overheard in providence

7/26, 7:00 pm: I’m at JFK’s Terminal 3 about to board Delta flight 2 at Gate 1. If JFK had free internet, it would make for a killer blog post titled “3, 2, 1 Blast off!”. Either way, Florida here I come.

7/26, 9:30 pm: After only 2 hours on the runway we’re finally taking off for Fort Lauderdale (birthplace of my absolute favorite girlfriend, Jessica). Even though flying totally sucks, Jessica and I happen to be on the same flight as her good friend returning from 4 months in Israel. After some successful seat swapping, we’ve had plenty of time to catch up.

7/27, 12:30 pm: I’m dining at Chili’s with Jessica’s two younger sisters (and briefly her Dad). As a native New Yorker, I don’t have a lot of experience with chain restaurants, but apparently today’s service is quite poor. I’m just happy to be in free refill country.

7/27, 2:00 pm: We’re at Staples buying teaching supplies for Jessica’s sister. For 48 cents I can buy (get ready for this): 10 folders (1 cent each), 3 boxes of 8 pencils (5 cents each), 2 plastic rulers (5 cents each), 2 bags of 12 cap erasers (5 cents each). These savings are ludicrous! Gooooooooo discounts!!!

7/27, 3:00 pm: The Target has a Wii! I shrewdly purchase it along with several games and controllers. My roommates and I didn’t look that hard for one in Providence, but I’m pretty sure they are still hard to find up north. Plus, what better way is their to enjoy a Florida family vacation than indoors with 400 dollars worth of video game entertainment?

7/28, 11:00 pm: Jessica and I are departing for The Marco Beach Ocean Resort with her two younger sisters, their dad, and his wife. We’re going to drive from Fort Lauderdale to Marco Island via the infamous Alligator Alley. Once there we’ll meet up with Jessica’s older sister, her husband, and their two daughters. Since I’m an only child, it seems like a lot of impending family vacationing.

7/28, 4:00 pm: After a big ol’ family reunion/lunch, we’re enjoying drinks by the pool. The perfect Marco Island activity.

7/28, 8:20 pm: The resort just told us we weren’t dressed up enough to enjoy the complimentary canapés being served on the terrace at sunset. What kind of Florida resort doesn’t allow shorts and sandals, it’s 90 degrees outside! Jessica’s family is rightfully outraged.

7/28, 8:40 pm: We just ordered Chinese food, but I’m not sure how many Chinese people really live on Marco Island. I’m also happy to see that the Wii is a big hit with the nieces. Before the trip Jessica explained that it was my mission to make her their favorite aunt. To that end, I probably should have picked up some candy at Target as well.

7/29, 11:00 am: We’re at the beach. The water is much warmer than in Rhode Island. The sand is also a lot softer, and the sun a lot more burning.

7/29, 12:30 am: It’s time to break for lunch and eventually hit the pool. In between we’re going to watch an episode of BBC’s planet earth. It’s on DVD, so it’s the classy British version narrated by David Attenborough (he’s a knight you know). If you have the means, I highly recommend it (particularly in HD).

7/29, 9:00 pm: After a very aquatic day (by New England standards), we’re celebrating Jessica’s sister’s birthday at the Snook Inn (check out the live webcams!) The seafood is great, particularly the broiled seafood combo and eagerly anticipated Shrimp de Jonghe.

7/30, 10:00 am: I’m on a jet ski for my first time ever. It’s frickin’ awesome. I’ve now been on both a jet ski and a snowmobile. If you have an ATV, I’d love to give it a try.

7/30, 12:00 pm: It’s time to check out and kick it by the pool before departing. The family vacation has been most excellent. As a pale nerd from up north, I hope I’ve made a good impression.

7/30, 9:00 pm: Having driven home from Marco Island, Jessica and I are dining in Delray. We’re there to meet up with my old buddy Andrew, who ended up in Florida about a year ago. It’s really good to see him, and I’m relieved to see that Florida hasn’t changed him too much. As an added bonus, his apartment has a sweet balcony. Next time I’m definitely going to schedule a longer visit, although hopefully he won’t stay south forever.

7/31, 4:45 pm: We have triumphantly returned to JFK. The flight was a bit better than last time, but after landing, we spent 45 minutes waiting to pull into the gate. Apparently someone threw up on the plane in front of us, and it took quite a while to clean up. JFK and puke are no way to welcome people to the greatest city on earth.