Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Mothers Day Roadtrip-Travel Feature-EBONY May 2013
Mothers Day Roadtrip-Travel Feature-EBONY May 2013
d Nana
Amy an
he RV.
beside t
M OT H E R S DAY T R AV E L
com
ediaM
int
Pa
ray
d Sp
s an
Drip
01 -
- V.0
008
Set.1
- ww
ilitia.
w.M
e
Joy, th
a
d
birth y
t;
celebran , Nama,
my
A
Below,
d Mom
n
a
a
Naim
4 Women,
3 Generations,
1 Airstream
/ V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M
69
LIVE
Travel
Game Time
And Were Off
Despite some complaining from resident sleepyhead
Naima, ..we got on the road at 4:30 a.m. Trying to beat
traffic out of the city
city., we piled in and gave ourselves
45 minutes to get to West Covina, where we agreed we
could reward ourselves with venti caffe, no whip, extrahot lattes with an extra shot of espresso for good measure. Although driving a huge RV seemed overwhelming
at first, it was a surprisingly smooth ride, and the rearview camera made lane changes much easier.
Pulling the 23-foot-long RV into a Starbucks parking
lot was quite a feat, especially in front of the looky-loos
wondering what these Black women were doing trying to
enter the drive-through. Fearing an accident and certain
vacation buzzkill, Mom and Naima jumped out for the
caffeine. Then after a trickyand probably illegalUturn, we were back on the 10 Freeway: full tank of diesel,
me at the wheel, Nana asleep in the back and New Edition bumping on Pandora just in time for sunrise.
Clocking Miles
The ladies took turns keeping me company as I drove.
During the first shift, Mom inquired about my boyfriend.
Then she said, You know, when I was your age, I was
pregnant with you and married to your father. A few
years later they divorced, and there she was, a single
mother with a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old. It wasnt the
plan, but we had some good times, didnt we? Family
doubles matches, mother-daughters fashion shows and
Michael Jacksons Bad tour. A new adventure, I said.
Yep, just like the old days, she responded.
hing fits,
Old photos prompted laug
a, 6,
Naim
of
t
sho
the
lly
especia
our
and
t);
and and me, 4 (lef
).
elow
..(b
day
the
in
parents back
70
V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / M A Y 2 0 1 3
ww
ia.co
Milit
edia
w.M
D I A RY: S H U T T E R S TO C K
d
s an
Drip
- Se
Picture Perfect
8-
t.100
01
t - V.0
in
y Pa
Spra
LIVE
Travel
Vegas, Baby
Birthday Girl
Before heading to dinner at STK, a little photo shoot was
in order. Smoky eyes? Check. Too-tight dress? Check.
Moms best friends for more than 30 years? Yay! In walk
two more surprises: Lynn and Grace, my moms BFFs
who came to Vegas to celebrate. Taking along two bottles of Veuve, we head out. (Hey, corkage fees are much
cheaper than any restaurants wine list!) Ladies, Im so
glad youre all here, Mom said, beaming and holding up
her flute. Weve been through it all: marriages, a lot of
divorces, babies, jobs. Weve done it all. Thank you for being there for me and being the amazing women you are.
Cheers! After two bottles, three courses and a round of
Patrn Anejo shots, were off to Marquee nightclub (sans
Nana). ..Three 60-year-olds, one 50-something and two.
30-somethingsthe bouncers couldnt help but smile..
smile.
Lady Luck
Never hit the tables without a plan, Nicole advised,
sounding like she knew from not-so-lucky past experiences. Thats why I stick to penny slots, Grace chimed in.
Feet sore but egos pumped up after some football players
tried to holler at our multigenerational clique, we headed
off to gamble. But after a few rounds on the Sex and the
City-themed slots, the birthday girl was ready for bed. Get
some sleep, ladies. More fun tomorrow, said Naima, ever
the tour guide and trip planner. To which Grace replied,
There better be! I left [my husband] Michael at home!
72
V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / M A Y 2 0 1 3
e,
d to the birthday surpris
From cards on the roa
must.
snapping pictures was a
CHIPS: CORBIS