Honeymoon Day Four (Thursday, September 21, 2000)

[I kept a bit of a diary of our honeymoon 10 years ago. I think I will share it, sort of “as it happened”. There are 11 installments. Enjoy.]
We go back to Mel’s for breakfast. Where else?
After a quick stop at the Publix supermarket for chocolate stuff and peanut butter (we have none in the condo), Sally heads back to the beach for more shelling, sunning, and possibly some reading. I read the paper, vacuum the living room, and bring this diary up to date.
Sally comes home very red–she is now my fried bride–and quite hungry–so we jump into the Blazer and endanger the environment once again to go to Olde Naples (yes, they spell it with the trailing “e”). We find a parking place opposite Cheeburger Cheeburger (yes, that is also spelled correctly) on 5th Avenue South. Side note: Don’t attempt this maneuver during “The Season”–you will not succeed in finding a space anywhere near Cheeburger Cheeburger.
CC (I will not spell it out again) is a chain/franchise operation that is rather cute; it looks very much like an old time soda fountain but the big item (other than their hand-dipped shakes, which we do not try today) is really the cheeseburgers. They come in several sizes ranging from 5.5 oz. (The Classic) to the Famous Pounder — “actually a huge 20 oz.!” If you can finish the Famous Pounder they take your picture and put it on a “roll of honor” board. Sally is chicken and has the Classic. I have the Semi-Serious (1/3 pound). We get a free basket of fries on a coupon from one of the Naples tourist guides so we have plenty to eat. The food is excellent!!!
We then go shopping along 5th Avenue South, which is the main street of Olde Naples. Lots of restaurants and trendy shoppes. We pick up three Hawaiian shirts for me at a little shop about a half-block from CC–on sale of course–three for the price of the one we would have bought yesterday at Tin City except that they didn’t have XXL. My wife is pleased that I am actually purchasing clothing for myself.
A couple of blocks further down we find Cork’s Steak House¹ and take pictures of it for our friend Corky Aiken–who for some reason known only to himself and his God, MISSED OUR WEDDING, and thus now is guilty of having stood my wife up twice. A suitable punishment is being considered by my vengeful spouse, but we’ll still give Cork the pics.
Coming back to the Blazer, we stop for Edy’s ice cream … I am conventional and have chocolate chip, but my beautiful bride has Chocolate Whopper Swirl (or something like that, she can’t remember now). Then we run up north for some more sightseeing. We stop just north of Pine Ridge Road on Tamiami Trail (US 41) to click a pic of Cypress Lodge No. 295 F&AM, which we saw the first day we were here (even Sally recognized it right off as a Masonic Lodge–she’s learning! Unfortunately they don’t meet again until next Thursday night, so I won’t be able to visit this trip). Then we drive through Pelican Bay (where such glitterati as Barbra Streisand live) and top the afternoon off with a walk on Vanderbilt Beach (down the street from the Ritz-Carlton). I step in the Gulf for the first time. I want to take sand and salt water home to scrub my feet in every day. Just like that. With the waves and everything.
Leaving the realm of the rich folk, we head back to our humble digs for a bit of a rest. We then proceed to the Coastland Center Mall about two miles away to have a bite to eat at the food court and to buy a wrench at Sears so we can turn the water on to the washer/dryer in the utility room. Coastland Center is perhaps the biggest mall I’ve ever seen that wasn’t at least two stories high–there are at least four anchors (Sears, Penneys, and a couple of other department stores) and a gazillion shops. It puts Castleton Square at home to shame and probably Greenwood Park, too.
Home again to do laundry.
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¹ Apparently now closed.