I've lived in Chicago. I've lived in Connecticut. I've lived in New York City. I live in Atlanta. I would like live a portion of my older years in the Caribbean.

Whenever I visit places, most recently, my native Chicago, I leave with this sense that I am leaving something behind. Some peace or ease of living that exists there that doesn't where I currently reside. The same happened during a trip to NYC a few weeks ago. And so too did this emotional yearning occur when I departed from my four day press-trip to the Bahamas.

But the entire time I was home in Chicago I listened to my mother complain about the declining quality of life, the escalating prices of everything, and the outrageous murder rate (which everyone should be complaining about). While waiting to fly out of Atlanta to the Bahamas I met a woman in the airport, a recent transplant to the city, who professed that she hated the ATL. Even in my own household there is a geographic pursuit of happiness --- an assignment of almost mythic grandeur to either a place you once were or a place you have yet to arrive that leaves persons perpetually unsatisfied. I've been guilty of the same. I think most of us who walk upright, breathe air and communicate via language have been at least once.

Me, 2005 (not me, currently).

As a man there are plenty of things I think I know. Now that I am married I spend plenty of time defending my knowledge base understanding that I can and will be wrong from time to time.

One of these times happened during a recent trip to the Bahamas where I was immersed up to my eyeballs in a culture that I previously thought was limited to merely the offerings of the Atlantis Resort and Casino (not that there isn't plenty to do there) and the pink sand beaches I never saw during my first trip there in 2005 (see picture, inset).

Boy, was I wrong. Check out the teaser video below for a sampling of my 4-day experience on the Islands of the Bahamas. I did visit more than just one.



Disclosure: My Bahamian adventure was provided courtesy of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this and subsequent posts and videos are wholly my own.

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