Art Basel has come and gone and it’s another one for the history books thanks to the massive press generated by a certain, highly expensive artistic banana. While you’re busy thinking of ways to enjoy all that December has to offer, the following events will keep things alive and fun for these few remaining weeks of 2019.

Jungle Island is hosting the Luminosa Chinese Lantern Festival. Featuring over a million lights scattered over more than twelve acres, the lanterns are Miami festive and include plenty of imaginative wildlife including parrots, flamingos, and more. You’ll have until January 8^th to check out all of the creative illuminations.

The Miami Beach Jewish Community Center will host the Chanukah Festival at 11 a.m. on December 15. Activities and crafts for the little ones, rides, and games will be part of the experience which will include the lighting of a menorah as well.

When is the last time you visited Bayfront Park? It has been transformed into a holiday market for the holidays featuring vendors, artisans, activities for the kids, food, roller skating, and more. The village will remain open every day until Christmas Day.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

Lincoln Road has remained a longtime staple of Miami Beach but in recent years, it’s had an unusually large amount of vacancies. The tides appear to be turning as several new dining and retail establishments are emerging in the tourist mainstay. These openings are starting this month and will continue throughout the beginning of next year.

Among the names expected to become part of Lincoln Road, these include Lobster Shack, BoneFly, Moonlighter Makerspace, and Olé Olé Steakhouse. The New York-based sneaker store Greats will also its South Florida location on Lincoln Road.

Some recent additions are already generating positive buzz for Lincoln Road. This month, the Museum of Illusions opened its doors in a 33,000+ square foot space. It was recently featured on Deco Drive and provides visitors and interactive experience with tons of opportunities to snap social media-worthy pictures.

Also in the works is Lincoln Road’s proposed $67 million makeover. The project would include re-organizing the many cafes, adding additional green spaces and seating for the public, more use of art including sculptural elements, and also a focus on making Lincoln Road even more pedestrian friendly through the use of security bollards.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

Art Basel is coming back this week, which means the Miami Beach traffic will likely be—to put it mildly—difficult. If you’re among the many with plans to check out the annual profusion of art, there are several different options available that may work for you. Let’s highlight a couple.

The Miami Beach Convention Center once again hosts Art Basel. There should be plenty of public parking available, but if you are willing to pay, you may wish to save some headaches by choosing valet. Then again, you can use the free shuttle in Miami Beach that will take you to and from some satellite fairs, such as PULSE Miami Beach. On Saturday, December 7th, the shuttle will begin transporting people and will last until Sunday.

Would you rather not ride the Art Week Shuttle? You can always get around using the free trolley from Miami Beach. There are four different loops the trolley travels through and at least one of them will hit one of the art fairs you may be interested in, including Art Basel.

Some other choices you might want to consider include the CitiBike which starts at $4.50 for a thirty-minute ride. Ridesharing like Uber or Lyft cost money but you won’t need to deal with trying to find a parking spot.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

Are you a fan of stone crab as well as art? If so, keep reading. You can enjoy both of these under one roof when longtime Miami Beach mainstay Joe’s Stone Crab debuts its pop-up at Art Basel, the annual art extravaganza happening at the Miami Beach Convention Center!

Joe’s Stone Crab is one of the oldest restaurants in Miami Beach, having opened its doors in 1913. Despite its age, it remains a perennial favorite and it recently earned the honor of being the highest-grossing independent restaurant in the United States according to Restaurant Business Magazine.

Since it is a pop-up, you’re not going to find the sheer variety of food found at the full-fledged Joe’s Stone Crab, but you can expect to see at least three of its popular dishes: the infamous stone crab, the highly regarded key lime pie, and the hash browns. The pop-up will be able to accommodate a total of 100 people and it will feature plenty of artwork, including a pair of large photo murals found at the Washington Avenue location. Lots of work has gone into making the pop-up feel just like the original Joe’s Stone Crab.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

All football fan eyes are on the Super Bowl as it returns to Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in January 2020, which will also include a halftime show performance from Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. With thousands of people filling the stadium seats, there will be lots of Super Bowl-related events going on, and one of them is being hosted by a familiar name.

Rob Gronkowski (also known as “The Gronk”) has developed a reputation for his fun-loving personality. The three-time Super Bowl champion formerly of the New England Patriots will be hosting his celebration the day before the Super Bowl over at Miami Beach’s North Beach Bandshell. Appropriately dubbed Gronk Beach, Gronkowski is promising a huge party that’s all about the positive vibes and high energy.

Since this is Miami Beach, there will also be several guests expected to make an appearance at Gronk Beach, like local rapper Flo Rida, American DJ and producers Diplo and Kaskade, and many more. Partygoers will also be entertained by hula dancers and fire twirlers and they can participate in beach games, enjoy a six-hour open bar, or grab a bite courtesy of STK Steakhouse.

Tickets for Grink Beach go on sale on Thursday, November 21 and prices start at $149.99.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

“Mr. 305” Pitbull made the news earlier this year when he opened his South Beach restaurant appropriately named iLov305 on Ocean Drive to much acclaim. A couple of months, the fusion of Miami tropical cuisine and Latin Steakhouse eatery is gone, though not the way you might think.

Instead of disappearing altogether and becoming another failed Miami Beach restaurant, iLov305 is undergoing a metamorphosis of sorts. It is partnering with El Dorado Cantina of Las Vegas to launch a new dining concept combining Latin food and Mexican cuisine in one location. El Dorado Cantina is seeking to expand its presence to the East Coast and decided on Ocean Drive.

Those concerned about the iLov305 nightclub going away need not worry. Similar to other places in Miami Beach, the space will remain a restaurant by day before transforming into a nightclub during the evening hours. Furthermore, Pitbull is still iLov305’s brand ambassador and its address will still be 1060 Ocean Drive.

How do you feel about the new changes to iLov305? Will the addition of Mexican fare to its menu serve as more of an enticement to visit the re-imagined Miami Beach hotspot?

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

For those of you that incorporate meat into your diet, a great burger is one of the many enjoyable pleasures of life. With so many different places selling burgers, which ones are arguably a cut above the rest? Here are a few suggestions.

We’ll begin with Cheeseburger Baby located on Washington Avenue right here in Miami Beach. When it’s late and you need to indulge your appetite without counting calories, this is the spot. If you’re up for it, go for the half-pound burger. It’s also available with turkey or veggies and you can add toppings like avocado, grilled mushrooms, blue cheese, and more.

Over in Miami, Blue Collar on Biscayne Boulevard is known for its New York strip dry-aged to perfection. The burger comes served on a Portuguese muffin that absorbs the juice which means a tasty burger without the messiness often associated with eating burgers.

Have you tried Pincho? The place boasts eight different burger variations including its namesake burger featuring a tasty patty served on a brioche bun. The Pincho is topped with lettuce, tomatoes, melted cheese, onions, and the eatery’s unique pink “flamingo” sauce. Pincho has several different locations.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.

November is right around the corner, which means the holiday season will soon be upon us. Also synonymous with the holidays is Art Basel Miami Beach. In case you’ve never heard of this popular event, it is a global art fair held in Hong Kong, Basel, Switzerland, and right here in Miami Beach. The first Art Basel came to life in 1970 as a cooperative effort between Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner, and Balz Hilt. Its goal was to present work by lesser-known contemporary artists while grabbing the attention of art devotees, galleries, and collectors.

It wasn’t until 2002 that Art Basel made its way back to Miami and the 2010 version will be the most exciting one yet. An enhanced focus will be placed on Latin American and U.S. exhibitions, with over half of the 250+ exhibitors coming from the two continents. Also, this year’s Art Basel will have a brand new section showcasing large-scale artwork.

Are you interested in checking out Art Basel? Tickets are $65 for individuals or $45 for senior citizens and students attending for one day. Four day tickets can also be purchased for $145. Tickets can be bought online or you can buy them on opening day (December 5^th) at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Blackstone International Realty, LLC provides buyers, sellers, and renters with the access to exceptional properties – both on and off the market – in the Miami Beach luxury real estate market, and throughout South Florida. Each agent is thoroughly trained to provide clients with exceptional service, competency, and professionalism. For more information on the company or Continuum in South Beach call 305-588-2451.