~MB~

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I've returned from the land of miniature golf, gift shops and breakfast buffets after walking a half marathon (of which only the last two miles had rain, thankfully) and spending the weekend with a good friend from graduate school.  The official results say that we averaged 17.48 minute miles over the 13.1 mile course - which I felt pretty good about, considering how little I trained. 

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Myrtle Beach has never been my favorite place - but I say that without the proper amount of honest experience.  When I think of it, I think of unbearable traffic and tacky stores and golfers (with nothing against golfers, mind you, I lettered in golf in high school).  Perhaps it's an in-state bias:  I live in Charleston (enough said).  But for a winter's weekend, a chilly South Carolina-style winter's weekend - it was quite enjoyable.  The hotel we stayed in was nice (I wish it had been warm - the outdoor pool was beautiful) - and how can one resist classic tackiness?  Honestly, my favorite was the three dolphins atop the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove sign on Ocean Boulevard - wouldn't those dolphins look just perfect on the top of the Airstream?  Plus, their lovely blue color made me laugh, and frustratingly remember a grant review where the review kept referring to the blue-nosed dolphin instead of the bottle-nose dolphin (suggesting to me that the reviewer was perhaps not so appropriate for the subject at hand). 

(Now, a quick google search would inform you that the blue-nose dolphin was on sale and is now out of stock...damn!  The bottle-nose dolphin, on the other hand, is still swimming around the coastal Atlantic - even off the coast of Myrtle Beach).

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So I guess what I realized is that Myrtle Beach is kind of okay on a winter weekend - when the traffic is more than bearable, when there isn't a line at a decent mexican restaurant, and when there's a sale on coral at the Gay Dolphin Gift Cove.  Now I didn't go to the Tommy the Giant Crab restaurant - but yeah, I couldn't resist photographing it.  (And no, I didn't play miniature golf).  The lettuce wrap appetizers with tofu at PF Changs were yummy - and there's nothing like a cold beer at 10:30 am after a long walk.

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~view from the 15th floor~

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Now, I've got an NIH grant to get submitted.  Help.

Comments

[David E. Perry]

"and there's nothing like a cold beer at 10:30 am after a long walk."

Money Quote.

[Annie in Austin]

Last time we were on the Carolina Coast our entire family trekked to the Hawaiian Rumble Minigolf, complete with smoking volcano, in north Myrtle Beach. Sometimes you just have to give in to the goofy.

That dolphin would look good on the Airstream!

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Clicking on the blue-nose dolphin link probably just made my internet history more spicy ;-]

[Pam]

Yes indeed David - perhaps that quote could bring in enough $$ for a round of miniature golf for myself and a few friends?

Annie, I'm completely in agreement over 'giving in to the goofy'. If my friend would have joined me - I was ready to go to the Ripley's Haunted House, and I was indeed bummed that the water parks were closed...(and yes, boy are those dolphins just PERFECT!).