An Apology: By the time of this trip, my 2013 Windows phone had serious issues, such as producing blurry pics in dim light.
Travelers Tip: Be sure to take a good camera along on vacations for quality photo memories.
Also: Click on any underlined feature for the link to official websites. In Naples in particular, Hurricane Ian's impact is still affecting hours.
When asked if I would fly down to Naples to play bridge with friends Betty, Allen, and Dan in late January 2018, it sounded like a fun idea. Pete decided to tag along when I suggested a side trip to Disney World.
At the time of planning, we had no idea that our trip would coincide with Super Bowl LII on Sunday, February 4th. Better yet, our home team, the Philadelphia Eagles, would play for the championship against the New England Patriots.
Hotels in the greater Naples area can be expensive, particularly in high season. Luckily, I found a great airbnb near Mercato, 15 minutes from downtown Naples. Our accommodation included a large bedroom/living room, serviceable kitchen, private access, and best yet, a screened in heated pool.
Travelers Tip: During holidays and high seasons, I still find that often the best deal is with Airbnb or VRBO, including the service fees.
The following is a list of suggested restaurants and things to do if in the Naples area:
Our view while dining at the Turtle Club
Lunch on the beach at the Turtle Club. This sparkling casual dining spot is fun and the food -- delicious. Sadly, Hurricane Ian caused extensive damage to the restaurant; however, the restaurant's website states it plans to reopen in the fall of 2023.
Jane's Garden Cafe in downtown Naples is open - dine outside under the red umbrellas for great people watching, healthy fare, and fantastic shopping nearby.
AZN - very good Azian fare in Mercato.
Burntwood Tavern - Also in Mercato, we dined outside under a heater for memorable American fare.
Things to do?
Revs Institute - even if you only have a minimal interest in automobiles, you will be dazzled by the extensive display of restored luxury and racing mobiles.
Beach time at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park - gorgeous white sands with easy access. Again, Hurricane Ian caused severe damage. The park is open but has limited hours and parking at this time.
*** Cool Beans Cruises - We booked a champagne sunset cruise on a comfy catamaran for a fantastic evening on the water. With only two other ladies onboard besides the crew, we enjoyed a truly relaxing evening, including a spectacular sunset. Definitely Recommend!
The highlight of my sojourn to Naples was — the bridge game of course. Unfortunately, illness prevented Allen and wife Betty from joining Dan and his wife Peggy for their usual month long snowbirds vaca that year presenting a bit of a problem. We were short two players.
Since it takes four to play bridge, Dan and I needed to find some competition. Online, I discovered the Naples Bridge Center, and signed Dan and me up for an afternoon of duplicate bridge. Basically this meant that Dan and I would be systematically playing the same hands against other bridge partners, while rotating tables for a certain number of hands. If you played a hand well, you received more points. On that day, there were at least 40 other tables meaning Dan and I would be attempting to outscore 158 other players.
It appeared I was also at least two decades younger than most of the experienced and skilled players in the room. Undeterred, Dan and I eagerly started our bidding, keeping in mind that it was all for the fun of the game. As we rotated to the various tables, most players were congenial and welcoming.
Maybe a bit suspicious?
When Dan (old enough to be my father) introduced me as “my friend Ellen”, many of the ladies murmured a “uh huh”, i.e. “Riiiiiiight, we’ve heard that before”. Dan and I smiled as his introductions were accepted with a certain amount of dubiousness.
Slugging it out, Dan and I felt it had been a successful day when we didn’t come in dead last (only next to dead last). We celebrated our “victory” at dinner with our spouses.
The following afternoon, we drove to Disney World, checking in at a central site for our room at the beautiful New Orleans themed hotel, Port Orleans Resort - Riverside.
Port Orleans is moderately priced on the Disney property accommodation scale, aptly located on the Sassagoula River.
Traveler's Tip: Entrance to Disney Springs is free and accessible by car, foot, river ferry and shuttle. This is a wonderful spot for dining, particularly on your first night when you may not have access to one of Disney's theme parks.
With this being our fifth visit to DW, Pete and I voted to finally see Animal Kingdom, the last theme park yet to explore. Maybe we’ve visited too many zoos, but the park seemed generic and a bit tired. We left by mid afternoon.
Saving our energies, we walked near our hotel before grabbing dinner. After all, we had a big game to watch that evening and the Eagles were “In it to win it”, or so we hoped.
Because of a continued late afternoon deluge, very few folks were out and about at game time. With the inclement weather in our favor, we easily found two great seats at the Muddy Waters “watering” hole near Port Orleans.
By kick-off, there might have been ten of us at the cute Cajun themed bar; four Eagles fans, two Patriot fans and a few others who seemed to be helping us cheer on the apparent underdogs.
What a game! Each team playing their hearts out, the score remained tight as the minutes ticked off. At the end of half-time with the Eagles up 22 to 11, we Eagles fans remained cautiously hopeful.
Then, all hell broke loose. The 3rd quarter ended with the score Eagles 29, Patriots 26. In the last minutes of the game, the tension was so thick at the Muddy Waters you could practically stand on it. After all, the Eagles had acquired a bit of a reputation for choking. In addition, our star quarterback and my personal football hero of the year, Carson Wentz, was out; replaced by Nick Foles near the end of the regular season.
And darn those Patriots, they seemed as confident as ever.
With less than two minutes to go, I couldn’t stand it any longer. Trying to fend off a heart attack, I jumped off my stool saying, “I need to walk a bit”. I ended up back at the room.
My cell phone rings almost immediately. It’s my longtime friend MaryAnn calling from Houston. “Hey Ellen, it looks good for y'all”. “What? Really?”, I asked. Quickly I hung up to race back to my seat at the bar.
In the middle of the nearby bayou inspired bridge, Pete found me. Looking at him expectantly, he said those wonderful words, “We won Ellen, we won”. Nearly falling to my knees, I burst into relieved tears.
And the rest is history.
Pete and I spent the next day in Epcot enjoying nachos in Mexico, a beautiful Moroccan beverage called the "Embrace the Arak",
and taking in our favorite rides before ending our day relaxing at the hotel pool.
Phil and Henrik with Alladin characters in November 2001
Jasmin's costume took on a more conservative note 17 years later
I proudly wore my Wentz jersey after my city's big win, receiving compliments from folks from all over the country, even gracious Patriot fans. We truly ended our time in Florida on a real high note.
Bloggers Opinion Side Note: I always believed that Wentz had everything to do with improving the positivity of Eagles players and fans to prepare them for their championship victory. I hope to wear my “Number 11” for more championship games while on vacation in the near future. Let’s Go Eagles!!!!
Trying on a Super Bowl ring in 2022 at a Covid vaccination clinic in Philly
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