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Patti, Ronnie and Jordan - Our Family Trip to Myrtle Beach (from Upstate New York) |
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DAY ONE- FRIDAY I had to work until 11.30 on Friday so Patti and my 11 yr old, Jordan had everything ready to be loaded when I got home from work. That was a good thing because I wanted to be on the road by 12pm and I work 20 minutes away from our home. I got home and threw everything in the car. We left a note for my mother in law who was nice enough to check on the house and feed the cat. We get Jordan settled in the back seat with the cd player, DVD player, PSP player, Gameboy (remember when there was G.I. Joe with the kung fu grip and slinky's lol), books, snacks, and cooler, and off we go at 12.15.Not exactly 12 but no worries. It was a beautiful day for driving. Sunny and warm. Getting out of New York was no problem at all. We hit Pennsylvania at around 2.05pm. Pennsylvania was great too. What |
 The dawn of a new day in Myrtle Beach |
| they have done to Rte 15 in the last 10 yrs or so is
amazing. We go through Maryland and West Virginia no problem, and
then there is Virginia. We're staying at Emporia for the night
(about 20 mins from
N.C. off of Rte95) We hit 95 and SCREEEEECH. Stop and go traffic for
HOURS. The only reprieve is alt. 295 around Richmond. Now Patti is
driving this stretch and as much as I love her she's one of those people
that thinks she owns the road. She road raged for 2 1/2 hours. She was
like Linda Blair out of a scene from the Exorcist. After this long I had
the divorce lawyer on speed dial. No, I'm just kidding. For some reason
I had a gut feeling this leg of the trip would be bad. We get to Emporia
and check in at approx.10-10.30pm.Took us an hour longer than normal. We
stayed at the Holiday Inn Express off of 95 in Emporia. Very clean and
quiet. We were beat so we ran to the convenience store for snacks and a 6
pack for me. Hey, I deserve it after riding with the demon spawn for
that long. Again, just kidding. I drive to the convenience store and go
down the wrong way on a one way street. The nice people didn't honk or
yell once. I looked at Patti and all 3 of us just busted up laughing. It
was like we better get to the hotel before something else happens. Had
some snacks, a little TV and off to sleep. |
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DAY TWO- SATURDAY After sharing a bed with Jordan the 11 yr old blanket stealer (wasn't my choice, we just fell asleep like that.) we were up at 6.30 for showers and a quick continental breakfast. The warm water in the shower felt great because Jordan gave me about the size of a sheet of toilet paper to cover myself as I slept. Traffic wasn't bad at all other than minor up and down speeds on 95.We're moving along great and I call the resort at around 11.30am to tell them we're only about a 1/2 hour away. I figured they could give us an estimate and we could figure out what we could fit in before we could check in. But the condo was ready!!!!! Check in took about 3 minutes at Elliot Realty (we rented through VRBO). Up to the 1 bedroom 3rd floor condo to inspect it. Could not |
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happier. Spacious, clean, and it had EVERYTHING that we
could need. Checked out the resort. MANY pools, hot tubs, and lazy river
rides. a cabana with live music till 11pm,an indoor bar, a
restaurant, store, small gym, game room, outdoor grill to order snacks, a
woman
braiding hair, a frozen drink stand, multiple laundry rooms, and a large
beach. Everything was clean and the staff was fantastic. Garage is across
the
street but no big deal.
Off to get our supplies at Kroger's. Unload car and clean up a bit before
we
head to the Pelicans game. Patti wanted to get there early so we were
there
a little after 5pm.We ate dinner at the park. Typical game
food. Nachos, hot
dogs, fries, beer and soda. Jordan got a Pelicans t-shirt made up with our
last name on the back. The guy in the team store even came out looking
for
us to give it to him. THAT'S service. Jordan played a few games around the
stadium and then the actual game started. We never sat in our seats. We
sat
at the bar type tables along the left field line. Gave us more room and a
place to set our food. VERY relaxing night. It actually over looks an area
that is new to the stadium. Our table and others like them are above an
area
that's next to the visitors bullpen and it's set up like a beach with
sand, beach chairs, and a private snack area. Very nice touch.
The game had a lot of errors but the Pelicans won 4-2 .Great way to start
the vacation. The stadium actually has a new name. I believe it's now BB&T
Coastal Field. Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.
Back to the condo. Patti and Jordan were bushed so they stayed in. As
customary, I took a nice walk on the beach. God, how tranquil your ocean
is. Thank you. An hour or so later I was in the condo for a little
Sports Center and off to sleep. Great 1st day.
My spell check is not working so I apologize if there are some
errors. I'm trying to catch every one.
A lot more to come so stay tuned. |
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| DAY THREE-
SUNDAY Woke up around 8am or so and by the time I got out of the shower Patti was already at the pools claiming her spot. That was ok because Jordan wanted to go to the M.B. Flea Market on 17 to find some football cards, and I had promised him that I'd take him. About 9.30 we were on our way. Jordan's throat was bothering him so we stopped along the way to get him a drink. Throat must have been dry because he was fine after he finished it. We spent about 2 hours or so at the flea market and had a great time. It was a nice break from the heat because it was around 95 -100+ the entire week, but 100 in Myrtle Beach is fine with me. Plus it's been a hot summer in Upstate New York so it wasn't unbearable. Anyway, Jordan |
 Broadway at the Beach - on the lagoon |
| got a few cards
and I bought a little fountain for a hallway table at home. It was nice just
spending time alone with
Jordan. Soon enough he'll be bringing buddies on our trips and won't
have
much time for Dad so I try to enjoy him while I can.
We went back to the condo and met Patti on the beach. We all walked the
beach and looked for shells. After doing that for awhile Jordan played
with
his skim board while Patti and I held hands and acted like we were
teenagers. It's amazing how Myrtle Beach just makes the romance flow.
Upstairs to get cleaned up and off to Crabby Mikes for the buffet. Doors
open at 3.30 and we arrived at 3.20 with about 10 people already in line
and another 30 waiting in their cars . After the doors opened I got in
line and looked behind me to find a sea of people coming to the door.
So, get there early.
The buffet was incredible. The food was very fresh and plentiful, and
the
service was great. I just get a little aggravated when I see people with
plates full of crab legs and then more and more and more while others
are
waiting for the tray to be refilled. I normally don't get them so it's a
minor pet peeve for me, plus I guess a person paying their hard earned
money to be able to eat what they want so I shouldn't comment. Just be a
little more thoughtful of the other customers before you take 3 plates
of
crab legs at a time, but overall a very, very enjoyable place.
After totally stuffing ourselves we decided to do a little shopping at
Broadway at the Beach, and walk off dinner. Picked up a few things there
and it was time for Daddy Time. Patti and Jordan dropped me off at my
favorite watering hole, Murphy's Law on 17 by the old Pavilion. The
Pavilion
is an empty space of sadness. So much history there and it's all gone.
All
that's left is mounds of dirt and rubble. Very heart-breaking. Murphy's
Law
was great as always. It's a bar but it also has a dining area with
several TV's. It's a Pittsburgh Steelers establishment. I'm a Bills fan but
this
place has great oysters so I'll let it slide.
I was able to catch the first half of the Ravens vs. Giants, have some
oysters, and unwind. ALWAYS very enjoyable there.
Patti and Jordan picked me up after watching Big Brother. This is our
guilty
pleasure as a family. I guess the show was good. Go Dick and Danielle!!!
After we got back to the hotel Patti went to bed and Jordan swam a bit
and
then we walked the beach. We threw the football around, looked for
shells, and just acted goofy. Bed at 2am. |
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 The Costal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach |
DAY FOUR - MONDAY Up at 10.30. WE SLEPT HALF THE DAY AWAY! Serves us right for staying up that late. But hey, we're on vacation Patti decides to absorb some more UV rays and head to the beach. Jordan and I decided to head to the gym for a workout. Jordan lasted about 45 mins before he decided to hit the pools. About an hour later I joined them at the pool. We hung out between the pool and the beach for about 2 1/2 hours. I was on the beach alone a lot You see, Jordan and Patti prefer the pools and I get a little bored at the pool after a bit. Patti loves laying out and I can't do that. I can handle any heat but I have to be moving or I feel like a cooking TV dinner. It's fine though. It's very relaxing just walking up and down the beach with the waves crashing around me. Very nice. Up to the condo for showers. We decided to |
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have Mexican food for
dinner. Normally we go to El Cerro Grande and we love it. However this is
our 14th trip to MB and we decided to try a lot of new things. We ended up
at Abuelos in front of the Coastal Grand Mall. It was a little higher end
than El Cerro Grande but we felt at ease in shorts and sandals. The food
was very good and the service was fantastic. By the end of the meal I
think Jordan(11 yrs old) had a crush on our waitress She was very
cute and friendly. My boy!!!
After dinner we headed back to the condo and headed down to the cabana
for a few Pina Coladas and a walk on the beach. Have I mentioned how much
I love walking on the beach? I REALLY like it at night. It's very
mystical to me. It's also a very humbling experience. After about 1/2
hour or so it was up to the condo for a little Sports Center, and then off
to dreamland as I fade away to the sound of the ocean.
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| DAY FIVE - TUESDAY Jordan's 11th birthday .As usual he gets to pick the events of the day. His first pick is Wild Water and Wheels in Surfside .It's a nice water park but it's pretty similar to the ones here in Rochester, and maybe a little smaller. But it's in the high 90's and its his birthday so we'll have fun. Now let me start off saying that I'm not a water park kind of person. I'd rather be doing anything else other than being crammed into a hot park with either wet or sweaty people. I know I know, I'm anti social As long as the sweaty fat guy in the Speedo that's ALWAYS in these places doesn't rub against me, nobody will get hurt .Just kidding. Anyway I figured I could get in for free because I wasn't going on anything. Nope, full price! I wasn't happy but it's Jordan's birthday. |
 Texas Roadhouse Grill in Myrtle Beach |
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Luckily a woman who had 2 tickets that her sister and nephew
never showed up for offered them to us at a discount of $15 and the girl
at the booth gave me the seniors rate, so I was happy once again. Wait.... seniors
rate? Was she telling me something? I'm only 38 yrs old. Nawww!
The park was fun but somehow Patti ended up laying out and I followed
Jordan around the park for 4 hrs. Seems it's both of their birthdays
today That's ok, I'll call up this trump card sooner or later
It's really ok because Patti works hard and spends a ton of time with
Jordan while I'm on the road wrestling. She's a great wife and mom.
Anyway, Jordan made a friend that looked like Opie Taylor. Nice kid. I
guess it was his parents birthday too because I chased them both around
the park. After 4 hours it was time to go Jordan's pick for dinner was the Texas Roadhouse for steaks. I highly
recommend their steaks. VERY good, even though the side dishes were a
little small in portions. Jordan once again fell in love with our
waitress (God help us when he's a teenager). She was a cute Russian
student. Her accent made Jordan laugh. Mom is getting a little leery of
his interest in girls. Dad thinks it's funny. Mom doesn't think Dads funny
Another nice walk on the beach. A little TV and off to sleep. Another
great day. |
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 Just trying to be helpful! |
DAY SIX
- WEDNESDAY Up early and REALLY kicking myself for not bringing my golf clubs. I know, who goes to Myrtle Beach without their golf clubs if they play? I decided to get a workout at the gym. Well, on this day there was a constant rotation of people that didn't know what the heck they were doing. Not wanting to see anyone get hurt I risked the chance at looking like a know it all, and offered my advice to a few people. Most people were appreciative except for one guy who didn't like me offering his wife/girlfriend advice. You see, he wasn't in the gym and she was doing an exercise the wrong way, and she could have been really hurt. If he was so concerned he should have been there to help her, right? Well, by the looks of him he didn't look like he knew his way around a gym anyway. He got very vocal and abusive even after his lady told him I was just helping. So after I told him to stop hiding behind |
| the cable on the weight machine, and to come where I could see him, his lady started laughing at him and he walked off in a huff. Get it? Skinny guy...hiding behind a cable. Skinny.... can't see him. Get it? Sorry, they can't all be gems. She thanked me and left. I ran on the treadmill for about 30 minutes and met Patti and Jordan by the pools. As usual Patti cooked herself until she was well done, which is ok once a year I guess. Jordan and I went shelling and I watched the girls on the beach "cough cough" I mean I watched Jordan play on his skim board. You know, I remember when we bought that thing last year and he couldn't slide on it. This year he's a pro but there still are those American Funniest Video spots. Like the one where he was skimming and he slipped off kicking the board even faster. This man sees this and jumps over the board just before it was going to nail him, allowing it to smash into this little boys toy figures that he had set up painstakingly to depict an army battle or something. I started laughing, as well as Jordan and the board jumper. But the kid and his mom didn't see the humor in it Some people have no sense of humor. So . . . | |
| up to the room
about 2:30 for a shower and early dinner. Now this is the dinner I had been waiting for. We had never been to
the Dead Dog Saloon in Murrells Inlet before but I had heard great things. We were seated out back and were seated at a high table just outside, in between the bar and the dining area. It was great because
I could see the baseball game on the TV's at the bar but I could also
see the beautiful view of the marsh. They also had ceiling fans going to circulate the air. VERY comfortable even though it was 93 out. We were entertained by the resident squirrel that the locals feed. It's pretty cool because a tree is growing right in the middle of the
dining area and up and down the squirrel goes. He even came up to the table
but it made Patti and Jordan nervous. I thought it was funny. If you go early they have 1/2 price appetizers if you sit outside. They also had 35 cent oysters which I took FULL advantage of. Patti had
some sort of chicken salad that she liked Jordan had a mix of appetizers
but he wanted to try the oysters which he's never had. He loves mussels
but raw oysters were new. He ate about 8 of them, but later in the night
they revisited him. Good thing we had loaded up on the t.p. he was fine 20 minutes later. We had a great time and LOVED the place. Then we did the marsh walk and took pictures. What a relaxing way to
walk off dinner. We saw a lot of wildlife and we watched the boats. We did some quick t-shirt shopping at Wings and then went to watch
the band at the hotel. Actually it was a trio, but they were very good, We danced a little drank a little more than a little and had a fantastic time just being together. After the band ended at 11pm we walked on
the beach for a bit. There was a half moon that was reflected off of the ocean. Beautiful. I had bent down to pick up a couple of shells and
Patti and Jordan had walked ahead. I watched from afar as Jordan was teasing Patti with a crab .He was laughing and she was laughing/screaming. What had I done in a previous life to have been rewarded like this? I am without a doubt the luckiest man alive. Even though there are times
when you want to strangle each other (kidding), times like this is when
you know you've been blessed. After traumatizing mom some more we headed up to the condo for a nice sleep. |
 On the deck at the Dead Dog Saloon  Along the Marsh Walk in Murrells Inlet  |
 New China 120 Item Buffet  Cherry Grove Pier  Rainy day? Improvise! |
DAY SEVEN - THURSDAY Up around 8 am and to the gym for a quick run. We, as usual, headed down to the pools and beach for a few hours of fun. Patti has collected these nice rocks that have a shiny black fleck to them, They are not smooth but they are pretty nice. She collected enough to add to our landscaping at home for a nice touch. Looks great. At the 3 year urging of our friends Jack and Bonnie we finally decided to try out the NEW China Buffet in Surfside.120 items of Chinese and American food. This is a MUST anytime you visit M.B. The place is clean, the staff friendly, and I can't say enough about the buffet itself. Always fully stocked with hot and fresh food. Everything from typical Chinese fare to salads to American dishes to a nice dessert section. I was stuffed when we left .Patti and Jordan had to be rolled to the car as well. After 13 previous visits we decided to drive to Calabash and visit the world famous Calahans.35000 square feet of seasonal, nautical, decorative, and deliciousness. This place had everything from little trinkets to food to Christmas decorations (beautiful section) to everything else that you associate with the south and Myrtle Beach. We bought a few items such as t-shirts, a couple of steel drums and salt water taffy. This is another must see. Did I mention how great their Christmas section was? WOW !!! Now off to the Cherry Grove Pier to watch the surfers and fishermen. It was very relaxing until our camera broke. Never let a 11 year old carry your camera. After we purchased a disposable camera from the store at the pier we hung out and relaxed. We saw one guy catch a baby shark. Probably a foot and a half. I believe it was a Nurse shark. At this time it was getting close to dinner and the black clouds that had been hovering inland were |
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extending out over the ocean.
We figured it was time to leave. Being it was going to rain Jordan
wanted to play indoor miniature golf. I forgot the name of the place
but it also had go karts. The course was lit with black light so
every piece of lint was highlighted. Only 9 holes. NOT worth it. Man
look at all the standing water from a short rain. The skies really
opened up. We decided to go to Cheeseburger in Paradise for dinner
but there was too long of a wait so we decided to go to Sam's World
Famous Hots on 17. It was ok but I prefer Peaches across from
Ripley's Believe it or Not. Jordan however, loved it, and Patti was
just happy to be eating. Did I mention the temps dropped from 93 to
74 in the span of 30 minutes? Nice break from the heat though.
Back to the condo and the rain had stopped. ONLY rain of the week. I
can handle that. A little shelling and a walk on the beach. Patti to
bed and Jordan and I to the restaurant to watch the baseball game.
Dad had a couple of Bacardi and Diet Cokes and Jordan with a virgin
Pina Colada and some chips. Good game. The Yankees lost I
know, how can I be from New York and hate the Yankees. It's easy.
They're the Yankees!
Up to bed for a nice night's sleep. |
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 Tanger Outlet Mall in Myrtle Beach |
DAY EIGHT-
FRIDAY Another day up early and to the gym. Man, I thought this was supposed to be a vacation. Had a quick breakfast in the room with Patti and Jordan and i was off to the beach. Beautiful day to play in the sand and collect more rocks for the yard. Realizing that this was our last night I started to get a little depressed. Jordan and I would LOVE to move to Myrtle Beach but Patti will never leave her family. But we did make a deal that we'd retire in Myrtle Beach. Only 20 years to go! Up to the condo to clean up and pack. We decided to load everything up other than what we'd need in the morning. Off to Tanger Outlet for some school clothes for Jordan. We actually accomplished that pretty quickly and decided to get some Philly Steak sandwiches at Tanger. Surprisingly good. Patti wanted an hour to shop for herself so Jordan and I hit the toy store so he could |
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wrestling action figures. He's so excited that a local guy near where we live is making action figures and two of me will be out
by the end of this month. I think it's funny but Jordan thinks I'm the
next Hulk Hogan. Yeah right.
Anyway, we all met up to try and decide what to do with the remainder of
the day but we really couldn't think of anything that we wanted to go do
even though there are still a million things we have yet to try. I think
the
last day's depression just set in on all of us and we weren't looking
forward
to the 14 hour drive. So we decided to head out now and break up the
drive.
We have stayed at the Four Points Sheraton in Hagerstown before so we
decided that would be our destination.
After a quick stop at the condo for the rest of our things we checked
out
and said a teary good bye to our home away from home, and we hit the
road.
Patti was the first to drive and lets just say that "Lead Foot Lucy" got
a
ticket on 501 for going 79 in a 55. I was not happy but I kept my mouth
shut. Pretty uneventful trip even through rush hour. We ended up in
Hagerstown at about 10pm and checked in. A quick run for McDonalds (yep,
vacation is over) and a 6 pack, and we were in for the night.
The hotel was very nice as always. 1st floor room. Window was open.
Hmmm.
So after eating Patti and Jordan fell asleep and I watched a little TV
Lights out at 1am. As I start to fall asleep and I hear "chirp"
"chirp"
"chirp". A cricket was in the room. WHAT THE &*%$#* !!!!!! I searched
and I
searched but anytime I got close it would stop. I couldn't turn on the
lights because I'd wake Patti and Jordan so I kept trying to get the
darn
thing. As I got close a few times it would hop away. I could tell this
because the chirp would go away from me. FINALLY at about 3am it stopped
I fell asleep quickly. Up at 5am with a bad stomach ache. After 1/2
hour
of reading time in another room I was good. Back to bed. Alarm goes off
at
6am. |
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NINE- SATURDAY Shower and bagel and we're on the road by 7.30. A nice smooth drive home. Man, I'm tired. Home by 2.30 with most of the day to unpack and do whatever. We're happy to be home but there is always that empty spot inside when you're not in Myrtle Beach I hope you enjoyed the trip report. I know I left things out but I hope I was informative enough. Enjoy YOUR trip and let the rest of us know how it went. God Bless. |
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