Rotting corpses, scuzz, grime -- what an embarrassment of riches! Thanks to The Bitch for writing about our collective launch of St. Mary's Art District ("Plague Dog," April 21). We love the area and pray that The Bitch was right about the stench of dead rats and the "scuzziness and grime." We hope that will in fact "repel, at least for the time being, any pretensions to automatic upscaleness and obnoxious trendoid overload." Amen, Bitch!
By the way, I didn't mean to frighten The Bitch. I was coasting on three hours' sleep from the previous night at Ingalls & Associates gallery, where I'm showing stills from my half-megapixel epic Bag of Teeth.
As for accosting The Bitch with a bone-grinding handshake -- maybe I do need some time away from my wrestler buddies. In truth I am generally very good with faces and did recognize her. I once fingered a serial killer featured on America's Most Wanted after I spied him exiting an old halfway house on Española Way. But maybe that is unsavory too.
Damian Rojo
Little Haiti
An Insult to Pigs Everywhere
That was no swine, that was our president: I wanted to write and thank The Bitch for "Plague Dog" and for being so kind as to visit White Vinyl Space at the St. Mary's Art District on opening night. However, there was one slight discrepancy I would like to correct as it pertains to my piece titled Sigh, a video with, as The Bitch put it, "a very, very close look at some male anatomical action, complete with squeal-like-a-pig sound effects."
The "squeal-like-a-pig" sound effects were actually samples of George W. Bush's stutters and stammers from the first presidential debate at the University of Miami. Thus I believe The Bitch owes an apology to pigs.
Skip Van Cel
Little Haiti
Try throwing in really, truly awful service: My wife and I were in tune with restaurant critic Lee Klein's review of the relatively new Solo on the Bay ("Dry Limes and Misdemeanors," April 21). Though we had looked forward to visiting this restaurant on the Intracoastal at Haulover Marina, his review echoed our findings. This was the worst place to dine we've experienced since we moved to the area. The food was terrible and the service was worse.
Bravo to Mr. Klein for an accurate review.
Harvey Busch
Sunny Isles Beach
It requires extremely bad management: Thanks to Lee Klein for writing such a detailed review of Solo on the Bay. I left my old job and moved to Miami to be a manager at Solo. It took only eight days working there for me to realize I was in Bizarro World. The chaos caused me to quit.
I agree with Klein's judgment that the management has no clue how to run a restaurant. From what I could tell, the owners do not care about the employees, the quality, or the complaints they receive. For them it's all about profit, the bottom line.
There was no training for the staff, so they had no knowledge of what food they were serving. They were just sent out onto the floor and had to fend for themselves. I am glad to be out of that place and in search of new employment.
I wish Houston's or some other big restaurant would put Solo on the Bay out of its misery and buy out the owners now, before too many more customers experience what so many of us already know.
Nicole Smyle
Kendall
People defend Stanley Price, a gem of a man: I should initially say bravo to Francisco Alvarado and Rebecca Wakefield. They had a hit with another slimy Miami story ("Caught on Tape," April 14). How delightful! And somewhat interesting as well.
The reason for this letter, however, is very simple. I've worked with Stanley Price for well more than ten years. There is no one closer to him (other than his wife) who knows who this man is, who his contacts are, and ultimately how he conducts his life and business on a day-to-day basis. I am a book editor, paralegal, and former high school English teacher. Much of my working career I have been involved with lawyers. It upset me (and many others) that New Times would attempt to convey that Stan is some sleazebag attorney.
Stan Price is a gem -- honest, smart, witty, and charming. I have never met anyone with his integrity anywhere in any profession. The backlash from the article has been the opposite of what you'd think. People have been calling from all over, giving their support and dissing your paper. Many of us (associates, paralegals, and more) could have gone in many other directions with our careers, but we have stayed with him, in his practice, because it is a joy working with him.
I just thought you should know that.
Christine Bower
Miami
Not a couple of naked gay guys: The reason I am writing is that I was looking through your newspaper the other day and I saw a picture of two gay men who had the American flag draped around their bodies. This really made me very upset. I mean really pissed off.
It is an insult to the flag, and most of all it is disrespectful of the men and women who fought and died for this country, spilling their blood for this great flag -- and still are. How can you possibly advertise this? It makes me sick. I mean, if the men want to be gay and pictured together, even though I disagree with that lifestyle, they should not do it with the American flag. And New Times should not be advertising it, no matter how much money is involved. (How would the gay people feel if I started calling them fags and queers and advertised it in a newspaper?)
You can't put a price on the blood shed by the men and women of the U.S. military. I personally would appreciate your not running this advertisement anymore.
Jerry Mouse Martinez
Hialeah
