Indelible Adventures: Watershed moments

I had an incredible time with Zach and Sami on our road trip to Florida! Tonight I’m writing this after I dropped them off earlier today in Longboat Key with my ex’s family. Our trip was one for one for the ages, after leaving a week ago from Toronto, we hit NYC (New York), Washington (DC), Raleigh (North Carolina), Charleston (South Carolina), Savannah (Georgia). Initially we had also planned to stay in Daytona Beach but the weather was not great so we decided to forego it and drive straight over to Longboat.

It’s hard to pick just one or two moments that stand out, but I think Zach would agree on his personal high point was taking the subway (L line) to Williamsburg and exploring. He had been researching his visit furiously for the past month or so and had a laundry list of places he wanted to visit on his half day in Brooklyn. The centrepiece of his visit was to be the world famous record store and music venue “Rough Trade” on 9^th street. I think it also had something to do with the over 100,000 estimated records that it has on its shelves at any given time, and you already know what vinyl buff he is so he was in his element, he spent much of his holiday money on building out his collection. J Of course I strongly encouraged him to do so, as per my motto "what are you waiting for?" At almost sixteen Zach is about as independent and self sufficient as any teenager could be and so I'm very comfortable letting him doing his own thing whether its Brooklyn, Manhattan or Los Angeles I just know he can look after himself.

Sami and I hung out with him for about an hour but then left him to it and headed off to explore Bedford Avenue. I didn’t realize that it’s such a cool area, with loads of unique stores, boutiques and the like. Surprisingly both Zach and Sami like to shop at Thrift shops and Sami had a couple in mind as we wandered the streets, yes, she'd done her research as well! When we located them we both realized that these were no ordinary Thrift stores, they were mega-stores! An unbelievable inventory of everything you could imagine, from 1980's retro to modern day...wow!

It was about this time that Zach caught up with us and we collectively decided, at Sami's behest to find the world famous Mast Brothers Chocolate shop at 3^rd and Berry Street. As soon as we crossed the threshold it was literally like a curtain of chocolate enveloped you at the door, the pungent aroma so thick and heavenly that by just breathing you felt like you were eating chocolate. OMG! After purveying the copious varieties of chocolate we selected three different bars to consume later on our trip. After paying, I literally had to pry the bar from Sami’s grasp as I swear she was going to devour it right there in the store, not that the chocolate lasted more than a couple of hours after our visit mind you.

At this point we realized how hungry we were and so as we turned to walk to the corner we found ourselves literally standing outside the Radegast Hall & Biergarten, and before I could look at the menu Zach was already heading inside…problem solved! Just go with the flow TW!

Over the school break Zach has a Business Studies project to complete, which centres on creating a business and developing a business and marketing plan for it . I’ll give you one guess what he chose… Yep, a record store/recording studio/music venue, he also had to choose a location (the Biergarten was to become his venue for his homework project) and incorporate the competitive landscape (Rough Trade being the obvious choice, but apparently there are a number of other Indie music labels in the neighbourhood so he had a rich selection to choose from. Over lunch he described the layout of his project and dissertation in fine, and well thought out detail. Sami and I both quizzed him on various aspects of his plan, which he easily answered. Clearly he had been thinking it through. Impressive!

After a terrific lunch we wandered the streets of Williamsburg, with me getting tons of great photos, mostly of the amazing murals, graffiti and street art (see below). By mid afternoon we were done and ready to head back to Manhattan. Zach’s planned trip to Williamsburg had been an enormous hit with us all!

One of the other things I love about traveling with Zach and Sami are their adult sensibilities. Each day in New York had to begin with a visit to Dean & Deluca's for coffee (me), hot chocolate (Z&S) and pastries. Yum!

Sami is a huge foodie and loves to try different restaurants wherever we go. You can almost time her to the minute because, like clockwork she always enquires as to what we’re going to eat for dinner that night at about 10:00 am. She always has a suggestion of a place she’d like to try or a type of food she’d like to experience that night, without fail. Too funny!

She loves to dress up and go for dinner (that’s my girl!), and so over the course of our trip, thanks to her we sampled Italian, Chinese, Pan-Asian, Fusion, American (Tribeca Grill – delicious!), Seafood and Southern over the six nights on the road. It was a culinary delight, and we loved it. She likes to rate them against each other and the pros/cons for visiting each plus her overall favorite meal on the trip. The Tribeca Grill won hands down, and it truly was an amazing gastronomic experience, if you go to New York you have to try it. A reservation is always required and it's located on Greenwich Street in the old Meatpacking district. You'll also need to dress the part though...as its a little high end

As I sit writing this, I'm smiling at all the great experiences we had over the course of the week, and I’m already missing my travel companions and it’s only been 24 hours. It's always the same sense of deep loneliness when we part, especially after a wonderful week together and to be expected.

The best part is that we are already discussing March break and have some good ideas floating between us, although a little too early to tell you just yet but stay tuned for our next big adventure. J

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As promised this weeks photos come from our day in Williamsburg/Brooklyn. I hope you enjoy them as much I did taking them.