Welcome to Florida!

Be Sure to Check out My Previous Post: My #LyfInFocus!

May 18th, 2013. It was a date stuck in my mind, a day that I had been looking forward to for months.
Departure to Ft. Lauderdale to start my summer adventure!

Bags All Packed!

Waiting to Leave Indy

I had graduated a week before and was taking a week to say my goodbyes to the friends that I had made during my 5 years at Purdue University.  I had my bags packed for days before I had to leave, knowing that soon enough I would be living out of a small collection of suitcases for 3 months. But lets be honest, as sad as I was to leave my second home, I couldn't wait for my adventure to begin!

Having never been to Florida before, all that stuck in my mind was that's where Disney World was. Most people think spring break, parties in Miami, and endless beaches. This probably sounds ridiculous but I never really connected beaches to Florida until I was flying over the ocean. The everglades from the sky were incredible. Just the area that they take up was massive.

But with landing, I made my way to my hotel which was a Courtyard by Marriott.

A quick note on Marriott's. Purdue's Hospitality Program has a big partnership with Marriott, being that we have an entire building that was partially funded by them. In our classes we learned a lot about their corporate structures and philosophies. So I have a deep appreciation for them.

They have a few different hotel levels in their non-resort chains, that all cater to a specific type of clientele. In short they are:
Fairfield Inn & Suites: Business Travelers, sometimes a fridge/microwave. Standard Room. Free Breakfast.
Courtyard: Business Travelers, fridge/microwave. Slightly larger rooms. Cafe with Starbucks. Often small conference facilities.
Town place Inn & Suites/Spring hill Suites: Extended stay  businessman Suite Style Rooms with Kitchenette. Free Breakfast.
Residence Inn: Families. Think of a small apartment. Free Breakfast.

I'll touch on these more as I experience them throughout the summer.

In any case, we were staying in a Courtyard. The lobby was wonderful and had lots of couches and table space throughout the week.

But back to the glitz and the glamor of Florida.

Once I was checked in and a few of the other Auditors showed up, we traveled down to the beach to

Restaurant Menu

get some dinner. We ate at "Aruba Beach Cafe", a locally recommended restaurant. It was O.K. at best. A very noisy bar/restaurant, the servers were rude, and relatively inattentive to our parties needs.

Now as you will learn throughout my postings, I'm a bit of a service snob, but only because its not hard to deliver good service. I only ask for 3 things: Smile, be courteous, and don't let me glass go dry without noticing. Do these and I will tip well (usually around 20%), fail on these and you can watch your tip waste away. For all you waiters/waitresses who are thinking "but servers make less than minimum wave and depend on tips to make a living", then just do your  job. A tip, or better said "gratuity" is my way of rewarding you for doing a good job and allowing me to enjoy my dining experience.

In any case, the beach was nice and smelling the salty air was a "breath of fresh air" after Indiana for so long.

Coming Up Next: Training Week/Touring Florida!