#ThankYouMiami Rounds Up This Week in Miami

Since the holidays we've been jet-setting so frequently we've started to feel slightly disconnected with Miami. Alas we spent the past week without travel seriously reconnecting with our beautiful hometown by skateboarding, biking or walking everywhere, hanging out with friends, and accepting every invitation under the sun. We were excited to see that Miami's state of affairs is as awesome in 2016 as it was at the end of 2015. In fact we were blown away by the caliber of events that our community has been throwing recently, particularly those of this past week. If you weren't in town, here's what you missed:

1. Rutte Distillery hosts Half Shell Hideaway at Sweet Liberty

On Sunday, February 21 Rutte Distillery hosted over 100 local influencers and industry leaders—including our social media friends Kevin Coster and his beautiful fiancée Victoria Sampaio—at their second Half Shell Hideaway brunch. The brunch, which was held at new Collins Park hangout Sweet Liberty is part of an on-going series of culinary and cocktail gatherings planned for this year. At the event, guests were treated to specialty Rutte cocktails, such as the "Salt & Sea" (Rutte's "Best of Show" Award Winning Celery Gin, Tío Pepe Fino Sherry, lemon juice, celery juice, simple syrup, basil leaf, egg white), paired with oysters and other brunch offerings. We can't wait for the next one!

2. Basement Miami Celebrates One Year of Jelly Wednesdays

On Wednesday, February 24 Basement Miami at The Miami Beach EDITION celebrated the one-year anniversary party of their renown Wednesday night party, Jelly, with bowling, skating, slushies, and old school hiphop. The already perfect night was made all the better by a special live performance from Miami's very own 2 Live Crew (the ones behind 1996's "Shake A Lil' Somethin'"). What a refreshing "So Miami" throwback.

3. NR Investment Fêtes Canvas Miami's Groundbreaking

Also on Wednesday NR Investments threw a killer party to celebrate the groundbreaking of Canvas Miami, the former site of some of the Arts + Entertainment District's best events including Yoga Soundscape and the Miami Flea series. In true A+E District style, the celebration centered around creating culture and community with a "Wishes Tree", a paper lantern release, and performances by Miami musicians Yoli Mayor and Xperimento. We've been following the A+E District since Day 1 so we're excited to see them through yet another incredible milestone. Congrats, guys!

Did you attend any awesome events this past week? Which? What did you enjoy most about them? The coming month is one of the busiest months of the year in Miami. What events are you most looking forward to attending? Leave a comment below or send us a tweet @ThankYouMiami!

Images via World Red Eye

#ThankYouMiami for Themed Weeks - Miami Music Week 2015

Miami is in the peak of tourism season right now so naturally everything here is absolutely insane: the traffic, the people, the amount of activities going on at once and, as a result, our schedules. This week in particular has been a whirlwind of chaos, which explains why we are a day late in talking about the topic du jour: Miami Music Week. The internationally anticipated celebration of electronic music began unleashing its heavy bass and sick beats yesterday and, according to social media, the energetic masses are raging harder than ever before.

This year we're choosing where we spend our energy carefully so we've been keeping a watchful eye on the announcements and marquees. Here are the three events we are most looking forward to this year:

What: Winter Music Conference at the Deauville Beach Resort

When: Tuesday, March 24 through Saturday, March 28

Where: 6701 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Why: As Miami Beach celebrates its first hundred years, there is no better place than this historic Miami Beach hotel to throw the 30th Annual Winter Music Conference (WMC). As the official WMC host, the Deauville will welcome some of our favorite EDM heavy hitters (i.e., Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Steve Aoki). Additionally, for the first time, the host hotel will bridge WMC's business and party worlds by not only holding pool parties and DJ spin-offs, but also exhibits of the music industry's newest technology and the International Dance Music Awards. For WMC tickets and more information, please visit http://wintermusicconference.com/.

What: Miami Music Week at Basement Miami

When: Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, March 29

Where: 2901 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach

Why: Ian Schrager's Basement Miami, in partnership with THUMP, is kicking off its first Miami Music Week with a stellar line-up. We are particularly psyched for the weekend sets featuring Questlove, DZA, and Dennis Ferrer. On its closing night, Basement Miami promises the appearance of a very special guest. If their track record is any indication, we anticipate the caliber of this special guest to be worth the gamble. For tickets and more information, please visit http://basementmiami.com/events.

What: Miami Music Week at Mansion Miami

When: Tuesday, March 24 through Sunday, March 29

Where: 1235 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach

Why: Since we left college, we rarely make appearances at Mansion. However, every once in a while, they surprise us with a killer event or headliner that we just cannot miss. This year's Miami Music Week line-up includes Armin Van Buuren, Fedde Le Grand, Martin Garrix, and Nicky Romero so we're dusting off our tightest bandage dress and heading to Mansion. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.mansionmiami.com/dev/.

Which Miami Music Week events are you most looking forward to? Will you be attending any of these events? Who are you most excited to see perform? If Miami Music Week is not for you, what do you plan to do instead? Leave a comment below or send me a tweet @ThankYouMiami.