Blog No. 13 of 2025
I mentioned in last week’s blog I wouldn’t be sending one this Friday but then I figured, why can’t I send an “Early Edition?”
Poster courtesy of filmmaker Gina Margillo. Her film is part of the “Homegrown Block” portion of the Miami Film Festival and screens on April 6 at the Bill Cosford Cinema on the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables.
Let’s take it back to last Saturday when after spending some time at Ed Burke Park with Vance and Nick, I went to IPC (Iris Photo Collective) Art Space in Little Haiti to attend an exclusive screening of the short film “Night Train Last Stop” about Ted Grossman, a 47-year radio veteran of WLRN radio here in Miami and host of the station’s late night show Night Train. It’s a heartwarming 15-minute film featuring interviews with Grossman’s best friends as well as co-workers and bosses at WLRN. Gina Margillo, the film’s director who I’ve gotten to know over the years, did a wonderful job encapsulating Grossman’s wit and grumpiness. And I loved being in The Miami Herald photographer Carl Juste’s IPC space, he’s a fantastic host, lending his space for the screening. The film is screening during the Miami Film Festival and I was lucky enough to be invited to this sneak preview.
The Sherry Cobbler cocktail I ordered at Sra. Martinez in Coral Gables.
That evening, Vance and I had a wonderful time dining out with our friends Kevin & Michelle and Rick & Adina at Sra. Martinez in Coral Gables. It was also an absolute thrill to chat with owner Chef Michelle Bernstein. Dinner was fabulous and it was so nice that they sent over a lot of complimentary appetizers which was arranged by their PR rep who also invited me to their upcoming Grand Opening to announce their lunch service on April 6. But back to our dinner, we were served two types of croquetas —carbonara and spinach and feta — and also their fried eggplant chips. For dinner, we ordered and shared the whipped feta Greek…ish salad, oxtail paella, NY 21 day dry aged 18 oz. steak and snapper filet and we all shared those dishes. Click here to see the full menu. The live Cuban band was g reat and the ambiance is stellar.
After dinner, we walked just a few blocks to grab a beer at the Fritz & Franz Bierhaus, an institution in Coral Gables. Although we pretty much had the place to ourselves, it was nice to extend the night with an after dinner brew.
Sunday was a quiet day, relaxing at home and then heading to yet another park with Vance and Nicholas. The weather has been so ideal for spending time outside we headed back to Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah. It was nice to wander through a few different areas of the park we hadn’t visited, grab some snacks and toss the frisbee and football around. The photos above show how much that park has to offer.
Ita in the straw hat, Teri in the pink hat, me in the yellow hat and Michelle in the straw hat, enjoying our annual Spring Break beach day.
Tuesday I took a little break from work for my annual Spring Break beach day with friends Michelle, Ita and Teri. We enjoyed the two hours or so until the rain and lighting sent us packing! Those hours on the beach were well spent enjoying the brisk but refreshing crystal clear water and inviting sandbar. Catching up on life and eating yummy snacks made the day complete!
And that does it for this, the last weekend of March. Now I’m off to Durham, NC to visit my son Michael. All of us, the whole family, is going up to visit him. Looking forward to a nice weekend together.
I’ll also continue to encourage to visit South Florida on the Cheap to find free and cheap events and Artburst Miami to keep up with what’s happening in the arts in Miami.
Until next week… be well!
