Every movie I have seen at Cinema Paradiso has been entertaining and mind-expanding. I feel smarter…read moreon the way out than I was on the way in. Today, during the Saturday World Cup Watch Party, I decided to go to the movie. Now some may say that was the less smart part, but I disagree. Even though I wasn't there to cheer on Colombia, the excitement of the whole specifically was palpable. And when I ducked into the cold AC of the theatre, I felt smarter on indeed. Today's movie was Tuner, which has a 94 score on Rotten Tomatoes. Dustin Hoffman plays a great supporting role. Suspenseful, emotional, exciting, a but nerve wracking. A popcorn-shoving spectacle to behold.

Quaint independent movie theatre smacked right in the middle of Hollywood Circle. Would've never…read moreknown it was there if not for a French Meetup group I'm a part of. Passed by last Sunday to see White As Snow. We were a group of at least a dozen Francophiles, seeing as the leader of our Meetup group had spoken to the manager to get us to see this movie. The movie itself was a modern retelling of Snow White with some quirks. The movie was in French and I heavily recommend it. For those who don't speak French, don't worry as there are subtitles. Anyway, the movie theatre itself is small and intimate. I believe there is only one room where they show movies. The bathrooms are adjacent and were quite clean. They have a food stand up front, and on that day, Josh was manning it and running around after us. I'm not too sure how normal the set-up we had was as it seems the movie theatre was closed just for us, but I do have to say I was impressed. They gave us complimentary water and popcorn, and given my tardiness, I was even sought out personally in the dark to make sure I got my goodies. The customer service was superb and they really want to make sure their patrons feel welcome. This seems to be part of a trio of movie theatres that play unique movies in the area (the other two being Gateway Cinema and Savor Cinema). Have to say I'm pleased to have found this out. I just love movies!

I visited Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) on a Sunday afternoon. The staff greeted me and was…read morevery friendly and knowledgeable. One of the employees, perhaps the manager, described each of the 3 current exhibit. Entrance fee is free for Bank of America customers the first full weekend of the month. I was able to find free and convenient street parking on NE 8th Avenue. The 3 current exhibits are Leigh Gordon, Kanaval a chronology of Haiti's carnival; Dider William and the Victory Garden, which was the reason for my visit. The Victory Garden, in the museum's Paradise Courtyard, is an inspiration to find solutions to food scarcity. You are given a paper bag and encouraged to ship some herbs. Basil, culantro, tomatoes and oregano were just a few plants in the garden. Current hours, according to their website are Mon & Tue, closed; Wed. 12-7; Thur. - Sun. 12-5. Admission is $10 for adults, free for children under 12, veterans and North Miami employees and residents. I would plan on spending 1 -2 hours at the museum. I recommend a visit to MOCA

MOCA is an intimate museum, with usually 2 exhibits. You can be in and out within 30 minutes, get…read moreyour art fix and go about your day. They're apart of the Bank of America "Museums on Us" program which means free admission for BoA cardholders first weekend of the month. Street parking isn't stressful since you're not there very long. I like the MOCA space a lot and stoked to see future exhibitions. Everyone was wearing masks, felt very safe.

In all my time living in South Florida and my interest in Art and Culture, and the many art shows,…read moregalleries, and museums I've been to, I've never been to the Arts and Culture Center of Hollywood... Until now. Located in a preserved, historic building which was built in the 1920s, you might miss it if you weren't looking for it. It's on the edge of a residential area, and just east of Young Circle, so it gets a little lost in it's surroundings, but it's definitely worth exploring. The parking lot is free, and there's also street parking available. Entrance is $10 for adults, discounted for kids and seniors, and free with membership. The Center holds three exhibition spaces downstairs and one upstairs. The main exhibit space is rather large, which you can tell by looking at the current exhibition (ANIMALS), which showcased various media depictions and representations of animals. Behind the main space, there are also desks and drawings from patrons or the students at the school. There is also an artistic garden which may be a lot more enjoyable when the temperatures cool down. I met Joanna who did an amazing job of providing me with updates about events, history, and meet the artist days, which I believe are also free. I will definitely be back to check out other exhibitions and hopefully be able to attend an exhibition opening or two in the near future. If you're looking to improve your cultural aspirations for you and your family, come check out the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood. Be sure to tell Joanna I sent you

The best word for this museum is eclectic…read more While in Florida for a few weeks, the honey and I treated my MIL to a guest pass with our reciprocal NARM membership benefits. Check in wasn't smooth, but the space is definitely much larger than it appears from the outside. The honey enjoyed Environmental Futures III on the first floor and I enjoyed the 'Somewhere I Belong' installation and the community art upstairs, which was fantastic. They also had a piece by a local glass blower Brenna who participated in the Netflix show Blown Away. The piece had an inverted color scheme, but was otherwise a duplicate to the piece she created when she was eliminated. I would have loved to have seen an entire section dedicated to her pieces because beyond the glass and the art upstairs, the general curation wasn't really to my taste. All in all, the service was upbeat and helpful, but with general admission at $7, ($4 for students) I would call the experience slightly overpriced unless you're here under NARM.