Around the World, all about abs
I left work early for the second time in a few days yesterday. We were getting picked up along with 4 other couples via a van/limo for a trip over to Fort Lauderdale. A very affluent and generous member of our running club was treating us to a tour and dinner aboard The World, a privately owned cruise ship.
The drive across the state went pretty quickly, we had a number of good talkers in the van which is always good for me. My attempts at speaking were not very easy, I am in one of those cycles where verbal communication can be a struggle. We knew everyone on the trip except for a guy that worked for Doug’s company and his wife. He however knew me from timing races, he is an avid and very good runner.
So we pulled up to the ship, it looks like most cruise ships I have seen before, big and impressive. After flashing our photo id three different times we were allowed on board.
Doug began giving us a very comprehensive tour of the ship. It was pretty amazing imagining living day in and day out in this floating mini-city. Pretty much every need you can think of is addressed in a luxurious manner.
At first I was a bit tentative taking pictures, I didn’t want to seem like a country bumpkin on his first trip to the big city. However as the tour went on I took more pictures.
There were a number of jaw dropping things in the ship. I was particularly impressed by the pool in the one restaurant that has a “plug” suspended above it. When things get rocking they drop the plug into the pool and it becomes a dance floor. The back wall of the restaurant also has the ability to open up where it serves as a dock for various water sports. It’s amazing.
Another stand out was the row of outdoor lounges/beds on the top deck. If you so desired you could actually sleep under the stars. If you need anything there is a personal phone right next to you.
After the tour we made our way to one of the many restaurants on board, a Japanese place called East. We all sat down around a large round table. I drank a couple things I typically never would, hot green tea and red wine.
During the meal a rather odd topic was brought up, my abs. Doug often participates in the 6AM Saturday morning club runs. Evidently at one of these he must have seen me post run with my shirt off. Doug is an incredible runner, he leaves me in his dust despite having close to 25 years on the dial more than me. He was commenting that despite his intensive training he still has a little bit of muffin top around his middle.
From the abs comment we moved on to discussion about my pull up bar and freshly constructed parallel bars along with questions about my routine. Honestly it was kind of embarrassing, yea I am in decent shape but I am no Jack Lalanne. References to my abs were brought up a couple more times during the night.
Ali’s wipe out on her bike was another big conversation maker since some of her multiple bandages were visible. Ali was sheepish about admitting that the wipe out was actually caused by a runny nose but it made for some good laughs.
After a very nice dinner we headed down the hall to a lounge where a a guy was playing the piano. We hung out and talked for a bit. Before we left a woman stepped up and sung a couple songs out of the blue. I assume she is a regular. It was sort of bizarre, she sung “Summer time” in her opera style singing voice. She then sung that Anthony Bocielli song in italian that everyone recognizes but noone knows the name of. She did this by reading along from a book which I thought was pretty impressive.
It was getting late, after 10, so we agreed it was time to head out. On the way out we went through the lobby where a live band was playing. I pointed out to Matt, who is a professional musician, that there was an unused trumpet on the band floor. Without hesitation he walked up, grabbed the horn and started playing mid-song with the rest of the band. It was pretty unbelievable. He is a very talented trumpeter. It was a great way to put an exclamation point on our visit aboard the world.
Everybody had a really good time and we thanked Doug for his generosity. It was quite interesting to get a peek at that sort of lifestyle.
We piled back into the van for the drive back home. Despite it being late, the conversation in the van kept up for the entire way home although very few words left my mouth. I was pretty pooped.
The driver delivered us to our door about 12:15 am. As we started towards the house I was not sure if I should be tipping the guy or not. I probably should have I guess but by the time I came to that conclusion it was too late.
After a high speed shower I was out cold by 12:30. Needless to say I am dragging today big time but it was worth it. Our trip to The World will go down as one of our most unique Tuesday evening activities of all time.
If you want to see all of the pictures I took go here.