It's a butterfly world out there. . .

I do my weekly Friday morning tram tours at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and by the end of the last tour, at 1pm, I am usually very happy to go directly home.  This Friday marked the last of my tours that included information on the installation of gorgeous Chihuly glass sculpture throughout the Garden.  With the arrival of the Hurricane Season, all art must be removed, and while I will miss the fabulous sculptures, I won't miss the giant crowds and full trams that have marked the last five months.

Newly released butterfly, waiting to open its wings.

Because I had my own visitors on my 12:30 tram yesterday, I stayed to have lunch at the Garden's Glasshaus Cafe and then accompanied my friends into the Exotic Butterfly Garden.  I  always urge  my tram guests to visit the Butterfly Garden, telling them that "it is a magical experience, with literally hundreds of  them fluttering overhead."  To tell you the truth, I hadn't actually visited the enclosed area since it officially opened over a year ago, so yesterday's visit was truly as magical an experience for me as it was for my guests.  It was, in fact, awesome.

We got really lucky and found ourselves on hand for the afternoon "release" of butterflies recently emerged from their cocoons. Two releases a day take place and you have to be very bored with life not to find yourself thrilled when the guide places the quivering butterfly, its wings still closed shut,, on your outstretched hand,  As you hold your breath, it begins to spread its wings a little wider apart with every passing second, until fully open and fluttering gently, it takes off on its first flight into the surrounding foliage.

I promise you, it really is a magical experience.

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Memory of a Mall. . .

Today's Miami Herald has a headline that reads "Cocowalk Sold Again for $87.5 Million".   Boy, did that bring back memories.

For you non-Grovites, CocoWalk is an iconic outdoor shopping mall in the heart of Coconut Grove.  It opened in 1990 to great fanfare and success with early tenants like Banana Republic and South Florida's first Cheesecake Factory.  In recent years it has fallen on hard times, but  I remember those early days well, because I was very much there.  Serving as the center's public relations agency during the building stage and responsible for giving it a name.

CocoWalk's original developer was an upscale French real estate company and my firm was hired during the preliminary stages to get publicity in the local papers and TV stations about its imminent arrival.  It was to be the very first truly commercial enterprise in the center part of the Grove, an area that was just emerging from its hippy period during the 60's, and artsy atmosphere during the 70's and 80's,

One of my first jobs was to name the new enterprise, and as was my practice, I came up with three suggestions, making it very clear that I thought the first was definitely the one with which they should go.
The Grove was originally developed by the Peacock family and one of its distinguishing characteristics is Peacock Park on the edge of Biscayne Bay.  Thus, my first name choice for this exciting new open air mini-mall was, drum roll please. . .Peacock Walk.

Everyone in our office loved the name, as did the ad agency when we told them.  Former New Yorker's among us were quick to note that the famous bar, in that city's posh Waldorf Astoria Hotel, was also called Peacock Walk.  I couldn't wait to present my choice at our next meeting with the client.

I did present it. With a flourish. Followed by dead silence from the client's side of the table.

"Is there a problem?" I inquired sweetly.  "Umm," said the boss client, an elegant Frenchman, looking vaguely embarrassed at what he was about to say.  "Peacock," he murmured, all the time looking down at the table.  "Not such a nice word in France. Do you have another suggestion, mon petit?"

That's how Coconut Grove's first mall got named CocoWalk. The second name on my list.
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