Unintentionally Travelling By Yourself

Well, I finally made it to Miami Beach! It wasn't the vacation I expected. But, all in all, it wasn't bad.

I went down to Miami expecting to go with my brother and a friend of mine from my days in college. The closer our day of departure came, the more things started shaping up differently.

My brother backed out a couple of weeks before citing lack of fundage. My friend dropped the ball the week he was supposed to fly down by losing his wallet, I.D. and credit cards included.

I knew I was going to arrive 2 days prior to him. However, I had no I idea that I was in for a 6 day vacation by myself.

So, what do you do when you've flown 3 hours to Miami and you find yourself all alone for the next 6 days? Basically, you do most of the same things that you were planning to do anyway. RELAX!

I spent a lot of time sitting on the patio at Starbucks next to the Marriott reading a great 1200 page long Tom Clancy book that my neighbor had loaned me prior to my departure. I went to the beach for a walk or just to hang out and catch some rays and check out the scenery. I went to Big Pink a few times for lunch and or dinner. Visited Joe's Stone Crab, my favorite seafood restaurant. Taverna Opa! was also one of my visits. I like the energy there and the dancers are very nice indeed.

At night, I visited Ted's Hideaway and fit in just like one of the locals. The crowd there is very sociable and there is always someone at the bar to chat with about sports, politics, living in Miami Beach, etc.......... I also like the bar tenders here. Very nice young ladies. Pleasant to talk to and pleasant to look at as well.

I visited "The Room" as well. A bar several blocks from Ted's. Not as much personality here. But, it's a nice atmosphere, laid back, dark, cool, inviting.

When I first discovered that I was going to be on this adventure by myself, I was a little deflated. I was sitting at the bar at Taverna Opa! after just having watched the dancers come out and do their thing. Feeling good about the evening. Then, my phone rang and I received the news that my buddy wasn't going to make the trip.

It made me think of my situation in life. Really alone in the world. Reality was starring me in the face. I was all alone on this planet.

Well, what to do? I could get depressed and go back to the condo and mope. I decided against that option. Instead, I went to Ted's Hideaway and sat down at the bar and ended up sitting next to a guy named Bob who turned out to be one of the folks who manages the establishment.

I ended up having a great time as Bob introduced me to all of the lovely bar tenders, many of the locals and was a great conversationalist. I ended up leaving the bar somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning after spending a very enjoyable evening. Had I been there with my friend who couldn't make it, I probably never would have met these great folks nor would I have had such an enjoyable evening of conversation.

What I learned from this vacation is that when life throws you a curve ball and you're left all alone in the world, get out there and open your mouth. Introduce yourself to people. There a so many nice people out there that we could meet if we would only take the time to go sit at the bar of life. In this case, it was Ted's Hideaway for me. Thanks Ted's.