Jacksonville, FL (USA)

[Inspection Trip] Had an opportunity to take a trip to Jacksonville with some co-workers. While there, I needed to do some networking with folks who work with me (virtually) from there. One of the nice things about this trip is it will be one of the first times I've been in Florida for any length of time since 2004. Our flight over went well and we arrived at around 1600. After picking up my rental car (Enterprise) at the NAS Jax Terminal (1630), I headed over to the Hilton Garden Inn (Jacksonville / Orange Park), arriving at 1720. Had some trouble getting my key but I eventually reached my room.  I was just going inside when a lady saw me in my uniform and asked if I could meet her son. It turned out he was a military veteran who was severely disabled in a motorcycle accident several years ago. It was good to be able to talk with them - his mother and aunt spoke glowingly of his service in the Army Rangers and he seemed genuinely glad to see me and to chat about the current state of the service... Spent a short time in the room, getting settled, before I met Troy and Russ for dinner. We decided to go to Sarnelli's, a nearby Italian restaurant that Nicky and I had frequented when we used to live here. The atmosphere was just as I remembered it - the place makes food as good as anything I've had in Sicily! The staff speaks Italian and they have beer, limoncello and other goodies from the old country. I had a delicious dinner of mahi-mahi (Caprese style) with shrimp (mmm...). A highlight of the evening was when our waitress made Russ a Caesar salad at our table - from scratch! After several hours (and quite a bill!), we went back to our hotel and I turned in early...