In November – of 2020 – I decided that instead of having my sister fly out for the holidays, I should go pick her up. It may sound noble, but honestly, after nine months of work from home, I just needed an excuse to go somewhere. This is not to say I didn’t care for her safety … I did! But seeing as she flew out when she left, I can own up to my own motives.
So there I was with 20 hours of driving between her and myself. Given that the longest I’d ever driven was about 4 hours, “experienced” is not a word I’d use to describe my abilities going into this undertaking. Obviously, I debated changing my mind several times (and I do mean several!) But ultimately, I wanted to see if I could do it. Like an entire twenty hours of driving is no small feat! TWENTY HOURS! Of driving! Scratch that FORTY hours PLUS the extra time it took for detour stops to our Airbnb for the round trip! I was tired just thinking about it! So I didn’t. I just pretended that this was normal and would start the journey with no thought on how long it would take.
And I did it! So why not detail the experience.
Let me start by saying I’m a planner, but it’s really hard sometimes to get the details on “the vibe” of a place. And you’re probably thinking, why would the vibe be necessary on a road trip, but as a young, black woman traveling through Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi – to name a few – by herself, I was indeed worried about “the vibe.” Especially given some of the racial unrest surrounding several very recent events. But I am nothing, if not determined, so I decided why not! Plus, a road trip afforded us the ability to avoid and manage interactions with other people and any potential gathering for the purpose of being covid careful.
So day one, it’s about 5am still pitch dark outside, and soon I find myself stuck behind several cars in a lane-closed construction zone somewhere near Washington. About an hour or so later, the first rays of dawn grace my view, and the first three hours feel like nothing, a piece of cake! By hour four, I’ve completed one-third of my journey and earn a fuel break. #IGotThis
This is where bliss ends. I have no clue why driving during the day feels so much more dragged out. The next four hours take forever, and I’m a little over driving, to say the least, but hey, 8 hours though, new personal best. I’m also in the second half of my journey before my sister calls me – from bed – to see how I’m coming along.
Not gonna lie, that last hour was the hardest. I was drained, done, over it, ready to quit, contemplating every decision that brought me to this moment! Like how am I still driving? Just how big is this country? Why do we have this much road? And how much are we paying truck drivers to go cross country cause I’d say they need a raise?
Tennessee
Eleven hours later, I was in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and thanking God that I booked an Airbnb for the night. Also, my one flaw as a planner is that, admittedly, I’m always overlooking the weather – I almost planned an entire senior trip to Johannesburg, Africa, before my friend pointed out it would be their winter at the time of our arrival. So sure, I knew it was warmer down south but did I pack accordingly? Nooooo, obviously not!
Anyway, after a shower, I settled in for bed and decided that I’d be leaving even earlier this time and set my alarm for 3am – to be fair, I was in bed at like 6pm, so I was very well rested. I literally wake up before my alarm. But 10/10 recommend driving in the wee hours of the morning. There was no traffic except for trucks and a handful of RVs and cars, and aside from my 3am alarm going off again when I switched time zones, it was a completely uneventful drive.
I hit Louisiana around 9am and this time, eight hours was much less daunting than the first time. Maybe it was all the excitement from having made the drive or getting to start actual road trip activities, but I was feeling pretty good.
So now, onto the good stuff!
Alabama
Our first stop on the way back was Birmingham, Alabama, which I knew very little about. We had breakfast at Another Broken Egg Cafe before our first official trip stop, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which was stunning.
On top of that, it was exceeding large space with only a hand full of visitors, making it perfect for avoiding other persons while stretching our legs and soaking in the scenery.
I think I was honestly struck by how detailed each section was, the Japanese Gardens was like being transported to Japan itself and the Rose Garden, although not fully in bloom, was massively impressive. It also provided some perspective on why so many never left certain parts of the country. After living in Colorado and talking to persons from other states, I found that many had no interest in international travel. After all, about 60% of Americans don’t even own a passport. But after seeing just a tiny slice of one of these states, I realized that there’s no need to leave if you can recreate Japan, Italy, or other prime locals in your own backyard!
From Alabama, we drove straight through to Atlanta, where we booked an Airbnb for three whole nights. And it was gorgeous! Equipped with an indoor fireplace, fully stocked kitchen, two-bedrooms, and two stories, I would have been wholly content spending the entire time there. Not to mention it was less than five minutes from a Jamaican restaurant at the end of the block and several other food places via online ordering.
Atlanta
Day One
On our first full day, we decided to stay in for the morning. Being able to sleep past 5am felt blissful, and I was in no hurry to get back behind the wheel. Personally, I make it a habit to take a moment to breathe during trips. If my schedule is jam-packed, I find it hard to enjoy the whole endeavor or even recount everything that happened, being tired through most of it. To my knowledge, the most tired I’ve ever been was at the end of my first day in Paris. I don’t know why I thought that after a nine-hour flight, I could hop into a day of activities and exploration! And let me tell you, fighting back sleep inside a McDonald’s because it was the only thing that looks familiar is neither cute nor safe. But as usual, I digress.
At about 3pm, we ventured to Piedmont Park to enjoy the scenery and catch a glimpse of the cityscape as the sunset.
Which led us into the following activity right next door at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens for their holiday light show. Despite being in awe, the Islander in me kept wondering about their light bill – probably more than I make in a year, to be honest – but it was truly a spectacular experience worth every second. Admittedly, the Gardens did have a much higher number of visitors, but they did a fairly decent job at spacing groups out at various popular attractions.
Day Two
This day had a much earlier start as we arrived at the Atlantic Aquarium for our 8.30am timed ticket entry slot. This attraction was at the top of my list, given that this was the largest Aquarium in the country. There is more than enough to see and do here, from dolphin shows to virtual reality experiences and up-close animal encounters. Given that we arrived only half an hour after opening, it felt like we had the entire day to ourselves. A few hours in, and the tide had changed. More people started to pile in, and so being very satisfied, we graciously made our exist.
It should be noted that right next door is the World of Coca Cola which would have been a great spot to visit had the crowds not started to grow for the day. Additionally, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights is relatively close by. And if you want to take in the entire city, I recommend trying out Sky View Atlanta if you have the time and or interest.
The next day it was back on the road for us. After we stopped for gas and refilled on snacks, we considered ourselves thoroughly prepared. And in that thread, I actually failed to mention my tire troubles, dun dun dun!
When we left Louisiana at about 3am in the morning, my tire was flat, “like she hit the floor …. and got low”, kinda flat. Which was unexpected but also not surprising given that the tire pressure had fluctuated the day before. The nearest gas station was closed, but luckily they had an air pump. When we pulled up to the air pump station, two, I assumed, stray dogs rushed out barking and going crazy. I looked over at my sister, who gave me a “this is all you” stare. With very little patience, I decided to hop out of the car. Not only had I been driving for days and was completely over it, but I grew up on an island that had plenty of stray dogs. These didn’t look all that threatening, nor were they all that large. Thankfully I was right. They were all bark and no bite and the word “mash” also seemed to translate beautifully, leaving the matter quickly settled. However, turning to the pump took much longer to figure out, given that I hadn’t done this since I first started driving, but it all worked out! Long story short, be prepared. If you have Triple-A or some sort of roadside assistance, then keep those numbers handy because you really never know. So back to current events.
Virginia
We made it to Virginia seven hours later, which meant we were overdue for a longer pit stop. We stopped at Maymont Italian & Japanese Gardens. Things were all good and well till we started seeing several persons with no mask. What made things crazier is one group started looking at us in confusion, I’m assuming, for actually having on masks. One dude straight up gawked and left me pleasantly perplexed. In my mind, I was like, “WE ARE IN PANDEMIC SIRRRRR, DONT LOOK AT ME LIKE I’M CRAZY WHEN YOU’RE THE ONE RAW-MOUTHING OTHER PEOPLE’S AIR.”
Luckily there was ample space to avoid everyone, and we even got to view the Italian garden entirely by ourselves – maybe our masks scared them away. It was a quick stop with gorgeous views of an almost sunset that told us we needed to be on our way. By the time we got to Airbnb, all I wanted to do was go night night.
Washington D.C.
The very next morning, we found ourselves in the nation’s capital, which honestly reminds me of Philly but with a lot more monuments and stately houses, of course.
Views of the White House were obstructed entirely by a vast no entry perimeter. Which didn’t matter so much once we got to the National Mall and other monuments. It was an exciting feeling being somewhere you’d only seen in books or on tv or continuously as a news network background. It’s like I knew this is where we were going, but once there, I found myself a tiny bit shocked that here I was, at the Lincoln Memorial. At this site, I had seen so many times in movies, just mind-blowing to me.
Needless to say, it was a stop well enjoyed. Our last monument was the MLK memorial, which was indeed something to see.
Although our time was limited, I do recommend visiting, especially for those of you who can potentially make a weekend out of it. And given how much parking usually costs in cities like NY, Jersey City, or Philly, I’d say the rates weren’t too bad when I went there.
And that’s it! Three and a half hours later, we were back home, and I was fully prepared to sleep through the rest of the weekend and never drive again for a month.
