LA SCALA NEWS

1st Quarter 2010 from Andrew Fentiman (603)

Everyone agrees it’s been a crazy winter, the like of which even twenty-year SW Florida veterans have never seen. Now it seems like we are going straight from winter into summer, without even a glimpse of spring.

QUICK NEWS – Welcome to new owners Jim and Amy Quaremba (1604) ☺ The Regal 12 movie theater never did reopen as Cinema Café: shame ☺Colony Golf Membership has been cut from $150k to $75k ☺ Karma Lounge, a new upscale nightlife experience at The Promenade, is supposed to be opening soon ☺ Congo River Golf is open, next to Bonita Bubbles car wash on 41, and it’s very busy! ☺ 4 decorator-ready units are left at La Scala ☺     

LA SCALA FAREWELL PARTY – The Farewell Party is scheduled for Sunday, April 18, at 6 p.m. in the Social Room. The casual farewell evening, planned by the Social Committee, will feature Italian cuisine and the $10 per-person cost includes food and drink. Cash, or a check made out to ‘Cash’ can be left in an envelope in the 603 elevator foyer.    

HOUSEKEEPING – On Tuesdays, from 10:30 to 11 a.m., the building generator is tested, so try to avoid using the elevators during this time, if you can; further information is on your trash chute ☼ Limit pool towels to one per-person-per-day, please ☼ When family or friends are visiting, please be courteous and don’t drip pool water on the marble floors, let kids scream at the pool, smoke cigars in inappropriate locations, drag your furniture on stone/tile floors, hold elevator doors open for any length of time, etc. Your fellow owners will appreciate it ☼

INCOMING UPS/FEDEX PACKAGE PROCEDURE – The office has implemented a new procedure. When a package is delivered, it is documented on a form at the front desk. The person on duty at the front desk then calls the unit owner to verify package delivery (e-mailing also, as a backup) and initials the space provided on the form to confirm that notification was sent. The e-mails are kept on file, to verify that the unit owner has been notified.

COMPUTER TIP – Dave Woodsmith, at Action One Computers, estimates that approximately 60% of his repair work is on computers infected with viruses, spyware and/or other computer threats. Of these infections, most are acquired from e-mails that lead the unwary to malicious web sites. Antivirus and antispyware software is not being updated often enough, and too many forwarded emails are being opened. Jokes are not worth the cost of repairs! Dave Woodsmith is very knowledgeable and efficient and has saved our bacon on several occasions. Action One Computers, 24951 Old 41, Suite 5, Bonita Springs. Tel: (239) 498-2855. info@actiononecomputers.com.

SOUTH BEACH - South Beach is 100 miles distant, but a world away from the tranquility and nature of our south-west coast. Oddly enough, it is very hard to find a South Beach Hotel that has a good review on TripAdvisor (www.TripAdvisor.com), at any price. Even the $900-a-night hotels and resorts have unfavorable reviews! Here’s one that Jackie and I chose, as it had one of the best reviews. Located amidst the historical surroundings in the Art Deco district of Miami and only 100 yards from Delano Hotel, the two-story walk-up Cadet Hotel provides a relaxing atmosphere just a block from the beach and a block from the nightlife. Actor Clark Gable commanded a detachment of West Point cadets here in 1941, hence the hotel’s name. The 35 guest rooms are outfitted with bamboo floors, custom made armoires, mini-bars, safes, and Egyptian cotton linens. Wireless Internet access is complimentary throughout the hotel. Check-in is at 3 p.m. and check-out is at 12 p.m. The hotel has a special arrangement with the rental facility on the beach: two chairs and an umbrella for $20. Lincoln Road Mall is two blocks away. Enjoy a delicious $9 Continental breakfast al fresco on the terrace, relax on an outdoor daybed in the patio garden or in the outdoor Jacuzzi tub. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. Note: the hotel has no swimming pool, no spa, and no elevator. Rates start at $125 per room. Cadet Hotel, 1701 James Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Tel: (305) 672-6688. www.CadetHotel.com

The Art Deco architecture in South Beach represents rebirth in the 1930's after the tragic hurricane of 1926. Art Deco is an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism characterized by geometric and jumbled shapes. Nautical accents like railings and porthole windows are sometimes added. Aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer and inlaid wood are some of the materials used in Art Deco architecture. Art Deco architecture can be appreciated in many of the hotels that line Ocean Drive. The Clevelander, the Congress Hotel, the Colony Hotel, the Hotel Victor, along with many other buildings that dot the South Beach skyline, are built in the Art Deco style.

THINGS TO DO AND SEE: Ocean Drive is a great place to people watch, with a lively atmosphere. South Beach tolerates topless sunbathing, particularly at Lummus Beach, where models go and pose for fashion magazine photo shoots; an estimated 1,500 models live in South Beach. Lincoln Road is a popular open-air pedestrian mall lined with unusual boutiques, retail outlets, sidewalk restaurants and cafés. It's also a cultural center, with a new state-of-the-art multiplex cinema, a concert hall for the New World Symphony Orchestra, the Art Center of South Florida (a collection of studio and gallery space for emerging artists), and the newly restored Colony Theater Performing Arts Center. GoCar Tours has a self-driving tour for one hour ($49), taking you to the highlights of Miami Beach (e.g. the Versace Mansion). The vehicle has a GPS and also an audio tour which tells you about the sights. In addition to 12 GoCars, they have 200 bicycles for rent. Located at 1655 James Avenue, Miami Beach. Tel: (305) 428-2767. www.gocartours.com Open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Duck Tours South Beach takes you in an amphibious vehicle on a fun 90-minute narrated tour of the highlights of Miami Beach and South Beach, including a cruise around the homes of the rich and famous (like the ones on Star Island) in Biscayne Bay.

Located at 1661 James Avenue in Miami Beach. Tel: (305) 673-2217. Chef Jeffrey Chodorow’s Blue Door restaurant in the Delano Hotel is excellent for dinner inside or breakfast outside on the terrace. 1685 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139. Tel: (305) 674-6400. The hotel’s Florida Room – a Lenny Kravitz-designed subterranean bar – opens at 8:30 p.m. and is popular with the Euroflash party set, SoBe’s biggest after-hours scene. Washington Avenue is packed with some of the world's largest and most popular nightclubs, including Crobar and The Mansion. Your stay in SoBe is not complete until you have had a night at Mangoes.

Located at 900 Ocean Drive, Mangoes Tropical Café is for the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. crowd. Stand at the bar and get into the groove. Dancing is nonstop on the Main Bar all day and all night, 7 days a week.

PELICAN LANDING USEFUL INFORMATION – The PLCA website at www.PelicanLanding.org has a wealth of information. Make sure you sign up for the e-mailed newsletter. Note that some web pages require you to log in first. For example:

No login required:

Community Center: http://www.pelicanlanding.org/facility_detail.asp?id=4&name=Community+Center

All about the beach: http://www.pelicanlanding.org/facility_detail.asp?id=1&name=Beach+Park

Events calendar: http://www.pelicanlanding.org/calendar.asp

Login required:

Announcements (to see past bulletins and newsletters); Gate Access, Gate Passes, and Guest Passes; My Profile (to update your personal/contact information and sign up for e-mail bulletins & newsletters)

LA SCALA WEBSITE & WEB FORUM – Don’t forget to frequent the web forum at www.LaScalaAtTheColony.com/smf and also consult the website at www.LaScalaAtTheColony.com.

Have a wonderful summer……

Andrew