Taking on New Adventures

For years, my Memorial Day was spent at the beach with family. We typically were pretty chill and just enjoyed the surf, sand and sun for the full week. In recent past, it’s normally been at my place in New Orleans as Chuck and I have spent time at the pool, bounced around on a bike or walking to some of our favorite bars with outdoor seating and possibly hitting a boil or cookout with friends.

But we have spent so. much. time. in our place and in New Orleans during the pandemic, that we were itching to get out of town. It took a while to research what places along the coast line would be best, with the fewest amount of people but still with a place or two open to grab a quick bite.

After much research and weighing our various options, we settled on Gulfport, MS.

So on Saturday morning, we threw our bikes in the truck of our friends, Aaron & Tricia, and hit the road. Masks in hand and a ton of wipes and hand sanitizer packed in our little Fiat along with some swimming gear, a picnic set and a cooler and box full of beer, we set out for a 2 night adventure.

We made an obligatory stop at Lazy Magnolia Brewery and they were doing things right. Then we stopped along the way at one of our favorite marina restaurants to eat some good seafood for lunch. Sitting outside overlooking the boats was great. The food was served in single serve containers and they had disposable silverware. We watched the servers wipe down each table and chair after each guest left. However, our group of 4 was the ONLY one wearing masks as we walked up to the counter to put our names on the wait list. It was disheartening but expected. I mean, the Mississippi numbers just aren’t what we dealt with in New Orleans, so many people there think it’s a hoax or overplayed.

Checking into the hotel we booked was easy and it was nice to see that the beach was not crowded at all. The pool had quite a few groups there, but it didn’t feel like anyone was too close. I made sure to wipe down all of the places we sat and the side tables we used before getting settled but that was more for my sanity than anything else. And sure, there were those few drunk “bros” who got a little too close, but overall I felt safe.

We decided to just walk to dinner on Saturday night, about a mile from the hotel, and I’m so glad we did. Patio 44 in Gulfport was fantastic. The tables were spaced out accordingly, the staff was fully masked (and wearing them right!) and the service was top notch. We have very high standards since New Orleans has some of the best service anywhere, and the people we interacted with at Patio 44 were awesome. The food was great and it was so nice to sit at a real restaurant for a meal.

Biking along the coast on Sunday was awesome, other than the little headwind that was killer after mile 5. But the ride back was way better. Add in the scenery and this was one of the best bike rides I’ve done in a while! Just wish the wind wasn’t quite as strong so that we could go a little further.

We hit the pool to cool off then got changed and biked our way to downtown Gulfport for a bite to eat and to hit the brewery in town. The social distancing at the restaurant was still pretty good and the staff was good about their measures. But again, the patrons? Seemed to not care at all what was going on. That’s ok. We wore our masks in and out and definitely utilized our own and the provided hand sanitizer.

We then biked to the brewery in town and grabbed a couple of beers. Kudos to Chandeleur Island Brewing for their sanitation and social distancing measures. It was quite the treat to sit inside and taste some new brews.

Sunday night ended with a swim and drinking the beer and wine we brought while the guys utilized the hotel grill to cook some veggies and lamb. It was a perfect evening that was capped off by the fire pit getting turned on.

Monday morning, we biked to breakfast and wanted to ride a little longer but the 20 mph gusts totally prevented that. So we hopped into the pool for a 30 minute treading water session and then hit the road to come home.

While it wasn’t the weekend we normally would have, it was the best weekend I could’ve imagined. I feel relaxed and almost normal given the circumstances. And I’m so glad we took the chance to get out of town.