The Heart of Texas

As Mark said before, Day 10 would comprise of a visit with the Webbs before heading out to San Antonio. Realizing that one of the best ways to see a city is to ask the locals, we asked for a recommendation for lunch that would accommodate our traveling with Kahlua. They did not disappoint! We arrived at this funky taco stand with outdoor picnic tables [truthfully the interior was so tiny they were our only option] called TacoDeli. Apparently they won best taco at some point. It was easy to see why -- they were delicious! And they had Coca-Cola in glass bottles -- BONUS!

Following lunch the Webbs suggested we take a hike on the Austin Greenbelt. We were in search of an oasis where we could dip our feet and let Kahlua splash around. Unfortunately, due to the current drought overtaking the state of Texas [at least where we were] our oasis turned into what amounted to a little pond maybe 30 yards across, but it was deep enough for Kahlua to swim around like an otter. He laid down in the shallow end and then swam the length to the other side and back. We didn't have the camera with us, but take my word for it he was adorable! Even though we didn't reach our destination [although many people passed us carrying coolers and the like] it was an enjoyable hike with wonderful conversation and even better company! Bad news was that Kahlua was so filthy we had to give him a bath in the hotel shower after dinner.

Bidding farewell to our gracious hosts it was time to get back on the road to San Antonio. A short drive allowed us to grab a quick shower and dress up before taking a walk to track down the infamous San Antonio Riverwalk. With a little effort we were able to find it -- and every human being in the town of San Antonio. To say it was packed is an understatement. I'm really surprised there weren't people falling into the river given that we were shoulder to shoulder and there were sections of the walk that had no railings. 

I think we also expected to see more shops, aside from the CVS and occasional [read: really non-existent] trinket store it was restaurant after restaurant. To make it worse most of them were touristy chain restaurants. Most of them had half an hour to one hour waits. We did manage to find a barbeque restaurant in one of the hotels that was less populated and was actually pretty tasty. The fresh-made guacamole prepared tableside was delicious. They also had one of the best restaurant tres-leches I've ever had. Doesn't compare to my cousin Evelyn's tres leches, but it was a close approximation. 


Our plan tomorrow is to stop by the Alamo for a few pictures and then set out for our first national park of the trip, Carlsbad Caverns. I'm very excited for it!

The Juice Box

It's odd on a trip like this how even spending two nights in a city feels like a week. Everything is about relentlessly moving on to the next destination -- been nice to soak up New Orleans a bit. But it is time to move on, so we started the day with another trip to Cafe Beignet. Learned from our experience yesterday and got a crawfish omlette and fruit to go along with our one order of beignets. Still delicious. Kahlua enjoyed his final walk down Bourbon St.

Day 9 was a bit of a travel day, with us needing to get from New Orleans to Houston in time for that night's Astros game. The only other place to visit on the whole drive (literally the only other place) is Baton Rouge about an hour west of New Orleans. I joked with Cristy that it's starting to feel like we're elite high school football players being recruited -- trip to Florida, trip to LSU, planned trip to Texas.


The campus was nice, although a bit eclectic. Every building has a differnet architectural style -- made the whole thing seem a bit random. We were able to sneak in an entrance to see the inside of Tiger Stadium. It very much has that 'valley' feel like Neyland Stadium in Knoxville; completly enclosed and very vertical. This now puts me at 11 SEC stadiums (9 games and the 2 visited on this trip) leaving only Jordan-Hare in Auburn. Well, and Texas A&M and Missouri. Football stadiums aren't as evocative as baseball ones, but it is nice to have the context and 'feel' for the stadiums I see on TV so frequently.

The highlight of our stop, though, was visiting Mike the Tiger. Mike has an enclosure (with a pool!) between the football and basketball stadiums and you can walk right up and say hello. And when we walked up he was right there in front to greet us.

We left Kahlua a little further back -- hate to provoke a bengal tiger. Very cool experience; one big tiger. The rest of the drive to Houston was only marked by our stop at what must have been the slowest Burger King in Louisiana. Maybe it was my fault for ordering a chicken sandwich (a 'tendergrill' in their language) -- no wait for a Whopper.


We were doing well until a little traffic in Houston put us behind schedule. Checked in to the La Quinta, dropped the dog, and got to Minute Maid Park at 6pm. Ordinarily that would not be a problem, but Friday's game was bobblehead day and in Houston an hour before is insufficient to guarantee a bobblehead. Disapointed, we settled into our seats trying to avoid all the taunting glances from the bobblehead carrying peers around us.


Lucky for us, the 'juice box' offered plenty of distractions. The stadium was great -- 98 degrees outside but with the roof closed in the 70s inside. With the large bank of windows and sun streaming in, it did not feel like a warehouse at all. Very different than Tropicana Field's concrete cylander. The concourse is a little narrow, there are ads on every visible surface, and some things like the train in left are a little goofy, but all in all it is a very nice stadium. Cristy liked it better than Marlins Park; I liked it better than Miller Park. Means it's probably the nicest retractable roof stadium around.

The game was relatively uneventful; the Indians scored a run in their second AB and held on for a quiet 2-0 win. Other than a bases loaded situation, there wasn't even much of a threat from the Astros. After the game they opened the roof up for fireworks night. Must be some sort of height restriction in  Houston, though, as the fireworks stayed pretty close to the ground. We have better shows in Arkansas.

Tomorrow should be a fun day. We're not lingering in Houston -- hitting the road to visit Jonathan and Cassie Webb in Austin before finishing the day with dinner in San Antonio. Deep in the heart of Texas!

The Big Easy

Laissez le bonne temps roulez! This morning found us with a serious hankering for beignets. Made famous by Cafe du Monde [which is pretty much overrun by tourists] we needed to find a better source. Our fondness for the Food Network did not disappoint as we heeded the advice of our favorite foodie -- Alton Brown -- and headed to Cafe Beignet. This cafe has three locations throughout the French Quarter, but we chose the one on Bourbon Street as it was pretty darn close to the hotel. After finding out that it was located in a pet-friendly courtyard, we decided Kahlua couldn't miss out on this experience. 

Arriving at Cafe Beignet we discovered a hidden [or maybe not so hidden since it's easy enough to walk by] gem of the French Quarter. Entering a wrought-iron archway you come into a brick courtyard with a stage to your right and several tables with umbrellas and misters to keep patrons cool. I ordered our beignets, but not having looked at the other patrons before sidling up to the counter, didn't realize they were ginormous! I definitely remember a more bite-sized variety at Cafe du Monde. So I ask for two orders and we only finish one. I chalk it up to the lesson learned list and now know that tomorrow we will only need one order and maybe some fruit to cut into the sugary sweet. 

Breakfast finished and Kahlua thoroughly exhausted from walking, we drop him back at the hotel and hop a streetcar headed uptown. Our goal is to visit Tulane University. I attended Tulane for three semesters before changing my major and transferring to Vanderbilt. Being my first exposure to college life the campus holds many sweet memories for me. I made some wonderful friends there and was, in some ways sad to leave. I will say though [sorry Tulane-grad friends] that Vandy was certainly an upgrade. Returning to campus I see and appreciate the upgrades [new UC, closing off McAlister], but realized what a small and, in some ways, crowded space it is. I don't think I ever noticed how linear it was. I think my two favorite upgrades were the University Center, which is absolutely gorgeous, and Turchin Stadium, which is huge!  

The heat was beginning to get to us and we still wanted to walk the French Quarter a little more so we walked through the Garden District until we could ride a streetcar that was not busting with tourists [I don't think we counted as tourists since I lived in NOLA for about a year and a half]. Getting to our stop we contemplated going to the Aquarium of the Americas, but rethought it and walked the riverfront instead. Taking the route we'd taken the previous day we were eager to see if we could go inside St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. I have actually never gone in there before. It always seemed to be closed and when I was in undergrad the only reason we went to the French Quarter was to laugh at drunk people singing karaoke at Cat's Meow followed by watching the sunrise over the levy and eating beignets at Cafe du Monde for breakfast. We were pleasantly surprised to find it open and it was beautiful! I'm certainly glad I finally got to see it. 

Hot and gross from walking around in the Louisiana heat we returned to our hotel to take care of Kahlua and prepare for our anniversary dinner! I know I haven't really mentioned it, but today is Mark and my 4th wedding anniversary! It's been wonderful so far and I only see it getting better. 

For dinner Mark made reservations at G.W. Fins a very delicious and upscale seafood restaurant just off of Bourbon Street [apparently we can't get enough of Bourbon St. even though we'd never partake of such debauchery]. Shown to our table we discover that it has been decorated with star-shaped confetti [Mark hates glitter] and the evening's menu printed with a congratulatory message. Dinner was fantastic followed by delicious dessert. I decided to go with a light mango and raspberry sorbet because I wasn't sure I could stomach what Mark selected -- apple pie with cheddar cheese. Now, I think the cheddar cheese was baked into the crust and not melted on top of the pie, but I still didn't dare. He says it was scrumptous. I'll take his word.

Stuffed to the gills [see what I did there? GW Fins -- gills?] we ambled back through the French Quarter to rest for the next days departure. We did get some good advice from the waiter and will share it with you in case you decide to visit New Orleans. He suggested walking all the way down Bourbon Stree until you arrive at Frenchman's Street where he says there is wonderful local music. We were too tired to heed his advice, but thought we'd pass it along. 


Tomorrow we are off to Houston with the hopes of scoring a bobblehead at the Astros game. I'm looking forward to seeing Minute Maid Park and comparing it to Marlins Park in terms of gameday feel. It's also throwback night [they're wearing their Tequila Sunrise uniforms] and fireworks night! What great timing we have! Yay baseball! 

The Gulf Coast

With our time in Panama City Beach now up we have a new addition to the car: sand in every corner and crevice. Nothing like the beach. Plan for today is to hug the Gulf, driving along the shore to Mobile for lunch and then on to New Orleans for dinner. 


After an uneventful morning (other than our race to get a McMuffin before they closed for breakfast at 10:30am), we got into Mobile around 12:30pm to meet Clark Dumas for lunch. We both know Clark from our Vandy days, and he too just finished his MBA (graduating from Georgetown). Appreciate him meeting us because it's a big week in the Dumas household with Hailey(!) getting married on Saturday. Wish we could stay - it's going to be quite a party.

We requested seafood and Clark didn't disappoint by taking us to Ed's Seafood Shed. It's located on a causeway that parallells I-10 in crossing Mobile Bay and is just about as authentic as they come. I had a shrimp po' boy; fried shrimp with some lettuce, tomato, and this red/white sauce. Incredibly good. Had a great time catching up, talking about old Vandy folks, and hearing about Clark's upcoming move back to Atlanta (which is quickly becoming Vanderbilt alumni central).

After lunch we finished the quick drive to New Orleans. As Cristy mentioned yesterday, this leg represents a homecoming for her after studying three semesters at Tulane. We decided to stay at the La Quinta, which is moving from our hotel of choice to the only hotel chain we look at it. It's affordable, usually convenient, and is great for us in offering free Internet and free accommodations for the dog. No deposit, no fee, no hassle. We even joined the rewards program (only 6 more nights before we earn a free one!). We'll have to find the nicest La Quinta in the country to use our free night.


The location was great -- in the French Quarter just two blocks south of Canal St and two blocks east of Bourbon St. Made everything walkable but also put us on a quieter block than much of the French Quarter madness. We dropped our bags and took the dog around to explore the city. Cristy and I agreed that this was the first genuine urban environment that Kahlua has experienced - no shortage of interesting smells. We walked over to the riverfront and up, before turning in at Jackson Square and then down Bourbon St back to the hotel. Cristy thinks we should get Kahlua a T-shirt saying he partied on Bourbon St.

With the dog now sufficiently exhausted, we went back to the hotel to regroup before dinner. After searching around (and there were no shortage of great looking places within walking distance) we settle on Dickie Brennan's Palace Cafe right on Canal. Good call. Excellent cajun/creole type food; we sampled the turtle soup, Cristy had andouille crusted fish, and I had duck with sweet potato and corn. And to top it all off we had their signature bananas foster. I think it's the first time I've had a really excellent bananas foster. Not too rum soaked; just delicious. And it's always nice to have a little fire-driven entertainment to end the night

Thankfully the trip slows down a little at this point with consecutive nights(!) in the same city. We won't even take the car out of the garage. So we have all day in New Orleans with the plan to take the St Charles streetcar down to Tulane campus and then hang out in the French Quarter while we celebrate our anniversary. It will be nice to wake up and not turnaround and pack everything back up.

The Beach

They say all good things must come to an end and so it was with our visit to my family in Fort Lauderdale (Mark calls it Miami, but it's not even the same county). We had one thing we had to take care of in person before setting off and that was to sign over ownership of the MINI to my mother. After 10 years of faithful service it was time for me to let go in preparation, perhaps, of something bigger. Selling her (the MINI) was made easier knowing I would always be able to visit her and she was in very good hands who would attempt to keep her in the near mint condition I had managed to this point. I really could bear spending a ton of money to schlep her across the country one more time only to sell her shortly after arriving and never see her again. It would have broken my heart! 

Anyway, after getting that squared away we had lunch at the always delicious Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine owned by a family we have known for many years. Of course, Mark had to have the Lechon Asado [you can never really eat too much] and I ordered the Bistec Palomilla, a very thin pounded steak prepared the way my Abuela Mima used to make it. Paired with white rice and fried plantains I can think of no better way to fuel up for the road ahead. So off we went headed northwest in continuation of our trip. 

Mark apparently likes the way I call the Florida Turnpike "The Turnpike" as if there were no others in this country of ours, but truth be told for me growing up there were no others and so that stretch of road running through Orlando has always been THE turnpike. Probably one of the most fun things, at least it used to be when I was younger, about the Turnpike are the rest stops that lie in the middle of the north and southbound lanes. You don't have to exit and pay to get back on you just pull into the middle and take your pick of fast food venues. We usually get to stop once or twice along the way each time we make the trip, so they've become quite commonplace. This trip however upon stopping for gas we realize that we have pulled off at the same time as A'mare Stoudemaire of the New York Knicks [I wouldn't have recognized him except for the crowd of people he was very cordially taking pictures with, I mean he's tall and that tipped me off, but I wouldn't have been able to tell you his name if I hadn't heard someone say it].

We didn't want to drive for too long this night and so settled on Ocala as our destination. I'm sure I've driven through Ocala several times, but I don't think I've ever stopped. Ocala is best known as the home of Silver Springs, a naturally occurring artesian spring located in the "Florida's First Theme Park." In addition to glass bottom boat tours, there is a zoo full of all sorts of animals. Unfortunately our timeline would not allow us to visit as we had arrived after the park had closed and would have to leave in the morning with too little time to visit. We hunkered down in our Holiday Inn Express for the night, ordered some very tasty local pizza [a pesto, chicken, and mozzarella pizza from Pronto Pizza], and tried to get some rest for the next day's drive. We had to keep going on to Panama City Beach [not Panama City, but the town just to the west]!

I was so excited when Mark told me that Panama City Beach was going to be a stop on our trip! First of all it is the site of the annual Vanderbilt BCM end-of-the-year trip extravaganza! Both Mark and I have some terrific memories with some terrific people there. Although neither of us could remember the exact name of the hotel where we used to stay [we now know it's the Beachcomber by the Sea] we're not sure it would have mattered as most of the hotels on Front Beach Road would not take pets larger than 10 lbs. and even then would charge us an arm and a leg to have him there. La Quinta to the rescue! Although we couldn't stay directly on Front Beach Road, our hotel was a 3 minute drive to the public access point right next to the Beachcomber. Since Mark had to have some privacy to tend to some phone calls he was receiving, I asked him to drop me there and join me when he was done. I can't even begin to describe how good three uninterrupted hours lying in the Florida sun felt! Factor in the breeze coming in off the gulf and I was pleased as punch -- if it hadn't been so late in the day [my moments of solitude began sometime around 3:30] I could have spent forever out on the beach. 

Mark joined me earlier than expected due to the fact that neither of us had realized we had crossed into Central Time. I will say that I had a weird moment on the drive in where I looked at the clock in the car and it read 2:08, but I could have sworn I had looked at it earlier and it had said 2:21. Even with that it hadn't occurred to me that the Central time zone began in the Florida panhandle. I incorrectly assumed that all of Florida was in Eastern time. Bonus hour! Mark finished up his phone calls an hour earlier than expected and came down to the beach to play in the surf for a while. Well, he played in the surf I stood in ankle deep waves and watched him. 

Now quite a bit has changed in PCB since we had last been there. Our little Beachcomber was now the smallest hotel on the strip dwarfed by these mega-chains that connect over Front Beach Road to their own parking garages. Many of the places we enjoyed seven years ago [man has it really been that long Vandy-friends?] are still there: Shuck'ums, the diner, the Alvin's and Purple Haze chains of tourist merchandise. For some, like Pancakes Plus, all that remains is the sign and a concrete parking lot. They've been replaced an overshadowed by ridiculously gaudy Pier Park which contains five very tourist friendly restaurants including the ultra-popular, but not very good Margaritaville. When deciding on a place for dinner we figured that Open Table, the online reservation app, would be our best bet. It didn't disappoint although I will say it was a little pricey.

Our selection for dinner was Firefly located in a shopping center off of Middle Beach Road, just next to the crazy lazer neon bowling alley of wonderment [that's what the outside decoration was telling me, I'm just sayin'].The Firefly facade contains no windows and stepping inside you are transported back in time to what might amount to a "Good Ole Boys' club" feel. They want to be a really hip, yet stuffy cigar bar lounge type place with a restaurant attached. The food was delicious and our waiter was fantastic. We started with the crabcakes, each had a salad [Mark the caesar, of course, and me a butter lettuce with goat cheese and strawberries accented by a warm pecan dressing], and then came the entrees. Mine was a delectably rich parmesan risotto with scallops and grilled shrimp [although the shrimp tasted a little fishy, but I'm not really good at knowing what to do when that happens] and Mark had grilled grouper. Our final course was the raspberry and honey bread pudding served with vanilla bean ice cream -- ridiculously good! All in all, delicious. 

Tomorrow morning we will pack our bags and head out of Florida, hopefully joining Clark Dumas for lunch in Mobile before arriving in New Orleans for two days of celebration! Our anniversary is June 21st and we will be spending it Cajun style showing Mark around a city I was fortunate enough to live in for about a year and half while I was attending Tulane University (I transferred to Vanderbilt in the Fall of 2001 when I switched my major to Special Education). I'm looking forward to seeing it again and getting my fill of beignets and crawfish etoufee.

The Heat

We began Day 3 with an early lunch in St. Petersburg before the drive down to Miami to visit with Cristy's family. One advantage of travelling with iPhones is that we can more confidently veer off trail and avoid the major chains (the disadvantage is that you never feel really disconnected). So for lunch we decided to head to Ted Peters' Famous Smoked Fish, which has been featured on Food Networks's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The place is known for two things: smoked fish and burgers. So we decided to get (1) a smoked salmon platter and (2) a cheese burger. And the food was great! One point for Food Network. The fish (with German potato salad) was excellent; burger was good but nothing special.

After lunch we rolled down I-75 towards Miami. Pretty unspectacular drive. There is a portion where the road turns due east through the Everglades which Cristy (and presumably others) call Alligator Alley. Kahlua and I did our best, but not a single alligator to be seen.

We got into Miami around 3pm and spent the evening at the Venereo house swimming in the pool and having dinner. Kahlua was very excited to get there -- think he appreciated being in a familiar place with space to run around. It also meant he got to spend with time their dog Oso (Spanish for 'bear'), who despite being three times as tall as Kahlua gets bossed around by him. Cristy thinks he's a bully for doing it; I think he's bothered by having to keep an eye on Oso to make sure he's staying in line. That, the sunshine, and the stream of guests to the house are a great combination to wear the dog out.

Sunday was Father's Day, and the Venereos hosted a good ol' family pig roast. Smaller pig than usual, but delicious as always. And I guess to be clear for those who have never visited, when I say pig roast I don't mean pork chops on the grill -- they get a pig and roast it in a box (la caja china). Head, feet, curly tail -- the whole thing. I had to leave the party a little early, though, because I had plans downtown.

My Uncle Jay and his family live in Memphis, but they also have a vacation condo (or two) in South Beach. Associated with that he has two season tickets to the Miami Heat. And Sunday was Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

Really appreciate him inviting me to the game -- talk about a rare lifetime experience. I drove to South Beach to pick-up Jay and then crossed back to the mainland and the American Airlines Arena. One advantage of travelling with a season ticket holder is that we parked and travelled to the game completely avoiding the mess of traffic downtown. As part of the 'White Hot Heat' campaign we all got shirts -- this one had Beat New York, Indiana, Boston crossed out and OKC remaining. Not too useful for me as an XL, but no matter -- we donned out shirts and settled in for the game.

Two overarching impressions. First, the NBA game is so fast. The 24 second shot clock is part of that, but what really amazed me is the speed of the players. I've seen some excellent players in college (Kyrie, Rondo, Horford, Ben Gordon, etc.) but to see the Top 1% of the college ranks playing all-out is awesome. Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Durant, Westbrook -- pretty cool. Second, the game was intense. Every possession felt so important; the crowd was reacting (and overreacting) to every drive, every shot, every call. I've been to big games before -- Vandy beating #1 Florida jumps to mind -- but even that didn't have the desperation of this game. Tremendous fun with the Heat pulling out a win despite being down 10 in the 3rd quarter. LeBron for MVP.

Plan for tomorrow is to have a final lunch with the Venereos and then start working our way north. We have 'Central Florida' on the itinerary -- we'll see where that puts us -- and are then hoping to hit Panama City Beach on Day 6.

The Trop

First, a giant thank you to our hosts Brad and Blair! We had an incredible time in Charleston and wish we had a whole weekend to spend hanging out. That said, Day 2 began earlier than summer days should due to the fact that we had to leave with Brad and Blair.Unfortunately for them, real life was calling on a Friday morning. Unfortunately for us, Kahlua had been on alert all night. Despite the fact that Elvis and Nemo were comfortably and quietly crated for the night Kahlua seemed to think that at any moment throughout the night they would somehow find their way out into the living room requiring the utmost vigilance on his part. 


So maybe a little more tired than we wanted to be we packed up the car and headed out on our way to Tampa, Florida. Our plan for the day was to arrive in Tampa, check in to our hotel and then head to Tropicana Field for the night's match up between the Tampa Bay Rays and visiting Miami Marlins. In addition to it being bobblehead night we had the esteemed pleasure of being joined by several members of my family for the evening's game. They were driving up that morning, visiting some relatives on the west coast of Florida and checking Tarpon Springs off of my father's bucket list before meeting up with us. 


The drive itself wasn't too much to write home about. We took a mix of state roads and interstates. Along the way we did see a used car dealership that had probably the highest concentration of Corvettes I've ever seen. This is significant only because I have an undying love for the Corvette Stingray [model years 1971 - 1975ish]. This sighting certainly merited a picture. It's quite remarkable the unique things one sees when traveling the lesser frequented state and local roads. 

Once we crossed into Florida it was pretty smooth sailing. I had picked out a pretty efficient route that would deliver us to Tampa with hopefully enough time to get in a quick shower and change before the game. However, upon reviewing the map Mark discovered that we would be passing remarkably close to Gainesville -- home of the University of Florida Gators. He insisted we make a slight detour to see the football stadium and so we did. 

Upon arriving Mark was determined to see the inside, but I was skeptical we would even be allowed in. Apparently, and I was unaware of this, most SEC stadiums leave an entrance completely open during the day so that students or the general public can make use of the stands for workouts and such. We found said open entrance and walked right in. It was too hot to leave Kahlua in the car, so he came along too. I must say that I am slightly glad UF is one of the only stadiums I have not visited to watch Vanderbilt play. Even completely empty on a random summer day the place is intimidating. Just ridiculously vertical everywhere you look. It feels like you're playing in a pit. Maybe someday I can muster the courage to visit for an actual game. Kahlua on the other hand was ecstatic to be there. We walked through the concourse into the stands and when he caught his first glimpse of that giant grass field it was all I could do to keep him by my side. Because the stands are walled off from the playing surface the closest he could get was the picture below. 

Having had our fill of the Swamp and getting the requisite pictures with Al and Tim Tebow, we loaded the car and continued on our way to Tampa. It was pretty smooth cruising until we hit I-275 and the thunderstorm. Now, being from South Florida I love thunderstorms -- Mark and Kahlua on the other hand do not. However, there was enough lightning in this storm to goad Mark into the belief that he could photograph it. So we spent a good 20 minutes in bumper to bumper traffic with Mark intently watching the horizon trying to capture lightning in a camera. Needless to say it did not work, but certainly made for an entertaining way to get through traffic and lots of pictures to prove that we were indeed in traffic during a very grey stormy day.

Finally arriving at our hotel we unloaded our things and the dog and began to get ready for the game. One note about finding pet-friendly hotels before I start talking about the game. It is very difficult to find a hotel that trusts that your pet will not tear up their hotel room. Most places we called required a pet fee [not deposit] of upwards of $50. Thankfully LaQuinta only required that we sign a waiver stating that if we were staying for multiple nights [which we weren't] the housekeepers would not enter the room to clean it while the dog was there. I get that not all dogs can handle being left in a strange room by themselves for lengthy periods of time, but mine can. In fact he's very good at it. Couldn't you wait to see if my dog causes damage instead of preemptively charging me? It's going to be a rather tough road ahead if we can't find hotels with cheaper pet fees. 


Anyway, enough of my rant and on to the best part of the day -- the baseball game. Most of you who have followed our trips before know that we will watch baseball at any opportunity especially if that opportunity offers the bonus of being able to cross a stadium off of one of our lists. Friday night was just such a night for Mark. I had actually visited Tropicana Field on March 27th 1998 as one of the 26,519 people to see the first exhibition game played between the then Tampa Bay "Devil" Rays and the Atlanta Braves. We were in Tampa because at the time I was playing for the Southside Juniors volleyball club and we were competing at the Tampa Bay National Qualifiers [now Big South Qualifier held in Atlanta, GA]. One of my teammates was an incredibly huge fan of Chipper Jones, so much so that she fought the rest of us for the right to wear the #10 as her jersey, and when she heard we were going joined us for the game. My first impressions were not good. Construction hadn't been completed on the concrete wearhouse and I distinctly remember wires hanging from all parts of the ceiling. I don't remember much about the game, but I do remember my seats having an obstructed view. Not fun. 

As we were arriving two hours before the game in order to ensure we would receive a Joe Maddon bobblehead [which turned out to be the tiniest bobblehead I have ever seen] and have time to tour the stadium, I tried to prepare Mark for what I thought would be an unimpressive venue. I could not have been more wrong. Now, admittedly this stadium cannot rank among the best of the best. It's just not there, but it is certainly miles away from what I remember seeing 14 years ago. While the structure itself is largely the same, they have made every attempt to disguise its warehouse feel. The concourses are painted in bright colors, they have carnival themed sections for little ones and their families to enjoy, the video boards are spectacular, and the concession selections are not too shabby. I do take issue with their attempt at making a "Cuban" variation of almost every main entree (cuban hotdog, cuban burger, etc.) but what we did eat -- BBQ pork sandwich and Cuban sandwich -- were pretty tasty. Truly by the middle of the game you forget you're in a giant dome. They've really found a way to make it a pretty intimate setting for a ball game. 

Probably one of the coolest features of the park and one I was looking particularly forward to was the Rays Touch Tank. [For those of you who have been there before, you can skip this paragraph.] This is a tank in right-center field that houses the teams mascots, several cow-nosed stingrays. Their barbs have been trimmed so there is no danger of being stung plus before you get to begin your eight minutes at the tank there is an in depth instructional session on how to pet the rays and how to feed them. I chose not to feed them as trying to touch a fin as they glided past was challenging enough without having to worry about whether or not they were going to eat my finger accidentally. Fortunately for the rays they would not go hungry this night, there were plenty of families willing to have Dad feed the rays to squeals of delight from his children. I was expecting them to have a sandpaper feel like a nurse shark, but they were completely slimy. 

We settled in to our seats [Row AA behind home plate] about an hour before the game and were joined shortly thereafter by my parents, my sister Michelle, and my cousin Alex. Mark and I taught Michelle how to keep score, but she lost interest in the 7th inning by which time the Marlins were losing quite badly. The final score was 11 - 0 Rays. Now, I am a "Florida" Marlins fan. I have yet to warm-up to this "Miami" Marlins team, so I wore my David Price Rays jersey t-shirt instead. Price was a pitcher for Vanderbilt during the time that Mark and I were there finishing up Masters' programs. I'm a huge fan! 

The fam decided to start their drive back home at around the 8th inning, but we stayed to finish out the game. All in all it was a terrific night. Day 3 has us driving down to Fort Lauderdale to spend Father's Day weekend at home. 

The Palmettos

It is not too late to seek a newer world.

Push off, and sitting well in order smite

The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds

To sail beyond the sunsets, and the baths

Of all the western stars until I die.

-- Tennyson "Ulysses"

Welcome back! With the MBA program at Duke now complete, Cristy and I are turning back west from North Carolina and towards California. Probably to San Francisco; maybe to San Diego. Still a few details to work out. But the time for travel is now and like Ulysses we are ready to strive, seek, find, and not to yield.

Our general itinerary is as follows: Chapel Hill down to Miami (through Charleston and Tampa), hug the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans, cross Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso), and then hopefully up to the Grand Canyon, out to Los Angeles, and finally wrapping up in Healdsburg, California. Google estimates it at 4,500 miles and we're estimating about 16 days. Unlike last time, though, this time around we are travelling with our faithful dog Kahlua. In fact, he's 'burying' his rawhide bone under his bed in the back of the Escape while I'm typing this.

Thursday was the first day of our trip and the destination was Charleston, South Carolina to visit Brad and Blair Boldizar. Brad went to Vanderbilt with Cristy and me and is currently doing his residency in internal medicine. He and Blair were married in a lovely ceremony last November in Memphis, and she is currently working for the Charleston Port Authority.

After dropping off our Time Warner Cable boxes and grabbing a drive-through breakfast at McDonald's (where they forgot to put my Egg McMuffin in the bag, largely negating the whole purpose of stopping) we hit the highway. For lunch, Cristy insisted we stop at 'South of the Border' where the Carolinas meet along I-95. It's a hard thing to describe -- sort of themed rest stop village with restaurants, tourist stores, a motel, miniature golf, and a ferris wheel. No chains either -- everything is owned and operated by the South of the Border people. The closest thing I've seen to it is Wall Drug in South Dakota, but this is more spread out and a little less awe-inspiring.

So we grabbed lunch at the Border Diner -- I had a hot dog and Cristy chili. The chili was served in a syrofoam cup -- not to be confused with a styrofoam bowl. But the whole thing was good enough; I-95 does not offer up too many options between Raleigh and Charleston.

We arrived in Charleston around 3:00pm -- later than we had hoped, but still with enough time to meet Brad and tour the city before dinner. The city is incredibly interesting. Located on a peninsula where two rivers meet the Atlantic, Charleston was one of the first British settlements in the 17th Century and was critical to Southern commerce for almost 200 years before  gradually being left behind. The famous Civil War Fort Sumter (Abner Doubleday!) is there defending the harbor, as is Fort Moultrie which was key in an early Revolutionary War battle. The story goes that the hastily constructed fort beat back British cannon fire having nothing more than stacked palmetto trunks as defense. The Moultrie flag that flew over the fort -- navy with a white crescent moon in the corner -- was the first 'American' flag flown in the South and with the palmetto tree added later, became the state flag.

And the city is terrific. Old architecture, and (rare for a Southern city) filled with pedestrians. We walked around the riverfront, shopped in the Charleston market, and then met up with Blair for drinks at 'Rooftop Bar' before heading to dinner. Brad picked a great place -- Cru Cafe -- which I would call French-inspired regional fare. Interesting atmosphere in an old house and the food was terrific. Brad blew the table away with his fried chicken (filled with mozzarella) and side of macaroni-and-cheese. Ate the whole thing too. Kind of meal that is likely illegal in parts of California.

We spent the night at the Boldizar apartment joined by Kahlua and their dogs Elvis and Nemo. Both are small bichon-like dogs; Elvis is older but Nemo is still a puppy of about one year. Nemo is made of some form of distilled energy, constantly running, jumping, and playing all over the house. Kahlua was mildly interested, but I think mostly bothered by all their pestering -- he no longer goes for that puppy-style unbridled enthusiasm. 

The plan for Friday is to drive to Tampa and catch the Rays-Marlins game at Tropicana Field. Rain is in the forecast, but no matter! The joys of indoor baseball. I've been to 23 MLB stadiums and this will be my first indoor game (games in Milwaukee and Seattle were both with the roof open). Can't wait.