Vicky's House Coconut Grove, Florida Review

Golden Girls and E.T. Goes To The Movies to watch The Goonies


Coconut Grove, Fla:-Oped- Today, I went to try out Miami's newest milkshake bar and tasting room restaurant called Vicky's House located on Commodore Plaza in Coconut Grove. At Vicky's House , it is modeled after the owner's home from the 1980s with real pictures from the owner as well as playing 80s music. They sell various milkshakes. But they have three specially crafted milkshakes each in which each reference from a popular movie or TV Show from that era. The three are E.T. Goes To The Movies to watch The Goonies, Golden Girls, and The Breakfast Club. Each person in my party ordered one of each and all three taste really good. This is a hidden gem in Coconut Grove that you should definitely try it out. You must be patient though, the place is super small and it takes time for the milkshakes to be made. According to the website,"The FOR RENT sign in front of Vicky's House represents Matt's parent's house which is gone and never coming back UNLESS you time travel there through the phone booth from Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure which is located inside of LoKal." Upon first seeing the "For Rent", it can make the people who are going to visit there very confused and assume it's closed. I highly recommend you try this.

A living room just behind the kitchen

The menu

Phone booth to enter Vicky's House

I'm eating the E.T. Goes To The Movies to watch The Goonies 

Main Entrance with the "For Rent" sign

Main entrance for Vicky's House

Washing Machine with some soda

Max Mayfield: Current WPLG Local 10 News Hurricane Specialist and former Director of the National Hurricane Center

    Max Mayfield and I

Pembroke Park, Fla - Every year the National Hurricane Center (NHC) makes their annual predictions on how many hurricanes and tropical storms will form. Max Mayfield, the former Director of the National Hurricane Center and is now the Hurricane Specialist at WPLG Local 10 News in Pembroke Park.  He sat down with me to talk about this career change, significant storms he has tracked and advice to future Meteorologist.

    Since he came to WPLG in 2007, he has provided South Florida valuable information to help prepare and gain knowledge on hurricanes and tropical storms that may pose a threat to the tri-county area. Working there, has allowed him to focus in one particular area and not have to worry about other bodies of water that don't have any significant impact to South Florida or the state.  He says amongst all the storms he has ever tracked, 1992's Hurricane Andrew and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 have stood out the most to him due to the large loss of life. He is passionate about figuring out a way to motivate people to better prepare for impending storms. For example, people who live in a storm surge area to have a plan in place if they are asked to evacuate. Not enough people heed the warning.

    Max feels that Meteorology is an amazing field for those who want to make it a career as well as for those who just want to make it a hobby.

    Chief Certified Meteorologist Betty Davis, Luis Alejandro Mercado and Hurricane Specialist Max    
    Mayfield

MyPark App Review

                     A  MyPark sign at a designated parking space. Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado 

Miami, Fla.-Op-ed- With everybody driving today, there is always one big issue that comes to drivers' minds, finding  parking. Today, I tried out the new MyPark App while at Dadeland Mall. This is a recently was recently rolled out to allow shoppers and guests to be able to reserve a parking space with the corresponding entrance they will be using. 

 This metal parking barricade is used to prevent non-MyPark app users from parking at the spaces. 

Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado 

                                                       How this app works...

           Guests who use the app must first download the app and then register their information and credit card. Once they sign up, they can go to any location that uses this app. Guests could either reserve months in advance or once they arrive. As soon as the location is selected, the app will give you the various options of the sections of the location you would like to choose. Once the desired location is selected, the app will choose the the designed parking spot number. Once near the spot, guests press the "Let me in" button and the metal parking barricade(pictured above) will lower for you to drive in. In the case of Dadeland Mall, it's $3.00 for up to 2 hours and and additional $3.00 every hour after that.(pictured below with sign).

Personal review

My personal review on this app is that it's very easy to use and very straightforward from the moment you select your section of where you are to parking to all the way till you leave and the metal parking barricades go up. I recommend the use of this app for anyone who doesn't want to spend hours finding parking or park to far from the entrance. 

                      Parking rates at Dadeland Mall. Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado

    Steps to download and use the app. Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado 

Pandora: The World of Avatar Food-Sau'li Canteen/ Pongu Pongu

   Courtesy Walt Disney World Resort


Lake Buena Vista Fla.,-Op-ed. Right by the fun and excitement of Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey, there is a  restaurant called Sau'li Canteen. It is the only restaurant in the new land. I recently went there during my visit to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park's new land Pandora: The World of Avatar. This is one of the few restaurants on Walt Disney World Resort Property to allow guests to  order food through the My Disney Experience App ahead of time. This location offers the ability to create your own Satv'Li Bowl by choosing your own protein, base and sauce. They also offer steamed  "Pods" Ban Buns.  For desert, they offer a chocolate cake and a Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse with passion fruit curd and mini merengue on the top.  They also offer a variety of options for the kids meals. The first picture below is the Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse. I highly recommend this, it's very Avatar like. The second picture below is the Chicken Satv'Li Bowl.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Mousse with Passion Fruit Curd and topped with a mini merengue 

Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/ @theviewpointlm

Chicken Satv'Li bowl with Quinoa & Vegetable Salad and topped with Creamy Herb Dressing

Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/@theviewpointlm

Pongu Pongu 

This is a walk up beverage and snack stand. It is located within Pandora: The World of Avatar between the only restaurant Sau'li Canteen and the Windtraders store which exclusively carries Avatar themed merchandise. Pongu Pongu offers two frozen beverages. One is called the Night Blossom. It is non-acholitc and mixture limeaid with apple and desert pear flavors topped with passion fruit boba balls. For an extra 3 dollars you can get a beautiful glowing Unadelta seed. I recommend adding this because this makes it a special and refreshing treat. They also offer a similar alcoholic beverage called Mo'ara Margarita. Which includes Sauza commemorative. Anejo tequila with strawberry and orange flavors topped with strawberry boba balls. Pongu Pongua also offers a snack called Pongu Lumpia which is filled with pineapple cream cheese spring roll. It comes out warm and creamy, which makes it a perfect combination with the Night Blossom drink. I recommend stopping by here for a snack any time throughout the day while in Pandora: The World of Avatar. 

                    Pongu Pongu Menu 

                    Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/ @theviewpointlm

                     Night Blossom 

                     Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/@theviewpointlm

Pandora: The World of Avatar: Flight of Passage

    Courtesy Walt Disney World Resort

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Op-ed- At Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park's newest land Pandora: The World of Avatar, there are two new attractions in this big new world, Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey. This editorial will focus on the biggest and most popular ride right now, Flight of Passage.

   When you walk past the entrance of the queue, you go up a winding trail. There you can see The Valley of Mo'ara dominating the sky.  I took the photo below from the elevated queue as I worked my way into the mountain to experience the more spectacular and unforgettable ride currently at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

   Photo Credit: Luis A. Mercado/@theviewpointlm

Once you go past the flying mountains you enter a big cave. As you walk deeper into the cave, the queue suddenly transforms into a military-base-like complex leading to four large doors. After your group is counted and directed to a line,  and go into the assigned door and are presented with the Human-Na'vi Connection Program.  Next, you are scanned and paired with an Avatar. After that you go into the final prep room before the flight for the explanation, overview and safety procedures of the ride.  You will then be handed special glasses to wear throughout the ride following a short video.  Then you go and sit down on your motorcycle like stationary vehicle while being connected with the Na'vi you were matched with earlier in the process. Once you are clicked into the seat, the ride will begin.  Suddenly, you are transported to Pandora riding on the back of a Mountain Banshee all while exploring the Planet. This is a 4D experience similar to Epcot's Soarin ride. After this hyper-realistic experience, you are taken back outside and end up at the Windtraders gift shop, an exclusive for Avatar-themed items. For my personal review on this exhilarating ride, it's  one the best rides The Walt Disney Company has every created. It's one of the few rides that you truly feel like you are really there. Overall, I highly recommend you go ride this new attraction. You may feel like you are already there from this review, but in person it's an out of this world experience. 

Pandora: The World of Avatar: Navi River Journey

   Courtney Walt Disney World Resort


Lake Buena Vista, Fla, Op-ed- The other big attraction in Pandora: The World of Avatar, Na'vi River Journey.  It is not intense like Flight of Passage, it is a beautiful and peaceful river journey around Pandora. In this slow moving boat ride, you are on journey to find the Shaman of Songs. Photo of the Shaman of Song courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort. Along the way, you see a variety of animals that make up the planet all while seeing the bioluminescent plants all around you. Towards the end of the ride you do find the Shaman of Songs.  She is incredibly life like and Disney's most advance animatronic ever.  This is a great ride to relax on and cool off from the Florida heat. I recommend this ride for everyone.

                            Courtesy Walt Disney World Resort
                     

Pandora: The World of Avatar

   Courtesy Walt Disney World Resort

Lake Buena Vista, Fla.- Op-ed- A few days ago, I visited Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park to experience the new land Pandora: The World of Avatar, which opened this past Memorial Day weekend. Pandora is beautiful beyond words both during the day and at night.  Above is a photo courtesy of Walt Disney World Resort which shows The Valley of Mo'ara from one of the many pathways and bridges throughout this beautiful land. Everywhere you look you find the most exotic flora and fauna native to the planet of Pandora and hear the native animals in the distance.   As the sun sets, Pandora begins to illuminate with bioluminescent lights that make for amazing photographs. The photo I took below is what Pandora looks like at night. When the area lights up, the plants including The Valley of Mo'ara transform the land into something beyond words. Pandora is beautifully laid out, however, the pathways and bridges can be confusing especially at night.

                      Credit: Luis A. Mercado/@theviewpointlm