How
would you like to dine in the back seat of a 1959 Cadillac while listening
to the Shirelles sing, "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" Howard
Johnson Dezerland Resort Miami Beach is an excellent choice. Located in
Miami Beach near Bal Harbour shops and minutes from South Beach, this
hotel features a unique, 50’s style diner and a newly opened 1,500
square foot, onsite spa that offers a multitude of relaxing and rejuvenating
experiences.
Dezerland is the home of Michael Dezer's antique car and nostalgia collection.You'll
be thrown back to the days of "ducktails" and poodle skirts
the minute you walk into this fantasy land of the 50's. Dezer took his
antique car collection and turned many of the snappy old autos into dining
pieces. Take a load off and sip on a Coca-Cola in a 1957 Ford Fairlane,
a 1959 Chevy Impala or a vintage DeSoto. Some of the cars remain intact
and just sit there looking real pretty; like the turquoise 1955 Thunderbird
with porthole windows. Yowsah! And what would nostalgia be without Miss
Marilyn Monroe? You'll see her in more than a few places.
The
walls are covered with old 45 rpm records, posters, ads, and vintage clocks.
Neon abounds. Dezer even has authentic jukeboxes scattered around the
restaurant. Black and while tile floors are reminiscent of an old time
soda shop.
The
food is fun and good ol' Americana—hamburgers, hotdogs, club sandwiches
and pizza. No wheat grass here to wreck your good time.
Dezerland is also famous for its buffets. Everyday you can enjoy a breakfast buffet from 7:00am-11:30am and a lunch buffet from Noon-4:00pm. They offer Early Bird Specials from 4:00pm-6pm. Salads are fun to eat here; the salad bar is built into the back of a 1950 Ford Pickup truck.
Besides its fabulous American Classics restaurant, the hotel offers 227
oversized newly renovated rooms, fresh water pool, jacuzzi, tennis courts
and is within walking distance to the Surfside and Bal Harbour shopping
centers. The pool area features old gas pumps and serves hamburgers, hot
dogs and drinks during the day. Dezerland is one of those places that
really is fun for everyone. 8701 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL.,
Tel: 305/865-6661. (photos courtesy of Dezerland Hotel and Morty T.)
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Featured
Local Artist: Jo Beth Thomas, Mosaic Artist
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There's
always a person that stands out from the rest of the crowd for their talent
and vision and in this case, it's Jo Beth Thomas, one of Miami's most
creative and vibrant artists.
Jo Beth expresses herself as a versatile artist whose work ranges from
clay replicas of Miami Beach Art Deco hotels to pottery and mosaics. In
the past few years, Jo Beth's mosaic work has become some of the most
popular and sought after art in the Miami area.
Originally from Charleston, West Virginia, Jo Beth has made Florida her home for the past 22 years. She has studied at The Grove House, Ceramic League of Miami and Cedar Lake Craft Center in West Virginia.
Her
pieces include lizards, decorative boxes, flamingo statues, garden pots,
bowls, frames and votives. She has even produced a dining room table complete
with a hand-painted pedastal of antique botannical orchids. (For sale
at It's a Take. See bottom for address.)
An interest in mosaics was sparked in the artist after she saw the work of Luciano, whose clientele included Versace and Gloria Estefan. She has traveled to Europe and had tea with the Baroness Stoclet at Stoclet Palace in Brussels to discuss Gustave Klimpt's mosaics.
Her commissions
include a sea turtle mosaic for a pool to an entire fireplace in a private
residence. and a 7-foot tarpon for the bottom of a swimming pool.
Jo Beth's
work displays her keen attention to detail. Her pieces are distinctive,
elegant, upbeat and convey a sharp sense of color and design.
Says Jo Beth, "In the haunted house of life, art is the only step
that doesn't creak."
Inventive
and original, this fine artist is always coming up with new ideas for
her beautiful, engaging mosaics. 
You can purchase
Jo Beth Thomas's work at The Maya Hatcha, 3058 Grand Ave., Coconut
Grove, FL., Tel: 305/443-9040. Or by emailing Jo
Beth Thomas