Brrrrr…

I can’t think of a better headline for this past week than that, thanks to the crazy cold weather in South Florida lately!

And yes, the falling, frozen iguanas have been all over the news. You’ll see and read about the one I encountered this week while on a walk, later in this post.

Let’s kick things off on Saturday where even on a blustery, gray, cold day Vance and I and our friends Michelle and Kevin, ventured out to Bird Road in Westchester for the Third Annual Bird Road Culinary walking and history tour led by historian Cesar A. Becerra. The 2 1/2 hour tour took us to plenty of historic spots (and some not so historic) between 87th and 92nd Avenues. We ate little samplings of a croqueta, frita and Cuban sandwich, hot dog and pizza while also learning about the area’s history. Afterwards, we hung out at Michelle and Kevin’s house where we enjoyed post-tour wine and a little charcuterie hanging out by their lovely warm fireplace. And yes, I know we’d been on a walking tour but the charcuterie was consumed much later.

Sunday was a quiet day at home where I made chicken noodle soup for lunch and watched the Grammys. Nothing much to report but that the soup was great, I made a big batch and still have a little left and that I enjoyed the Grammys. This day was also my nephew Chris’s birthday!

On Monday, late in the afternoon, I stopped in at Flanigan’s to pick up an order of their chorizo croquetas. No, you didn’t read that wrong, Flanigan’s is doing a cross promotion with Vicky Bakery and selling their crispy, round chorizo croquetas with the famous Flanigan’s barbecue sauce for dipping. The consensus, they were yummy and crispy. I really enjoyed them. I didn’t snap a pic but you can see one by clicking on link above.

Tuesday was the iguana-spotting day, this frozen guy was just laying there as I took off on my walk. That’s all I’ve got for Tuesday.

Wednesday, after dropping off Nick and running some errands, I stopped in at The Last Carrot in Coconut Grove for one of my favorite sandwiches, their chicken salad pita with the green sauce. Unfortunately, The Last Carrot, an institution in Coconut Grove since 1975 and one of the neighborhood’s most beloved places, is closing on Feb. 7. The owner did say she’s hoping to reopen at another Grove location in the future. I’m hoping that’s true and this isn’t the end.

Friday, I’ll be watching the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies and Saturday, I might go to the Urban Oasis Project Farmer’s Market at Legion Park before Nick and I are go to LoanDepot Park for the annual Marlins Fan Fest.

That’s about all I’ve got for this week.

Now… here’s a Calendar of Events of sorts for this weekend and beyond.

Friday, enjoy a free concert at the Miami Design District’s Jungle Plaza.

Saturday you can go to the free Marlins Fan Fest like we’re doing.

Also on Saturday, you can use your Bank of America card for free admission to select museums around Miami. It’s part of their long-running Museums on Us Program.

Coming up next weekend, President’s Day weekend, the Coconut Grove Arts Festival is back and the weekend after that on Feb. 21 & 22 the SOMI Art Fest is happening in South Miami.

And you know I always encourage you to visit Bookleggers Library at the Bakehouse Art Complex where you can pick up a free book and chill out in their cool space. I also found out they’ve got rare edition books for sale on their site and they’ve got some good deals. Click here to see what they’ve got.

If you want to know what’s happening around Miami’s cultural scene, visit Artburst Miami and for great free and cheap stuff to do I recommend South Florida on the Cheap. And yes, I’m biased because I contribute to both those sites!

And I leave you with a parting shot of my very dapper/handsome great nephew Ramzi on his way to a Symphony performance with his classmates.

That’s all for this first week of February. I hope you stay warm and look forward to warmer weather this coming week. See you right here next Friday.