Mother's Day

Mom and I went to Mass at St. Patrick's Church on Miami Beach. I usually go to the 5:00pm on Sunday, but we went to the 9:30am Sunday Mass because the choir sings at that mass. Now, this choir isn't just a group of singers from the parish. It is audition group that has toured Italy and New York. They have performed at the Vatican and Carnegie Hall. The music at the 5:00pm Mass is always amazing, but it is nothing compared to the Sunday Mass. Mom and I both had chills the whole mass. They are unbelievable. You can watch the Mass online at St. Patrick's website, but I am not sure if you would get the same feeling as being there in person. Mom said that she might watch from home, which would make me feel close to home: we would be at the same service.

After Mass, we headed down to 13th Street and Collins to park closer to the action in South Beach. Here is a picture from the parking garage.

The first place we had to stop was Miami Ink. Mom needed her picture taken in front of the shop because she loved the show (it hasn't been on the air in a while). She wanted to go in and get a tattoo, but decided against it.
We went down Espanola Way, which is a famous little street in South Beach. Many movies have filmed there, such as The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Miami Vice. We decided that we would go back for dinner as I wanted to go to the Van Dyke for brunch. Luckily, the food at the Van Dyke was as good as the jazz was in the bar. We had a great time and sat out side. Here is a picture of the Van Dyke:

The Van Dyke is on Lincoln Road so Mom and I did a little shopping. Here is a picture of her near one of the many water features.

Here is a picture of Lincoln Road.
Here is a famous theater, the Lincoln Theatre. This is where the New World Symphony performs in Miami.

We decided to get some gelato at a local shop. It was excellent.
We stopped and Mom (and Dad from home) bought me a birthday present: an i phone. I thought about getting one last year, but I was afraid it was too expensive. However, my i pod can't get online at the hospitals (to access drug databases and such) and my old phone had a horrible Internet browser. I didn't think it would be possible because I thought I wasn't due for a new phone until next year, but the salesman made it happen and I got the phone at the same price as if I was due to renew. Anyway, I sure didn't think I was going to get a new phone and I LOVE it. I feel so spoiled!

After getting the coolest phone ever, we had to stop by Dash to get our pictures taken. They were not open! Apparently, there is a problem with the staff in Miami and they are not open regular hours. I was disappointed that they were not open because they had some really, really cute stuff. They are also really off the beaten path. Most of the nice more expensive shopping is on Lincoln Road, which is between 16th and 17th street. Dash is located on 8th street, which is near all the hot spot night clubs and it is near some of the sleazy parts of Washington Street. Anyway, here are the pictures.

After going to Dash, we had to hurry to Fort Lauderdale to pick up Farley. After we got him, we headed back down to Espansola Way for dinner. We decided to go to a Mexican place. It is so quaint down there. I just love it. The only problem is that is is only two blocks.