Poppin' fresh features

Everyone has their favorite websites. Some of us go through gossip withdrawal without a daily hit of thesuperficial.com. For others, it's a blog that makes you wish the author was your bff/neighbor/cube mate/hipster knitting circle buddy, like Mindy Kaling's (The Office) mindyephron.blogspot.com. Okay, maybe that's just me.

With that in mind, Miami.com is constantly trying to come up with stories that'll both inform and entertain. And hopefully amaze you with our Miami-loving savvy-ness. So, here are a few features we think you'll enjoy and will be seeing on a regular basis. Let us know what you think, and if you don't see something you wish you saw, well, then tell us, silly.

Quit playin' Games

A while back, a good friend of mine was reading a book (which he usually does). He was so intrigued/enamored/fascinated with it that he borderline forced me to read it. It was Neil Strauss' The Game. I like social experiments as much as the next guy. Nickel and Dimed & Stiff are two of my faves. For those of you who don't know, The Game is about how Strauss finds this cult/club (actually, I think his editor found it) in which below average Joes are taught the "formula" for picking up women. There are a lot of glossary terms that I won't bore you with, but the idea is to teach socially awkward guys how approach women using various tactics. It basically reduces human relationships to a math problem. I got about 3/4 of the way through the book before getting bored. Yeah, yeah, I get it -- you learned a new trick in school and now you can date a Playboy model but yet for some reason you're still unhappy. Because -- revelation! -- after playing the game too much, it gets old. Anyone who's played Scrabulous could've told you that.

Cool Kimya

It's a beautiful thing when a great cause hooks up with great talent. Such was the case last night when Shake-a-leg, an awesome non-profit organization that teaches disabled children and adults how to sail, hosted ex-Moldy Peaches singer Kimya Dawson. If you've seen Juno, she sang a handful of songs on the soundtrack. The concert took place in Shake's boat hangar in Coconut Grove, the coolest venue I've seen a show in down here since the good old Polish American Club. The cool, crisp breeze and bay in the backdrop made for perfect ambiance inside the amphitheater-like setting. Homemade cupcakes complimented Dawson's sweet (and oftentimes sad), childlike songs. Between songs she shared personal stories with us, both heartbreaking (both her mom and good friend dealt with living in a wheelchair) and funny (references to children's song godfather Raffi), something that's often sorely missed during concerts today. Dawson's super-soft voice sometimes got lost in the massive space, but it just made you listen a little more carefully. Something I think we should all do a little more often.

Hard core corn

I try to use canvas bags when I shop, despite the confused/annoyed looks from cashiers; my condo is lit with fluorescent light bulbs; I bought a bike for short-distance trips; and I try to frequent local farmers' markets & Whole Foods (when my bank account allows it). So when a friend invited me to see a screening of King Corn -- a documentary in which two guys travel to Iowa to grow an acre of corn after discovering they consumed so much of the stuff that it was showing up in their hair samples -- at the Miami Beach Cinematheque last Thursday, I happily accepted. Plus, it was free.

FREE TICKETS

We know, we know, when it comes to a music scene, we've got nothing on NYC, or even Minneapolis for that matter. But thanks to organizations like Rhythm Foundation, South Floridians get a chance to experience some of the most talented musicians from around the world. To celebrate their 20th anniversary (wow!), RF is throwing -- what else? -- one fabulous concert.

Singer Jorge Villamizar, of Grammy-winning Bacilos fame, performs songs from his first solo album. Also on the bill is Brazilian bandolim virtuoso Hamilton de Hollanda. It all takes place at the CIFO Art Space, 1018 N. Miami Ave.

CONTEST!

We love our users and we want to declare it loud and proud. No, we're not going to stand outside your window with a boombox blaring Peter Gabriel (as if). Instead, we're going to show you affection the way your parents did: by giving you stuff. We've got six pairs of tickets to the Miami Light Project's Here & Now Festival (March 12-15) that we'll be giving to our bestest most favorite users -- as in, those with the highest number of points.

So write some reviews, post some (clothed) pics, and for the love of social networking upload your profile pic (you gotta have one to win). We'll be tallying Monday morning, so we suggest holing yourself up this weekend and getting to work. Kidding -- check out all of the great events we have on the site, do them, THEN get online and write about how much fun you had (with the pictures to prove it).

Local favorites

If you're just joining us, welcome to Miami.com, a site full of guides and reviews to help you get out and enjoy life in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, the Keys and pretty much anyplace within 75 miles.

We've spent months gathering, categorizing and curating shops, outings, clubs and restaurants, and in the process, we've come across moments, places experiences that are too singular to be packed into a guide (so far). Here, a few of our favorite things that just don't seem to fit elsewhere:

Favorite spot to fall in love with Miami: Most Sundays around sunset, an elderly husband-and-wife couple perch on the Beachwalk at 17th Street on South Beach. He plays guitar, she taps along on rhythm blocks and warbles Latin songs, stopping occasionally to correct her husband's melodies when they falter. A crowd of couples, parents, kids, dogs and sunbathers gather as the sky grows pink and the sun sinks low...the sweetness is overwhelming (surely, the Germans have a word for this feeling, something like das sunsetpoignantmelodafreude?). You can't help but feel tremendously lucky to be exactly where you are.

Have relaxation your way

For those who follow my columns, my blogs and read Miami.com on a daily basis (I hope that’s a lot of you out there, by the way) it might be kind of obvious that I am in love with champagne, cocktails of any sort, shopping deals and spas. This past week, I was feeling lucky once again when I was invited to media events at two top-notch yet totally different spas: Agua at the Mondrian and Lapis at the Fontainebleau.

These two spots are proof that in Miami you can have anything catered your way - even relaxation.

Spa week: Everyone needs a little pampering

As an editor, I meet a lot of great people, see a lot of cool new places and pretty much mingle about Miami always eager to spot new things. The usual. Cool, I know.

Miami nightlife crosses the border

The Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood is a place where friends meet with groups and gals bring their bachelorette on the loose to have one last hurrah. I would know this well, since I've been in both scenarios. There's something about the over-the-top casino/party spot that just keeps me coming back for more, even if that means driving north instead of south on I-95. And , being as how the former Spirits Nightclub was turned into Miami Beach hot-spot Opium this past weekend and I was invited to take a peek, I decided to go check it out.