So nice in SoCar (TM Matt Basilo)

So yesterday I got back from my friend's wedding in South Carolina. Before I get to how incredibly awesome it was, let me rant about my traveling woes.

I flew out of LaGuardia, which was a first for me. Nine times out of ten, I fly out of Newark, undoubtedly the nicest of any of the Port Authority locations. But LaGuardia offered a reasonable rate and a direct flight, so I took it. And let me tell you....it was pretty ghetto. First off, a tip is expected for pretty much every single thing anybody does. I took one of the airport run shuttles from the parking garage to my terminal, and there were -- no exaggeration -- THREE signs on the window asking for tips. I can understand if the driver was helping you lug really heavy bags, but I had a backpack and a small carry-on-sized suitcase, both of which I carried myself. He essentially drove me from A to B, doing absolutely nothing outside the realm of his very basic duties. Yet I still had to tip him a couple bucks. And since I checked in online, I used the outside kiosk to check my itty bitty bag. And yes, there was a sign asking for a tip. Ridiculous.

And unlike Newark and JFK, when the gateway takes you directly into the plane, the gateways at LaGuardia takes you to the runway, where a shuttle takes you to the plane (surprised we didn't have to tip there!)

The way back wasn't much better. There were several absolutely adorable children at the wedding, making my sentimental uncle-ly instincts (my sister is due in September) hit its peak. Well, at the airport and on the flight were a wide array of very noisy children, basically leveling out those emotions. While waiting in the terminal, these children were loud, but innocent enough. Suddenly this really snobby, elitist-like woman comes over, puts her bags on two seats, sits on another, and makes the children leave their spot. So she can take up five seats (one for herself, two for HER children, and two for her bags). And every time the children would make noise, she'd look up with this disapproving, annoyed look. She even asked the father "where are you guys sitting?" pretty rudely making it clear that she doesn't want to be near them.

Oh, it gets worse. Of course, it turned out she and her family were sitting right in front of me and next to me. One of her sons was mentally challenged, and HE was put in charge of our emergency exit door. We were also delayed TWO hours because they couldn't lock the front door. Sheesh, what a nightmare!

Thankfully, though, all of that was more than eclipsed by my incredible few days in SoCar (this nickname WILL catch on, mark my words!) I arrived Thursday afternoon, where the groom (Dave) picked me up on the airport. After running a few errands, we went to the great cottage that he had rented for us and his two other friends. That evening, we went on a small cruise, and that night dined at the bride's (Katie) parent's house for a delicious BBQ. Trust me, there's nothing like a Southern BBQ.

The next day we went to the beach for a couple hours. We also grabbed an absolutely bite to eat at Waffle House. We don't have that in the North (not in New Jersey, anyway), so it was a real treat. A delicious treat at that. We then headed off to the wedding location for the rehearsal, where we were interrupted by.....an alligator! Yeah, that bad boy -- while relatively little -- came awfully close. Thankfully, there were no casualties. Afterwards, we had the rehearsal dinner, which was highlighted by some oyster shucking (once again, delicious), fried chicken, and pulled pork. Honestly, I'd be shocked if I didn't put on a few pounds after those two days alone (no comments).

That night Dave took me and his other friend, Greg, to this hotel called The Sanctuary. For me to call this place posh and luxurious would be an understatement, to say the least. After a beer, we blindly decided to go to Charleston. It was the night before his wedding, after all. However, we had a bit of trouble finding a good place to go. One of the places we happened upon was this really hipster-like dive bar. The type of place where the bathroom stall doesn't have a door. But the people there are all playing chess, Connect Four, and Scrabble! You read that right...

The next morning we went to the beach for a couple of hours before preparing for the wedding. The event itself was absolutely beautiful. It was a bit overcast, and it was thundering a bit, but the rain held off, so they were able to do everything outside.

The reception was great as well, with -- yep, you guessed it -- some delicious food! And it was a buffet, so you didn't even have to choose between the great meals being offered. I did have to make a short speech (pictured above), which I was really nervous about. But I persevered and got through it. But I was a sweaty mess, due to the combination of the bright lights and my nerves. In a funny moment, shortly after the speech, one of Dave's family friends walked over to me with his dinner napkin and started patting down my forehead.

Overall it was a magnificent time, and I'm truly honored that I had the opportunity to play a part in it. I wish my friends, Dave and Katie, a great marriage and a lifetime of happiness. You guys did a great job with the wedding!