January 2009 Serving the communities along the Biscayne Corridor, including Arch Creek East, Bay Point, Bayside, Biscayne Park, Belle Meade, Buena Vista, Design District, Downtown, Edgewater, El Portal, Hibiscus Island, Keystone Point, Miami Shores, Morningside, North Bay Island, North Miami, Oakland Grove, Palm Grove, Palm Island, Sans Souci, Shorecrest, Star Island, Wynwood, and Venetian Islands www.BiscayneTimes.com Volume 6, Issue 11 ou’re trapped in your metal box, leaching out and you wonder how it is What if a passenger train rode those rails? a reality. The state, like much of the shipwrecked with a throng of that America’s playground became What if you could save yourself time, nation, wants to turn back the clock and Ycheerless humanity on a soulless America’s parking lot. money, gas, and frustration, gliding to your revive the greatly neglected passenger- stretch of I-95 or Biscayne Boulevard, A set of railway tracks appears, some- Brickell office on rails instead of drowning rail industry. somewhere between Aventura and down- times snaking alongside the Boulevard, in this slow-moving river of steel? There was a time, you see, when town Miami, and the traffic is creeping sometimes striking off into the urban jun- If the Florida Department of along at glacial speed. On some days, gle. Only rarely do you see a train on Transportation has its way, and gets Train you can almost feel the hours of your life them. And again you begin to wonder: enough money, that vision could become Continued on page 14 Dining Guide Community News Our Correspondents Art & Culture It was an artistic The Biscayne Miami photographer The pleasures triumph. Now Corridor’s biggest Bunny Yeager and perils of The Living Room and best remembers life as a civic is a mess. restaurant guide. Bettie Page. activist. Page 34 Page 47 Page 28 Page 22 Our Collection of Unique Properties... LET US OPEN THE DOOR ElegantElegant residenceresidence onon openopen water,water, 6,1756,175 sfsf Miami Shores Deco Charmer on ofof livin livingg space space,, 6 bedrooms bedrooms,, poo pooll & gazebo gazebo.. corner lot, 3/3. Bay Point, a hop, skip and a jump to downtown Miami ZeZenn FlareFlare,, WaterfronWaterfrontt LivinLivingg iinn ththee GatedGated CommunitCommunityy ofof KeystoneKeystone PointPoint,5/5.5, 5/5.5, and SoBe, double lot. $1.95M poolpool,, garage. True Treasure on Treasure Island, 300 ft on wide water, 5/5.5, pool, over 20,000 sf lot. Miami Beach Charm of Then, Comforts of Now...5/5.5, pool, 2-car garage. NEW TO MARKET! QuieQuiett cul-de-sa cul-de-sacc wit withh waterwater benefits,benefits, gate gatedd comm. comm.,, 4/3 4/3,, doc dockk $895K FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.OPENDOORMIAMI.COM The Open Door Miami Team Bonnie Brooks - 305.206.4186 INTERNATIONAL REALTY 1021 Kane Concourse Ilene Tessler - 305.458.1200 Bay Harbor Island, FL 2 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com January 2009 LET’SWITNESSHISTORYTOGETHER invites you to a FREE LIVE TELEVISION SIMULCAST Inauguration & Swearing-In Ceremony Ofthe44thPresident of The United States of America BARACK OBAMA S TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2009 11:30 A.M. General Seating Knight Concert Hall 1300 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, FL LunchwillbeavailableforpurchasefromPerformingArtsCateringbyBartonG. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County invites the citizens of Miami-Dade County to come together as a community to witness via television simulcast the Swearing-In Ceremony and Inaugural Address of BARACK OBAMA as the Forty-Fourth President of the United States of America. RESERVE YOUR FREE SEAT TODAY! 305.949.6722O`aVbQS\bS`]`U January 2009 Biscayne Times • www.BiscayneTimes.com 3 C OMMENTARY: FEEDBACK PO Box 370566, Miami, FL 33137 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Glasgow: Prophetic and and his guitar remain my most enduring You’re going to have to do that yourself. Member of the images of such otherworldly men of Obama is not the second coming of Florida Press Association Provocative action. Too powerful to emulate, for me Christ, just a politician who hopefully I enjoyed Kathy Glasgow’s column they are metaphors for battles to be wants to lead the country to a better www.BiscayneTimes.com “Entering the Promised Land” (December fought and for universal wrongs yet to future. He will not walk on water or per- 2008). It brought back memories of my be righted. form miracles. He will not bail us out of PUBLISHER & EDITOR teenage years, when I would roam the Victor Biver our rut. Only we can do that. Stop look- Jim Mullin streets of Miami on my BSA motorcycle, [email protected] Palmetto Bay ing at him like a savior. He’s just a man, and Jackson, Miami, and Edison high a human being, really. Chill out, sister. INTERNS schools were the football powerhouses. I Glasgow: White Guilt or now live in Palmetto Bay and seldom Regarding Jen Karetnick’s article in Andrew Leins Righteous Anger? the same issue on a possible Miami [email protected] venture north of Coconut Grove, but I miss those days when Miami was more At first I thought Kathy Glasgow’s Shores food festival (“Bring Back the Erin Polla open and I was more brave. “Entering the Promised Land” was a Taste of the Shores”), I truly love the [email protected] My wife is Cuban, and she gets her parody. When I realized the article was idea of a food festival in the Shores. CONTRIBUTORS “news” from the local Cuban radio sta- serious, I honestly burst out laughing! When she listed possible restaurants that Victor Barrenchea, Pamela Robin Brandt, tions. All she had to say about Obama Practically comparing Barack Obama to could participate, I was sadly reminded Terence Cantarella, Bill Citara, Wendy was comunista, comunista! But now Moses leading his people to freedom? of just how few dining establishments Doscher-Smith, Kathy Glasgow, Jim W. that she has heard the president-elect Crossing the Jordan? Are you kidding? there are within village limits. Harper, Lisa Hartman, Jen Karetnick, Jack speak, and realizes what a thoughtful Maybe her column was a make-good Publix and Subway at a food festival? King, Derek McCann, Frank Rollason, and intelligent person he is, even she is attempt at the letter regarding her report- Come on! But really, what a small list to Silvia Ros, Jeff Shimonski content with the electorate’s choice. ing that appeared in the same issue. The choose from! Until the village council ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Kathy’s writing style is so prophetic, so letter-writer, architect Najeeb Campbell, becomes friendlier with potential eateries Marco Fernandez full of imagery (even though I’m not much asked Ms. Glasgow to stop the negative and doesn’t practically chase them out of [email protected] of believer) that I still respond to the reporting on Liberty City, where she lives. business, we will not see any changes. The Biblical imagery of those powerful men of Maybe it’s just white guilt on parade. village is just a stale old establishment that Marc Ruehle yore who stand like giants in our minds. She seems to have fallen blindly in love doesn’t want to change for the better. [email protected] My first memory was my father with Obama’s message, as many people Let’s hope that when the construction OFFICE MANAGER singing “Dry Bones,” which was about did. I’m still not sure specifically what is over on NE 2nd Avenue, we will have Wilmer Ametin as religious as he ever got. It was up to that message is, but no matter. a few more choices. [email protected] me to later learn about the struggles of Kathy, baby, get a grip. In the end, A. Acevedo Moses and later of Martin Luther King. Obama is not going to improve the Miami ART DIRECTOR That and the songs of Rev. Gary Davis “appearance of [your] little house.” Continued on page 6 Marcy Mock [email protected] ADVERTISING DESIGN TABLE OF CONTENTS Image Tech Studios www.imagetechstudios.com COVER STORY POLICE REPORTS The Biscayne Times welcomes proposals Waiting For the Train ......................................................................1 Biscayne Crime Beat .....................................................................32 for articles and press releases. Submitted material may be edited for length, clarity, and COMMENTARY ART & CULTURE content. 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