Moving Day: Asheville to Tampa to Chicago
After our month in Asheville, we were due for a pit stop in Tampa. We decided to rent a car and drive, which was cheaper and greener and more flexible than flying. Our bright red Genesis GV70 SUV had a smooth ride and a fancy navigation system, which made the drive comfortable and a little more interesting.
Our first stop was Greenville, South Carolina, where we had a wonderful (but too short) visit with our good friends Hope and Dave. We lunched at their favorite sushi place and then relaxed at their beautiful house, admiring their latest renovations. We shared photos and stories from Princeton Reunions, since they didn’t attend this time. Dave had us in stitches with tales from his post-graduation road trip in 1985. After a long stroll around their picturesque neighborhood, Dave grilled salmon for dinner. The food and the company were outstanding!
The next morning we drove to Jacksonville, Florida for a visit with my mom. We helped her with some small projects around the house, and took her out for some tasty restaurant meals. It was a little trip around the world, cuisine-wise: Lebanese shawarma, Chinese dim sum, and American steak.
The last stop in our mini road trip was Apollo Beach, just south of Tampa, for a relaxing visit with Steve’s mom and dad. We also had a day in Tampa to take care of our own medical appointments (dermatologist and dentist) and errands (bank, post office, storage unit, haircuts). We managed to get everything done without feeling rushed, and felt very proud of ourselves! We even had time for a marvelous lunch at Bistro BT, one of our favorite Tampa restaurants.
We spent our last night in Tampa at a hotel near the airport. For dinner, we went to Ocean Prime for happy hour at the bar, and I had my first Old Cuban cocktail. Noted Major League Baseball player Fred McGriff sat next to me for a little while; Steve noticed, but I was oblivious. I was too busy celebrating our successful pit stop in Tampa and anticipating our next adventure - Chicago.
The next morning, we headed to Tampa Airport to return the rental car and catch our flight. There was a new sand castle near Phoebe the Flamingo, crafted just a few days earlier with five tons of sand. Tampa Airport is the best!
Our flight to Chicago was more “eventful” than I like - there was some scary turbulence and the passenger in front of us fell and hit his head. But we arrived safely and were happy to be back in the familiar hubbub of Chicago’s River North.
