The Drive - Part 2

It seems like it has been ages since I blogged. Truth be told, it has been over a week since I blogged or even though about a post. I’ve been too busy driving from Washington, D.C. to Miami, Florida and moving in to my apartment, well, condo.

So, I already posted about the first half of my road trip, which was a great three days traveling East across the US. However, it only got me halfway to my destination. In DC I had three days to relax and enjoy my time there before a grueling week of driving and moving.

What to say about DC? It was a blast! I saw a lot of friends, spent time with my family, and got to enjoy all of my favorite places one more time. The one negative was an inability to see a few people due to conflicts and travel, but I will be back in DC in a few months, just not sure when yet… (Probably not homecoming, sorry Paul.)

In order to best spend my time in DC, the day I got there the very first thing I did was go to The Tombs. If you don’t know yet, that is my favorite bar. It was my haunt for my Senior year at Georgetown and holds an incredible number of great memories, life experiences, and friends. The only disappointing thing is that they have yet to install the plaque on the wall for all of us who went to The Tombs and purchased something every day for 99 days. The 99 Days Club is a special bond that members of the Georgetown community have with the bar and it is one that destroys wallets and credit ratings, but endears its members to the bar and each other for life. Anyway, I had a nice long lunch at Tombs, saw some friends that were there for the same purpose, and eventually made it to my brother’s house. I relaxed there with his roommates until it was time for dinner with my mom and stepdad. It was great to see them, even though they were coming to Miami just three days after I drove down here. Oh well, family is family, so what can you do?

Thursday came and the Nationals game with the infamous Tranimal was nothing but miserable. It was so hot and humid that you regretted going and sitting outside to watch two terrible baseball teams attempt to play a beautiful game. We didn’t stay for the last two innings because we simply couldn’t take it anymore. Thank god. I love baseball, but not in those conditions. Thursday got better because my brother and I had dinner with our Dad at Café Milano in Georgetown, which is one of our favorite places to go. Other than the waitress ordering me Tuna when I wanted Veal, it was an absolutely fabulous meal. The irony, and I’m sure my father will find this as amusing as I did, that there is a Café Milano on South Beach (no relation) that I’m sure he and I will experience hopefully sooner than later.

Friday was nice because my brother had the day off so I got to spend some quality time with him and also had lunch at Tyson’s Corner with my friend Christine, who is studying for the CPA. I found that in the three months since I graduated so many of friends have already begun to do incredible things and their lives are changing so fast. I have countless friends who are already working, studying for various high-level industry certifications, and making an impact in the lives of many. I know that sounds very aloof and idealistic, but it is true. I know people in banking, tax, accounting, medicine, nursing, sales, marketing, and law. It amazes me to see my friends studying for the CPA or becoming an investment banker and what that means for their career and life and how quickly they went from being a college student to being a real person in the real world; oh how we grow up fast. Haha

Well, Saturday came and then it was time to head South to Cary, NC to see my stepdad’s sister and her Husband. Mary and Paul are great. I hadn’t seen them in years, but I had an amazing time with them catching up with Beefeater and Tonics on their porch. They’re great people who I am honored to know and have the privilege to spend time with. I cannot wait for them to come to Naples for two months at the turn of the year to spend the harsh Carolina winter in Florida. I will certainly be making the drive over to them a few times once they come down my way.

Sunday was a long day. I woke early and left Carolina soon after 8AM so I could arrive in Orlando before dinner time, and I did just that. It was great to see my boy J.R. in Orlando and stay in his pretty swank pad for a 22 year-old bachelor. We had some organic burgers in downtown Orlando and then proceeded to walk to a very large cigar shop and bar to have a smoke, an Old Fashioned, and a Mojito. It was quite the highlight and I know I will be back up there before long. As my last stop, I couldn’t have asked for a better time.

Well, then it was on to Miami and that was about a 4 hour drive, not too bad after the 37 that came before it. I cannot describe the feeling of turning into the condo complex after 2,300 miles of driving that spanned 41 hours and 8 days to take me from Racine, WI to Miami, FL. Once I got down here and had my keys, it was all moving in and building furniture, but that’s a post for another day.