Earlier this month, I mentioned Google released it's Maps API; and that we have integrated it into our site to create a local hotel map.

The feedback has been positive. People seem to really enjoy searching on the map. We decided to follow up by adding a map of Miami Real Estate.

Implementing a Google Map is important because it helps connect Real Estate Developers, and buyers researching investments in a more valuable way.

Users can browse over 90 different develpments in and around Miami, searching a street-map, satellite image, or a hybrid of the two.

The navigation is easy to use--just drag the map with your mouse, and use the slider to zoom in and out.

By providing un-biased local coverage and a unique approach to displaying real estate in a visual format, MiamiBeach411.com has become a major stop for investors seeking Miami real estate information.

Hooray! We got power. Our online restaurant reservations system is back open for business.

Big shout-out to Miami FPL for getting the power restored so quickly.

After the storm, I thought the City would put all their efforts into getting things cleaned up for the VMA's, but I was wrong.

FPL got the electricity at our offices in Little Haiti working Saturday night.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that is in the path of Hurricane Katrina today. We hope you're all safely out of harm's way.

The Hurricane Katrina page on Wikipedia is frequently updated and very helpful resource.

Hip hop producer, Marion "Suge" Knight, was shot inside of a Miami Beach Hotel during a post party for MTV's Video Music Awards, according to Miami Beach Police.

The Death Row Records founder was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg and is in good condition at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Knight was attending a party at the Shore Club Hotel in Miami where Kanye West, Common, and John Legend held a G.O.O.D. Music party. Other celebrities in attendance included Eddie Murphy, Jessica Alba, Joss Stone, and The Game.

An employee from the Shore Club told me that one shot was fired in the hotel's Red Room and the shooter was apprehended at the scene. News sources are saying that police are still looking for the suspect.

All is well in Miami Beach, Florida. Aside from some downed trees, the City fared very well during the storm.

For all you VMA'ers in town for the MTV Video Music awards this Sunday, I'm sure the weather will be fine for the show.

I just took a bike ride around the Miami Beach, and all of the restaurants on Ocean Drive are open for business. I was concened about them, because they face the ocean and would bear the brunt of the storm, but they're all ok.

Yesterday, Michelle and I lost power at 5pm, and it looks like it will be out all weekend.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to our loss of electricity, we will not be able to process online restaurant reservations. If you wish to make a restaurant reservation, call the restaurant directly.

Port Everglades is Closed. The U.S. Coast Guard has restricted ships from coming into the port as of Wednesday night. Cruise passengers should call their cruise lines for updated schedule changes.

Even though the Local Weather channels have been monitoring Tropical Storm Katrina for a while, for most residents, the storm popped up out of nowhere.

Since Tropical Storms tend to move slower than Hurricanes, officials are preparing for serious flooding.

Schools

• Broward County schools closed Thursday & Friday. Check the District's Web site at www.browardschools.com or call the Rumor Control Hotline at (754) 321-0321 for updates.

• Miami-Dade County schools will be closed Thursday. No decision has been made yet regarding Friday cancellations.

• Monroe County Schools will be open Thursday. Students may be released early depending on the track of the storm. For more information, call the Key West Rumor Control Hot Line (305) 809-1108.

• Beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, all FAU classes are cancelled. Classes held on Friday are cancelled. Classes are expected to resume on Saturday. Please check this or emergency hotlines on Friday after 3 p.m. for Saturday's status. For continual updates, visit www.fau.edu or call the FAU hotline at (561) 297-2020, (561) 799-8020, (954) 236-1800 or (772) 873-3330.

• MIAMI DADE COLLEGE announced all campuses and outreach centers will close on Thursday and Friday. Only essential and emergency personnel will be allowed on campus. A decision on the status of weekend classes and activities will be made on Friday.

• Classes will be closed at all BROWARD COMMUNITY COLLEGE locations on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Classes will resume on Monday as scheduled.

• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI will remain in session Thursday. A rumor control line has been established at (305) 284-5151.

• AMERICAN INTERCONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY will be closed for classes Thursday and Friday. Please call the Campus Hotline for further information: (954) 446-6112.

• ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY is closed until further notice.

• Florida School for the Deaf & the Blind in St. Augustine sent hundreds of students home to South Florida Wednesday so parents could decide whether to evacuate. The students normally return home each weekend.

Evacuations, Shelters

The Broward Emergency Operations Center has announced a recommended evacuation of people living on the barrier islands east of the Intracoastal Waterway effective Thursday at 8 a.m.

Red Cross Shelters open at 2pm for residents who wish to evacuate. Shelter Locations

Miami-Dade County issued voluntary evacuations for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas that flood regularly. A shelter has been opened at Charles Drew Middle School, located at 1801 NW 60 Street in Miami.

Hotlines

Broward County Hurricane Hot Line: (954) 831-4000
Miami-Dade: (305) 468-5900
Report Price Gouging: 1-866-9-NOSCAM
Report A Power Outage: 1-800-4OUTAGE

Courts

• All Divisions of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida will be suspended at 1 p.m. This includes the Court's locations in Key West, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce. Further information about the status of the Court's operations for Friday will be available on the Court's Web site at www.flsd.uscourts.gov.

• All courthouses in Broward will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

Airports & Transportation

• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport will close at 7 p.m. Thursday.

• Miami International Airport is open.

• Broward County transit services stopped at noon Thursday.

• The Broward Sheriff's Office and U.S. Coast Guard activated an emergency flotilla to move large pleasure boats upriver. Miami-Dade and Broward drawbridges have been locked down for evacuating cars and for emergency vehicles.

• Tri-Rail will cease operations Thursday after southbound train P655 departs the Mangonia Park Station at 2:40 p.m. and northbound train P656 departs the Miami Airport Station at 3:19 p.m. Trains will not operate on Friday. Passengers should monitor local news reports, www.tri-rail.com or call 1-800-TRI-RAIL for service updates throughout the weekend.

Other Closings & Information

• Sawgrass Mills Mall and Boca Town Center are closed. Broward Mall plans to close later Thursday afternoon.

• The Port of Miami is closed to vessel traffic.

• Port Everglades remains open to vehicular port traffic and for businesses inside the port. The U.S. Coast Guard has restricted ships from coming into the port as of Wednesday night.

• Biscayne National Park is closed.

Additional Links:
Katrina satellite view
Hurricane local statement
Miami weather
Tropical Storm Katrina

As of 9:30am, Tropical Storm Katrin is located 70 miles east of Fort Lauderdale with winds of 50 mph. It is moving west at 8 mph.

The system is forecasted to intensify to hurricane strength before landfall sometime late tonight/early Friday. Hurricane warnings are posted from Florida City to Vero Beach along Florida's east coast. Tropical storm warnings remain posted across the Northwestern Bahamas and tropical storm watches are posted across southwestern portions of Florida. The primary threat from Katrina is from heavy rainfall.

Street flooding is expected and will be enhanced by the fact that Katrina will be moving slowly across southern Florida. The storm is expected to take 24 to 36 hours to move from the east coast to the west coast.

Note: MDCC will be closed today and tomorrow.

Additional Links:
Katrina satellite view
Hurricane local statement
Miami weather
Tropical Storm Katrina

The City of Miami Beach has issued a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch for the southeast coast of Florida. No evacuation order has been issued at this time. However, based on current forecasts, the weather is expected to begin to deteriorate by mid afternoon Thursday. Residents are urged to prepare their homes and take necessary precautions to prevent possible wind damage. Secure all loose objects outside of your residence including trash cans, patio furniture, boats and so on.

Please do not cut or trim trees prior to the forecasted storm arrival. This will result in debris piles which could become missile hazards. The City does not plan to provide complimentary debris collections. Residents must call Waste Management at (305) 471-4444 to schedule a bulk pick-up after the storm.

Please continue to monitor the storm throughout the next 48 hours. We will continue to follow Tropical Storm Katrina and will be providing updates as needed. Residents and visitors may contact the Miami-Dade County Answer Center at (305) 468-5900 for more information.

Each year, Forbes Magazine ranks the best cities for singles. Miami ranks 23rd out of 40 cities.

Here are the guidlines that the editors used to rate the cities and how Miami fared on each count:

Number of Singles - Each city is evaluated based upon the percentage of its adult population that has never been married. Miami ranks 23 on this attribute.

Nightlife - Forbes editors count the number of bars, restaurants and nightclubs in a city and use this strictly numerical rating to assess the city's nightlife. Miami came in a surprising number 15 on this attribute.

Culture - The cultural index is calculated in a similar manner. In this case, Forbes editors track the number of museums, sports teams and entertainment venues. Miami scored 24th out of 40.

Coolness - Several University professors used data on the number of creative jobs and amount of diversity in each city to come up with a coolness ranking. I'm not sure how they did their math, but Miami only came out number 15 on this ranking.

Job Growth - Projected job growth is important to young singles looking to advance their careers. Economic data placed Miami as number 19 on this attribute.

Cost of Living - Miami's cost of living was the third worst in the study. The only cities studied that were more expensive than Miami were Austin and San Antonio.

Miami is a great town to be single in. Obviously, the Forbes list was put together by someone who has never partied here.

Last night, my friend George gave me a tip on where to meet girls. He says go to SoFi Lounge on Friday or Saturday night at around 1am. His words were:

"... the place is overflowing with hos beautiful women"

What is the Miami singles scene like for you? Where is your favorite place to meet girls/guys? Drop us a comment.

Neighbors are complaining that the floodlights from Shaq's Star Island home are ruining their views.

"My problem is I've got this beautiful condo with a great view and I've lost my view thanks to Shaquille O'Neal. It feels like I'm living across from a baseball stadium and that's not what I paid for. I paid a lot of money for this property" says Miami Beach condo owner Kim Suereth.

"I got a spotlight myself and shined it on him last night and today knocking on my door was code enforcement from the city of Miami and the city of Miami Beach, threatening to cite me and that I would be fined $5,000 if I did it again,"

For weeks, Shaq's neighbors have asked him to dim the floodlights, but this is not possible do to the fact that flood lights do not have a dimmer switch ;-)

NBC 6 television reporter, Tom Llamas, stopped by Shaq's house unannounced to ask him about the lights. Shaq wasn't too excited to see him.

"Get away from my house. What do you want?" Shaq responded through an intercom outside the gate of his home. "Of course, I've been told about the lights. If they don't like it, tell them to pull the shades."

The response angered Shaq's neighbors, who said that if Miami Beach doesn't fix the problem they would take matters into their own hands.

But don’t worry, it’s not what you think, the condo owners are just going to buy flood lights too.

"I'm going to buy the same lights that Shaq has and since they're in code I'll have no problem," neighbor Alain Toto said. "I'm going to put them on my balcony and others will do the same and we’ll make Star Island light up."

Come on millionaires neighbors. Let's all be neighborly and find a solution.

Maybe you can find a hardware store in Miami that sells a flood light with a dimmer switch, or at least a smaller wattage bulb.

Both sides should lighten.

Lighten up, get it? heh heh

Update: Shaq has dimmed the floodlights. Thursday night, he came outside his house and waved from across the bay to make sure neighbors were OK with the new lights.

The wrongful euthanasia of Cowboy the golden retriever, has got us thinking about what to do if you've lost your pet.

First, report it missing by calling the Miami-Dade Animal Shelter. Their phone number is (305) 884-1101, ext. 241.

You can visit the Animal Shelter which is located at 7401 NW 74th Street. The shelter is open to the public from 11am to 4:30pm.

If your pet is not at the shelter, ask to fill out a form and return every two days to check.

You can also view animals that have recently been impounded at PetHarbor.com, an independent website not run by the county. I did a Zip Code search, and was impressed with the results, but sadly saw no picture of Cowboy.

U.S. postal inspectors have arrested three American Airlines baggage handlers on charges they stole mail headed to Haiti.

In the mail bags, the men found cash, possibly being sent from local residents to their relatives in that impoverished country, where many people rely on money sent to them from Miami.

Bryan Riley, of Homestead, Nelson Rodriguez, of Miami, and Sidney Jimenez, of Pembroke Pines, were all charged with grand theft after inspectors staked out the plane they were loading.

Source: Miami Hearld (registration required)

CriticalMiami has statrted a Miami Wiki.

What is a Wiki you ask? A Wiki is a web application that allows users to add and edit content, as on an Internet forum. The term Wiki also refers to the collaborative software used to create such a website.

Wikis are collaborative in nature. What's great about them is they put the power of Web publishing in everyone's hands.

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, began in 2001 and has almost 700,000 user submitted articles in many different languages.

For CriticalMiami, the idea began as an experiment to document Miami's local bands, but they hope to grow the idea to document everything.

I added some content to the Cafeteria restaurant page. It was fun and easy to go back and re-edit until I got it right.

If you're in a band, have a local interest, or know about somthing special, go to the Miami Wiki and create a page.

From Kelly x at MTV UK:

"Hello. I'm emailing from MTV UK, we're coming out to film the VMA's in Miami from 22nd August. We really want to film in a boat with a boat tour guide for a couple of hours on Tuesday 23rd August with our presenter. We would love the presenter to do links from the boat as well. We have insurance which I can forward onto you as well. Our budget is very limited but it would be a great advertising opportunity for your company- especially for UK viewers who want to visit Miami. If you are interested or know anyone else that might be interested could you email me back to this address."

She says her budget is limited, but don't let that fool. This is MTV. Not to mention, the British Pound is destorying the US Dollar.

If you own a tour boat and are looking for exposure, contact us and I'll send you the details.

The MTV Video Music Awards will take place on August 28th at the American Airlines Arena. I'll be watching from home, but for those true ballers out there, you can book the Mandarin Oriental "All Access Package" for a mere $29,000.

The package includes your choice from one of two presidential suites that will be stocked with Cristal Rose Champagne and Beluga caviar. The three-night deal also includes a chauffeured Hummer, a 24-hour butler, spa treatments, dinner at Azul, a gift certificate for a pair of fabby Rock and Republic Jeans, a 'goody bag featuring Gucci and Dior sunglasses, a Dolce & Gabbana towel, a Baccarat Crystal butterfly, The Art of Shaving Travel Kit, a custom-programmed iPod with Louis Vuitton case, Chanel products, candles, creams and more.

The Fort Lauderdale Swap Shop Circus, featuring elephants, acrobats and clowns has closed. The last performance was Tuesday afternoon. Swap Shop owner Preston Henn apparently ordered the performers to leave but it's not clear why.

Police have arrested a man accused of 10 luggage robberies at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

Langston Austin, a convicted armed robber from Pensacola, is being held without bond. He's charged with three counts of grand theft.

Broward police began investigating the crimes after ransacked bags started turning up inside men's restrooms at the airport.

"His method of operation was the same every day. He would pick (bags) up in Terminal One, take them to Terminal Two, open them up, untag them so that customers or passengers would not be able to identify them later and go through them and later discard them after he picked out his items of choice," said Liz Cazadilla-Fiallo, of the Broward Sheriff's Office.

Austin also had an active warrant out of Miami Dade County for cocaine possession at the time of his arrest.

See a mugshot of Langston Austin at nbc6.

After two failed attempts, the Miami Seaquarium sent Mo the manatee back into the wild.

Workers from the Miami Seaquarium drove the 1,155-pound manatee to Kings Bay in Citrus County on Tuesday for one more try at freedom.

Mo is well known throughout the state for having lived at nearly every Florida manatee-rehabilitation facility at one time or another.

The Miami Seaquarium has been Mo's home for most of the past year. There, animal keepers worked hard to teach him what he needs to survive in the wild.

See pics of Mo's release at nbc6.

Cool Junkie is a music and lifestyle site that follows the nightlife scene in 11 US cities. I came across a section of their site last week called A Girl About Town. A girl named Jipsy goes around town and writes about what's new, what's hot, and what's not so hot. It's great for those of you who want to be in the know, but don't follow the Miami parties every week. Her style is fun and informative. Here is a link to what Jipsy has to say this week.

Google has released it's Maps API; we have integrated it into our site to create a map of hotels in Miami, Florida.

Implementing a Google Map was important to us because it helps connect Miami hotels, and travelers researching local products and services in a more valuable way.

Users can browse over 100 different hotels in and around Miami, searching a street-map, satellite image, or a hybrid of the two.

The navigation is easy to use--just drag the map with your mouse, and use the slider to zoom in and out.

Hotels benefit greatly from online mapping. Linking a map to a business profile will allow each hotel to maximize it's visibility. Recent studies have shown that more consumers are researching local businesses online before heading out to make a purchase. By using MiamiBeach411's map, potential customers can pinpoint the exact location of a hotel in seconds.

By providing un-biased local coverage, competitive hotel rates, and a unique approach to displaying hotels in a visual format, MiamiBeach411.com has become a major stop for Miami travelers seeking hotel information.

Miami Beach is poised to join a growing list of local governments nationwide that are providing free wireless Internet access in parts of their cities.

The Wireless Miami Beach project would create a network providing free wireless Internet access throughout the city by mid-2006.

City Manager Jorge Gonzalez has announced plans to launch the Wireless Miami Beach project, with the intention of creating a wireless broadband network in Miami Beach by mid-2006.

The project's primary goal is to hook up city employees such as police officers and building officials to a secure citywide wireless network.

The dozens of wireless nodes that would be installed across Miami Beach to build the network for city employees would also be used to create about 25 hot spots -- places where anyone with a computer and a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) card installed could get online for free.

Lincoln Road, Ocean Drive and city schools would be in that first wave of hot spots, with the goal of providing wireless access citywide.

"I've always been concerned about the digital divide, where the affluent have access, but those less fortunate don't, and the divide is becoming bigger and bigger,'' Gonzalez said.

---

"As a nation we are falling behind on the connectivity issue, and if I can make Wi-Fi access cheap or free to all residents, I certainly want to do that."

Other Florida cities, such as Hollywood and St. Cloud, already have some form of wireless network.

Also see: Miami Wi-Fi Hotels, Miami Internet Cafes

Here are the 16 schools in Miami that received an "F" grade from the Florida Department of Education for 2005:

• Academy For Community Ed
• Alternative Outreach Program
• Cope Ctr North Alternative Ed
• Corporate Academy North
• D. M. Wallace C.O.P.E. Ctr Alt
• Holmes Elementary School
• Homestead Senior High School
• J.R.E. Lee Opp. Schl Alt Ed
• Jan Mann Opportunity Schl Alt
• Merrick Ed. Center Special Ed.
• Miami Central Senior High Schl
• Miami D. Macarthur Sr High, N.
• Miami Douglas Macarthur S.H.,S
• Miami Edison Senior High Schl
• Northeast Academy
• 500 Role Model Academy

Miami's teacher's pets best public schools are here.

Gray Hat Search Engine News has a funny take about a Google job posting for two executive chefs.

For the foodies who are interested, you can find a more culinary summary of the job opportunity at the GoogleBlog.

The Florida Department of Education released its 2005 school report cards. Miami parrents should be pleased to know that 153 of our 334 public schools received an “A” grade for student achievement.

• Air Base Elementary
• Amelia Earhart Elementary
• Archimedean Academy
• Arvida Middle School
• Aventura Charter
• Banyan Elementary
• Ben Sheppard Elementary
• Bent Tree Elementary
• Blue Lakes Elementary
• Bob Graham Educational
• Bowman Foster Ashe Elementary
• Calusa Elementary
• Charles D. Wyche, Jr. Elementary
• Charles R Drew Elementary
• Charles R Hadley Elementary
• Christina M. Eve Elementary
• Coconut Grove Elementary
• Colonial Drive Elementary
• Coral Gables Elementary
• Coral Park Elementary
• Coral Reef Elementary
• Coral Reef Senior High School
• Coral Way Elementary
• Crestview Elementary
• Cutler Ridge Elementary
• Cypress Elementary
• Dante B. Fascell Elementary
• David Fairchild Elementary
• Design & Architectural Sr High
• Devon Aire Elementary
• Doral Acad. Charter Middle School
• Doral Academy
• Doral Middle School
• Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Elementary
• Dr. Gilbert L. Porter Elementary
• E.W.F. Stirrup Elementary
• Emerson Elementary
• Ernest R. Graham Elementary
• Ethel F. Beckford/Richmond Elementary
• Ethel Koger Beckham Elementary
• Eugenia B. Thomas Elementary
• Everglades K-8 Center
• Fairlawn Elementary
• Fienberg-Fisher Elementary
• Flagami Elementary
• Flamingo Elementary
• Frank C. Martin Elementary
• Fulford Elementary
• G. W. Carver Middle School
• George W. Carver Elementary
• Gertrude K. Edleman/Sabal Palm
• Glades Middle School
• Greenglade Elementary
• Greynolds Park Elementary
• Hammocks Middle School
• Herbert A. Ammons Middle School
• Hialeah Gardens Elem.
• Highland Oaks Middle School
• Howard Drive Elementary
• International Studies Charter
• Irving & Beatrice Peskoe Elementary
• Jack David Gordon Elementary
• Jane S. Roberts Elementary
• Joe Hall Elementary
• John A. Ferguson Sr High
• John G. Dupuis Elementary
• John I. Smith Elementary
• Kendale Elementary
• Kendale Lakes Elementary
• Kenwood K-8 Center
• Key Biscayne K-8 Center
• Kinloch Park Elementary
• Lakeview Elementary
• Lamar Louise Curry Middle
• Leewood Elementary
• Lorah Park Elementary
• Ludlam Elementary
• Madie Ives Elementary
• Mae M. Walters Elementary
• Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary
• Mast Academy
• Mater Academy
• Mater Academy Charter Middle
• Mater Academy East Charter
• Meadowlane Elementary
• Miami Heights Elementary
• Miami Lakes Elementary
• Miami Palmetto Sr. High
• Miami Shores/Barry Uni Charter
• Miami Springs Elementary
• N Dade Ctr For Modern Language
• Nathan B. Young Elem.
• New World School Of The Arts
• North Beach Elementary
• North Glade Elementary
• North Hialeah Elementary
• North Twin Lakes Elem.
• Oak Grove Elementary
• Ojus Elementary
• Olinda Elementary
• Oliver Hoover Elementary
• Olympia Heights Elementary
• Palm Lakes Elementary
• Palm Springs Elementary
• Palm Springs North Elem.
• Palmetto Elementary
• Palmetto Middle
• Parkway Elementary
• Paul W. Bell Middle School
• Perrine Elementary
• Phyllis R. Miller Elementary
• Pinecrest Academy Charter
• Pinecrest Elementary
• Pinecrest Preparatory Academy
• Redland Elementary
• Redondo Elementary
• Renaissance Elementary Charter
• Rockway Elementary
• Rockway Middle
• Royal Green Elementary
• Royal Palm Elementary
• Ruth K. Broad-Bay Harbor Elementary
• Scott Lake Elementary
• Seminole Elementary
• Skyway Elementary School
• Snapper Creek Elementary
• South Hialeah Elementary
• South Miami Elementary
• South Miami Heights
• South Miami Middle School
• South Pointe Elementary
• Southside Elementary
• Southwood Middle
• Springview Elementary
• Sunset Elementary
• Sunset Park Elementary
• Sweetwater Elementary
• Sylvania Heights Elementary
• Treasure Island Elem.
• Twin Lakes Elementary
• Van E. Blanton Elementary
• Village Green Elementary
• Vineland Elementary
• Virginia Boone-Highland Oaks
• Wesley Matthews Elementary
• West Laboratory Elem.
• Whispering Pines Elementary
• William Lehman Elementary
• Winston Park Elementary
• Youth Co-Op Charter
• Zora Neale Hurston Elementary

Unfortunately, Miami did have 16 schools receive an “F” grade this year.

Don Vito from MTV's "Bam Margera Show" was recently at Mansion nightclub in Miami Beach balling it up with a group of friends.

But don't expect to see any apple martinis in Don Vito's hand. He's keepin' it real with a bottle of Bud.

See a gallery of Don Vito party pictures at Wireimage.

I had no idea there were so many traffic cameras along I-95. Below is a list of highway webcams in Miami, FL. The Hearld web cam pictures will automatically update every three minutes:

• I-95 & NW 213th St.
• I-95 & Ives Dairy Rd.
• I-95 & NW 196th St.
• I-95 & NW 176th St.
• I-95 & NW 151 St.
• I-95 & NW 135th St.
• I-95 & NW 124th St.
• I-95 & NW 119th St.
• I-95 & NW 103 St.
• I-95 & NW 93rd St.
• I-95 & NW 79th St.
• I-95 & NW 75th St.
• I-95 & NW 62nd St.
• I-95 & NW 52nd St.
• I-95 & NW SR112
• I-95 & NW 35th St.
• I-95 & NW 29th St.
• I-95 & NW 20th St.
• I-95 & NW 17th St.
• I-95 & NW 13th St.
• I-95 & NW 4th St.
• I-95 & NW 3rd St.
• I-95 & SW 8th St.
• I-95 & SW 18th Rd.
• I-95 & SW 28th Rd.
• US-1 & SW 17th Ave.

The highway and city traffic in Miami, Florida isn't the worst I've experienced, but it's getting more congested evryday. I'd definitly be checking these cameras out beofre I skipped out of the office and jumped on the freeway.

My favorite freeway web cam shot is I-95 & SW 8th St. What's your favorite traffic camera in Miami? Post a comment.

Update: I just noticed the webcam pictures are color during the day and turn black and white at night. Cool

So, we ended up at River Oyster Bar last night. The restaurant is small and elegant. We decided to order off the regular menu instead of having Miami Spice. They bring a nice bread basket with black olive tapenade, the tuna tartar was excellent, and so was the organic greens salad with apples, walnuts, and crumbled blue cheese. For dinner I had a pork chop with goat cheese polenta and Gus had braised short ribs. They were both delicious and the portions were just right. For dessert, we shared a piece of keylime cheesecake. Oh, and the service was flawless. I would definitely dine there again.

The bill came to $94. If we had decided to order off the Miami Spice menu, our bill would've come to $87 anyway. At River Oyster Bar, maybe the Miami Spice menu isn't your best option.

Stay tuned for more Miami Spice recommendations.

I'm starving and just remembered that Miami Spice starts today. I am looking forward to eating at River Oyster Bar, Pascal's on Ponce, Ortanique, and my old time favorite, Tuscan Steak. Here is a list of Miami Spice restaurants participating in the program.

Check back later and I'll tell you where I went.