As much as I’ve enjoyed my two visits to Universal Studios, I had bigger, more ambitious plans for the two remaining weeks of this month – a rail trip up the coast to South Carolina culminating with four days at Myrtle Beach… which have been temporarily postponed.
It’s not that I don’t want to go, but the weather (58-61° F or 14-16° C) while comfortably cool by most NE standards isn’t really “beach weather.” Oh, and the reason it’s “four days” rather than a full week is because the nearest Amtrak station is 2hrs away in Charleston – which is itself an 8hr train ride from Orlando. So, the easiest way to get there is by bus which I believe runs ONCE per week… but Google Maps doesn’t have consistent schedule for it (is it Mon, Tues or Sat?), so if I miss it it’s an expensive Uber ride.
However, if I leave ORL on Sun, arrive in CHS late Sun/early Mon than I can spend Monday in Charleston and then take a Lyft across the river into the coastal town of Mount Pleasant where I can overnight and then take another Lyft (as Mt Pleasant is still close enough to the city to be served by rideshare) to Georgetown, SC, where I can get out, explore the city and get lunch (as it’s only 90 minutes northeast of Charleston) before calling another Lyft driver to take me the rest of the way into the city for dinner (as Georgetown, SC is on the periphery of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area).
So, then if it’s not “beach weather,” what WOULD I do there from Tues night to Sun morning? The world class Skywheel… isn’t open due to COVID, neither is the neighboring Family Kingdom Amusement Park. As interesting as the “Gay Dolphin Shop” sounds (which refers to it being “happy/carefree” not GLBT-owned), I generally find shopping boring – especially these tacky, overpriced tourist ones. That leaves Ripley’s, Wonderworks and AMC Theaters… unless I can figure out a way to play miniature golf by myself.
Okay, so I don’t HAVE to “do” anything while I’m at the beach. But at some point, I’d have to come back from said beach… and THAT was the deal breaker for me. Not because I wanted to stay there for 2-3 weeks (trust me, I would love to), but because flights from MYR to MCO were over $250 one way for a halfway decent itinerary (though I could check for March’s prices).
As I said above, the trip isn’t “cancelled,” but with Spring Break rapidly approaching, I’d rather not risk going back in March – pandemic or otherwise. On the other hand, I could be overthinking this…