DeSantis to debate California Gov. Gavin Newsom tonight

1 big thing: DeSantis debates California's gov 

Gavin Newsom on a stage gesturing with a hand, and Ron DeSantis smiling with tight lips. 

Spotify Wrapped: Miami's listening habits revealed

2. 🎶 Miami's listening habits revealed 

3. Cafecito: Drink in these headlines 

Illustration of a classic car with a "Cafecito" license plate.

"La Gringa" highlights struggle of fitting in for first-generation kids

4. 🎭 "La Gringa" comes to Miami

New jobs to check out

5. New holiday albums

5. 🎤 New holiday albums

😎 Today's forecast: Partly sunny, with a high near 79°. Tonight, mostly cloudy, with a low around 74°.

📝 Situational awareness: The public is invited to comment on a draft document to incorporate 596 plant species into a state conservation plan.

🎄 Of note: The city of Miami's annual tree lighting and holiday festival is tonight at City Hall beginning at 5:30pm.

👔 Sounds like: "Big Everything" by Busta Rhymes featuring DaBaby and T-Pain.

Today's newsletter is 918 words — 3.5-minute read.

🤟 Martin has seen four of his top five Spotify artists in concert — from Miami Beach to Mexico City. His top artist was Men I Trust.

🪩 Deirdra's top artists on Spotify were Dua Lipa and Banda AL9.

Tell your favorite songwriter to subscribe.

This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner and copy edited by Nicole Ortiz.

Miami

blue

A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Miami.

Axios Miami

Standard

Check out these Christmas, Hanukkah events in Miami

1 big thing: 🎊 How to win December

Illustration of the Axios logo as an ornament on a Christmas tree

Ring in the New Year in style with these Miami events

2. 🍾 Ring in the New Year in style

Illustration of a line of champagne bottles with the Axios logo

3. Cafecito: Nibble on this news 

Illustration of an iguana holding a cuban sandwich. 

Miamians are walking less, data shows

4. 🚶 📉 Walking has plummeted 

Plan your future

5. You found Manny 

Hello there. It's Giving Tuesday. Can you volunteer, help a neighbor or donate to a favorite nonprofit today?

🥶 Today's forecast: Partly sunny, with a high near 75°. Low around 63° and wind gusts up to 18 mph tonight!

🙋 Situational awareness: WLRN has rounded up resources for anyone needing help paying rent, utilities or a mortgage down payment.

🤝 Consider contributing to our mission-driven journalism by becoming a member! You'll support our growth and in return get exclusive perks.

Today's newsletter is 899 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🍕 Martin's favorite NYE tradition growing up was to order pizza and watch  fireworks from the beach.

🛼 Deirdra's dream in life is to be a jam skater.

Tell your favorite rink rat to subscribe.

1 big thing: 🥊 DeSantis, Newsom square off

Bowling alley restaurant opening near Aventura Mall

2. 🎳 Bowling, bocce and bites

A person in a striped suit holds a purple bowling ball that says "Pinstripes" on it.

3. Cafecito: Steamin' hot headlines 

Illustration of a moka coffee pot with steam in the shape of the Axios logo coming out of the spout.

Things to do this weekend in Miami

4. 💃 Things to do this weekend in Miami 

5. 🧑‍⚖️ Cops can't hide identity after shootings


Illustration of a police uniform standing with no person inside it.

☀️ Today's forecast: Partly sunny, with a high near 82°.

🎅 Situational awareness: CVS is selling a 6-foot-tall inflatable Cuban Santa with dominoes and a guayabera.

🎵 Sounds like: "Lil Boo Thang" by Paul Russell.

🎂 Happy early birthday to our Axios Miami member Daniel Brady!

Today's newsletter is 920 words — a 3.5-minute read.

👍 Martin thinks it's pretty cool that the Orlando Magic replicated this iconic Heat moment from the Big Three era.

😩 Deirdra is reading "Never Split the Difference" by a former FBI hostage negotiator to extract maximum concessions (all chores forever) from a kid who absolutely needs a gaming PC this year!

A new literary magazine launches in Miami

1 big thing: 📚 Miami's lit

2. 🏢 Amazon looks for office space

3. Cafecito: Drink it in

Illustration of a flamingo holding a cup of coffee, with the steam spelling "Cafecito."

Art and tech meet at FilmGate interactive festival

4. 🎨 🦾 Art and tech meet at FilmGate 

Two virtual reality exhibits from FilmGate festival

Few Miami homes sell at a loss, bucking trend

5. 🏡 Few Miami homes sell at a loss

Illustration of a real estate sale sign shaped like a downward point arrow

☀️ Today's forecast: Mostly sunny, with a high near 76°. Windy, with gusts up to 18 mph.

⛵ Situational awareness: Jeff Bezos' yacht, Koru, arrived at Port Everglades.

🌠 Sounds like: "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills & Nash.

Today's newsletter is 929 words — a 3.5-minute read.

🤒 Martin waits all year for Miami winter, but then gets sick because it's too cold.

👍 Deirdra can respect the fact that Koru is a sailing yacht and not just a powerboat.

South Florida's plant hardiness zones have changed

1 big thing: New map for farmers, gardeners reflects changing temperatures

Review: Superblue Miami immerses you in light and bubbles

2. 👉 Please *do* touch the art

3. Cafecito: Get a taste of this news 

Illustration of a manatee holding a newspaper and drinking a glass of orange juice.

Luxury home sales down in Miami, amid nationwide trend

4. 🏘️ Luxe homes struggle to sell

5. 🕵️ Where in Miami is Manny? 

Welcome back, friends. We hope you had a great holiday weekend.

Situational awareness: Temperatures will drop from the 80s today to a low of 64° on Wednesday.

🎂 Happy belated birthday to our Axios Miami member Kristin Kinan!

🌤 Today's forecast: Partly sunny, with a high of 83°.

Today's newsletter is 911 words — a 3.5-minute read.

😤 Deirdra thinks leftover turkey and cranberry sandwiches > hot Thanksgiving Day turkey.

😴 Martin is still in a food coma from eating three different pies.

Tell your favorite gardener to subscribe.

FetchError

The Thanksgiving leftovers have run dry, Mariah Carey is everywhere and all your neighbors are hanging up lights.

What's happening: It's the most wonderful time of the year: The winter holidays are upon us.

We've rounded up the best holiday activities in Miami that will put you in a merry spirit.

🎄 Enchanted Place North Miami: This free neighborhood Christmas display has been going on for decades.

Dim your headlights and slowly drive through the cul-de-sac while you play holiday music in your car. (Donations are accepted!)

🧑‍🎄 Holiday Fantasy of Lights: Drive through the 3.5-mile holiday attraction featuring shining lights, 65 large-scale displays and 3D experiences.

$26 per car. Located at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek.

Hanukkah lamp made of seashells at Lincoln Road

Artist Roger Abramson's seashell menorah on Lincoln Road. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

🕎 Lincoln Road's iconic seashell menorah and dreidel are back this year for Hanukkah.

Artist Roger Abramson, who created the tall sculptures out of thousands of seashells, tells Axios the first lighting will take place around 5:30pm on Dec. 7 on Lincoln Road and Euclid Circle. 

There will also be hot latkes, doughnuts and dancing, organized by Chabad House in Miami Beach.

On Dec. 10, there will be another lighting ceremony and street festival beginning at 4:30pm on Lincoln Road featuring fire jugglers, a gelt drop, live music and food trucks.

🎡 Celebrate with the annual Menorah Parade and Grand Carnival in Surfside on Dec. 10, hosted by The Shul Jewish Community Center.

The parade begins at 3:45pm and the carnival opens at 5pm.

Free entrance to the carnival. $10 for children to ride on the parade bus.

🍸 Sip on holiday cocktails at Miracle in Miami, a Christmas-themed pop-up bar, which moved from Gramps to Better Days.

🎅 Check out Miami's newest winter carnival, Christmas Wonderland, which brings holiday displays, thrill rides and children's activities to Tropical Park.

The iconic Santa's Enchanted Forest, which was previously located at Tropical Park, moved to the Medley/Doral area after Miami-Dade County refused to renew its lease in 2020.

Tickets: Christmas Wonderland is $29–$39 if you book online. Santa's Enchanted Forest is $36–$44.

🎶 The Miami Beach Holiday Festival of Lights — presented by the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival — will project colorful light patterns on South Beach hotels in unison with live music. 

The free shows will take place over three weekends in December, beginning this Friday at Lincoln Road's Euclid Oval.

☃️ Snow Carnival is bringing 350 tons of real snow to Aventura Mall for its holiday attraction.

Build snow angels, toss snowballs and sled town a tube slide now through Jan. 8.

The Miami Beach Holiday Festival of Lights

It's the most wonderful time of the year: The winter holidays are upon us.

The Thanksgiving leftovers have run dry, Mariah Carey is everywhere and all your neighbors are hanging up lights.What&#x27;s happening: It&#x27;s the most wonderful time of the year: The winter holidays are upon us.

News

Immerse yourself in the world of virtual reality film and art at this year's FilmGate XR/VR Interactive Film Festival.

What's happening: The five-day festival, now in its 10th year, boasts over 35 interactive projects, several planetarium "dome experiences" and panel discussions from tech industry players.

The festival will take place downtown and in Coral Gables beginning Wednesday through Sunday.

Projects include an interactive VR demonstration of gender dysmorphia through the stories of the transgender community, a VR reimagining of "A Christmas Carol" and a virtual experience where you can plant coral reefs.

You can also join a talk with Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap.

If you go: VIP passes are $220, and virtual day passes are free.

Free admission to University of Miami students and kids under 12 years old.

The five-day festival, now in its 10th year, boasts over 35 interactive projects.

Immerse yourself in the world of virtual reality film and art at this year&#x27;s FilmGate XR/VR Interactive Film Festival.What&#x27;s happening: The five-day festival, now in its 10th year, boasts over <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="35 interactive projects" data-vars-click-url="https://www.filmgate.miami/fgix-projects" data-vars-content-id="454aae7a-41d0-4bc4-adb6-26be45a5d17a" data-vars-headline="Art and tech meet at FilmGate interactive festival" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.filmgate.miami/fgix-projects" target="_blank">35 interactive projects</a>, several planetarium &quot;dome experiences&quot; and panel discussions from tech industry players.

Hardly anyone in Miami is selling their home for less than they paid for it, based on Redfin data provided to Axios.

Driving the news: From August through October, just 2% of Miami homeowners sold their home at a loss, one of the lowest percentages among the country's 50 largest metro areas, Axios' Brianna Crane reports.

Why it matters: Across the country, some homeowners lost six-figure amounts on their sales.

More than 3% of U.S. homes sold at a loss August through October 2023 — up from 2.4% a year ago.

The median loss was around $40,000, per Redfin data.

Zoom in: The highest proportion and largest losses were in San Francisco. Roughly 1 in 8 SF owners lost money on their home sales, with a median loss of $100,000.

Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and New York were also among the top five cities with the highest proportion of losses — all north of or close to 6%.

Hardly anyone in Miami is selling their home for less than they paid for it.

Hardly anyone in Miami is selling their home for less than they paid for it, based on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Redfin data" data-vars-click-url="https://www.redfin.com/news/homeowners-selling-at-a-loss-2023/" data-vars-content-id="6dc215cb-4b54-4983-84f0-d4f625255da6" data-vars-headline="Few Miami homes sell at a loss, bucking trend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.redfin.com/news/homeowners-selling-at-a-loss-2023/" target="_blank">Redfin data</a> provided to Axios.Driving the news: From August through October, just 2% of Miami homeowners sold their home at a loss, one of the lowest percentages among the country&#x27;s 50 largest metro areas, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Brianna Crane reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/27/home-sellers-losing-money-profit-loss?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="6dc215cb-4b54-4983-84f0-d4f625255da6" data-vars-headline="Few Miami homes sell at a loss, bucking trend" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/27/home-sellers-losing-money-profit-loss?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosam&amp;stream=top" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Brianna Crane reports</a>.

First-generation Miamians know the struggle of visiting your parents' homeland and feeling like maybe you don't quite belong.

What's happening: The award-winning comedy "La Gringa," which makes its Miami premiere Thursday night, tells the story of a young woman's search for identity while visiting her family in Puerto Rico for Christmas.

Carmen Rivera's play, the longest-running off-Broadway Spanish-language production, will be presented by City Theater and staged at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts through Dec. 17.

The intrigue: City Theatre executive director Gladys Ramirez, who is directing the play, tells Axios that she combined the English and Spanish versions of the script to create a bilingual experience.

What they're saying: Ramirez, whose parents are Peruvian, says it can be hard to fit in as a first-generation American.

"You don't feel like you fit in here, and then you go over there and you're a gringa, and it feels like you're caught between two worlds," she says.

All the actors are locals, and some are first-generation Americans.

The show is at the Carnival Studio Theater inside the Ziff Ballet Opera House.

The award-winning comedic play makes its Miami premiere tomorrow night.

The cast of "La Gringa." Photo: Courtesy of Morgan Sophia Photography

First-generation Miamians know the struggle of visiting your parents&#x27; homeland and feeling like maybe you don&#x27;t quite belong.What&#x27;s happening: The award-winning comedy &quot;La Gringa,&quot; which makes its Miami premiere Thursday night, tells the story of a young woman&#x27;s search for identity while visiting her family in Puerto Rico for Christmas.

A fancy new bowling alley and bistro is coming to Aventura.

What's happening: Pinstripes, which opens Dec. 13, will take over a two-story space at the Esplanade at Aventura with a rooftop patio and ground-level restaurant.

Details: Located near Aventura Mall but independently operated, Pinstripes will have 12 bowling lanes and five bocce courts.

The ground-floor bistro will serve Italian-American fare and craft cocktails.

Dine at a table, the bar, the rooftop or in front of big-screen TVs while watching the game.

A private ballroom can fit up to 1,500 people.

A pink-and-gold marble desk greets guests. Flamingos, tigers and peacocks play into the decor.

Pricing: Bowling games range from $17–$25 per person, depending on the day and time.

Hours: Monday through Thursday from 11:30am–10pm.

Friday and Saturday from 11am–11pm. Sunday from 11am–9pm.

Of note: Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 3pm–6:30pm.

Brunch is every Saturday and Sunday from 11am–3pm.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the Esplanade at Aventura is not affiliated with Aventura Mall, but is located in the same shopping plaza.

Pinstripes, which opens Dec. 13, will take over a two-story space at the Esplanade at Aventura.

A fancy new bowling alley and bistro is coming to Aventura.What&#x27;s happening: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pinstripes" data-vars-click-url="https://pinstripes.com/aventura/" data-vars-content-id="ebc7d552-d6a5-4180-98d9-5224adf9381c" data-vars-headline="Bowling alley restaurant opening near Aventura Mall" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://pinstripes.com/aventura/" target="_blank">Pinstripes</a>, which opens Dec. 13, will take over a two-story space at the Esplanade at Aventura with a rooftop patio and ground-level restaurant.

Martin Vassolo

Stories

Bowling alley restaurant opening near Aventura Mall

"La Gringa" highlights struggle of fitting in for first-generation kids

Art and tech meet at FilmGate interactive festival

Few Miami homes sell at a loss, bucking trend

Check out these Christmas, Hanukkah events in Miami

Newsletter editions

😎 Top weekend events

🎧 Miami's Spotify Wrapped

🥽 VR art festival

🎇 Plan your holidays

🖐️ Hands-on art museum