Conveniently, I have two cousins who live in Florida. As I am sure you can imagine, it took a great deal to twist my arm to book a flight to visit them especially when you know they live less than a mile away from the beach. It was a rough decision, but someone had to do it.
The timing was perfect. It wasn't super busy when school just let out nor was it unbearably hot as it was in July. Apparently my cousin, Tia, couldn't go outside without beginning to sweat. I stayed with Tia and her two roomies for the duration of my stay. Tia lives in Delray, a city just outside of Ft. Lauderdale. I landed in the early afternoon and our first plan was to get me a margarita and then make our way to the beach.
Tia, her two roommates, Sarah and Brittany, and I went to Boston's Sandbar on the Beach. It is an outdoor bar that made you feel as though you were on the beach. There was the initial bar that had a tiki hut sort of feel with palm leaves creating the roof. There were chairs in the sand that had either a fire pit or a water hole. Both of which made you feel like you were at a beach party.
Later, the four of us went to Delray Beach. It was not busy in the least. It was sandy, making it nice that you don't need to wear water shoes to walk around. This was my first taste of sun (and yes I lathered on the SPF), sand and ocean. I was excited to be able to just be.
Thursday, August 7
The next day was another beach day. We went to a beach in West Palm Beach called Lake Worth. It too was very sandy but was very busy with people of all ages taking in the rays. My least favorite part was the heat of the sand. Boy was that hot! You had to hop around like a mad man until you got to the water to avoid 3rd degree burns. That may be dramatic but that's the way the sand made you feel. It's like hot potato for your feet.
We were often greeted by pigeons. Sarah didn't make it any better because she thought it would be nice to give them a chip or two. This was not ideal because they wouldn't leave us alone! I swear one tried to eat me!
Toward the end of our stay at Lake Worth, Tia and I went to the pier and had a drink at Benny's on the Beach. I also happened to make a phone call so that Tia and I could have a once in a lifetime adventure. Stay tuned so you could find out what we are up to. And for the record... this wasn't Tia's idea... hehe... sorry Aunt Kathy.
Later that evening, Tia and I went on a dinner date to Lilo's off Atlantic Ave. It is an all day cafe but it is open Friday/Saturday till midnight for those who have the late night munchies. We each had a drink, I the mimosa and Tia the wine. For dinner, we each started off with a side salad which was a healthy portion of greens, olives, tomato, onion and dressing of choice. Tia opted for the burger with blue cheese and fries. I had the tacos which they fry the shells in-store. Both were very tasty.
I would recommend Lilo's as a nice lunch spot. It has an outside eating area perfect for people watching. Plus it is in a great location for shopping!
Friday, August 8
On Friday morning I woke up early to see my cousin, Megan. She is a trainer at her (and her) boyfriend's (Joe) company Drake Fitness and I dared to take her class. She did a great job with the variety of workouts she chose, especially for finding out last minute that she was taking over the class. Apparently Joe, the boyfriend, got sick and couldn't teach. But that was alright because I got to see Megan in action! I don't know all of the details, but it seems like they train at multiple facilities. This is great because they can teach classes wherever the wind blows them... like on the beach! Today's class was at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Boca Raton.
I believe Joe just signed a lease for his own studio with a business partner and Megan will be centrally located here.
Being around Megan makes you want to completely change your life to be fit and thin. She is in great shape and works hard to motivate her clients to do better. Their technique of getting people in shape is using your own body to get into shape. Each class is different from the last and you workout within your limits in order to push you forward. Megan gave us a lot of encouragement throughout the class and helped us make adjustments if we weren't using the proper technique.
Tia and Megan had to work that afternoon so I took one of Tia's roommates, Sarah, along with me for an adventure. Our first stop was Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. This nature center is nestled off the 1A in Boca Raton. It is a small, non-profit preserve that has a swamp like boardwalk, sea turtle rehabilitation center, and butterfly garden.
The boardwalk consists of a half-mile walk through swampy grounds. There are a variety of trees that you can see that are home to a freaky looking breed of spider.
A really cool part of this reserve is the butterfly garden. Granted we were not there during butterfly hatching season, but it was really neat to see butterflies fluttering all around you.
After the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Sarah and I made our way to Sawgrass Mills Outlet Mall. There really isn't much of a story to this other than the fact that it is HUGE! There are 4 "avenues" in the mall that could easily create their own malls. On top of that, there is an entire outdoor mall parallel to it. We may have gotten lost as we were shopping, but we will look over that little detail.
Later in the evening, Tia, Brittany, Sarah and I went out on Atlantic Avenue. In most of the cities along the coast there is a downtown area or Main Street where there is some great shopping, cute cafes and bars. This evening it was time to hit up the bar scene. There were many to choose from but we made it to three of them. The first was Taverna Opa. I liked the music that was being played when we first arrived. It was more salsa like music that was played by a DJ and accompanied by a live trumpet player. It was different but it was cool. As the music was changing to more pop selections, people began to jump on top of the tables and dance. This is something that must happen all the time and is completely acceptable because no one told them to get off. I could definitely see my college self hanging out here every once in a while, but these days, the toilet paper that decorated the floor was a bit of a turn off for my stilettos.
The next stop was Bull Bar. I believe this is Tia and her friends' favorite place. I liked the fact that they had a live band that played a variety of well known songs to sing and dance to. They were also very social with the crowd. The only downside to this place is that you are sure to smell like a cigarette when you leave as it is a bar that you can smoke inside.
The last place we went to was called Buddah Sky Bar and Garden. We weren't planning on hitting this place up but a member of their staff was out on the streets trying to get people into their establishment. Granted this isn't much of an attractive way to get people in to a place, but I am glad he did. The set up was like a mini dance club. There were two levels with plenty of seating and a small dance floor in the middle that would make a large crowd get close to one another very quickly. The staff was friendly and the music was good. I don't know why more people weren't here because it seems like a place to be.
I started today off at the beach with Megan. This time I was hanging out by her apartment and went to Boca Raton Beach. I really enjoyed this beach because of the way the drop off slowly declined in comparison to the others I had visited. You could go out for 30 yards before the water went past your knees. Like the other beaches, the water was warm, almost like bathwater. People were more likely to try surfing at this beach and would paddle board about 40 yards out where there wasn't as many waves. There was also a younger crowd at this beach which made people watching rather interesting.
After taking in the sun, Megan and I went to iPic in Boca Raton to see Sex Tape. Yes the movie was funny and I loved Cameron Diaz, but that wasn't the highlight. After seeing a movie in an iPic you will never want to watch movies the same way again in an ordinary theater. This type of theater is ideal for a grown up date. When you enter the theater you are surrounded by the sexy ambiance of an upscale restaurant. You navigate your way to an escalator that takes you to the theater section of the building. Before you go in to the theater, make your way to the concession. You may be thinking, okay... good for you, you are getting popcorn. Well, yeah I guess I could have, but instead I hit up the bar. That's right, the bar. These theaters have bars and food counters and allow you to take your food and alcoholic beverages into the theater. Megan and I helped ourselves to a couple of strawberry mojitos. If you find yourself at an iPic I strongly suggest you take this drink for a spin, it's fantastic!
When you actually make your way to the theater you are going to be even more impressed. There aren't any regular seats in these theaters. Instead, you will get a comfortable, padded, reclining chair with a small personal table to put your food and beverages on for your convenience. Granted we didn't go all out, but if you did, you could have table side service from their waitstaff. This place is insanely awesome and you just need to experience this to believe it!
After the movie we needed food. Because we were in Mizner Park we went around the plaza to Megan's favorite place, Kapow! When we first arrived we had to wait to sit because it was that busy. The wait wasn't long but Megan and I were hungry. Soon enough we were sitting and ordering. We had to get the sweet potato fries for an appetizer. Megan made me! Besides the fact that I love sweet potato fries, these bad boys shouldn't be messed with. They were huge! I believe that they use an entire potato and simply cut it lengthwise about six times because each fry was about an inch thick. They were good, but they weren't crunch, which I prefer, but it was compensated with the amount of brown sugar they seasoned them with.
For dinner, Megan and I split the Bulgogi Beef Street Tacos and the Kapow! Signature Pad Thai. I love me some street tacos and convinced Megan to try them. I had no idea she wasn't a fan of spicy food prior to ordering these, but she didn't leave any leftovers! One order comes with two tacos so it was perfect for us to split right down the middle. The pad thai was also tasty, though not spicy. If you are allergic to peanuts, this dish is not for you. If you love the taste then this is right up your alley! You are served a mountain of noodles with bean sprouts, meat of choice (we had chicken), peanuts and a sweet and spicy sauce. I wish my stomach could stuff more in it because I wasn't able to eat it all. In fact, I overstuffed myself just trying to eat as much of that goodness as I possibly could!
As we were chowing down, Megan's boyfriend, Joe, and his friend, Matt, joined us and had some drinks. After dinner, we went to play Cards Against Humanity at Joe and Matt's place.
Sunday, August 10
Today was another bright and shiny day! I started it off with church and a short jog. Tia lives conveniently close to the beach so I just went to the beach and back. Unfortunately for me there were two boys leaving the beach as I made the turn back to Tia's apartment. I got the typical cat call but made a point to ignore it. It got awkward about a block later when I had to stop for the drawbridge to go up and back down because they were able to catch back up to me. Why must these things happen?
Anyway, Megan picked me up so we could do some mid-day paddle boarding. I have done paddle boarding once before and enjoyed it, so when she suggested it I was excited. To rent the boards we used a company called The Salt Fly. It is very convenient to use this company. The owner, Ryan, owns a shop where he sells and works on the engineering of paddle boards. You can also rent a board for $30 for 90 minutes. All you need to do is call Ryan and he will drop off the boards wherever you want to go and pick them up after your session is complete. He is very flexible and caters to his customers. This rate can't be beat. Megan told me that other places have a minimum of $60 for a lesser amount of time. Not cool, man!
We went to Knowles Park. This is a docking area for boats and jetskiis that we used to get in and out of the inner coastal area. When we first got on the boards I was keeping pace with Megan. During this time we were checking out all of the homes that used the inner coastal as their backyard, you know... all of the homes that we couldn't afford. The scene was great but often interrupted by this lady that seemed to be following us downstream in her kayak. I know she probably meant well, but it was creepy how she would be way behind us one moment then right behind us chatting away the next. She was a rather interesting person that would chat up the boaters trotting by. When we made our u-turn to go upstream we finally lost her. But this was also the time Megan lost me. My goodness! paddling upstream was no easy task. Nothing is working in your favor with the wind to your front, the current working against you and the wake by passing boats made it rather difficult for you to do anything. I couldn't believe that I was moving. Megan, being in the awesome shape that she is in, blew me out of the water and was about 30 yards ahead of me at all times. Sometimes she would turn around, paddle to me then get way in front of me again. One time while I was catching up to her, Megan was laying down on her board and looking up at the sky. She was just showing off.
After paddle boarding we were starved. We went to Megan's favorite burger joint called Charm City Burger Co. I like myself a good burger and I got just that! They don't have a super large menu, but you don't need it. You choose your burger, bun and the way your meat is cooked. They offer a selection of potatoes as sides so of course I got sweet potato fries that I shared with Megan. She got a chocolate milk shake. The burger was juicy and cooked just like I asked. The location is crowded and it is not easy to find a place to sit so you get cozy with your neighbors real fast. Though it is crowded, this just goes to show you that this is the place to be.
In the evening I was so full from eating that burger that I couldn't have any more to eat. But I was able to make room for ice cream! Tia and I went back to Atlantic Ave. where we stopped at Kilwin's Chocolates and Ice Cream. I enjoyed every bit of my raspberry sorbet. It was so smooth and refreshing that you could forget where you are and start licking the bowl they serve it in out in public. This place makes their own cones and chocolate, so you know it's good.
Monday, August 11
So... remember how a few days ago at Benny's on the Beach I left out some plans I had been making with Tia? Well, this was my last day here, so we had no other option but to follow through with my idea. I had been wanting to do this for a while and I found this the opportune time to do so. On Thursday when we were at the beach, Tia and I went to the pier for a drink. As we were sipping on margaritas I casually asked her if she would want to go skydiving. Little did she know that as she was saying it would be cool that I was looking up local phone numbers for skydiving. I tell Tia I need to make a phone call and this is what she heard:
"Hi, I was wondering if there were any openings in the next few days."
"Mmmhmm."
"Tia, we can go Sunday or Monday, are you serious about wanting to skydive?"
"Okay, 2 for Monday morning."
And that's what brought us to this morning. Tia was all worried that people would blame her for this idea. Maybe that's true, but it wasn't. I have this issue with liking adventure and trying new things, and this definitely covers both. We used Skydive West Palm and were scheduled for 10 am. Every day since, Tia and I would randomly bring up how excited we were.
We got ready casually but made sure we left on time. The weather looked great and nothing was about to get in our way. Tia drove us there and she was freaking out. I was excited but I think she was more likely to poop her pants than I was. Once we parked she said, "There's no backing out now."
The place we went looked kinda sketch at first impression. They have a strip of land that is the runway where the small plane that only has a proper seat for one is parked. The plane is parked in front of a portable building where they store all of their equipment.
When we walk up we are greeted by the staff. They already know who we are because we booked the dive ahead of time and had the waivers ready for us to sign. It felt awesome to sign my name to a waiver that gave you the sense of danger and yet an even greater sense of accomplishment.
Once we signed the forms we were taken inside the building with Emily, the video editor and administrative personnel, to a small room where we watched an informational video. It was an entertaining video because the guy who was being filmed, also the owner, reminds me of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The best part was that he demonstrated the moves that we had to do on land so we knew what to do in the air. There is a point where you need to arch your back and bend your knees so that you are reaching your feet toward your head. This guy did just that on top of a hood of a hummer. The informational video is worth the trip out there.
After that riveting video, 'Highway to Hell' was playing in the background and Tia and I were taken into the next room to be strapped into our harnesses. I was strapped in first with my instructor, Craig. Tia got into hers next with her instructor, Jeff. We then walked outside and preceded to get into the plane. Once we were strapped in, the pilot, Judd, shut the door and turned on the engine. Before I knew it we were taking off. The flight seemed to take forever as I was anticipating jumping from 10,000 feet in the air. Eventually, Craig told me to sit up and turn around. It was such a tight space that it made it difficult to do as he asked. Once I accomplished this Craig kneeled right behind me and hooked my harness on to his.
The door opened to my right and the wind rushed in. Craig instructed me to place my feet on the step right outside of the door. When I took my right foot out the wind violently took it back behind me. I did not expect that to happen and was cautious as I forced both of my feet on to the step. I sat for a second waiting for Craig to say, "Ready, set, go" like the video showed he would, but that never happened. Instead, I couldn't even collect my thoughts and found myself suddenly losing all grip of the plane.
I was parallel to the earth, dropping faster and faster to its surface. It is difficult to explain the feeling of the free fall because you can't experience anything like it. It's like letting go of all thoughts, reading your favorite book, getting your first job, jumping off a cliff, finding out your crush likes you back, and being caught off guard all at the same time. The feelings I felt weren't of freight but rather, the realization that I was actually doing this. I let out my arms and took in the adrenaline rush that came with the fall. Of course the view was amazing and you could see the curvature of the earth, but it was over all too quick.
Before I knew it, Craig pulled on the parachute and we began gliding gracefully in the air. Craig let me control the chute and had me pull so we could do a couple of quick turns. That was fun. Then it was time to land. I had no idea where we were headed to land and had no idea what to expect. I expected the landing to be rough and have to walk away with a few scratches from tumbling. That wasn't the case at all. Craig instructed me to pull my knees up and stretch my legs out. Doing this helped us slide smoothly on the ground. That was it. I stood up and felt like a badass.
I just jumped out of a plane... and survived to tell the tale. How awesome is that? I looked back up in the air to see Tia and Jeff approaching the landing soon after me. I thought they were going to land right on top of us and didnt' know if I should run to get out of the way but Craig didn't move a muscle so I just stood there. They went right over our heads and landed maybe 10 yards in front of us. After Tia landed she came over to me and we high fived in true American fashion.
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| The pilot photo bombing |
