Travelogue: Pensacola State College

Rob Schiffmann

[Once a month we have a company member report to us about life on the road. This month, it's Rob Schiffmann sharing what went on outside of the show at Pensacola State College.]

Pensacola, FL is like any beautiful town in northwestern Florida. What is there to do there other than visit beautiful beaches and eat super yummy food? I’ll tell you what: not much!

I was fortunate enough to arrive a day before the rest of my improv compatriots. After checking in to my hotel, the lovely and luxurious Hyatt Place Pensacola Airport, I checked in to my room, where I went straight to sleep (after a ridiculous amount of time wasted on Netflix). I did this so I could get up early and enjoy the fruits of pleasure that Pensacola had to offer.

And enjoy I did. I ate an excellent breakfast at Another Broken Egg Café, where I enjoyed a scramble of eggs, bacon and my soul. Then, after a silly search for a beach towel resulting in the purchase of an ugly and fluffy bed throw, I ended up at Fort Pickins Beach, where I saw many people who wore very little and seemed quite proud of the fact that they could get away with that. I watched the people frolic and play and eventually I dipped my toes in the water, which was surprisingly warm given the time of year. Further dipping was not done, however, as I had left my bathing suit back in the car and I’m not that kind of guy.

All of this was so overwhelming for me that I truly needed to take solace in something deep and meaningful so I could remember my place in the world. That explains my afternoon double feature of the filmsGirl Trip and Mother.

After the viewing, I took a nice drive around the island and headed back to the hotel to reflect upon my day and remember all the life-altering beauty I had seen. Between the lovely grains of white sand and the almost oppressive joy on the faces of the locals, I was betwixt and between and simply overjoyed to be a part of the madness of Pensacola.

Eventually, my improv pals DID show up and I was glad to see them. We ate at a shack near the ocean and did a memorable show, filled with laughter and joy and the memory of time well spent in Pensacola. I do hope to go back someday, although this time I will NOT have the egg scramble, I will have the lobster grits, a special they were offering on the day I was in attendance. Something fishy, something gritty and something fun. This accurately sums up my time in The Pen.