Jerry had Dorothy at hello; St. Petersburg, Florida had me at the airport. Although "my" airport, Dulles, is home to the only Chipotle in the country which serves breakfast, St. Petersburg's has palm trees inside the airport. And even better, in early August it had Jen, one of my best friends, waiting for me at baggage claim.
I've always loved exploring new places. As a kid, I would pack my suitcase a week before my family left for our annual trip to the beach. And while I still love traveling with my family, after spending 10 days exploring Folly Beach and Charleston, S.C. with them in late July, I realized I'm at a point in my life where I have more fun going on vacation with my friends. Of course, I also went to beach week with my friends this summer, but the cardinal rule of Beach Week is, "What happens at Beach Week stays at Beach Week," so Beach Week will only live on as a memory, not as a column.
My vacation to St. Petersburg was one of the best I've ever been on. I swam in the warm turquoise blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico for the first time. I learned how to paddle board. I went out on a boat in the middle of Tampa Bay and unknowingly swam with 12-foot bull sharks. I cheered on the home baseball team - the Tampa Bay Rays - at Tropicana Field. I realized that when I grow up, I want to live on a canal. I saw more palm trees - in multiple species - than I had ever seen in my life. And while I will probably never forget any of these amazing experiences, the reason I call this trip one of the best in my life is because by going away I was able to reflect on my own life in a way that I can't when I'm living it at home.
When I visited Jen, I saw what her everyday life was like. I drove down the roads she knows like the back of her hand, went to her favorite grocery store - Publix, home of the world's best sugar cookies - met her high school friends, and was warmly welcomed into her home by her family. While I was living Jen's daily life with her, I was constantly comparing it to my daily life. As clich
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