deucers.com ~ miami ~ miami beach

Thomas, Alex and I headed over to the Miami Beach Marina this morning to board the Won Reward from the Reward Fishing Fleet:

Hot and sunny, perfect weather for bananafishing:

Alex caught the first fish and the biggest fish- a king fish:

Three hours later, Sherman (not the toilet paper, the tank) expertly fileted the fish:

We took the filets to Monty’s and they grilled them up for the freshest lunch:

Another day in paradise.

Donnamarie hosted an awesome memorial for Gilbert last night at Mynt Lounge:

DJ Shannon, DJSmeejay, and Jody McDonald keep us singing along and dancing as they spin some of Gilbert’s favorite tunes:

Trish Bruno evokes the spirit of Gilbert with an amazing reading:

Pictures of Gilbert flash on the walls. The event was  like a high school reunion, except that it was fun, and I ran into people I was delighted to see:

Bartender Christina keeps our end of the bar in good spirits and well-lubricated:

In a club full of dancing, friendly people, we send Gilbert off in the style to which he was accustomed.

It was cold outside, so we headed inside and upstairs at the Van Dyke to hear the sultry smooth sounds of the incomparable Maryel Epps:

The cozy venue was the perfect spot on a Wednesday night. Ran into Bjorn:

Kim, Nel, and Gigi enjoyed the tunes:

Donnamarie and Ash Rana :

Maryel dedicated a beautiful rendition of Unforgettable to Gilbert Stafford and then she belted out some tunes by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Tracy Chapman Etta James, Chaka Khan and even channeled Louis Armstrong:

And bartender Kristin kept the good cheer flowing:

Maryel plays upstairs at the VanDyke every first Wednesday.

Good times.

Got a fabulous haircut buy Senior Stylist Audra Audra from Walla Walla at sleek Vidal Sassoon on 6th and Collins.

Audra’s contagious, bubbly mood and tales of South Beach hijinks kept me well entertained while she straightened and tamed my wily mane:

Lucy and I start and end our day on Lincoln Road. First, we head over to the Temple of Apple. Rollerbladers, bicyclists eagerly await  the store’s 10:00am opening…I remember when a crowd would line outside the Deuce before eight, hankering to get in. We called them the vampires; they couldn’t wait to escape the light.  But that’s been awhile. As always, the Applistas greet us warmly and answer all our concerns.

Next ,we saunter over to the Lovely Van Dyke. Sure, we sit in the shade, but the morning feels a tad bit cooler than the previous hundred days, or is that my imagination?

No trip to Lincoln Road is complete without a stop at the venerable Books & Books. I love the new Books & Books nestled in the Sterling Building. We watched lots of Indie movies in that space during the 90s; they’ve replaced the dark, sticky, popcorny interior with light and books:

Love passing through the breezeway where we whiled away countless hours at Pacific Time – where’s Kirk and Crispy and Christal and Jeffery House when you need ‘em?

Then we stop off at Dog Bar: [

They’re already stocking up on Halloween costumes:

Then we go on our merry ways: Lucy to PPD at Disgraceland, and I to work. We return in the evening to the Apple Temple and pick up our Mac, and here she sits without a sound, while Lucy gnaws at a politically correct (?!) bone.  A lovely day on Stinkin’ Lincoln:

Are you in the Deuce Book? Know someone in the Deuce Book? Find out …

The Limited Edition Deuce Book
96 pages, 460 images, 12 years of photos,  sealed with matches, coaster, stickers, an a temporary tattoo - $40 NOW ON SALE $20

Get a behind-the-scenes look at the original deucers. This photo-documentary captures the antics of deucers at Miami beach’s oldest bar.

See reviews by Brett Sokol of Ocean Drive Magazine,  Patrice Elizabeth Grell-Yursik of Miami New Times, Angie Hargot of Miami Sun Post:

Order your book online, via PayPal, here:

… then checkout, using the PayPal icon on the right.

(shipping free for Continental US)

Makes a great gift for your favorite Deucer. Every cocktail table deserves a piece of the deuce bar.

Check out the cool video Terry made for The Deuce Book.

Cheers.

It was fourteen years ago today that I was hired at the Deuce. When Mac asked me if I had ever worked at a bar, I told him no but that it would be my dream job. I had no experience and unbridled enthusiasm. Nardie taught me the rules handed down from many bartenders; she conveyed the necessary information to keep everything on an even keel. Carol was one to watch. She shouted out complicated recipes while beating someone at pool, mixed some mean cocktails, and then she’d turn around and 86 someone with a smile. They always apologized for making her throw them out. And Christal taught me how to tend bar. Not only how to make drinks, but how to tend to the customers, how to keep control of an unruly bar and how to do it with laughter and panache.

My first weeks, the customers knew much more about the bar and the set up than I did. They pointed out the coolers that held the Pabst Blue Ribbon, and noted that the Rolling Rock was in the back. My friend Al spent a couple of days helping me perfect my bloody mary. Chuck helped get the martinis right. Maria helped me hone the margaritas. 

14th Street 14 years ago, Decollectables was across the street, Kenny worked at the Sandwicherie, Emil at San Loco, and all the tattoo guys were at Lou’s – Emerson, Chino, Jimmy, Chris, Chris, Ami, Darren, et al. 

I don’t watch TV, so from age 25 on, I watched all the big events unfold at the Deuce. I remember the nights we watched Princess Diana die, the Oklahoma City bombings, and OJ Simpson’s slow speed chase. And 911 kept us glued to the TV for weeks. We donated our tips and all money raised at the bar one day for the fire departments in New York.

The hurricane parties were doozies. The Deuce never closed even when the howling winds started knocking down signs. People who refused to evacuate were too jumpy to stay home, so they came to the bar, with cash to burn and fear in their hearts. In 24 hours, lives could be changed, so drink, and be merry. As the winds roared and the electricity faltered, we drank and we were merry.

Sure, there were days and nights that were dull, but when the right confluence of music, people, and drinks whirled, there was no place on earth that was more magical. Anything could happen, and it did. We met the most extraordinary people, people who never said commonplace things, but burned. burned burned, like fabulous…roman candles (homage a JKerouac)

Do you remember the days when Jeanne would dance her spectacular dance to Ray Charles’ “Mint Julep” on the bar? Those early Sundays were my favorite: Cesar, Moira, Casual Robert, Natalie, Psycho Suzie, Tara, Fun Mike, Big D, Maria, Crispy, Kirk, Jeffery House, Shenoa, Mary Ann, Maid Marion, Johnno, Hash Ash, Al, Tony, Tommy, Kim, and Ash, Jeannie and Doug, and Lady E, oh what fun we had. And later Cool, Dark, and Anonymous Sundays with Matt, Pauline, Arnie, Kristina, Alex, Les, Sigi, Prince, Big Pat, and Cory. If I named everyone the list would go on and on and on and on and still I’d miss important people in my life. Our lives collided, intersected, weaved, and danced in and around 14th street.

There was a night Christal, Kat, Cesar, Maria and I stumbled from the beach where we watched a total eclipse of the moon, and we saw limos lined up in the alley. It was the apres premier party for Curdled – Quentin Tarrantino, Cecil B Raul, and John Maass throwing a shindig in our bar. We were sandy from the beach, wearing shorts and flipflops and everyone else was in tuxes and gowns.

I met with the lads from the Playwright night after night after. Good company, Terry, Francy, Greg, Pauly, Russo, and way before that, Mandy, Maggie, Barry, Luciano, Fonzie, et al. See you at 5.

Jeanne hired a mariachi band to follow me around one birthday. We met them on the sand where we danced under a full moon, and paraded to the Deuce Bar. A spectacular night surrounded by the best of friends.

And the night of the Flying Iguana.

And the Karaoke Brawl.

And the thousands of interesting, enlightening conversations over gallons and gallons of Ketel One.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet so many interesting people. People from all walks of life. All of whom enjoyed drinking and we, bartenders,  were the superstars cause we gave them what they wanted with a strong pour and good will, and, mostly, good cheer.

There’s something magnetic in that space. And people either get it or they don’t. So many times, I’ve seen people come in and look around, and go out, and other times, people come through the door, stop for a minute to let their eyes adjust to the dark bar, inhale deeply and relax. They get it; they belly up to the bar. They’ve found their spot. 

The juke box – Johnno & Mark Fisher schooled me on the oldies, especially the oldies, Roger Miller, anyone?, the clacking of the pool balls, the arguing, the slurring, the laughter, the conversations became my music, became the rhythm of my deuce life.

14 years on 14th street.

Good times.