Mark and I were in Florida last week, and played some Scrabble with both locals and visitors. The informal tournament we played in took place in Fort Lauderdale during the day and every evening was a night on the town at dinner or playing the musical version of CatchPhrase at home. Last Saturday night (5 March) we went to a Cuban restaurant whose servings were enough to feed two armies. Mark’s regular entree comprised of three oval dining platters and needless to say, he didn’t finish it. Nor did I–and I ordered seafood and rice and I love seafood.



L-R: Mark, Craig, Mark Przybyszewski, Bruce Adams, David Weiss, Jack Eichenbaum, Howard Pistol, Adrian Mannella, Ken Levine

A week ago today Mark and I spent the entire day in Miami Beach. I wouldn’t ordinarily care to visit to a parking garage but the new one in town is worth writing about:

There are seven levels in this garage at varying heights. The clothing store Alchemist is the glass-enclosed room at level five. Mark and I were both wondering how economically viable it is to place a clothing store in a garage. We walked from the top level down, yet saw no customers in Alchemist. In the first garage photo at the top left, on a split level within the seventh floor is a private apartment. This apartment has its own elevator and staircase. It is an enormous apartment which stretches around the ceiling area. The photo belies its size. I know nothing about cars yet I do have the pathetic ability to detect a fancy car when I see it. Mark confirmed for me that there were Porsches galore parked here, as well as other luxury models.
 
While Mark Rollerbladed® throughout Miami Beach, I strolled the strand and took a break with my book on a bench in South Beach. We sure had a sunny day, and I was greeted to an unshovelled snowy driveway when I got home the following day.