Blog No. 20 of 2025

Saturday was…

Print Fest ‘25 at The Wolfsonian FIU on Miami Beach, and we found a fantastic parking spot across the street for $2 an hour! WOW! Understand, that is quite an accomplishment on South Beach. Print Fest was a blast, where I bought a great Cafecito print for the kitchen, Vance bought me a great zine and I got to talk to some great people including Tom Virgin from Extra Virgin Press. And just being in that building is something I love. I visit it often.

Afterwards, we got a giant square slice at Pizza Rustica just a few blocks away. I hadn’t been there in ages and it’s still as good as ever. It was fun watching Elizabeth marvel at how beautiful Miami is as we crossed over the Julia Tuttle Cswy and really expressing how much she misses our beautiful city.

Sunday was…

Mother’s Day and I chose to play tourist in my own city, one of my favorite hobbies! The four of us — Elizabeth, Vance, Nick and I — rode Metromover to the Frost Science Museum where we went level by level, enjoying all our favorite parts of this place we love so much.

On the open-air level we saw gators, crocodiles and dueling/mating roseate spoonbills, then made our way down to see jellyfish, barracudas, angel fish and all sorts of sealife in the aquarium that spans all levels. We finished the afternoon there, sitting under the oculus, trippy and fun.

Then we jumped back on Metromover, made our way to the car and had lunch at Dogma Grill on Biscayne Blvd. for a late lunch/early dinner. Everything there is good, I had the barbecue chicken sandwich for the first time and it was tasty. Vance had a sloppy joe, Nick a burger and cheese fries and Elizabeth a footlong hot dog with sauerkraut and the works! We all shared the onion rings. Then on the way home we stopped at Legion Park just a few blocks north on Biscayne where I took a leisurely walk toward the bay while they tossed the football and frisbee around. See the pictures of our day above.

Fast forward to Thursday where on my way up to Merritt Island I stopped to visit my friend Antoinette in West Palm Beach. We spent the afternoon catching up over lunch at El Camino where we had a cold beer and she had the chicken achiote fajitas and I had the chicken achiote enchiladas. We also enjoyed crispy chips and creamy guac as an appetizer. After, we took a long walk through Downtown West Palm Beach toward the water and back to her place.

AJ and Elena with Jojo

Ramzi and Jojo

Today Vance and I drove to ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando for Nick’s Special Olympics basketball competition. It was wonderful to watch him on the court with my family in the stands. Elizabeth drove over and my sisters Susy and Ana, their daughters Elena and Nicole (respectively) were also there. Their adorable kids Jojo, Ramzi and Mazen and Elena’s husband AJ too. We all sat together and cheered him on!

After the game was over which unfortunately they lost but they will still be competing again tomorrow, Vance and I and Elizabeth drove to Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando and had a late lunch at Osphere Neighborhood Grill & Bar. There we shared edamame, Vance and Elizabeth had the lettuce wraps and Elizabeth and I also had sushi. The cocktails were good too and so were the prices, with their happy hour specials running through 7 p.m.

After we ate, we walked all around the lovely Lake Eola Park where we admired the beautiful swans, egrets and ibis and gorgeous lake view. The sculptures and massive trees with hanging moss throughout the park were breathtaking. It was hot as blazes all day but it was so nice spending time with family. Above are photos from our park walk, just take a look at all that beauty.

Lastly, I highly recommend you visit The Wolfsonian on Miami Beach, Dogma on Biscayne Blvd. and definitely get out to park tomorrow and celebrate National Kids to Parks Day! Click here to read about it. You’ve certainly seen plenty of parks mentioned right here in this blog just make sure to stay hydrated!

And a few final shoutouts.. to my nephew’s wife Mabel for receiving her graduate degree from Georgetown University and walking her graduation today and to my great niece Tessie for receiving her Bachelor’s Degree from Loyola University.

Oh and here’s a link to my final article for Seatrade Cruise News, a wrap up of the F&B@ Sea Convention, click here to read it.

See you all next Friday, thanks for reading!