Awwwwww, thank you for the birthday wishes, and thank you Toni, for taking the time to post this report so I can look back and remember what we did! Just a day or two afterward, I can't remember where we even ate on a particular day! I can't type on my ipad. And now you know why I never have any photos to share over WNY lunches - I hardly take any, anymore!
Now that I have a keyboard handy, a few notes from me:
AFFORDING A TRIP: Both Toni and I had traveled to the VI already this winter, but I can never get enough. Hubby travels for work in February, so I try to go somewhere at the same time. I used points for the flight, and expected to bare-site camp alone at CBC. Lucky for me, Toni agreed to go, so I got to sleep in a real bed AND share adventures with a friend!
I saved all my change for a few months, and showed up at our bank with $364 more in change, to be converted to "real money," just before the trip. Funny aside - hubby was searching for a hidden set of keys, about a month before the trip, and came across my stash of cash. He then teased me every once in awhile, that he'd contributed to my found "stripper stash." Every little bit helped
BUDGET CAR RENTAL: We'd planning on tripping sans vehicle, but I've never done that and was worried about how limited our options would be, so I surprised Toni by reserving a car. Yes, a car. First, I reserved a compact, then changed my reservation to a full sized car, and at the window, I totally wimped out and upgraded to an SUV crossover. It was at least a 1/2 hour wait at the Budget window, and our vehicle did have a clunk to it, but overall the experience was fine. I strongly prefer Amalie, but budget was a big consideration.
DRIVING ON STT: I hadn't done this before - I'm always co-pilot to Blaine. When I was unsure at a couple of spots, Toni pulled out her ipod and confirmed that we were okay, and soon after, things looked familiar again. It was a little bit tricky backing into a spot between the wall of the car barge and another vehicle, in a vehicle I wasn't used to, but we got in, with space to spare so we could go sit up top! I'd cropped this photo to just include me, cause I didn't have Toni's permission to share. You'll have to imagine Toni sitting right there.....
On the return trip, after leaving Toni at Windward Passage, I drove ALL BY MYSELF to the airport, stopping at Lindberg Bay for one last blue-water view. This was my last VI driving hurdle, and I felt pretty good about it!
AT&T GO PHONE: I bought one of these last March, to stay in touch with Blaine while we were both traveling. When I tried to add minutes, I found that I didn't have an account anymore. I called AT&T and they told me after 90 days without use, an account is deactivated and you need to buy a new SIM card. I posted on TA about it, and was told that if I took the phone to an AT&T store, they'd install a new SIM card for free and I could buy minutes. That's what I did, and indeed I could reactivate (with a new number) for just the price of the minutes (5 days = $10). And then I forgot my phone at home....dunh, dunh, duhn.....
NORTH SHORE DELI: I was "over" Deli Grotto. The only thing I liked there was the crack bars, so we bought those every trip, but we always picked up our sandwiches from Sam and Jacks. I wasn't so impressed with Sam and Jacks this trip. The young lady at the counter is a sweetie, but my sandwich wasn't as impressive as before, and they had no tiramisu or home-made chips. North Shore Deli, however, really was awesome, with fast and SO friendly service, and great sandwiches, twice. Toni ordered a mediterranean flat bread veggie sandwich, and I ordered the same with chicken, and asked that they fold it. DELICIOUS! On the second trip, we asked that they put the tzatziki sauce on the side, to keep the sandwich from sogging, and they happily complied. Oh, you could eat the tzatziki sauce with a SPOON! It's smoother than I've seen before, and absolutely scrumptious. I was literally wiping the cup with my finger and slurping it off my fingertip
North Shore Deli has reclaimed it's spot as my go-to STJ deli.
"IMAGINARY" FRIENDS: Finally had the opportunity to meet Loria on this trip! We almost made it, in November, but there was a little hitch. It was splendid to spend TWO afternoons with her, and hear about the efforts against the Coral Bay marina plan and her journey with Alice by the Sea. What a lovely, lovely place - definitely on our wish list!
Toni and I have been meeting up for at least a couple of years, now. I remember the first time Toni and I met for lunch in WNY - we stayed much longer than expected and Blaine called me at least twice to see if I needed an excuse to leave. I didn't, and we've had many more breakfasts and lunches and emails and chats and gifts, in the interim, every one of them a treasure! If you haven't met an forum friend because you think it'll be awkward, I urge you to try it (in a safe manner of course!). It's uncanny, how much we have in common, and I too want to thank Anthony for the opportunity to meet Toni. As far as travelling with a new person, this trip gave me a new perspective on STJ and STT. We have been most everywhere on STJ, but Blaine and I tend to find something comfortable and stick with it. It was GREAT to find new activities (people watching from the porch of someplace cool with an icy drink, eating and shopping at new places, walking instead of taking the car everywhere, exploring parts of the island I haven't seen yet, finally taking a day to walk, shop and eat in Charlotte Amalie!) and showing Toni, who's been to STJ more than I, some new places she hadn't seen yet. I can be such a DITZ, and she was so gracious to be patient with me several times, but you sure can successfully combine two different vacation styles and have a wonderful time! I'm one grateful girl!
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