David KrisoWith the holiday season just weeks away, there is much on everyone’s to-do list. From composing shopping lists for loved ones, friends, and coworkers, there are many reasons to be busy. From planning holiday vacations to decorating their homes, to writing Christmas cards, the list is endless. I too, have a to-do list which is just as long. Being a clerk with the US Postal Service, a published travel writer, and a part-time cruise line pier agent all together pose a unique challenge. With the patience of a saint, it all works out. Post-pandemic, my travel presentations have been a struggle. Despite sending email blasts to library venues around New Jersey and around the country on a monthly basis, the responses have been slow. Even though libraries’ responses have been slow, that doesn’t mean I throw in the towel. Since 2022, I have been in hot pursuit of putting together a new travel presentation. The presentation is entitled “Savannah, GA: Living history, lifting spirits”. I’m anticipating it to be one of my best since my Pittsburgh presentation, created in 2019. What’s with the delay? When will it be ready? My candid answer for everyone is ‘time and patience’.
When the pandemic faded out, and libraries began offering in-person programming again, I couldn’t have been happier. Not being able to do my travel presentations for merely two years was frustrating. I started my clerk’s job with the US Postal Service in May 2020, in the thick of the pandemic. All libraries had cancelled their programming. All travel presentations I had on my schedule were scrapped. It was a bitter bill to swallow. My travel writing took a huge hit, too. Writing articles about pandemic related things such as face masks, social distancing, and proof of vaccination was nowhere atop my to-do list. It was best to focus on destination topics which I knew everyone would appreciate off-the-bat.
I graduated from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI, home to famous mansions formerly known as the ‘summer homes’ for early 20th Century industrial tycoons such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Robert Goelet. Newport also holds its place in history as a famous New England fishing seaport and shipbuilding city. Further, Newport is home to Fort Adams, which was active from 1841 to the first half of the 20th Century. I couldn’t help but wonder “Why not Savannah?”. Savannah is Newport’s southern counterpart. Savannah is home to the Ships of The Sea Maritime Museum, the Georgia State Railway Museum, Old Fort Jackson, Forsynth Park, and Chippewa Square, where the Forrest Gump bench scenes were filmed. The famous Forrest Gump bench is housed at the Savannah History Museum. Each and every one of my travel presentations I’ve put together started out with a concept. Through countless experiences and relentless research, they’ve all come together splendidly. All of them have been a proven success.
Why is this presentation about Savannah taking so long to come together? With the pandemic in the rear view mirror, I have learned a hard lesson. It’s all about ‘time and patience’. A career coach in my hometown once said to me, “Patience is a virtue”. Being an avid railroad traveler, I have traveled many Amtrak routes. I have traveled to and from my college alma mater; four hours in each direction. I have traveled to Boston, Washington, DC, Williamsburg, VA, Buffalo, NY, and Pittsburgh, PA. The train ride to Washington, DC is three hours; Williamsburg-seven hours; Buffalo-eight hours, and Pittsburgh-nine hours. The Amtrak train ride from Newark, NJ to Savannah is fourteen hours. I had to punt the trip time and again. In June 2022, I was supposed to take Amtrak’s Palmetto to Savannah the weekend of Juneteenth. I cancelled my trip because I had realized it was the same weekend as my dad’s birthday. I decided to wait until the Fall. My college alma mater’s former alumni director once told me, “Delays bring about better results”. I sure hoped he was right.
Come Fall 2022, Hurricane Ian was reeking havoc off the west coast of Florida. It was expected to pass over southern Georgia before heading out to sea. Concerned whether it was going to hit Savannah, I punted until Spring 2023. As Spring 2023 approached, I ran into a snag. My March trip to Disney World ate up much of my annual leave time from work, leaving me barely enough time for Prime Time vacation. I punted to Fall 2023. Throughout the summer, I was pitching stories to magazines about unique Fall activities and points of interest in Savannah. Many magazines left me hanging until early October. Tremendously unfair, yes? It’s unfair, especially when such story ideas have merit. I punted again to June 2024. As June 2024 drew near, I couldn’t have felt more ready to board the train and doing the destination story about Amtrak’s Palmetto for Trains Magazine. I’ve been a Trains Magazine subscriber for over thirty years. Further, I was looking forward to doing photography for my Savannah presentation. My morale couldn’t have been higher.
Just as I was ready to make my June travel plans, I ran into another snag. I was informed that the haunted attraction “Savannah Underground” wasn’t doing any public performances. The weekend of June 1st, “Savannah Underground” was only doing a private showing. I was going to miss it again. My plan was to to be home on a Wednesday night, with a free day to prepare for my trip to Newport, RI to attend my twenty-five year college reunion. Again, my plans didn’t work out. It was best to punt until this Fall. While looking forward to the Fall, I learned about an aspiring local tour guide and historian in Savannah by the name of Enocha Edenfield. She’s known by locals as a ‘rising star’ in the field’. I’ve done interview stories before. I wasted no time pitching my interview story to magazines which I thought would were an appropriate fit. I was certain that I was going to get the green light by early October. Not only was I excited, but I had a great level of certainty that I was going to finally make it to Savannah before November.
October came and went. The magazines again dragged me along like a hook. One can only wonder “Why do magazines do this?” If the story about Enocha Edenfield had merit and great potential, why did they leave me hanging? The question can be answered in number of ways. There’s no need to waste time in figuring out the reasons. For the second time, recently, I was a guest on the Big Blend Radio & Magazine podcast, hosted by Lisa Smith. On the podcast, Ms. Smith and I were talking about Amtrak travel. I also shared with Ms. Smith how excited I was about taking Amtrak’s Palmetto, and experiencing that long-distance route. Off recording, she and I spoke about my frustration over getting the Savannah presentation project done. She suggested that I do a story about my experiences in Savannah; dining and sightseeing combined. She further suggested that I invite Enocha Edenfield onto the podcast, to help get her tour business recognized. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to breaking ground on a new story about new things to experience in Savannah in 2025. Will I mention those ideas in my presentation? Oh yes! One can imagine the number of talking points I could include in my Savannah presentation. The presentation will be ‘lifting spirits’ for sure.
Being a published travel writer and travel presenter has been more than a rewarding part-time career. Both combined have been a journey. Each and every story I have written started with a helpful tool called a ‘mind map’. Every presentation I have put together started with a concept. Believe it or not, I have met many obstacles and challenges along the way. Time and again, I have risen above those obstacles. The pandemic was the most challenging obstacle of all. Every time I punted my traveling plans, I have never been disappointed. Scrapping the project all together would be a horrible decision. Prior to the pandemic, the Mahwah Public Library in northern New Jersey has been my fan club. It still is. Libraries around the country have shown on-and-off interest. I certainly wish all libraries would rejoicefully show interest. My new presentation about Savannah shows as a proven sign that I’ve risen above the challenges imposed by the pandemic. Could this is be the presentation that will finally get people out of their homes and out into the world of adventure? How I love being the cheerleader, but without palm-palms. “Savannah, GA: Living history, lifting spirits” is expected to be ready for presentation by February 2025.
