I do enjoy traveling and sampling the cuisine wherever we go. Sometimes some of the discoveries are quite enlightening. For example, while in Florida , it became necessary to travel between Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. I thought it would be fun to try SPIRIT Airlines for a couple of reasons. First, the CEO of Spirit was part of a study lead by our daughter Karen assisted by her sister Kristin and an all star class and presented at this years Association for Psychological Science conference. Secondly, Spirit has it’s fans and detractors and I wanted to see for myself. On the bad side, we were faced with long delays coming and going, I would never consider Spirit with a tight itinerary. However, on the positive side, the flights were superb and the landings extraordinarily gentle. It is clear that the pilots were skilled. The big thing for me was the ability to buy a big seat without first class prices! Would I use the again? You bet, but I would build in a bunch of time for delays.
It’s been a long time since I was in Orlando (1997) and Ft. Lauderdale and Miami (1980), so returning to Florida was a bit like remembering the boy and then meeting the man years later. I was in Gainesville (2006), but college towns really never change in attitude.
I did very much enjoy the beachside ambiance of the Aruba Cafe in Ft. Lauderdale. Which reminds me. Have you ever noticed how food is always more expensive in states with high taxes? I noticeably blinked when I saw how inexpensive a quality dining experience was in Florida. Taxes, like a rising tide lifts all boats…. Jumps retail prices in a factor economist refer to as a multiplier effect. It’s hard to find anything with a competitive price in high tax states like New York, Massachusetts or California.
Oh, Laura my bride of 39 years had a little business to do while we were in Florida, but it gave us a chance to visit some nice folks including our daughter Kristin, her beau an his family.
It was a nice vacation.