“Forgotten Hollywood”- Feeling the November Heat in Miami…

Posted on November 20, 2013 by raideoman1 | No Comments

Manny P. here…

(reporting from Miami, Florida)

   I’m thrilled to be spending almost a week in sunny South Florida. My wife Laurie and I are staying at the Airport Regency Hotel in Miami. I’m here to accept a Gold Medal on Saturday for my work Son of Forgotten Hollywood Forgotten History from Readers Favorite in the Non Fiction / Music and Entertainment category. Events include a couple of Meet & Greets at the hotel; and a three-day Street Fair culminating at the Miami Book Fair International.

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   Today, we had an opportunity to visit sites in-and-around greater Miami, including the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables, and the amazing Coral Castle in Homestead. Both locations are city landmarks, and they were fun to visit.

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   The Venetian Pool is an aquatic facility unlike any other in the country. It opened in 1924 as the Venetian Casino, part of the grand plan developer George Merrick had for the City of Coral Gables. His vision was to embody a sense of true hometown living. In its early days, the Venetian Casino was the destination for many celebrities, such as Johnny Weismuller and Esther Williams, both noted cinematic swimmers. Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra also visited this wonderful place. Today, it’s included in the National Register of Historic Places, the only swimming pool to have such a designation.

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      JOHNNY WEISMULLER (in photo)   

   The Coral Castle is an egineering marvel compared as a smaller version of Stonehenge and Great Pyramids of Egypt. It’s a structure created by the Latvian emigrant eccentric Edward Leedskalnin (1887–1951). He spent 28 years building and sculpting the Coral Castle. Standing 5 foot tall and barely 100 pounds, Ed used primative tools that he created to move tons of coral rock. He was also known for his obscure theories on magnetism.

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   The locale has been featured in Reader’s Digest and the National Enquirer. In 1984, the Coral Castle was placed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Until next time>                               “never forget”

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