I don’t think my Labor Day weekend could have went any better. As I mentioned on Thursday, my brother visited me all the way from Spokane for a few days of fun. Besides all the entertainment that was planned, I also wanted to really show him my life here in Myrtle Beach. Looking back at it all on this Tuesday night while Glen is flying through the sky to the west coast, I can undoubtedly say that the trip was a smashing success.

As I often do with these type of things, I like to give a recap of the happenings by going one day at a time. So, if you don’t mind, I will do the same thing this time around.

Friday – September 4

Sidney and I went to the Myrtle Beach Airport to pick up Glen after his long day of flying. He landed at 7 p.m. and after welcoming him to the South we went to the luggage carousel to pick up his bag.

It never came.

So yes, the trip started off a little rough but that would be the end of the hiccups. His luggage would arrive in the wee hours of the next morning so until then he could just borrow my clothes. We went to my apartment and chilled out for a few minutes and then we went out into the Myrtle Beach night. We first went to Chick-Fil-A and ate dinner, a meal Glen was looking forward to. After we ate our chicken sandwiches and fries we headed off to the Mt. Atlanticus putt putt course where he received his first taste of both the eclectic miniature golf courses and the stifling humidity that characterizes this area. The latter didn’t bother him too much though as Glen beat Sidney and I in his Myrtle Beach putt putt debut.

After golf we headed out to Myrtle Beach’s adult playground, Broadway at the Beach. With various themed bars and fun night clubs, it is an area perfect for someone Glen’s age. We had a fabulous time hopping around the various establishments. The highlights were playing the arcade games inside Broadway Louie’s and then entering a certain complex that has about three or four different clubs located under one roof. Once we finished at Broadway at the Beach we took a taxi back to my neck of the woods and I showed Glen around our neighborhood watering holes and introduced him to the extended hours that bars enjoy in Myrtle Beach. We walked inside my apartment after an amazing night at 4 a.m.

Saturday – September 5

I hassled Glen to get up early and we started heading in the direction of Conway. We stopped at Waffle House for breakfast so Glen could experience another Southern institution. After eating a heavy meal that was much welcomed after the previous night, we visited the Coastal Carolina University campus. I had the privilege of showing him around as he got to see Prince Lawn, our athletic fields, my office, and much more.

Once we finished at CCU, we went out to Sidney’s parents’ house to retrieve Glen’s luggage. We had Delta deliver it to the home of her parents because we wanted to make sure people were home when the delivery person came by. Glen got to meet Sid’s dad as we watched tennis in the living room for a few minutes. We returned home and watched the first three quarters of the Washington State vs. Portland State game. We then went to 4:30 p.m. mass at St. Andrew Parish, allowing Glen to see the church where he will serve as the best man at in eight months. After the service we stopped at a produce stand on the side of the road and purchased boiled peanuts. From there we went back to Broadway at the Beach so I could show him the area during the daytime while also taking him out of the Celebrity Circle bar district.

After Broadway at the Beach we went right to Sid’s house and ate some peanuts. From there we went to the Murrell’s Inlet Marshwalk for a relaxing evening. It was a 90 minute wait at the restaurant we wanted to eat at so we had the luxury of walking around the whole marsh area at our own pace. After Glen saw the sights, including the place where I proposed to Sidney, we went to this really cool bar called Wahoo’s and watched people dance while also checking the television screens showing football games. At 9:30 p.m., we finally received a text message from Drunken Jack’s telling us that our table was ready. We made the short walk over from Wahoo’s and enjoyed a fabulous dinner in a great atmosphere. Glen got to try hush puppies and eat some great meat. After we finished our meal we returned to Sidney’s house where we watched highlights of the day’s football games.

Sunday – September 6

I once again did my best to get Glen up at a reasonable hour and then we were off to the beach! I took him to Springmaid, the beach area close to my place where locals go. We had a nice morning stroll up and down the shore. We finished our walk and then went to a putt putt course called Shipwreck. Despite my noble efforts, Glen once again beat me. We shook hands and then went to a place called Damon’s for lunch. We sat on the outdoor patio overlooking the beach as we ate and had a couple cold ones. Now well-nourished, we went on with our day.

We drove up Kings Highway and stopped at a few of the souvenir shops so Glen could start getting an idea of the inventory available. This journey helped lead us to the Myrtle Beach Boardwalk. We had a nice time walking around, checking out the arcade, and browsing through the Gay Dolphin (a giant gift shop). The weather was beautiful and the scenery nice. After Glen did some major purchasing at a nearby gift store we left the area and stopped at a random bar halfway to my apartment. Sidney joined us here as we had fun listening to one of the gruff customers chat us up the whole time we were there.

After our time in the dive we hustled home and showered. We needed to look and smell nice because we were going over to eat dinner with Sidney’s family. We went over to the house of Sidney’s sister for the meal. Glen had the opportunity to meet all of Sidney’s sister’s family, Sid’s parents, Sid’s aunt, and her cousin. We smacked our lips as we ate an incredible spread that included ribs, macaroni and cheese, corn, green beans, rice, and rolls. I ate so much that I couldn’t even do dessert. Glen was definitely shown Southern hospitality.

We said thank you to Sid’s family and the three of us went to the Boathouse, a bar in Myrtle Beach with a gorgeous backyard area that overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway. The venue was crazy and packed with lots of people watching to be done. We stayed for a little bit and then returned home to my apartment where we watched “Big Brother” and “Bar Rescue.” We then went on a six stop bar tour where some of the establishments were in desperate need of Jon Taffer’s assistance. It was a lot of fun though as we picked up a story from each place we visited.

Monday – September 7

Labor Day started with us driving the short distance to the beach but it started to rain. We reversed course and drove to Sidney’s house, stopping at Bojangles on the way to pick up breakfast. We ate our food in Sid’s living room, giving Glen a taste of yet another Southern staple as we munched on chicken and Bo-Berry biscuits. In an effort to wait out the rain, Glen and I went to the movie theater to watch the 11 a.m. showing of “The Gift.” Although the movie wasn’t stellar by any means we accomplished our objective as it was beautiful outside by the time we exited the theater. Sidney met us outside the doors and we briefly looked around the mall. After our quick tour of the shopping center, it was time to play more putt putt.

We drove to Jurassic Mini Golf where we played 18 holes with the dinosaurs. This course was a lot of fun and it helped also that I won! It was hot and humid but that didn’t detract us from wanting to play more. We drove to the Jungle Lagoon course where we once again had a ball. Out of the four courses we played, this was our favorite. Sidney pulled out the victory this time around, making it so that all three of us won at least once during Glen’s trip. After 36 holes of putt putt in the Labor Day sun, we were thirsty. We had Sid pick out a bar for us and we went inside for a couple more cold ones.

Glen and I then set off to do what we had originally planned to do earlier that morning…go back to the beach. We went to Springmaid again and had just a relaxing time. The conditions were perfect and nothing said “Myrtle Beach” more than those 45 minutes we spent yesterday afternoon carving stuff in the sand, picking up seashells, and going in the water. When it was time to move on we went to one final souvenir shop to purchase a last minute item. I then took Glen on a tour of my apartment complex and we ran a couple errands.

We returned to my place and showered. Sidney came over and met us and we all sat down and watched Jeopardy. After the show we went to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse and had a terrific final meal. After we had stuffed our bellies we chose a movie out of the Redbox and came home. The film we selected was “Unfinished Business” and it definitely went unfinished by us. We didn’t even watch an hour of it before stopping it and watching the remainder of the Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech football game instead. By that time it was past midnight and we were ready to go to bed. We knew we had enjoyed an incredible 3+ days so instead of going to bed sad that vacation was coming to a close, we went to sleep fulfilled.

————

This morning I had to say goodbye to my brother as he slept soundly. Because I leave for campus at 5:30 a.m. each morning and his flight didn’t depart until 11 a.m., he had to get a cab to take him to the airport. I felt a little guilty leaving him to take a taxi but I know he understood and didn’t care that much.

During my drive to campus and pretty much this whole day, I constantly thought about the great weekend we had. Words can’t describe how nice it was to spend time with my brother here in Myrtle Beach. I had waited a long time for him to come visit me and we had more fun than even I thought we would. Thanks to my best friend Sidney for doing all she could to make sure I had such a memorable experience with my other best friend. Hanging out with those two in tandem provided me with so much joy. Finally, in closing, we used the hashtag #GlenDoesMyrtle the whole trip to chronicle our Myrtle Beach adventures on social media. Glen, my good sir, you have earned the right to change that hashtag to #GlenDidMyrtle. Thank you, well done, and I love you. Don’t Blink.