Earlier this month, she sat down with CBS4 to talk about how the resort was "in the heart of Miami." She told the Miami Herald that same week that, "We're embracing that we're in the middle of the vibrant city of Miami" about the city of Doral resort.
Is Doral the heart of the city of Miami? To paraphrase another socialite (albeit fictional), we don't understand the question and we won't respond to it.
But maybe she just doesn't know the rest of Miami-Dade that well. Sure, we imagine she spent a good time of her youth at the family estate up in Palm Beach, but that's not quite the same.
Interestingly though, Forbes published an article claiming that Ivanka let them in on her "favorite Miami hot spots." Oddly it's not in the format of an interview. Apparently someone just e-mailed Forbes contributor Maridel Reyes some words, and she just pasted them up as attributed to Ivanka. Journalistic integrity concerns aside, don't you wanna know where Ivanka has fun when she visits Miami? Let's take a look!
"A Miami must-have is the trendy Panther Coffee in Wynwood," says Ivanka.
Does anyone really think Ivanka Trump just casually pops into Panther Coffee when she's in town?
"My friends all love Shorty’s Bar-B-Q for the mouth-watering corn on the cob and BBQ, of course," she continues.
Does anyone know any of Ivanka's Miami friends? Do they really love Shorty's Bar-B-Q? Do they really rave on and on about the mouth-watering corn on the cob? I mean, really, do you think the people Ivanka Trump calls up to hang out with when she's in town regularly drive out to Shorty's?
"The Maracuya Martini at Barceloneta is just as refreshing as its laidback atmosphere," says Ivanka.
Does anyone really think Ivanka remembered the exact name of the drink she may or may not have had when she may or may not have gone to Barceloneta?
"Choose from a wide selection of wines under the twinkling lights of Lagniappe’s outdoor wine bar. If beer is more of your taste, try the beer garden at Butcher Shop," she continues.
I would give my first born to anyone who can prove that Ivanka Trump has ever stepped foot in Lagniappe or Butcher Shop.
"As a lover of arts and culture, the up-and-coming neighborhood of Wynwood is a must see," she continues. "Crawling with jaw-dropping murals and a plethora of galleries, it is easy to spend a day strolling through the art district.”
Has Ivanka Trump really even been to Wynwood and walked around while having her jaw dropped by the murals? We're not so sure. We went to her Instagram, which is filled with pictures of her travels. We couldn't find a single picture of one of these murals, and if a tourist visits Wynwood and doesn't Instagram a mural, did they really visit Wynwood? Hell, we couldn't even find very many pictures of Ivanka in Miami outside of the Trump National Doral.
The Forbes story continues on that way with a list of bars, restaurants, shops, and other locations that Ivanka supposedly loves. Among her other favs: Del Toro shoes, the recently opened Little Bread Cuban Sandwich Co. in Little Havana, and Washington Avenue's Alma Mexican for the breakfast burritos.
Of course, peppered throughout the article is blatant placement for features of the Trump National Doral. She loves the restaurants there, as well as the proshop and spa. Somehow we don't have trouble believing that some of Ivanka's favorite things are owned by her family's company.
As it turns out though, it appears that Ivanka's "answers" are repurposed and slightly reworded from a Miami city guide published on InvankaTrump.com last month. It's sort of like Gwyneth Paltrow's GOOP, but with less of an emphasis on raw food and more of an emphasis on Trump Organization businesses. That guide, by the way, is decent, but peppered with a few inaccuracies. (The Ms. Cheezious food truck is parked in front of Gramps, Ivanka, not behind it.) IvankaTrump.com is not Ivanka's personal blog. It has an entire staff, including an editorial director. Ivanka Trump did not write that city guide, and she did not write those words Forbes attributes to her. These are obviously not Ivanka Trump's favorite hot spots in Miami in any real, personal way.
The reality is Ivanka Trump's family business has bought a very nice resort with some very nice golf courses. Yet it's smack dab in the middle of a sprawling suburb in the western edges of Miami-Dade County. Its fortunes rely mainly on how many people will come to play golf there, and that's a problem that plagued its previous owners. (There's a reason the Trump Organization bought it up at a bargain price.) The Trump Organization would very much like visitors to think that it's easy to travel to Miami's hot spots from their resort, despite the fact it's not. (Ivanka Trump's least favorite hot spot in Miami? Probably the Dolphin Expressway.) So you get things like this piece, which is actually very good marketing, but not something Forbes should be publishing as a real article.
However, visitors to the Trump National Doral actually will be pretty close to a Shorty's Bar-B-Q. We hear from Ivanka's friends that the corn on the cob is mouthwatering.
