ACBDD Special Edition: Chester’s big adventure(s)

By Jack Kiamie

This past summer, Chester Lane set out on an adventure of a lifetime that took him from the streets of New York City to the beaches of Bermuda.

Although he was born and raised in California, the only place he had ever been east of Ohio before that trip was New Jersey. His desire to see the Statue of Liberty and the bright blue ocean waters pushed him to obtain his passport, board a plane and travel 560 miles away.

With help from his ACBDD service and support administrator, Clayton Ray, Lane gathered the necessary documents to get his passport in preparation for his trip.

“It was,” Lane said, “very hard and difficult to get the information.”

He then packed his clothes, woke up early, and hopped on a plane to travel first to New York City and then to Bermuda with his friend and her family.

After arriving in New York City, Lane made a street vendor his first stop, and the food soon became the best part of his visit.

“They have pretty good linguine and clams in one restaurant,” he said, “and the Chinese restaurant had everything imaginable… and they (kept) feeding us.”

Visiting the Statue of Liberty, the museums and the M&M Store were things he enjoyed, too. His least favorite thing was how crowded it was in the city.

Lane said one thing he learned from his time in New York City was how hot it gets in the summer.

“I can’t believe they didn’t say how hot it (would) be,” he added.

The next step on his adventure was Bermuda. He and his fellow travelers caught a cab to the New Jersey ports to board the cruise ship. His favorite experience while on the ship was the live production of “Saturday Night Fever.”

Once in Bermuda, he enjoyed the beach, shopping, sightseeing and spotting sea turtles. He also tried new foods such as carrot cake and lobster tail.

But what impressed Lane the most was the stunning scenery. The ocean, he said, was “different shades of blue… dark blue and light blue… It’s not in one color; it’s in two different colors.” His least favorite thing — the hot sand that burned his feet.

He was disappointed when the trip ended and is already thinking about the next one — either to travel to France to visit the grave of musician Jim Morrison or to Australia to learn to throw a boomerang, visit the beautiful Sydney Opera House and enjoy the food. 

Lane experienced a long list of firsts on his adventure. Although he started out uneasy, that feeling quickly turned into excitement as his trip unfolded.

“I felt a little nervous at first,” he said, “and then it was just beautiful.”

Edited by doctoral student Matt Fitzgerald