Out and About
I’ve been all over town lately – and it’s been fun. I went to the final dress rehearsal of Aida and got a sneak peak at the new Ziff Ballet Opera House. Aida is amazing, all glitter and gold with superb singing and dancing. The Ballet Opera House is beautiful, too, though my friends complained that they were expecting the powder room to be fancier. When I reminded them about the vintage WCs at Dade County Auditorium (the opera’s old home) they agreed it was silly to complain. Who needs marble sinks and fancy soaps during intermission?
I also got invited to a Festival Miami piano performance at the University of Miami. Polish pianist Marek Drewnowski dazzled the audience with a two-hour Chopin blitz. I bumped into an old high school friend at the concert, who dragged me backstage to meet Mr. Drewnowski. It happened to be the pianist’s birthday, so we joined him in a champagne toast. He was most comfortable speaking French, Polish or Russian, so I blurted out a few words of bad French, just enough to let him know how much I appreciated his talent.
Ironically, Mr. Drewnowski’s Festival Miami performance had been planned for last October – but got cancelled due to inclement weather. He was stuck at the Paris airport and never made it to not-so-sunny Miami. This time around, the weather was perfect – a crisp, starlit October night with no rain in sight.
My high school pal told me about the work she is doing for the new PlayGround Theatre, which recently purchased the lovely, Deco-era Miami Shores Theatre. She invited me to attend their ribbon-cutting ceremony at the theater on November 11. I remember seeing movies there as a kid, always loving the sparkly red seats, popcorn smells and the gigantic movie screen with its red velvet curtain. It’s comforting to know that this dear old theater will be entertaining families for years to come. I’m looking forward to seeing what promises to be a really special production of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The play will also be performed January 5 – 7, 2007 at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road.
So far, the “culture vulture” in me is satisfied with making it to a whole bunch artsy things I’ve been wanting to check out. This includes a recent gallery night in the Miami Design District. Despite a few drops of rain, I had a very enjoyable evening. Some friends who were supposed to meet me there had car trouble, but serendipity intervened. I saw an old friend waving to me from her convertible. We sat out the quick shower in her car, then strolled around looking at assorted paintings and sculpture. My friend shared stories about the years when she owned an art gallery in the charming Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, including the day when the great art philanthropist Arthur M. Sackler walked into her shop and wanted to chat about sculpture.
The Design District has more than galleries to catch your eye. In addition to artwork, there are many alluring window displays full of hip modern knick knacks and furniture (with equally hip price tags). I spied a hot pink Flokati rug and several Murano lamps that made me wish I hadn’t just redecorated my living room. We took a break and ducked into Sheba – a fun and funky Ethiopian restaurant on North Miami Avenue – for a quick beer at the bar. I definitely plan to come back here for a leisurely dinner. The bartender offered me a taste of their delicious curry with that spongy, pleasingly sour Ethiopian bread and I can’t wait to go back for more. There’s a small African art gallery attached to the restaurant, but I didn’t get a chance to explore it because my friend had to leave.
It seems like as soon as I’ve checked something off my “culture vulture” to-do list, I add more to it. Like the Ramble at Fairchild Garden. There is no better place to find inexpensive and one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, let me tell you. It’s also fun to just wander through the garden and people-watch, nibbling on Thai food or fresh fruit kebabs. Another event I must go to is the Miami Book Fair International. I just learned Frank McCourt (author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Angela’s Ashes) will be there this year. I really enjoyed his latest book, Teacher Man, and may try to have him autograph it.
This town is juicy with things to do. I just spent a long, hot summer waiting for my kitchen renovation to end, daydreaming about all the fun things I would do with my fall evenings. Now that fall is here, I don’t care if the kitchen ever gets finished. I’m too busy having a good time!
I also got invited to a Festival Miami piano performance at the University of Miami. Polish pianist Marek Drewnowski dazzled the audience with a two-hour Chopin blitz. I bumped into an old high school friend at the concert, who dragged me backstage to meet Mr. Drewnowski. It happened to be the pianist’s birthday, so we joined him in a champagne toast. He was most comfortable speaking French, Polish or Russian, so I blurted out a few words of bad French, just enough to let him know how much I appreciated his talent.
Ironically, Mr. Drewnowski’s Festival Miami performance had been planned for last October – but got cancelled due to inclement weather. He was stuck at the Paris airport and never made it to not-so-sunny Miami. This time around, the weather was perfect – a crisp, starlit October night with no rain in sight.
My high school pal told me about the work she is doing for the new PlayGround Theatre, which recently purchased the lovely, Deco-era Miami Shores Theatre. She invited me to attend their ribbon-cutting ceremony at the theater on November 11. I remember seeing movies there as a kid, always loving the sparkly red seats, popcorn smells and the gigantic movie screen with its red velvet curtain. It’s comforting to know that this dear old theater will be entertaining families for years to come. I’m looking forward to seeing what promises to be a really special production of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier. The play will also be performed January 5 – 7, 2007 at the Colony Theater on Lincoln Road.
So far, the “culture vulture” in me is satisfied with making it to a whole bunch artsy things I’ve been wanting to check out. This includes a recent gallery night in the Miami Design District. Despite a few drops of rain, I had a very enjoyable evening. Some friends who were supposed to meet me there had car trouble, but serendipity intervened. I saw an old friend waving to me from her convertible. We sat out the quick shower in her car, then strolled around looking at assorted paintings and sculpture. My friend shared stories about the years when she owned an art gallery in the charming Mexican city of San Miguel de Allende, including the day when the great art philanthropist Arthur M. Sackler walked into her shop and wanted to chat about sculpture.
The Design District has more than galleries to catch your eye. In addition to artwork, there are many alluring window displays full of hip modern knick knacks and furniture (with equally hip price tags). I spied a hot pink Flokati rug and several Murano lamps that made me wish I hadn’t just redecorated my living room. We took a break and ducked into Sheba – a fun and funky Ethiopian restaurant on North Miami Avenue – for a quick beer at the bar. I definitely plan to come back here for a leisurely dinner. The bartender offered me a taste of their delicious curry with that spongy, pleasingly sour Ethiopian bread and I can’t wait to go back for more. There’s a small African art gallery attached to the restaurant, but I didn’t get a chance to explore it because my friend had to leave.
It seems like as soon as I’ve checked something off my “culture vulture” to-do list, I add more to it. Like the Ramble at Fairchild Garden. There is no better place to find inexpensive and one-of-a-kind holiday gifts, let me tell you. It’s also fun to just wander through the garden and people-watch, nibbling on Thai food or fresh fruit kebabs. Another event I must go to is the Miami Book Fair International. I just learned Frank McCourt (author of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel Angela’s Ashes) will be there this year. I really enjoyed his latest book, Teacher Man, and may try to have him autograph it.
This town is juicy with things to do. I just spent a long, hot summer waiting for my kitchen renovation to end, daydreaming about all the fun things I would do with my fall evenings. Now that fall is here, I don’t care if the kitchen ever gets finished. I’m too busy having a good time!
posted by Carolyn Keating at
7:20 AM
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