From SoBe to The Grove
It’s a new Miami for AWB
Allison Weiss Brady is back! Miami’s social girl has relocated from SoBe to The Grove and has had a jammed-packed schedule complete with landscaping, fundraising and entertaining. It’s full-steam ahead for Allison and the hot summer weather is sure to be full of fabulous Miami adventures.
Spring seems to have passed so quickly, and summer is definitely upon us!
Chip and I stayed in town for Memorial Day (were we the only ones?) so that I could help organize the Third Annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the South Florida National Cemetery for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Last year’s event was in the afternoon, but this year we moved it to the morning due to the already sweltering heat. Joining me in honoring our fallen heroes on Memorial Day were Congressman Ron Klein, Congressman Ted Deutch, Diane N. Weiss, Dennis P. Koehler, and Roy Foster, named one of CNN’s Top 10 Heroes of 2009. It was a very poignant way to celebrate Memorial Day and say thanks to our service men and women for all they do.
Luckily, we just finished working on our new residence, which mercifully includes a new pool and breezy loggia, both perfect escapes from the summer heat.
After months of trying to work on our landscaping ourselves, Chip and I finally got smart and hired Tim Johnson and Fernando Wong of Fernando Wong Outdoor Living Design to finish the job. They crafted our gardens into a lush green paradise of splendor and tranquility where I can get lost for hours on end. What a dream – relaxing by the pool and reading the latest issues of Vogue and Luxe magazines. All that’s missing are the bonbons!
Wouldn’t you know it, our neighbors were so impressed by our garden that they hired Fernando and Tim, too. They call them the “Masters of their Craft.” I wonder how I could ever earn a title like that.
With the landscaping complete, we’ve got the perfect place to host dinner parties, both big and small. We got started immediately, hosting a UPenn dinner to honor George A. Weiss, who was just named Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees at UPenn and is one of the people in charge of raising $3.5 billion for the university. His other important title is that he’s my Dad!
The UPenn who’s-who of Miami attended, including current and future Penn leaders: Hollywood Mayor Peter Bober and his wife Samara; Penn Trustee David Ertel and his wife Beth; Art Basel Miami superstar Stefanie Block Reed and Evan Reed; former NY Jets player Vince Alexander (who I took to an event at The White House a few years ago as my guest); Andria and Javier Holtz; Stacey and Howard Shoer; Jaime and Cheryl Peisach; Penn Club of Miami president Amy Rosenberg; Liz and Melanie Camp; LSN Partners Alex Heckler and Tiffany Zientz Heckler; Matt and Amanda Adler; and Leonard and Jayne Abess.
Leonard and Jayne brought us some scrumptious Land of Goshen brand maple syrup from one of their properties in Vermont. I couldn’t wait to put it on my M&M topped pancakes the next morning. Yum! Remember Leonard Abess was mentioned in President Obama’s State of the Union address last year for his incredible generosity to the former employees of City National Bank.
Also invited was president of the Florida Marlins David Samson who couldn’t make our dinner because of a previous commitment to UJA. David and his family and Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria donated the famous Robert Indiana super glossy red LOVE sculpture in front of the Psi Upsilon fraternity on Penn’s campus.
Speaking of love, I heard that the owners of Greenstreet restaurant in Coconut Grove, Eric Boucher and Silvano Bignon, are opening a new restaurant on June 28th just across the street called Lulu in the Grove. It’s supposed to be a little more exotic with amazing food. Can’t wait!
I’m off to a birthday party for Ashlee Harrison at The Standard. You know Ashlee is Marketing Director for DCOTA. I ran into her, Erin Newberg, Louis Aguirre, Martin Rozenblum, Jillian Sanz, and Manny Hernandez at the Salon Louis Vuitton event last week to benefit The Wolfsonian-FIU. It will be fun catching up with Miami’s hottest young society set! I’ll be sure and give you the inside scoop in a future column.
Until next time I bid you adieu.
Allison
