I was in Florida for New Year’s with my boyfriend. It was wonderfully warm when we landed - almost 70F and humid. It was already 7pm when we rented a car and drove an hour to our cozy hotel. We were starving, not having eaten much since the morning but Joaquin looked on the verge of passing out. There were a couple restaurants right next to the hotel we could have gone to, but it’s never that easy with a picky eater. Where did we end up? Wendy’s. Not that I don’t like Wendy’s - I was just hoping our first dinner there would be at a restaurant we don’t have in Massachusetts. The place was deserted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an empty Wendy’s here in MA but the food was good though. Over the next few days, we went to a variety of fast food places and bars. My favorites were the Waffle House, which I learned was natively known as Wa-Ho and they make great waffles, and What-A-Burger, the 24 hour burger joint. I wish we had those chains up here.
I had forgotten that the restaurants and bars weren’t smoke-free so when we went to the dueling piano bar Howl At The Moon, I was immediately reminded of how much I missed Boston quality bar air. The stench wasn’t bothering me all that much but still, I was apologizing to my lungs. I’m that type of person who holds my breath when walking behind a smoker. The guys behind the pianos were middle-aged men with great voices. You could request songs, and they’ll do what they can to add a bit of raunchy lyrics. It was all good until a younger guy stepped in to relieve one of the older men. He sounded like the singer of Coheed and Cambria. Mix his voice with the melodious sounds of a grand piano - they just don’t do well together. After a couple songs he started rocking on the guitar. He might have sounded better on this but by then I was already over him and hoping the original guy would come back from break.
There was a visit to a so-so strip club afterwards. I won’t go into details of what happened there. Let’s just say I’m not against going back but maybe to a better quality one.
Everyone in Florida was really friendly, even the bored liquor store clerk and fast-food cashiers. I’ve read articles about Bostonians being rude and cranky but having grown up near Boston, I never saw our behavior as being any different than anyone else. The liquor store clerk showed us how to save money on the booze we were buying instead of watching us walk around the store. He wished us a good night and a happy new year, rather than grunting ‘You have I.D.?’ and then moving on to the next person. Florida, you’re my pal. I’m definitely coming back to visit you soon.