This was a business trip and an odd one at that. I left for the airport on Sunday morning, after Cin made me a delicious breakfast consisting of heart-shaped pancakes. I got to BWI, parked at the usual lot, and then went through security with no issues. I met up with the guys from work I was traveling with and got a good two hours of reading a book for my MBA classes done on the plane. Aisle seat and good AirTran service made for a nice flight. Once we got to Palm Beach International, things got a little different that most of my trips. I flew down here for a workshop with leaders from a number of companies in my employer's line of business, all fairly high-up folks. So, once we got to the airport, we were met by a driver who showed us to our Cadillac and then drove us to the workshop location, the Four Seasons. This was the first time I have ever stayed at one of these and it was pretty sweet.
Palm Beach is a really nice place, with a good amount of "old Florida" that is fun to drive through and watch. We got to the Four Seasons, checked in, and then registered for the workshop. It was a little after noon and our rooms were not ready yet. So, we asked about a low-key place to eat and were referred to John G's, a place about a quarter of a mile walk. We hiked over there and saw a huge line, so we opted to eat at the NYPD Pizza place next door. They made great food ... I had a bruschetta pizza that was crust, olive oil, garlic, spices, tomato sauce, and then covered in diced tomatoes with a little cheese sprinkled on. Delicious! After that, we headed back to the hotel and got our rooms around 2pm, with nothing to do until the 7pm dinner/reception. So...I ran 5 miles in some of the best weather I have seen in a long time. Great run, not too fast and not too far, just perfect. I then showered off and went down to the reception.
The reception was good, with great food, an open bar, and some good networking and conversation with the other folks attending the workshop. It was on a section of deck right off the beach and we saw a really nice moonrise that looked amazing. After it was over, I hiked back to my room and went to sleep, exhausted.
The next morning, I got up and went to the workshop all day. It was a very long day. The lunch was great with multiple color tomatoes and really thick & fresh mozzarella for the salad course. The dinner and reception that was after was very nice as well, with some good food. Not too much to say about Monday.
I woke up on Tuesday and checked out of the room before going to the last session of the workshop. After that was over, the three of us got into another Cadillac and were taken to the airport, where we went through security (the woman in front of me filled up five of those trays they give you to put thru the scanner...five!), and waited for our flight. Middle seat this time, but I got almost all of my book done and the aisle and window seat folks were quiet. :) After getting home, I picked up my car and drove home. End of trip.
This trip was unique for me in that everything was included by the folks organizing the workshop. It was at a high-end hotel, included car service to/from the airport, and had some great meals as well. High lap of luxury. This was a really good time, but also very tiring as the workshop was a lot of work. A great experience, all around.
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