Post-Valentine’s Day week
Last Friday was Friday the 13th and I didn’t even realize it. And the day before that, Feb. 12th was my brother Mario’s birthday and also my niece Jeanna’s. Belated happy birthday to you both! And this week a very happy birthday to my best friend Monica who celebrated on Feb. 17th.
Nick and his buds at the Valentine’s Day dance.
Elizabeth and her sweetheart David on Valentine’s Day.
Friday night, after Vance and I picked up Nick at his Valentine’s Day dance, we went to grab dinner at Nikki Pizza La Original just a few blocks away from Nick’s program where the dance was held. I’d never had Cuban style pizza and it was pretty good. They also have very crispy, gooey mozzarella sticks.
Nick and Vance tossing the football at the Kite Festival.
View at Haulover Park
Saturday we went to the Kite Festival at Haulover Park and Marina where we enjoyed the abundance of colorful kites of all sizes and colors dotting the sky. We also walked along the water and ran into our neighbors Matt and Carlos. There were plenty of food trucks on hand so Vance and I shared a cool, frosty cookies ‘n cream milkshake. I like hanging out at Haulover Park and Marina, it brings back the only good memories from the pandemic when we used to go there to enjoy the fresh air and spectacular view.
Then that night, Vance and I returned to one of our favorite restaurants, Cafe Avanti on 41st St. on Miami Beach, for a quiet Valentine’s Day dinner. We shared a meatball appetizer the lightest most delicious veal meatballs ever, and the fresh asparagus with melted reggiano cheese. He ordered the pollo fiorentina sauteed with lemon and white wine served over spinach as his entree and I had the rollatini melanzane eggplant baked with ricotta cheese and marinara. The prices on Valentine’s night were a bit higher and the menu pared down, which was an unwelcome surprise to say the least (price gouging anyone?) but it was all delicious. And we took a good portion of it home and it made for great leftovers.
Vance gives a thumbs up after we loaded the car to the tippy top as we drive off to deliver the goods to Village Freedge.
Breakfast at Tinta y Cafe, that’s a spinach croqueta in the middle because I can’t resist croquetas.
Peacock we spotted on our walk.
Now let’s skip to Monday which was a holiday so Vance was home in Miami and joined me for my food rescue run to Whole Foods then drop off at Village Freedge in Liberty City. On the way home, we stopped at Tinta y Cafe in Miami Shores where we split a delicious breakfast sandwich (that tomato jam was chef’s kiss) and then later that day went on a walk through the neighborhood where we spotted a peacock with the most vibrant colors!
Tuesday, after I finished up my interview with Hannah from Dance Now Miami for a feature I’m doing on them for Biscayne Times, Nick and I hit the road and on our way to Merritt Island made our obligatory stop at Cracker Barrel. This time we stopped at the one in Deerfield Beach. We made it to the townhouse around 6ish.
Nick at Nicole’s house playing with their dog Deuce.
Wednesday was a very early morning for Vance and I since we had to be at the Cleveland Clinic in Vero Beach by 5:45 a.m. so on our drive home we stopped by Abbott’s and had some frozen custard. Vance’s minimal procedure was a success, I’m happy to report.
When we got home, I shut my eyes for a bit and got ready for Ash Wednesday mass at Divine Mercy. I quickly met my niece Nicole in the parking lot of My Island Gymnastics where she was taking her son Mazen so I could pick up Nick who spent the day at her house, then Nick and I rushed over to mass. It was a lovely service. As a Catholic, Lent is one of my favorite seasons.
That’s Nick down in the distance in an orange shirt, way ahead of me on the nature trail.
Thursday, after getting some work done, Nick and I let Vance have the townhouse to himself to work and rest. We grabbed lunch at a nearby Five Guys then went to check out the Brevard County Enchanted Forest Sanctuary in Titusville, recommended by Nicole. Nick and I hit the hiking trails where some were sandy, others were dirt and there were also boardwalks. The surroundings were really breathtaking as you can see in my picture above.
Nicole also recommended Playalinda Brewing Company in Titusville so perhaps we’ll get dinner there tonight with Elizabeth who is driving over from Orlando to hang out here with us and spend the night.
As for the rest of the weekend, no idea what we’re doing up around here but I’ll tell you about it for sure in next week’s blog. Oh, and here’s a link to my article on State of the Arts 2026 where unfortunately, I didn’t report very good news for the future of Miami’s arts community.
Here’s the Calendar of Events suggestions for this weekend and beyond:
SoMi Arts Fest on Saturday and Sunday
Sunday Jazz in the Park at Legion Park in the MiMo District this Sunday
Voices Twisting Tongues tonight and tomorrow in North Miami, a unique sound/experimental event co-hosted by the Miami Sound Choir and Juraj Kojs of the Frost Electronic Music Ensemble. I met Juraj several years back and became fascinated with his work. He reminds me a bit of David Byrne from The Talking Heads.
The Youth Music Festival on March 7 where my great niece Kaitlyn will be performing
That’s all I’ve got for this week and below is my parting shot, Axios Miami used my beach shot in their newsletter this week!
