Part Two: Destination "Gem City" - Quincy, Illinois: 9/11 Memorial

Greetings My Fellow Reader:

I hope you're having a wonderful week! We made it to Friday! Or, as I like to say, "Happy Fri-Yay!" 😁

Well, my stay has been short-lived and now I am getting ready to head off to the next town on my mini excursion. Sometimes, as life happens, you just need a break and to get away. I encourage you to set aside some time and a budget strictly for what we would call in the military - "RnR"or "Rest and Relaxation" after a long deployment or Temporary Duty (known as a TDY). I am finding in my own life the importance of incorporating self-care and finding a balance between work, life, home and family. 

I have spent a lot of time working and it has been ingrained in me since my younger days, when I was a 19-year-old in the United States Navy. You learn to become a Jack of All Trades and to multi-task as a professional in your related career field and other extracurricular duties, which also includes cleaning. When it comes to working and cleaning, the military is great at providing such discipline and instruction. When you are an 18-year-old with an open-mind and easy-going personality, that means you are easily impressionable and coachable. That was me. 

As such, I have carried a lot of that discipline with me over the years. Sometimes, my absent-mindedness gets in the way, but that's because as someone who has struggled with mental health and workaholic-ism (is there such a word?), I am finding that I need mental breaks often, which leads me to my final entry of my stay in the Gem City of Quincy. 

I am a traveler and enjoy even the smallest towns and places I would never have thought to travel to, such as Quincy. Who would want to go here? Well, for starters - while venturing out I came across an interesting tidbit of the history of this place. I found a piece of the World Trade Center, which has been given to this city due to some of the factory pieces that were made right here. 

As a matter of fact - if you can read the inscription on the photo - this piece was part of the Antenna Tower, which was located at the rooftop of the WTC Building  #1. It was destroyed during the tragic events of 9/11.

As young, local kids were walking along the street on their way home from school and amongst other local passersby, I stood there for a moment with a sobering expression and thought about that day all those years ago. We are now embarking on 20 years of this tragic anniversary. I was on terminal leave from the Navy living in Orlando, Florida when it happened. I looked at the plane that ran into the second tower on Fox News and was in a state of surreal shock. In my mind, I was thinking, "Is that real?" "This has to be a movie." Unfortunately, it was not. Both towers were hit and you could see the building crumble down with smoke, soot and facility material as the world watched in horror. 

I was feeling sort of bitter about the Navy and I was waiting to get my honorable discharge paperwork known as a "DD-214" in a few days. When the towers were hit, despite my angst against the Navy, this military bearing rose up within me and I wanted to go back in. This time, I was going to see an Air Force recruiter and inquire about joining. 

When I finally received my DD-214 from the Navy, my dad took me to the recruiting office in Kissimmee, Florida where I asked the Air Force Recruiter if they were taking prior service members? He said "yes," and I signed up. 

Though I was a former service member freshly out of the service, I was required to go through the Military Entrance Processing station known as "MEPS" once again. I was scheduled to go through the process in December 2001. MEPS is the first stop for recruits entering military service in the United States when young people first sign up to join the military to assess an applicant's physical qualifications, aptitude and moral standards as set by each branch of military service, the Department of Defense and federal law. 

As usual, I passed with "flying colors" so we say.  A term or common idiom in the military we use to describe how well someone has completed a task or passed the test easily or with an exceptionally high score. I was 22 years old when I was crossing over into the Air Force. I didn't know where the road ahead was leading me, but I was excited about my new venture and I put my faith in God that He was leading me where I needed to go. 

I "shipped out" to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for a two-week prior service introduction on April 11, 2002.  From there I would head to a six-week technical school for the career field I chose as a Command Post Controller and off to Edwards Air Force Base for my first and only duty station as a Senior Airman in the United States Air Force. 

But that is another story.

Destination "Gem City," Illinois - The Air BnB Experience

🚀 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ....Blast Off!!

So I have embarked upon a mini excursion after a long two weeks at both of my part-time jobs. My boss was like, "You're quite the solo adventurer, aren't you?" Yes - that I am!! I am not afraid of being by myself and going places by myself, enjoying my own company! 😊 

After all, this is me - single, never married (and will probably live forever alone), but I don't mind at all. I accept that and I enjoy spending time with myself. 

That's why I started this blog - for single, never married women like me sharing in each other's adventures as singles - about all our hopes, fears, dreams and life in-between.

So anyway, I am passing through a city known as “Gem City” on my mini getaway - Quincy, IL. Truly stated - it is a gem of a place! Located on the banks of the Mississippi River with a populace of over 40,000, it is rich in history with an amazing bucket list of things to do! This is part 1 of my adventure.

--> See Quincy 

I'm staying in this really cool Air BnB hosted by Patrick.

The Famous Han Solo in Carbonite

This Air BnB is simply amazing for the price! It is nestled on Main Street so you are within walking distance to some amazing shops and a restaurant like The Main Course.  See Pat's Guidebook for more.

It mirrors something like a flat (a term used in the United Kingdom/Britain) where there are a set of rooms that are on the same floor and are meant to be used as a personal residence. The building is an old structure from the early 1900's and was once a department store, but is now a nicely renovated living space. A spacious "Comic-Con-meets-Big-Bang-Theory" style of living.

Patrick is known as an Air BnB Super Host and I now know why. He was very cordial and laid back: a “Mi casa es su casa” kinda vibe. 

The place itself is huge! What an AMAZING loft and very spacious.

As you walk up the stairs to the main floor, there is a wall full of awesome nostalgic music and entertainment memorabilia and art that decorate the space. From grunge, punk rock and rock/metal band concert posters to Star Wars memorabilia and even a statue of Marvel's Silver Surfer hangs by the bay window.

Each Air BnB room has a theme. I stayed in the personal Space Capsule themed private room. 

The Space Capsule room is small and quaint, but very, very cozy. The bed is so comfortable and very spacious. I thoroughly enjoyed the bed and how cozy it felt like a little secret nook because of the bed pod chamber. The metal walls makes it feel like you’re in an industrial warehouse (well, you are..sort of), but the nostalgic memorabilia of Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon take you back to a more simpler time before the CGI tech and the dot com era.

There is a common area with air hockey and billiards and other very cool themed rooms so the space is huge! There are two restrooms to choose from. I chose the bigger one with the black tiled bath/shower and brown stone tile flooring. Shampoo and body wash is available. Very nice bathroom, but - as with any inhabited space - it is dirty. 

There is a full galley kitchen you can utilize with supplies and courtesy refreshments (coffee, water, tea). BUT, don't expect it to be spick-spot clean! The kitchen has been used and it's dirty. Sorry Pat, but it is nasty.

It is a very cool place to stay for a great price, but don’t expect maid service. You’re on your own to clean up after your mess. Bring your own cleaning supplies if you want. I did. If I'm going to use an inhabited common area that others don't clean up after themselves, then it's up to you to ensure you operate at the level of integrity and cleanliness as you would expect and expect of yourself.

I know I expect that much of myself. I still carry with my today the honor system of military discipline and leadership. I still live by the Air Force core values of Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence in All I Do - no matter what I’m doing - be it paperwork, creating or revising resumes, and/or serving as a waitress or cleaning up after a long shift. To operate in this capacity is to be a part of something that serves to uphold the enhancement of humanity and the quality of life as we endeavor to do when we serve a purpose greater than ourselves. 

Most people don't think about or consider their environment and hospitable politeness. Most people usually just live sloppy and carelessly as I have found living with other people over the years. I'm not perfect and I am a mess, but one thing that I CANNOT STAND is a nasty kitchen and bathroom so I guess you can say I have a minor OCD problem. But anyway, enough of that.

This place is great if you don’t want to stay in a hotel and pay hotel prices. If you’re passing through town and you don't mind living with other guests hearing their footsteps on creeky wood flooring, consider staying at this locale - you won’t be disappointed! 

PLEASE NOTE: This Air BnB is NOT recommended for persons with disabilities nor Obsessive Cleaning Disorder individuals with a phobia for germs and uncleanliness and who have a need for spotless and squeaky clean spaces.

 

Ta-ta for now!