Not Entirely on Repeat

Posted byrandy@letters-to-rachel.memorialPosted inAdrift in the World, Memories of Time Together, Updates From the Abandoned PlanetTags:, , , , , , , ,

Dearest Rachel –

This trip has barely started, and already there’s plenty to amuse you about it. Not only has it turned out that the hotel room has but a single bed (which I had been assured otherwise, but what can you do?)…

It’s even kind of small for an alleged queen-size bed.

…it’s at the same hotel we stayed at when last we visited Miami en route to a Caribbean cruise, just over five years ago. For all I know, in fact, we could be on the same floor – although I’m pretty sure it’s not the same room, as we have to turn left rather than right as we disembark from the elevator. The fact that there was only one bed didn’t bother you and me, so… it shouldn’t be surprising that I forgot what they had or didn’t have here.

At any rate, since this is the same place we stayed at, you know what this means; Lars and I need to visit the Bayside district, right across the street. Walk around a bit, maybe have a late lunch (or early dinner) and see where we need to be in order to catch our ship tomorrow.

As you might remember, this is practically the view from the hotel as we exit to wander about. And the restaurant we went to with Daniel and Logan is right in the front; I can’t recall, but I guess we were too hungry to go any further when we were here last. That, and the novelty of a place themed after Forrest Gump (you had a copy of the original novel on which the movie was based) may have intrigued us. Not that it was anything so fantastic, in terms of cuisine; it was adequate, like any theme restaurant, but nothing more, as I recall. I wasn’t about to recommend it to Lars, despite the fact that neither of us had eaten more than a couple of graham crackers and a drink since leaving home at seven-thirty or so.
In the distance, we can see the bright red funnel of a Carnival ship. Our ship won’t be arriving until tomorrow morning at six or so, but at least we know where we need to be. At the same time, it’s not as if we can walk there, as it’s on the opposite side of the bay.

When we were here last time, we ate first, and then walked about the shopping district, only to realize that most of the places were closed – we’d gotten into town pretty late, and lingered over dinner. This time, it was mid-afternoon when we arrived, so we could walk around a bit before deciding what to do and where to go.

We didn’t go on the ferris wheel, though – and come to that, I can’t recall having seen it last time around – but you can see the restaurant that we finally settled on, off to the lower right. You know how we have different Brazilian steakhouses in our area here and there? Well, it would seem that it’s Argentine steakhouses that are the thing down here. Not sure why one or the other – and I’m not entirely sure what the difference is, culinarily speaking – but that was how it was. It was really quite good, and filling, especially after so long of a time without eating.

While we did do some walking beforehand – if only to see what was available to us before settling on a place – Lars recommended we do our real walking afterward, in order to burn off the calories consumed. A reasonable suggestion, and considering his medical background, he speaks from authority. Granted, it felt nothing like our usual treks through the forest preserve, but we did find ourselves walking along the banks of a river all the same.

Not for terribly long, mind you, but between the bay and the river, it was a scenic jaunt.

Ironically, I don’t think we made much in the way of conversation; I think we were too busy trying to take in what we were seeing, and figuring out how far we were from where we started, in order to get back. It wasn’t much in terms of the “touristy” thing to do, but I wouldn’t say we were trying to be typical tourists.

Oh, sure, we both took pictures of the dance party going on at the pier by the time we found our way back, but we didn’t exactly join in, like you would have done. I saw a couple pawing each other like you would do when they were playing a remix of the Macarena, and I thought about you for a wistful moment.

I did find myself telling him about the things we did or saw when we were here last, but to be honest, once we left the Bayside park area, there wasn’t much to tell in terms of comparisons; this was the middle of the city, and a part of it that I was no more familiar with than he was. This visit isn’t entirely on repeat, honey.

In any event, though, it wasn’t quite eight in the evening when we got back, and both of us were starting to run out of steam. We’re going to try to stay up a little while longer, so that we don’t crash too soon, but it’s probably going to be a relatively early night all the same. I’ll hope to get something to you before we’re on the ship, but I can’t promise anything.

Either way, though, honey, if you could keep an eye on me, and wish me luck, I’d really appreciate it. After all, I’m going to need it.

Published by randy@letters-to-rachel.memorial

I am Rachel's husband. Was. I'm still trying to deal with it. I probably always will be.

2 thoughts on “Not Entirely on Repeat”

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