Travel Diary Day 1

As I continue my quest as a journalist, I can cross off some of the things I have already achieved. I have been an Editor-in-Chief, won an award for my writing, and got a lot of free stuff. Now I can cross off being a backpacking journalist, because I am now on my very first press trip in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

I had a mixed feeling of excitement and fear in going because I would be traveling alone, something I haven't done ever. Still there was one thing that made me happy about going alone; I would finally have my own room. My whole life I have never had a room alone, so this was what I was looking forward to.

I had left packing for last night which had my stomach all in knots because I could feel the time passing which put more pressure on me. My flight wasn't until 2:35pm so that meant that I could kind of sleep in, but only a little bit. I still managed to waste my time in the morning because I was not expecting my taxi to come 25 minutes early. It actually was crazy! They called me to say they were outside and I was just beginning to get dressed.

So you know how they always advise people to get to the airport three hours in advance? Yeah, well I didn't need that. It took me all of 15 minutes to check in, get past security, and find my gate, so then I had 3 hours to kill before my flight.

Now I'm not a happy flier, the whole process makes my stomach turn, so getting a window seat didn't make me feel better. I was surprised that my flight actually went well, I didn't have to get up and use the bathroom, no turbulence, I got to watch the TV shows I liked on those tiny screens on the backs of the seats, and the plane landed early.

Once out of the plane I called the guy in charge of the press trip so he could pick me up and take me to the hotel. As the driver took me and another journalist with her kid to the hotel, he gave us a tour of the area we were in. Then there it was, like a white castle upon a hill, our hotel, the Pelican Grand Beach Resort.

When I checked in they gave me a complimentary bag of stuff from the good people taking us on this trip. What a cute tote it was! Hot pink, big, and water resistant. then it was time for what I had been waiting for...my room! Once I opened my door a smile spread across my face as I saw the huge room that was all mine. It has a big closet, huge bed, two TVs, a living room area with two sofas, and a balcony facing the beach. I may have jumped up and down from glee. There even was an envelope with my name on it with more free stuff.

I couldn't enjoy my room for too long because I had to be back in the lobby for dinner in 15 minutes. Tonight for dinner they took us to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the chain restaurant based on the Forrest Gump movie. I don't know, I just found the whole place weird. It really wants to be a kid-friendly place, and they have alot of cute things that are interesting that kids might get a kick out of. the problem is that their whole focus is about the movie they were based on. Now that's fine, they should be like that, but why would kids be interested in that? For example, the coloring book they give has trivia questions all from their movie. How would a 6yr old know that?

Another thing I thought was stupid were the signs they placed on the table. They were metal signs, and if you wanted attention from the waiter you would turn the sign to say "Stop, Forrest, Stop", and then if you didn't need them, switch it to "Run, Forrest, Run". Haha, I get it *eye roll*. Anyway, I was very hungry because all I had was a small bag of pretzels from the plane. I ordered their dish, Shrimp New Orleans, because I'm a big believer in getting food they're named for. The wait was long, the presentation was nice, and I can't say anything food about the taste. At first I thought it was good, it was a nice portion of shrimp over rice in a good tasting sauce. After four or five bites it didn't taste so great anymore, it actually made me feel a little sick.

When I decided to stop eating, I couldn't wait to come back to my room because the traveling was catching up to me, and I wanted to rest. Before I went up, I decided to get a milk shake from the ice cream parlor in the lobby for dessert. To my dismay they were overpriced, I paid $6.30 for a small milk shake.

Now I'm just back in my hotel room, enjoying this lovely experience and the free internet. I debated getting room service because that disappointing meal left me wanting, but I'll just wait for the morning. I must think of a way to horde food so I can eat when I'm not with my group. I should sleep soon, I have an early morning filled with activities, and I promise myself I will blog every day I'm out here. I mean, how can I be a writer if I don't write?