I haven’t posted in a while, and for good reason–I was out living! Well, as much as Little Rock, Miami, and Colorado would let me at least 🙂 This post will cover Little Rock and I’ll post Miami next week 😀
It started when my work decided to send me to a week long course in Little Rock, Arkansas. The point of the course was to learn how to better provide cyber intelligence to cyber warriors. Might sound kind of lame to you, but I seriously nerd out over this stuff so, lol it was a very-welcomed training.
After that, my plan was to take a sweet 4-day vacation to the beautiful beaches of Miami with my lovely Ciara to celebrate our 2 year dating anniversary and Valentine’s Day. Boy am I efficient! After sunburns, beach-lounging, and Cuban food, we would then head back to Colorado to visit family for a few days before I made my way back to Korea.
The trip went off without a hitch…well, except for the longest travel day of my entire life coupled with a backache that was a 10/10 on the pain scale lol. Read on!
Worst. Travel day. Ever.
I love going TDY. I mean I loooooove it. Don’t believe me? I wrote an entire post on why I love going TDY so much, check it out and see for yourself!
However, this was the first TDY in my career that I was not looking forward to. Well, the travel day at least. Thanks to a sweet (read: very painful) accident I had just 5 days prior, I was in immense pain.
Long story short, I decided to channel my inner Shaun White and straight #sendit off the large jumps at South Korea’s Phoenix Sky Park but completely biffed the landing.
I went about about 16-ish feet into the air and landed directly on my back…#ouch. Thankfully I was teleworking the week prior to Little Rock so I was able to pop enough ibuprofen regularly to keep the pain to a manageable 6/10.
The 12 hour plane ride from Seoul to Little Rock was, to say the least, miserable.
Not only that, upon arrival to the La Quinta in downtown Little Rock, the hotel’s receptionist informed me that they were completely out of rooms. How’s that you ask? Reba McEntire was in town, that’s how.
Yea, I didn’t blame them for not having any room lol. I shuffled up town a little ways to a Wyndham and crashed after being awake for over 39 hours. #Dead
Finally in Little Rock, Arkansas
Since my flight got in to Little Rock on a Saturday night, I was afforded the sweet, sweet luxury of sleeping in after what felt like the longest travel day of my entire life. Matter of fact, it was literally the longest day of my life.
You see, when you fly east from South Korea, and you have a 19-hour travel day like I did, you pass over the international date line which resets you back in time to a day prior meaning you are technically in the past and therefore gain 16 hours meaning a 24-hour day just turned into a 43-hour day and then….nevermind, you get the point lol
I crawled out of bed around 9:00am, grabbed a coffee, and hit the road ready to explore Little Rock!
First stop: Coffee
Little Rock was my first travel destination in quite sometime that I hadn’t done research on prior to arrival. Usually, I search out great attractions, coffee shops, museums, etc. prior to getting somewhere so I have a sense of what I can fall back on if I’m having no luck finding things to do.
However, I decided to wing it that morning and I ended up at a fantastic little coffee shop called Fidel & Co. just east of downtown. Best cup of coffee in Arkansas, bar none!
Still tremendously jet-lagged despite seven hours of sleep, the pour over I ordered was like drinking a delicious cup of mana from heaven! I sat gladly, enjoying my cup of coffee, and bathing in the warmth of the sun as it melted away not only the snow that had fallen just a few days prior, but my travel day exhaustion as well.
Second stop: …Korea??
After my coffee, I began making my way to Little Rock’s River Market District as it appeared to be quite a happening place on my way to Fidel & Co. As I parked the car and rounded the corner, a piece of Korea jumped right out at me!
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing: right there in the middle of Little Rock was a one pillar gate! What was even more impressive was that I actually knew what the hell it was lol. It clearly pays to be well-traveled I guess 🙂
If you don’t recall what a One Pillar Gate is, refer back to my Donghwasa Temple post to read about what these are and what they stand for.
Needless to say, I had to explore the area and see what this was all about: I mean it’s not every day you get to explore a Buddhist Temple structure in the middle of Little Rock Arkansas! Turns out, I had stumbled upon the H.U. Lee International Gate and Garden, a beautiful South Korean gate and garden built in honor of American Taekwondo.
Not only that, but there were even a couple Dol Hareubangs on the inside! And I actually knew what those were without having to read the description also lol! I’d like to take a moment here and just say that my endless need to travel has officially paid off. Thank you, thank you very much.
If you don’t recall what Dol Hareubangs are, refer back to my Jeju Post post to read about what these are and what they stand for.
Third stop: River Market District
Ahh, there’s just something about a small downtown stroll that you just can’t find in Korea (trust me, I’ve looked). The exposed brick façades, the welcoming business store fronts, the industrial remnants from old theaters, ice cream parlors, mask-less people; Little Rock’s River Market District had it all!
As I left the Dol Hareubangs, I began making my way towards the the river’s edge. There, I could peer across the Arkansas River towards the north side of Little Rock, seemingly held together by the Junction Bridge in the distance.
After a few picturesque photos, I continued down the Main Street, enjoying the beautiful weather while admiring the intricacies of the industrial architecture. Side note: I have a bachelor’s in Architecture so this, too, makes me nerd out lol.
While this small district had all the makings of a nice “hometown” feel, the more I wandered, the more I started to feel like the foreigner.
It’s hard to explain but, I couldn’t shake this lingering reminder going off in my head that I wasn’t actually living in a country like this anymore but, rather, just visiting. I guess that’s the price you pay when you pack up and move halfway around the world…
Ominous feeling still lingering, I decided to get back in the car and jet across town to another interesting spot on the map, known as a school by some but, a National Historic Site by all.
Fourth stop: Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
Remember when you were in middle school and you learned about segregation? What image pops into your head?
For me, it’s the famous photo of some army guy holding back crowds of angry white folks as young African Americans were finally allowed into schools. You might remember them being called the Little Rock Nine.
Well, that famous (and pivotal) moment in US history took place right here in Little Rock, Arkansas! Just a 10-minute drive from downtown and you can stand at the steps of recent American History.
While the visitor’s center was closed for the day (it being Sunday and all), I think most folks would’ve been disappointed to be unable to tour the school. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that it was closed because I had the entire grounds to myself!
Sure, I didn’t get to actually tour the hallowed grounds of the iconic High School but, I didn’t have a single other person within eyesight as I wandered the school’s yard.
I don’t think history books were written for us to weep and mourn over–I think they’re just documented lessons that someone wanted to pass along to help a future generation make the best decisions given what the previous generation had experienced.
I’d like to say that I had some divine realization about the current state of the US and how far we’ve come as a society like most bloggers would write about but, I didn’t. I also didn’t pause at the steps of the school and ponder what it meant to be privileged.
I simply reflected on my own life; where I’ve come from and where I’m going. I thought about all that I’ve been through, and then I compared it to what I can only imagine what the Little Rock Nine went through. And then I left. Humbled, grateful, appreciative, thankful, and most importantly, blessed.
Fifth (and final) stop: The Old Mill
Raise your hand if you’ve seen “Gone With the Wind”. Congratulations, you’ve just dated yourself lol.
However, if you’re like me and were raised listening to Will Smith’s famous line “Welcome to Earth” from Independence Day (i.e. you aren’t 100 years old), then you have no idea what “Gone With the Wind” was about or where it was even made.
Well, spoiler alert, The Old Mill in Little Rock, Arkansas is where the opening scene for that movie was made. Aaaand that’s about all I know about that movie…moving on lol.
Formally known as the T.R. Pugh Memorial Park and Pugh’s Mill, this awesome little structure was created to give a glimpse into historic times and provide a gorgeous photographic backdrop for visitors. Of all the places I saw in Little Rock, this was by far my favorite!
After I had left the High School, the sun had just begun to set behind me. I parked adjacent to the street, grabbed my camera, and made my way towards the sound of water.
As I crossed the threshold into the Mill’s grounds, I was instantly awestruck by the sheer beauty of the space. The gently turning waterwheel, the old wagon road encircling the structure, the picturesque footbridge made to look rustic by supporting it with black locust tree limbs; it was incredible!
While I was still in a humbled and blessed mood from the High School just a few minutes prior, I was now taken to a place of peace and serenity. Like the High School, I didn’t share the grounds with a single soul as I made my way down from the park entrance to the small, wooden bridge.
There, I paused at the crest of the bridge, and gazed out towards the small, house-lined lake to the east. I watched the large muscovy ducks paddle around the water without a care in the world and just like that, we had something in common. The ‘no care in the world thing’, not the paddling around the water thing lol.
The experience was truly incredible, and I couldn’t have been more thankful that I was there in that moment to take it all in. As the sun finally set, and the earth released it’s final breath by gently sending a breeze across the lake and onto my chilly body, I snapped one final photo, gave thanks, and departed.
Great article!
You sure make the most of every moment! ☺️