Blog No. 37 of 2025

I’ve decided to come out of my mini socializing hibernation because if I’m being honest with myself, I like to do stuff so here we go.

Nick’s birthday party enthusiasm is infectious!

The big event this weekend was celebrating Nick’s birthday on Sunday afternoon. His actual birthday was Sept. 10 which we spent at trivia. That day, I also took some homemade cakes to his program where all his friends, fellow participants and staff sang him happy birthday.

Tuesday night I went to the Bakehouse Art Complex’s Open Studios. I loved visiting the artists studios and hanging out at Bookleggers Library where books are free. I have always loved attending events where you can speak to the artists and learn about their process. I got to meet performance artist Marilyn Loddi who will be at Edge Zones for the Beyond Perfomrance event tomorrow from 6-9 p.m. And for those of you with kids, Bookleggers hosts Storytime for Kids every second Saturday of the month.

Nick, blowing out the candle on his ice cream sundae during trivia at Old Tom’s Cafe.

Wednesday night at trivia was a blast for Nick where trivia MC/Host Heather, announced his birthday several times from the podium and the entire place sang him happy birthday as he blew out the candle on the complimentary ice cream sundae they brought him.

Thursday, after the Parent Support Group meeting at Sandra de Lucca Developmental Center where Nick goes, and giving one of the fellow moms in the group a ride home, I decided to finally try a Miami Spice lunch. I chose one of my favorite places, one where I know I’ll never have a bad meal and the ambiance and service is outstanding… Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Design District.

As always, it did not disappoint. Their Miami Spice lunch menu features lots of great selections. I chose the eggplant escabeche as my appetizer, house-made casarecce pasta for my entree and blueberry butter cake for dessert. Not a morsel remained, I enjoyed everything, immensely. I took no photos, I simply enjoyed my meal while reading my book. Click on the link above to see the full menu.

View of the exhibition “Sanaa Gateja: Language of We,” from the second floor. The show is on display at ICA Miami in the Design District through Nov. 2.

Another piece by artist Sanaa Gateja at ICA Miami in the Design District.

Sculpture installation by Mildred Thompson in her exhibition “Frequencies” at ICA Miami. That ends on Oct. 12.

Another piece by artist Sanaa Gateja at ICA Miami in the Design District.

My favorite sculpture in the Mildred Thompson “Frequencies” exhibition at ICA Miami.

Wanting to walk off my lunch a little, I decided to go a block away and take a leisurely stroll through ICA Miami, where they have three exhibitions on display, one on each floor. I took my time admiring the variety of work from sculptures to paintings to textile installations. I fell in love with a lot of the work on display and was so glad to spend some quiet time amongst all of it. Admission to ICA is free, you just have to scan the QR code either on the website or when you arrive, and reserve a ticket. It’s a place I highly recommend visiting.

I loved this view of the lush tree canopy from ICA Miami’s third floor.

Earlier I mentioned I was reading a book while having lunch at Michael’s Genuine. That book is “Avid Reader” a memoir by Book Publisher Robert Gottlieb where he dedicates one section to his time in school, from grade school to college. He recalls his time as a student at Columbia University in the late 1940s when the school’s President was Dwight D. Eisenhower. Yes, THAT Eisenhower, the one who would become U.S. President. He was University President from 1948 to 1953. I was fascinated when I read that line in the book.

Now…

Here’s an Event Calendar of sorts with ideas on things to do this weekendhttps://miamionthecheap.com/pamm-perez-art-museum-free-days/ and beyond, if the weather holds up since a few of these events are outdoors…

Little Haiti/Little River Art Days Art Walk on Sept. 13

South Florida Cake Swap for all you bakers, at the Vizcaya Village Farmers Market on Sunday Sept. 14

Also this weekend there are several free events on Saturday around Miami. Go to Family Day on Aragon at the Coral Gables Museum, Family Day at HistoryMiami, or Free Saturday at Perez Art Museum in Downtown.

Orchestra Miami’s upcoming Saturday, Sept. 20th benefit concert at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.

That’s all for this week. I’ll be back next week with more stuff! Have a great weekend.