Guest Blogger

My road to the Bahamas was a bumpy one to say the least. The journey from my apartment in San Francisco to my hotel room at the Atlantis took 22 hours. Things started with a combined bus, BART and AirTrain ride that got my girlfriend Megan and I to SFO where we made an unfortunate discovery. A birth certificate had been forgotten and in its place was a marriage certificate that my mother had mistaken for the birth certificate (which looks quite similar). Now, a marriage certificate will not benefit you anymore than a stick of gum where international travel is concerned so my father had to join us the next day after running back to Fresno to grab the required documentation. US Airways was nice enough to reschedule his flight free of charge, though.

My mother, brother, sister, Megan and myself continued on to the Bahamas. The first leg was a cross country red-eye into Philadelphia followed by a hop, skip and a jump south to the Caribbean. We arrived on time at the airport in Nassau and the fun began. Our bags had not made it on to our flight in Philadelphia and we had to wait around for three hours, which turned into four when it was all said and done. This wouldn’t have been a problem if the airport was not the biggest dump I had ever seen. No restaurants, no air-conditioning, and it was dirty, smelly and falling apart. The best part was the slogan that was plastered on many signs throughout the airport, “Nassau - It Just Keeps Getting Better.”

I hope so…

We finally made the rendezvous with our luggage and grabbed a taxi, which the driver raced in like a madman. I kept looking behind me to see if someone was chasing us. Coincidently, someone was at one point when two cop cars escorting a prison van flew by giving our driver just enough time to pull off to the side of the road. At least we made some good time on the final leg of the journey.

As we crossed the bridge from New Providence to Paradise Island I was struck by the massive size of the Atlantis Resort. Think of Disneyland, Sea World, a water park, a casino and hotel all mixed together and you start to have an idea of what I’m talking about. Throw 13 bars, a movie theater, a marina, 17 restaurants and a comedy club in for good measure while you’re at it. This place is truly jaw-dropping and overwhelming when you arrive. My family spent the first day just exploring the beach, aquariums and pools. Looks like things will keep getting better.

Ryan “Force” Lucchesi
force@wishandpoker.com