Coral Way Bicycle Shop

IMO Miami leaves much to be desired as far as quality of life goes.  Sure we have beaches, beautiful weather, and Cuban coffee on every corner, but in my day dreams I long for a place that's kind of like a college town, or I guess like many cities out West I've never visited except through the Interwebs.  A place where I could frequent awesome outdoor markets, mingle with hippies, raise a couple chickens, and ride bike everywhere.  Safely.

I am really, really clumsy (I have to move very consciously and slowly whenever I'm very CLOSE to a certain someone to avoid kneeing them in their privates or elbowing their eye-seriously, I do that kind of stuff all the time *sad face*), accident prone, and then again, Miami has horrible drivers.  I would love to be able to ride a bicycle around town without fearing for my life, or at least find some places to ride where cars aren't allowed so a casual jaunt doesn't evolve into extreme sports.

Well, the first step in riding bicycle around is having a bicycle to ride.  I covet those amazing vintagesque bikes that you find nowdays, but I'm trying to save money and really can't justify buying a bike when I know I won't ride it much.  I have a gorgeous, fifteen year old Marin bicycle I bought in another life that was moldering in my mom's utility shed that I finally dragged over to Coral Way Bicycle Shop to get tuned up and have the inner tubes replaced.  This shop is close to home and locally owned.  I like having the opportunity to feel virtuous.  I can't really comment on their prices because I have no point of comparison but what I imagined I'd pay and what I paid were about the same so I felt satisfied.  They are very busy so I hope that means that far more seasoned and knowledgable people than myself trust the shop and the employees.  I was acknowledged quickly, treated well and didn't have to wait long at all.  I'll be using them again.

On a related note, why are bicycle helmets so ugly?  Allegra showed me these cute Yakay helmets that of course they don't sell in the US yet...I can't believe no one has thought of this yet?  All those clever people in those awesome cities out West that I idiolize so much are letting us down, design-wise!  Better step up!

Free Spirits

There are some places where you really don't expect good service.  The DMV.  The mechanic.  I would put dive bars in that category as well.  It's part of the gritty charm of a dive bar that the waitresses (who no doubt have bigger biceps than your boyfriend) treat you with indifference and disdain.  I fondly remember Mug Nights at the Irish Tavern, and the waitresses there...let's just say they didn't suffer (drunken) fools gladly.

I went to Free Spirits for lunch because I needed something close to the undisclosed location I was at, and a bar burger sounded just fine.  Wendy and I got there a bit early, which may have turned out to be a mistake.  Nobody loves a power trip like someone powerless, and I'm pretty darn sure they opened seven minutes late just out of the pure pleasure of making us wait.  It's not like the cute waitress was falling over herself to help us either; I've never seen anyone so gifted at avoiding eye contact.  No matter.  I don't particularly need my waitress to be my best friend, I'm all about the professional efficiency, not that schmoozy, let me pop-a-squat and fake intimacy with my customers to hopefully get a better tip.  You know, like they do at Fridays, and Applebees, and...I could never pull off that fake shit, which is probably why I had so little success when I worked at places like that.

Anyway, she was barely civil but it's ok.  The burgers came in time and were tasty as hell and I'd still go back, with no expectations, as usual.  It was pretty neat seeing a grandmotherly woman ordering a scotch, neat, on a Friday at noon.  Man, I can't wait to be old and not have to pretend to be respectable...it's going to be awesome.

Shake Shack and Krishna Das and Prana Yoga

When it comes down to it, the real question about Shake Shack is: is it better than Five Guys?  On the whole, I'd have to say yes.  The Shake Shack patty had that bar burger taste I like so much (which is probably just the taste of salt on real, gloriously fatty, beef, I think-or maybe it's the cooking process...).  The bun is sweeter than normal, which I don't prefer but I can make an exception for.  I think their fries are frozen, not hand made as are the fries from Five Guys (those sacks of potatoes lying around Five Guys DOES MEAN that their fries are made on the premises, correct?  Or is it a cleverly misleading ploy?).  I mean, the Shake Shack fries are krinkle kut, how can those possibly be made outside a factory?  Anyway, everyone knows that the best fries in the world are freshly made McDonalds fries.  They must melt some crack in that fryer oil.  True story: I did someone's taxes for McDonalds fries.  True, it was only the EZ form, but still...The day was kind of chilly (75 degrees and I'm already freezing) so I didn't order the custard, which I'm sure would have made it a much better experience.  I love me some shakes; I'll go back soon for one.

I went to the Krisha Das concert.  I swear, you'd think that hippies would be the most natural people around but in fact they really seem to be the most affected, artificial people around.  Snooki ain't got nothing on them.  What with all the hugging, and the smiling, and the earnestness, and the bare feet, and the dreads and dirtiness!  Whenever they get dressed in clean clothes they probably roll around on the ground, like a freshly washed puppy trying to fix his smell.  I mean, it's not like anyone has ceased in their efforts to be attractive, if you know what I mean...they are just trying to appeal to a different demographic.  They're as calculating as everyone else.  But the concert did make me miss my kundalini class...I really liked the one at Skanda yoga...chanting kirtan is more rewarding when you don't to block out whirling dervishes.  I nearly took a blow to the eye.

Took a class at Prana Yoga last week, my first time there.  The parking situation is tolerable; you can park at the nearby court house for free (and after hours, there is parking available there) or park at meters.  Kind of, sort of, free parking.  They have a terrifically extensive schedule with lots of basic classes, and also kundalini and meditation classes, which are hard to find elsewhere.  I'm definitely going to check out that kundalini class there.  Someday.  It's a really beautiful space as well, one of the prettiest I've seen...It looks like it was a former dance studio.  It's gorgeous and spacious all around, just like how a yoga studio is supposed to look...as long as you don't look up at the acoustic tiles ;)  No, seriously, don't look up, they are shabby lol

All in all, I really liked the place except except except...I've never found a better teacher for my taste than Joan at Rina Yoga, who teaches Hatha yoga.  So many teachers just seem to mechanically lead you through a bunch of vinyasas over and over...it's especially a bad idea for a beginner's class, I think.  I mean, there are so many neat yoga poses!  You have to excite beginners with some funky poses, some yummy stretches and twists, and not lead them through a bunch of sun salutations (with excruciatingly extended dog pose) that they don't have the upper body strength for...it doesn't make it fun.  Joan makes it fun and challenging enough, without being intimidating.  On the other hand, it was nice not being the worse one in class, for once.  I know yoga is not a competitive sport blah blah blah but come on, of course you compare yourself to the others.  When I heard the girl next to me squeak out that she was scared to try the plow position, I swear my heart melted a bit.  I was there, too, honey, I was there, too...anyway, I'm definitely going to try out other classes they offer, with different instructors, and see how they do. 

When I was doing my practice, I noticed that someone had painted a tiny om symbol right near when I had my mat.  I couldn't see another anywhere else.  I like that kind of thing, cause I'm flaky.  Signs from the universe, ya dig...