Take the "A" Train
The alarm rings, it's 6:20AM - April 29th. My vacation to DVC-Hilton Head is about to begin. The luggage is packed and ready to roll. I bounce out of bed, take a quick shower, do one last packing check and wait for the limo to Logan Airport to arrive. By 7:40AM I'm on the road for the first leg of my journey to South Carolina, a place I've never been before. The weather predicted is sunny and in the 70's with a possible rain shower by mid-week. It sounds glorious.
The trip to Logan is smooth on a Sunday morning and it gives me a chance to actually look at the construction going on all around us. Boston is becoming a revamped City with a spectacular new entrance bridge and underground highway. Until the project is completed we deal with a mess of alternate routes and heavy equipment littering our landscape. The Logan area itself still looks like a bomb hit it. I'll be happy to leave this section of the City behind, if only for a week.
Bags checked, breakfast coffee and muffin in hand it's time to head to the gate for the first flight to Atlanta. I already realize that this will be a different Disney vacation. It's not the usual Orlando travelers, families with kids over enthusiastic to meet Mickey. No, this time I'm in the company of business travelers, couples, College students and older adults mostly. A few have already been fortified by "spirits" in preparation for take-off. My Cafe Latte will serve me fine for now, cocktail time will come later.
Our flight to Atlanta comes to a bumpy end and I catch a peak at the home of Coca Cola as we taxi to the gate on the "D" concourse. I've never been to Atlanta before and have one hour before my connecting flight to Savannah. The next flight leaves from the "A" concourse and I start to head off to find the gate. I walk the full length of "D" before realizing that I missed a turn-off leading to "A". Backtrack and the escalator down brings me to an underground passageway leading to "C" through "A" with moving walkways and trains. I decide to walk ... and walk ... and walk till I finally reach "A". It felt like I had just walked 2 miles and my heel spur won't be thanking me later for this assault. On the return trip I'll be sure to take the train to my departure concourse.
Atlanta to Savannah is a quick hop and I finally land at the most traveller friendly airport I've been in. It's small and convenient with the baggage claim right next to the Car Rental counters. A stroll outside brings me to my transit for the week, a Geo Metro. The time is just after 2PM and within 40 minutes I reach lovely Hilton Head Island, via Rt. 278. The land is lush with trees and marshes. I feel relaxed already.
Signs are tough to see along the roadways of Hilton Head but I soon spot a DVC/Shelter Cove entrance coming up on my right. "Home" is a turn away. Across a wooden bridge lies my "Home" for the next week. The Live Oak Lodge at the entrance is impressive. Everything is in muted colors of green, brown and red and blends into the surrounding land. At check-in there is no long line, just me. I'm handed an armful of Resort and Island information. The CM's are friendly and efficient, a great "Welcome Home" from all. Fresh baked cookies are in the lobby and a savor two of them with a glass of lemonade. This is the first real food I've had in hours.
My Studio unit, 1125, is right upstairs in the Lodge. When I walk into the room I immediately think BWV. Except for the theming (deep colors of green, tan and yellow plus a wood framed bed) and a slight difference in size (the porch is huge with two wooden rocking chairs) and set up this Studio looks familiar to me. The view from the porch is of a large tree, the marsh and a BBQ outside of Big Murggie's Den. It's a very private and quiet location. Access to an elevator and covered parking in Live Oak Lodge is a bonus too.
After a stop at Piggly Wiggly for my weekly groceries, I retreat back to the Resort. The location is wonderful. Despite the pain from my Atlanta airport hike I decide to stroll along Shelter Cove Harbor and through parts of the Resort itself. Shelter Cove Harbor is sprinkled with shops and restaurants along a wooden boardwalk. Docks on both sides of the cove are the watery home to boats of all sizes. Music from a nearby outdoor Happy Hour fills the air.
All this walking has made me hungry so I check one of my free guide books for a nearby place to get take-out. I select "Crabby Nick's" down the street. It's cheap and the restaurant must be named after the wait staff since they don't seem too happy to be there. My fried oysters are sparse and soggy but the fresh bread is good.
The first Campfire of the week is tonight but I decide to wait until tomorrow to start my activities. For now, I'm happy to sit on my quiet porch with a spiked lemonade brew and relax. This is what I came here for ... peace and quiet.
Coming Next - Rotary, Smotary and Palmetto Dunes
The alarm rings, it's 6:20AM - April 29th. My vacation to DVC-Hilton Head is about to begin. The luggage is packed and ready to roll. I bounce out of bed, take a quick shower, do one last packing check and wait for the limo to Logan Airport to arrive. By 7:40AM I'm on the road for the first leg of my journey to South Carolina, a place I've never been before. The weather predicted is sunny and in the 70's with a possible rain shower by mid-week. It sounds glorious.
The trip to Logan is smooth on a Sunday morning and it gives me a chance to actually look at the construction going on all around us. Boston is becoming a revamped City with a spectacular new entrance bridge and underground highway. Until the project is completed we deal with a mess of alternate routes and heavy equipment littering our landscape. The Logan area itself still looks like a bomb hit it. I'll be happy to leave this section of the City behind, if only for a week.
Bags checked, breakfast coffee and muffin in hand it's time to head to the gate for the first flight to Atlanta. I already realize that this will be a different Disney vacation. It's not the usual Orlando travelers, families with kids over enthusiastic to meet Mickey. No, this time I'm in the company of business travelers, couples, College students and older adults mostly. A few have already been fortified by "spirits" in preparation for take-off. My Cafe Latte will serve me fine for now, cocktail time will come later.
Our flight to Atlanta comes to a bumpy end and I catch a peak at the home of Coca Cola as we taxi to the gate on the "D" concourse. I've never been to Atlanta before and have one hour before my connecting flight to Savannah. The next flight leaves from the "A" concourse and I start to head off to find the gate. I walk the full length of "D" before realizing that I missed a turn-off leading to "A". Backtrack and the escalator down brings me to an underground passageway leading to "C" through "A" with moving walkways and trains. I decide to walk ... and walk ... and walk till I finally reach "A". It felt like I had just walked 2 miles and my heel spur won't be thanking me later for this assault. On the return trip I'll be sure to take the train to my departure concourse.
Atlanta to Savannah is a quick hop and I finally land at the most traveller friendly airport I've been in. It's small and convenient with the baggage claim right next to the Car Rental counters. A stroll outside brings me to my transit for the week, a Geo Metro. The time is just after 2PM and within 40 minutes I reach lovely Hilton Head Island, via Rt. 278. The land is lush with trees and marshes. I feel relaxed already.
Signs are tough to see along the roadways of Hilton Head but I soon spot a DVC/Shelter Cove entrance coming up on my right. "Home" is a turn away. Across a wooden bridge lies my "Home" for the next week. The Live Oak Lodge at the entrance is impressive. Everything is in muted colors of green, brown and red and blends into the surrounding land. At check-in there is no long line, just me. I'm handed an armful of Resort and Island information. The CM's are friendly and efficient, a great "Welcome Home" from all. Fresh baked cookies are in the lobby and a savor two of them with a glass of lemonade. This is the first real food I've had in hours.
My Studio unit, 1125, is right upstairs in the Lodge. When I walk into the room I immediately think BWV. Except for the theming (deep colors of green, tan and yellow plus a wood framed bed) and a slight difference in size (the porch is huge with two wooden rocking chairs) and set up this Studio looks familiar to me. The view from the porch is of a large tree, the marsh and a BBQ outside of Big Murggie's Den. It's a very private and quiet location. Access to an elevator and covered parking in Live Oak Lodge is a bonus too.
After a stop at Piggly Wiggly for my weekly groceries, I retreat back to the Resort. The location is wonderful. Despite the pain from my Atlanta airport hike I decide to stroll along Shelter Cove Harbor and through parts of the Resort itself. Shelter Cove Harbor is sprinkled with shops and restaurants along a wooden boardwalk. Docks on both sides of the cove are the watery home to boats of all sizes. Music from a nearby outdoor Happy Hour fills the air.
All this walking has made me hungry so I check one of my free guide books for a nearby place to get take-out. I select "Crabby Nick's" down the street. It's cheap and the restaurant must be named after the wait staff since they don't seem too happy to be there. My fried oysters are sparse and soggy but the fresh bread is good.
The first Campfire of the week is tonight but I decide to wait until tomorrow to start my activities. For now, I'm happy to sit on my quiet porch with a spiked lemonade brew and relax. This is what I came here for ... peace and quiet.
Coming Next - Rotary, Smotary and Palmetto Dunes
