Caribbean Cruise & Hollywood, Fl Jan/Feb 2017 Part 11

2/7/7 11:55am
America Social Pub, Las Olas Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

My moleskine notebook is almost full. I have a couple sheets of paper folded up in case I need a back up.

After dinner and that strong mojito last night, I wandered around the harbor area with a rum buzz for about an hour or so. I decided to get ice cream and found that the only open option was Haagan Daaz. My ice cream cost $10. $10 ice cream is really good, but it’s not $10 good. 

After sobering up and somewhat enjoying the expensive ice cream, I hopped in my car and drove to South Beach, Miami. I couldn’t come to Miami and not go to South Beach, right? For a Monday night, the streets were about as packed as a Saturday night in smAlbany, New York – which is to say, not really super packed, but somewhat busy. You could likely get a table without waiting long, but you’d be amongst quite a crowd. Does that paint the picture? I was planning on just driving by to see the sites, but a parking spot opened up at the right time. I got out and walked a block, but couldn’t figure out the parking machine. I snapped some pictures of the neon lights and heaters (it was like 70 degrees and practically every bar had heaters going – ha!). 

Then, I got back in the rental car and drove along A1A. Night life was everywhere along the main drag and side streets. At this point, I was nightlifed out and didn’t want any more alcohol. So I just kept driving until I reached Hollywood and my hotel. 

It was about midnight by the time I got back to my hotel, so I picked up the Ocean at the End of the Lane and read until I finished it. I forgot how sad the book is… but, it is a fairly easy read and reminds me that there is magic on the edge of reality and dangers that are kept at bay by good ones (“ones” being beings that are certainly not human, but are never really understood to be any specific thing either).

I woke up in the morning at 7am when my alarm went off. I was going to go out and watch the sunrise, because I hadn’t caught the sunrise at all on this trip, but I was too tired and opted to sleep for a few more hours.

At 10am, I begrudgingly got up and quickly did my morning routine and packed. I checked out at 11am on the dot and drove to Las Olas Blvd, which was promised to have cute shops, restaurants, etc.

The sky was a lovely blue as it was for much of the trip and it didn’t feel like today was the last day of vacation.

I found American Social, a pub with craft beers. I’m drinking some IPA from somewhere in Florida, sitting outside in the shade where the breeze is actually quite cool. I’m eating a quesadilla and it’s pretty much what you’d expect from a pub quesadilla. Tasty. But, I suspect that an authentic Mexican restaurant quesadilla would be better. I’ve had several tacos and a plate of nachos on this trip, so the quesadilla completed the trilogy (Oh, wait! I had a fajita last night, too; does this make a quadrilogy? No. Tetralogy is the proper term). The beer is surprisingly not very hoppy, which makes me happy. I don’t like overly hoppy beers.

(The apparent "look" of a musician)

The gentleman serving me saw me writing and asked if I was writing lyrics. I said, “no” and that I used to do that, but the juice just isn’t flowing anymore. He went on to say that he doesn’t play any instruments, but is passionate about music. He said I had the “look” of a musician (Compliment Count: 5), which was a nice compliment.

(Where I am)

(Where I'm going)

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2/7/17 4:30pm 

Landshark, FLL (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport)

This is a big beer. It’s much more beer than I wanted, but it’s the smallest amount of beer that one can get here and I need a beer because this airport is nuts! People are packed in every way possible. There is no more room at this airport! Don’t come here.

After lunch at the pub on Las Olas Blvd, I wandered up and down the street for a couple hours. There were several art shops/galleries. There are also several shops selling expensive gaudy statues that rich people need to waste their money on.

I drove the blue Hyundai Accent to the airport, dropped off the car, and went into the bathroom to change into long pants. Then I found that I was exhausted, so I grabbed a seat in a seclude spot and snoozed for at least an hour. I was very early for my flight, so snoozing did not make me late.

There was a mob at the ticket counter and chaos ensued. I survived it, though, and was praised by the counter clerk for putting the right tags on my suitcase (I'm counting praise as a compliment. Therefore, Compliment Count: 6).

TSA was another mob of people. I survived it and walked to my gate which was also mobbed. I looked for a place to eat and ended up in a line to sit at the Landshark bar (Yes, there is a line to get a seat at the BAR!). A seat opened up at the right time because the person behind me waited another ten minutes.

And here I am writing instead of eating this grilled chicken sandwich and fries. This is the last crap meal for a while (and it is especially crappy). Tomorrow, I’m going back to focusing on my diet and I’m glad about that. The vacation eating had its positives – not thinking about nutrition constantly – but I miss my usual diet and how my body responds to it as opposed to the way it feels about food like this...

The line to the bar is still there. When I finish this humongus beer (by tomorrow, I’m sure), I’ll go find a seat at my gate. This section of the airport is boring compared to Albany. Just boring walls and boring gates. No decoration. And we are all packed into it like sardines.

(Finished!)

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2/7/17 10:45pm 

Somewhere over Pennsylvania-ish

The flight out of Fort Lauderdale was mostly uneventful and full. The person sitting next to me took up more than 100% of their seat, which meant that my personal bubble was popped and the bottom dropped out of my comfort level.

Landing in Baltimore was terrifying. The plane jostled back and forth and I watched out the window as the wing dipped downward and then up. The wheels hit the runway and we went back and forth a little before the front wheels touched down.

I deboarded safely and quickly made my way through the Baltimore airport. I had a short wait before boarding the plane to Albany, New York. I changed out of my short sleeve shirt and put on my flannel. I have a winter hat, scarf, gloves, and a hoodie in my backpack for when we land. 

Take off was equally as harrowing as landing in Baltimore. Jostles and joltings. Tips and turves (turviness?)

We are in the air now and the flight is a short one. I am sitting all the way in the back of the plane and there is no one else in my row or the row ahead of me. It’s great. We’ll be in Albany before too long and we’ll be very cold. It is thirty three degrees and raining in Albany right now, although, the forecast for tomorrow shows a high of forty.

I am sad that my vacation is over. I am sad that vacations cost so much money and require you to work so much to save up enough vacation time to take time off. I wonder how much money boat people make booking snorkeling excursions. I wonder what cost of living is in Grand Caymans. I wonder if I will ever have the guts to move to the Caymans and work on a boat. Someone I know from the Saratoga Springs music community packed up and moved to San Francisco, California and I wonder if that’s a possible place for me. Or should I look further south? San Diego perhaps? Central New York weather is a real drag. However, there is a lot less people than everywhere else I go, which means that life is a little less hectic here. Because of that, I don’t want to leave, but there could be benefits to moving to a busier place. More people means a higher chance of making friends and building deeper connections. But, I also feel a further surge of isolation when I’m alone in big crowds. There is also a higher chance of couples being about doing coupley things, annoying things (ugh, why can't I stop being so jaded?!). 

There was a pretty lightning storm off in the distance. I took some video and then screenshotted this moment and zoomed in.

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2/8/17 12:55am 

Home. East Greenbush, New York.

I am home. It is cold – although, it doesn’t feel as cold as I was expecting it to be. I guess I thawed out pretty well on the trip. Success!

The plane landed and we had to sit on the tarmac to wait for another plane to leave the gate that my plane needed to pull into. We waited for like fifteen minutes, which is a really long time when you are so close to the finish line.

Eventually, we pulled up and deboarded. I was, like, the last one off the plane because I had sat so far in the back. I texted Park and Ride and went to pick up my luggage. 

For some reason, my bag was wet on all sides as it made its way around the carousel. I picked it up and set it down on the ground and then tried to pull the handle out. It wouldn’t come out. I noticed some scrapes on my bag, which – in general – appeared a lot more shabby than it had when I left it with the counter clerk in Fort Lauderdale. Eventually, I was able to pull the handle out, but then it would not budge going back in.

I’m not happy that my bag is damaged because it was brand new and this was its virgin voyage. I’ll have to deal with it tomorrow as I’m very tired right now.

I had left clean pajamas on the corner of my made bed for when I returned. Right at this moment, I'm very glad that pre-vacation me was thoughtful and left pajamas out for post-vacation me. I’m going to change, climb in bed, and sleep until whenever.