday, the store's pending closure -- and the dire situation of bookstores in general -- is cause for concern.

"I think it's very said that a bookstore has to close period," she said. "I think that people should be coming there more often as opposed to other places where they are spending their time."

New film re the U.S. economy under Obama titled “I Want Your Money" has cartoons, yet deserves serious scrutiny; Aventura Mall's new kids-free nights

"I Want Your Money" Official HD Movie Trailer



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEPPHjKIZps

www.IWantYourMoney.net.

Theater locator: http://www.iwantyourmoney.net/theaterlocator/


I'm probably going to see it this week down the street at the AMC 24 cineplex at the Aventura Mall, which has been so much in the news of late because of the near-riot there in late August, resulting in their just-announced kids-free curfew on Friday and Sunday nights after 9:30 p.m.

Before you read the past articles on how this came to be, I think it's important to say for the record that nobody currently working at the Aventura Mall looks like Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Times_at_Ridgemont_High
only the most beautiful "girl at the Mall" ever, no matter where in America you lived.
Ever!

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20270976_10,00.html
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2010/07/remember_the_80s_fortresslike_malls_are_back_in_vogue_again.php

------

Excerpt from an email of mine sent on August 29th:

Unless you frequently check the Miami Herald's poky website over the course of the day, you wouldn't know about this but...

At 10:17 a.m. Sunday morning, the Herald posted this City of Aventura blog post of the
story: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/28/1797299/brawl-outside-of-theater-results.html

This story had 160 reader comments as of 10 p.m. Sunday night -in chron order- multiples of the usual Herald stories not involving the Dolphins or Hurricanes.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/28/1797299/brawl-outside-of-theater-results.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1

On Sunday night at 8:24 p.m., the Herald posted this version of the story: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/29/1798041/aventura-mall-evacuated-after.html

Reader comments for second version, in chron order:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/29/1798041/aventura-mall-evacuated-after.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1#none

-----

That was all the predicate for this bit of news on Monday:

Miami Herald
Aventura Mall adopts 'parental escort policy' for teens
By Jared Goyette
October 11, 2010

Starting this week, teens hoping to hit Aventura Mall on a Friday or Saturday night will have to bring along a companion -- their mom or dad.

Anyone under the age of 18 in the mall after 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays must be accompanied -- at all times -- by a parent or legal guardian on Friday and Saturday.

This comes a little more than a month after a brawl between minors in front of the theater resulted in the arrest of 12 teenagers on Saturday, Aug 28.

Joe Szymaszek, vice president of retail operations for Turnberry Associates, which runs the mall, said the new rule was not related to the incident and had been under consideration for some time.

"We're committed to giving our customers a family friendly shopping, dinning and entertainment experience, and we believe this new policy supports that initiative.''

The AMC 24 movie theater and several restaurants are the only part of the mall still open at that hour, though some stores extend their hours during the holiday season.

The mall's new "parental escort policy,'' which starts this Friday, will likely irritate teenagers.

But many adult shoppers and moviegoers, however, may be glad to hear the news.

For Angelica Doval, 24, of Miami, the new rule is the right approach.

"I think it's a good idea just because for older people, like myself, if you're going on a date or whatnot, you're going to want to come and enjoy it,'' she said while visitting the mall during a recent weekday. "A lot of time minors kill the atmosphere with their immaturity, with their noise, just being childish. So I think if they have a guardian with them, they'll be better behaved.''

Andy Cunningham, 44, of Aventura, had a similar opinion.

"It will make my movie-going experience as an adult so much more pleasant because I won't have all of the nonsense these kids bring into the movie theater,'' he said.

Other malls around the country have adopted similar measures. In March, a theater in the Dallas area implemented a "family night'' policy that said no one under 17 was allowed in after 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday without a parent or legal guardian. In 2008, a theater in Harrisburg, Penn., barred anyone under 17 from attending movies after 9:30 p.m.

Those under 18, of course, had a different take on the issue.

North Miami Beach resident Rebecca Sonn, 17, said the rule was presented during a school assembly at North Miami Beach Senior High.

She thinks that the policy could ruin dates for younger students, and that it's fundamentally unfair.

"The kids that are mature shouldn't be punished for what a few immature kids did,'' she said.

Rebecca's mother, Teri Sonn, does not share her daughter's concern. While she thinks the movie theater will lose business, she believes the mall will be safer with the new policy -- and that her daughter can just make other plans on Friday and Saturday evenings.

"The mall is not a babysitting service,'' she said.

Prateek Sachdeva, 16 lives next to the mall. He said it's impossible for him to go to the mall during weekdays due to his class work, and he is concerned this will take away one of his few escapes. He thinks the mall administrators will regret their decision.

"I think when the mall realizes how much money it is losing due to this curfew, it won't take long till they revoke it,'' he said.

Prateek's father, Rajiv Sachdeva, also thinks the policy is unfair to his son. He said he'll try to plan weekends when they can go to the movies at the same time, but on some night's that won't be possible.

"I'm not in favor of that policy, it's a punishment for him,'' he said. `` We want to make him as independent as we possibly can. We have full faith in him.''

The rule will be enforced by both mall security guards and City of Aventura Police officers, who will be checking IDs inside the mall, Szymaszek said. While security staff will not be able to determine from the IDs checks whether an adult is the parent or legal guardian of the minor they are accompanying, Szymaszek said that ultimately the mall will have to depend on the "integrity of all patrons to which this policy applies.''

Zoila Marzo of Sunny Isles is 18, and was glad the policy won't affect her. She thinks it's "ridiculous'' and wonders what minors are supposed to do at night if they can't go to the mall.

"Young kids can't go out partying or clubbing, they come to the mall on weekends, so that will affect them a lot,'' she said. ``What else can they do? They're young.''

Student contributors Anthony Cave, Aly Garfinkle, and Eric Eidelstein assisted with this report.

Reader comments at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/11/1868256/aventura-mall-to-adopt-parental.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1

-----

The latest version of the new rules:

Miami Herald

Parental guidance: Kids unwelcome without adults at Aventura Mall
Teens for the first time this weekend had to be escorted by adults or guardians after 9:30 p.m. at the mall in Aventura. And some didn't like it.
By Jared Goyette
October 17, 2010

It was 9:28 p.m. Friday and Lior Amar was standing at Aventura Mall's AMC 24 movie theater, about to buy tickets for a movie with a group of friends.

There was only one problem. Lior, from Miami, is only 13, and a security guard told her to leave. Effective this weekend, the mall became the latest to adopt a teen chaperon policy for Friday and Saturday nights.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/16/1877195/parental-guidance-kids-unwelcome.html

Grand opening of Crate & Barrel at Village at Gulfstream Park, Hallandale Beach, at 10 a.m.

Grand opening of Crate & Barrel
at Village at Gulfstream Park
in Hallandale Beach at 10 a.m.,
U.S.-1 and S.E. 5th Street.
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/Stores/Store.aspx?storeid=196

For the 15 years that I lived in the
Washington, D.C. area,
the Crate & Barrel on the
Chevy Chase-D.C. border was
one of my favorite stores in the
region, especially during the holidays.


November 17th, 2009
Looking southeast on U.S.-1
from the sidewalk in front of
Hallandale Beach City Hall.
--------------------------------
Photos in chron order, all by
South Beach Hoosier


October 21st, 2009
Looking southeast from U.S-1

October 21st, 2009
Looking southeast from U.S-1,
with Gulfstream Park Race
Track & Casino behind the
retail complex.


October 21st, 2009
Still putting up exterior signs on U.S.-1
side of store
-------------

October 26, 2009
When you're standing outside of the
store, on the north side, you can see
the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa
over in Hollywood Beach
------------
October 27th, 2009
Night-time view from across the
street at the U.S. Post Office
--------------



October 29th, 2009
Adding some exterior touches
---------------


November 2, 2009
When you step out of the
City of Hallandale Beach
Commission Chambers,
you can already see the
Crate & Barrel across
the street.

November 2nd, 2009
The store can say they're located on
600 Silks Run if they want to,
but what you need to know is that
the street in front of the store is
actually U.S.-1 and S.E. 5th Street.
----------------


November 4th, 2009
This is when I first noticed the sign
in the top window announcing they'd
be opening on November 19th.

November 4th, 2009
Exterior lights now coming on at night,
shot from in front of Hallandale Beach
City Hall.
--------------
November 6th, 2009
When I first noticed that the retail
store directly behind Crate & Barrel
was going to be The Container Store.
-----------
November 9th, 2009
Looking southeast at Crate & Barrel
from the public parking lot of Hallandale
Beach City Hall.
------------






November 15th, 2009
-----------

Today, November 19th, 2009
12:30 a.m.

Walked across the street from
Hallandale Beach City Hall after
City Commission meeting on city's
RAC proposal finally ended early
this morning, planning to take
some shots, but I was so tired,
I just snapped this one.
Spoke to some management people
about the store and they are very
optimistic.

Finally a cool place in
Hallandale Beach!

Nordstrom's of Aventura Opening Friday, Feb. 15th

While double-checking some info about an emerging story in Aventura, I got word about when the Nordstrom's at Aventura Mall was finally going to be opening: February 15th at 10 a.m.
I later confirmed the info with company officials, who are psyched to see how this store performs in the local market.

While getting some info, I noticed on their new website -with clever graphics- the following news which may be of interest to some of you: http://shop.nordstrom.com/C/6010927/0~2377475~6010926~6010927?cm_ven=google&cm_cat=keyword&cm_pla=store_openings_aventura&cm_ite=aventura some

NORDSTROM AT AVENTURA MALL, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13 7–10PM,

RUNWAY FASHION SHOWS AT 8 & 9PM

Be among the first to help us celebrate the opening of our new Nordstrom at Aventura Mall during an elegant evening devoted to all things fashionable. Enjoy dinner and dessert buffets, live entertainment, runway fashion shows, and, of course, incredible shopping. Cocktail attire requested.
Tickets are $125 and are available online at www.thebuonicontifund.com/Nordstrom.xml.

All proceeds will benefit the signature projects of the Junior League of Miami, The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis/The Miami Project at the University of Miami and the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
To RSVP or for special accommodations information, call 305.243.8100. Tickets are limited.
We look forward to spending this special evening with you.

_____________________

Contact info available at:

Junior League of Miami, 713 Biltmore Way, Coral Gables, FL 33134, (305) 443-0160,

Fax: (305) 443-3849 http://www.jlmiami.org/

UM/Sylvester, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, 1475 N.W. 12th Avenue, Miami, FL 33136 (305) 243-1000, (800) 545-2292 http://www.sylvester.org/

The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, 1-888-STANDUP http://www.themiamiproject.org/

One Tree Hill's Hilarie Burton at Aventura Macy's Jan, 19th

Dear City of Aventura Police Dept:

Please begin making preparations for Saturday's traffic jam on U.S.-1 -now!

But seriously.... with Hilarie Burton AND a CW casting call for the entire state of Florida scheduled for the Aventura Macy's on Saturday afternoon, I can only imagine what kind of zoo scene that's going to be. Lots of star gazers and star wannabes.

But is it a scene worthy of some blogging on pop culture?

Why yes, he said knowing there were no IU basketball games or NFL playoff games scheduled that afternoon that would cause him to miss the likely hijinks and hysteria.

Meanwhile... if you don't know who I'm talking about, see http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1122026/ and
http://www.hilarie-burton.com/hilarie.php

'Nuff said!

Ultimate Fan Weekend contest details at: http://www.cwtv.com/thecw/macys

Macy's Aventura Womens & Kids
19535 Biscayne Blvd. Aventura, FL 33180

Macy's press release about One Tree Hill casting call: http://www1.macys.com/store/event/index.ognc?action=locatorDetail&storeId=305&eventId=4884

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/entertainment/tv/sfl-jeopardy,0,4455614.story
excerpted from
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
By Tom Jicha
January 10, 2008

Macy's at Aventura will become Peyton's place on Jan. 19.

Hilarie Burton, who plays Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill, will be signing autographs from 2-4 p.m. at the deparment store.

Burton's appearance is part of the promotion for the CW series' Ultimate Fan Weekend.

Eight fans nationwide will win a trip to North Carolina, where the show films, get a chance to visit the set, meet the cast and walk through a scene.

Not that it's either here or there, but for what it's worth, at the carefully-guarded bunker that is the HQ of South Beach Hoosier/Hallandale Beach Blog, One Tree Hill star Sophia Bush, a former USC Kappa Kappa Gamma -also a Kappa? Ashley Judd at U.K.- is deemed one of the dozen most beautiful women in the whole country.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0124208/

She doesn't make us weak in our knees, she knocks us over like a bowling pin.
If Sophia Bush is ever somewhere publicly within the area code, South Beach Hoosier will be there to take photos!

She reminds us of every every dark-haired IU coed whom we were ever attracted to or smitten by, who was, conveniently, a friend of a friend at Chi Omega or Tri-Delt or Delta Gamma or..., but who'd had the very same boyfriend since high school and all throughout her time at IU.
We hated that!