Great shopping, great dining and even better people watching! Eagerly awaiting the long-overdue…read moreopening of their expansion.

My daughter and I love to stop by here a few times a year for the restaurants as well as the shops…read more I remember that several years ago I was in total awe of this upscale and very beautiful 3 story mall of high-end designer stores that was also recognized in other parts of the world. The famous celebrities, world politicians, and other well-to-do people frequented Bal Harbor Shops. Now, the shoppers are the 1% and the 99%. Some do window shopping only, others do actual shopping and eat at the fine restaurants, and some only dine at the restaurants. We have done all three. Here are the shops and restaurants that I have copied and pasted from the internet for your info: Retailers and restaurants include Salvatore Ferragamo, Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Goyard, Gucci, Harry Winston, Prada, Richard Mille, Van Cleef & Arpels, Versace, Makoto, Le Zoo, Carpaccio, Cafe on 3, and Hillstone. The anchors are Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue. I was sad that Dior wasn't there. There is an elevator to take you to the 2nd and 3rd levels. Parking is $10 an hour and there is also valet service. Treat yourself and go take a look! You will be happy that you did. There is even a koi pool that you and your kids would love to see.

I love Britto's artwork. It's fun and colorful with a modern twist. It makes me happy whenever I…read moresee his art. My husband gifted me a Britto mug set and I love it. We stumbled into this store by accident. It's new to the mall and located next to Toku restaurant and across from Bella Luna restaurant on the Macy's side of the mall. Before you walk into the store, you'll see a Britto "LOVE" sign in front of the store. Totally Instagrammable. The store itself is beautiful and colorful, of course because BRITTO! Loved browsing and just admiring all the cool stuff. What really caught my attention was the Limited Edition Monopoly set. More so the $4k price tag!!!! OH. EM. GEEEEEE!!! It's #488 out of #2000 total sets. So crazy but mad cool too. But for $4k, I don't think I would let anyone touch this game if it were sitting in my house. Lol. The chess set was so beautiful too. Ahhhhh. The two gentlemen working at Britto were very professional, attentive and answered any questions I had. They were great!

This store is so nice clean and actually has art for people to afford. There's also a location of…read morehis fine art on Lincoln Road. That location is not something for the average person to buy. This store is so fun and you can even bring your kids to it and have some thing for them. There's items like backpacks for back to school & kitchen things like aprons & dinnerware. All the staff was very attentive, clean cut and happy to help. He's a very well-known artist. I love going there!

The New River Marketplace is a pop up market hosted by History Ft. Lauderdale. It's held on the…read morelast Saturday of every month in front of the historic New River Inn along the New River. There is limited street parking which can be a bit of a challenge but the setting is so lovely that it is worth it. Admission to the market place is free. It was advertised as having 52 vendors and I would guess there wasn't even half of that. The vendors that were there sold sunglasses, clothing, second hand items, home services like gutters, and jewelry. My favorite vendor was Carolyn who sold second hand jewelry on the porch of the New River Inn. I loved poking through her treasures. She got all my money and I left with an opal ring, silver chain, and two pendants. Bring cash with you because some vendors like Carolyn do not accept cards.The event was advertised as having food and the only vendor I saw was Taco Baja selling tacos. There are a ton of restaurants in the area if the on site food is not to your liking. The museum is open during the market and adults can tour for $15. The New River Inn was built in 1905 and was one of Ft. Lauderdale's earliest hotels. History Ft. Lauderdale operates several historic buildings in this one area. The New River is very picturesque and it is a great place to take a stroll even if there is nothing going on. I enjoyed my market visit. These types of outdoor markets are very popular now and I think the great location has the potential to make this market a major event, especially if they add some more food and merchandise vendors.

Yea, I know I'm super late! If you watch Stranger Things, may be worth checking out…read more This store is located inside of the Aventura Mall. When we went, we had to reserve a time slot online. I believe it was free too. It wasn't too crowded when we went so we had time to enjoy every section. Pretty cool just like the set, take your photos and relive the show. There's a souvenir shop in the back in case you want some items. I'm a child of the 80s so I could relate to the items. We didn't buy anything but glad we checked it out. Didn't really need to interact with the staff as we were pretty much in & out in like 20 mins. I went to get a smoothie afterwards.

This is a limited time pop up store located in the Adventura Mall. It is run by Netflix and it…read moreopened on October 26th. It will be here at least until November 6th but beyond that not much is known. It is free to experience. Park by the Macy's in the garage. It is next to Santa's Workshop which is under construction. You can put in for a ticket so you do t have to wait or you can just come down. There was only a 10 minute wait to get in. The main hold up was people who wanted their picture in front of the Stranger Things logo before entering. The wait was quick and I was entertained by the 80's music playing. The store has all of your Stranger Things merchandise and they have photo ops. You walk into the Byers living room. Complete with strung Christmas lights. It was so much fun to sit on Joyce's 80's couch. Other things you will recognize are the Starcourt Mall with Scoops Ahoy merch, the skating rink, the Hawkins School, Surfer Boy Pizza, and the Arcade where I had a blast reliving my youth with Ms. Pac-Man. You can even ride the kids bicycles into the upside down world. It was amazing how much of the show they got in. In the last room you are face to face with a demogorgon. This experience had a line because people stop and take pictures. Fans of the show will love seeing the TV show come to life. Merch is expensive but what price can you put on becoming a member of the Hell Fire club! The augmented reality pins looked really interesting. You can even personalize your shirts like a staff name on a Scoops Ahoy shirt or your name on a Hawkins team jersey. The only thing I didn't like was there was four registers set up and only one person checking out, The line to check out was longer than to see the demogorgon. They need more staff ringing up purchases. At the end a second person jumped on and after that it was better.

Despite having lived next door to the Bergeron Rodeo for several years back in the 90's this was my…read morefirst visit. I won't go to a rodeo because I don't find abusing animals entertaining but a craft show on the other hand is right up my alley. This is an annual event sponsored by the town of Davie. The event was advertised as having 100 vendors. I don't think there were quite that many but they had a lot. Admission and parking were free. The tents filled the rodeo arena and outside it as well. People were selling plants, floral arrangements, zombie soup mix, jewelry, lights in alcohol bottles, soap, dream catchers, a tiny fairy garden, woodwork, stained glass, baked goods, clothes, bags, and a myriad of other hand made goods. They also had food and drink vendors and bounce houses and kids corner activities for children . The grounds were perfect for the craft show. There were plenty of clean bathrooms. The weather was gorgeous, the vendors were varied, and with the upcoming holidays it was the perfect time to shop. It is good to support the local arts community. This is a nice hometown event perfect for kids and adults.

Showed up at the Boca Flamingo Flea arts and crafts event hosted by Crazy Uncle Mikes Brewery in…read moreBoca Raton, FL. Twenty- six booths here with an array of artistry. "Exraordinary Oracle" booth had very unique candles, art and oracle cards for sale. The Pet Rescue booth was here and showed off about 10 dogs for adoption, including a one-eyed Frenchie who was a perfect three year old companion dog. Very cool event and the weather was great.

From the owner: *The Flamingo Flea is hosted ONCE every other month at Crazy Uncle Mike's (Boca Raton) and on the…read moreopposite months, at Tarpon River Brewing (Fort Lauderdale). See instagram.com/theflamingoflea for upcoming dates. Flamingo Flea is the perfect Weekend Funday with a modern spin a your grandma's Flea Market! Hosted with 30 local vendors, craft beers, live bands, brunch and more. All of our vendors are handmade, upcycled, vintage or locally sourced. Dive a little deeper into South Florida's creative community. Find latest details at FlamingoFlea.com and follow @theflamingoflea Learn how to apply at flamingoflea.com/participate

There's a lot of whacky stuff to wander around and browse here, though most of it is exactly as…read moretacky as Canal Street wares; there are a couple of antiques vendors there that have some actually interesting and/or beautiful items, and of course there's New York Pickles. A smell comes down off the neighbouring trash mountain sometimes, but the building is decently climate controlled.

The Vintage Fair is an ongoing outdoor event at the Festival Flea Market. Admission and parking is…read morefree. It is located in the parking lot at the end near the Hillsboro Antique Mall. Items include handmade, vintage, antique, re-purposed and salvage. DJ Mike Locke provides the entertainment. On the day I visited I got there close to closing. I am not sure if some of the vendors already packed up but it looked like it. There was one huge tent and then one line of vendors outside. I mainly saw jewelry but here were also hummel figurines, depression glass and other assorted odds and ends. The vendors that were there were ready to wheel and deal. A lot of them were asking people to just make an offer and one women was offering and entire box of baubles for a dollar each. I was looking for some vintage pyrex but I didn't see any. If you want the best selection come when they open at 9 AM. I overheard some of the vendors say that they sold a lot of things earlier in the day. If you are just looking to perhaps snag a deal come close to 4 when the vendors are looking to sell rather than pack it up, The next fair is February 16th. Check the Festival Flea market's website under events for further dates.

As a chick originally from the north, it's been hard getting into the Christmas spirit since moving…read moreto Miami. Cue Miracle in Miami, combining 2 of my wintertime favorite things: drinking and kitschy Christmas activities. It's located in the back room of Gramps. They've got it all decorated up and your fav Christmas tunes are pumpin'. The only thing missing is some fake snow and mistletoe. They've got a list of fun, albeit pricey, holiday cocktails to choose from. It's open until Dec 26 if you need an extra dose of adult Christmas spirit.

I was in Miami for my birthday which happens to be right before Christmastime. I was at a little…read moredive bar when I somehow learned that the popup Christmas bar was in the back. Sweet! Even better, it was a weekday and they were slow so there wasn't a wait. I've seen these Christmas bars in other towns and it's always a shitshow. Well, there were like 2 people in there when I went. Kind of hoped for more, but the bartender was cute so I stuck around for a Christmas cocktail and some 'grams. The sample of the frozen 'nog I had was super good, I kinda wished I had ordered that instead of the gingerbread Old Fashioned I got, which was still good. :)

Came for annual vaccines & rabies for my small dog. Doctor…read moreEliana Newman attended me. She stated she would do the other annual vaccines for the second visit as she classified my dog as being small and wanted to be safe. She also stated that I was able to turn in a sample of my dogs stool for a heartworm checkup. I asked about the costs of the stool analysis if they are fully covered and she said yes. I then asked about the other vaccines for the second checkup if they will be covered for the payment of that day and she stated that they will. These receipt of the first visit were: Rabies 3YR ($71.22) w/ 3YR Tag in Dade County ($180), Bordetella Oral Vaccine 1YR ($58.56), Heartworm K9 723 ($61.10), & Physical Exam/Consultation ($78.12) for a total of $449. The next day I brought the stool for the analysis. There was also a $0 item charge on the first visit receipt for the analysis stool test for heartworm but on bringing it I was told by the front desk that the cost would be around $70 to send and conduct the test in a third-party laboratory. I declined and left. My second visit was to be in nearly three weeks. I expected the visit to be simple as I was told by Dr. Eliana Newman in the first visit that the costs have been paid already. But after my dog had received the vaccines, the bill was then shown to me to my surprise. I asked for clarification to why I'm being charge stating that I was told in the previous visit that I would not be charged for the these vaccines. I was brought the manager and then Dr. David Carmona who I continued this conversation with. He stated that I was wrong and mistaken. I kept on repeating to him what I was told and couldn't believe I was being charged again. He kept on pressuring me to pay the amount, continually praising how his staff are well trained and wouldn't do such a thing. He kept on trying to convince me that the clinic is honest and has been clear and upfront about all cost with no hidden fees.. He continued on about the years he has worked as a vet & the years put into this clinic. He stated that all he can offer is to remove the $36.45 dollar consultation fee which he claimed was a "generous deal" and kept on pushing how good I was getting for such a "10-15% off" on my bill. He threaten to call the cops on me for refusing the payment leading me to be forced to pay this insanely high bill & be deceived by what other doctors have told me. The receipt for the second visit was: Leptospirosis Vaccine 4L ($65.66), Parvo Vaccine 3 YR ($64.07), Distemper Vaccine 3YR ($62.93), & Biohazard/Sharps Disposal ($14.22) for a total of $206.88. Both visits in total cost me $655.88, just for annual vaccines for a small dog. The veterinarians are soft spoken & can sound trustworthy but check your receipts and double check for what services you'll be provided. Check for costs in multiple visits. Check for what vaccines cost will be. Check for what external services are provided and what they hidden costs might be.

I got a new cat last year and wanted to try a vet closer to home than the one I had been using. In…read moreaddition, I have another cat that was having vague medical issues. I hit a dead end with my original vet and wanted a second opinion. Some folks at the animal shelter where I volunteer had good things to say about this vet, so I made an appointment. The woman who answered the phone was friendly and helpful. I was able to make an appointment within a few days of calling, and on the appointed day and time, off I went with my precious cargo. Anyone that has attempted a car trip with cats understands that the minute they get in the car, they start singing the song of their people. It's stressful and distracting, so the shorter the car trip, the better. Even with traffic, I was at the vet in 10 minutes; so far, so good! We were seen by the vet nurse almost immediately. I was impressed with her thoroughness! She spent at least 20 minutes with me taking a detailed history of both cats before Dr. Basto examined my little furballs. I really liked Dr. Basto - her approach to vet care is very reasonable! I really felt like we were having a dialog and making decisions together. She gave me some great advice regarding the vague medical issue, as well as tips for reducing my fat cat's weight. Even better - they called the following day, a Saturday, with blood work results! I was so pleased not to have to wait for that! Dr. Basto wasn't working, so a different vet made the call and was also very thorough! On Monday, Dr. Basto followed up to make sure I didn't have any questions or concerns. They are an expensive vet - I'm sure their overhead across the street from the beach is enormous. However, I really felt like the treatment, both of myself and my pets, was absolutely top notch.