Live

HOME | FOOD | TRAVEL

d Nana
Amy an
he RV.
beside t

E D I T E D B Y AMY ELISA KEITH

M OT H E R S DAY T R AV E L

com

ediaM

int

Pa
ray
d Sp
s an
Drip

01 -

- V.0

008

Set.1

- ww

ilitia.

w.M

e
Joy, th
a
d
birth y
t;
celebran , Nama,
my
A
Below,
d Mom
n
a
a
Naim

4 Women,
3 Generations,
1 Airstream

IT WAS AN ADVENTURE THEYLL NEVER FORGET! WRITER

AMY ELISA KEITH TAKES HER GRANDMOTHER, MOTHER AND
SISTER ON A GIRLS GETAWAY TO LAS VEGAS.

MAP: SHUT TERSTOCK

fter years of beachside

brunches, lovely floral arrangements and mimosa
toasts, what do you do for
a unique and memorable Mothers Day?
How about ditching the norm (well,
keep the mimosas) and setting out on a
road trip?! I got the idea from a friend
who talked about wanting to do a crosscountry drive in an Airstream. As I began planning, I thought back to all the

Illustration by ELI NEUGEB OREN

road trips my family took in the 80s to

Palm Springs for tennis tournaments, to
Camarillo for outlet shopping and up to
Yosemite National Park, where I swore I
saw a bear.
But this time, as grown women, we
could enjoy the trip in a new way. My
nana, Geneva, 83, has become much
more sassy and confident in her old age.
Joy, my mom, has never been short on
sass, plus shes eyeing a retirement from

medicine. Naima, my sister, 32, lives in

Harlem, and her busy life as an art curator leaves little time for sisterly phone
calls. And at 30, Im navigating the craziness of home ownership and trying to
get my mom to stop derailing my savings
plan with ploys of hitting Saks.
My plan? A weekend to celebrate my
mom turning the big 6-0. Of course,
the trip was even better considering our
wheels: a rented plush, Beyonc-worthy
Airstream Interstate RV. It spoiled us
with a minibathroom, a full bed, plenty of
seating, stemware for some on-the-road
bubbly and Pandora radio, which was essential for our Al Green sing-alongs.
And so it began: a four-and-one-halfhour, 275-mile journey from Los Angeles
to Las Vegas.
M AY 2 0 1 3

/ V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M

69

LIVE

Travel

Game Time
And Were Off
Despite some complaining from resident sleepyhead
Naima, ..we got on the road at 4:30 a.m. Trying to beat
traffic out of the city
city., we piled in and gave ourselves
45 minutes to get to West Covina, where we agreed we
could reward ourselves with venti caffe, no whip, extrahot lattes with an extra shot of espresso for good measure. Although driving a huge RV seemed overwhelming
at first, it was a surprisingly smooth ride, and the rearview camera made lane changes much easier.
Pulling the 23-foot-long RV into a Starbucks parking
lot was quite a feat, especially in front of the looky-loos
wondering what these Black women were doing trying to
enter the drive-through. Fearing an accident and certain
vacation buzzkill, Mom and Naima jumped out for the
caffeine. Then after a trickyand probably illegalUturn, we were back on the 10 Freeway: full tank of diesel,
me at the wheel, Nana asleep in the back and New Edition bumping on Pandora just in time for sunrise.

Clocking Miles
The ladies took turns keeping me company as I drove.
During the first shift, Mom inquired about my boyfriend.
Then she said, You know, when I was your age, I was
pregnant with you and married to your father. A few
years later they divorced, and there she was, a single
mother with a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old. It wasnt the
plan, but we had some good times, didnt we? Family
doubles matches, mother-daughters fashion shows and
Michael Jacksons Bad tour. A new adventure, I said.
Yep, just like the old days, she responded.

hing fits,
Old photos prompted laug
a, 6,
Naim
of
t
sho
the
lly
especia
our
and
t);
and and me, 4 (lef
).
elow
..(b
day
the
in
parents back

70

V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / M A Y 2 0 1 3

ww

ia.co

Milit

edia

w.M

Mom, what is up that demure look on your face? Be

real; youre trying too hard, I said, laughing at a 1978
picture of my parents attempt to look sophisticated.
Shoot, my little fro was cute. And I was demure back
then sorta, she said with a smirk. And yall wouldnt
have all those curls if I hadnt married your father.
She loves to remind us that she gave us height, and
he gave us our curly hair. .Your daddy was a mack.
straight face while flipping through photo albums. Oh,
Lord Jesus, I said as we pulled into the gas station.
You just look so shy, Naima added. But like her mother, Mom thought being reserved was how a wife should
be. Thirty years later, Mama Joy wouldnt know shy if
it stared her in the face. Oh, dont get it twisted, girls;
I was fly! A late bloomer, but Dr. Simmons was still fly
when I met your father. He knew! On that note, we
hopped out of the RV just as Single Ladies came on,
prompting a spontaneous photo shoot. Mom, of course,
insisted she was Beyonc. I got stuck as Michelle, only
because Naima is brown-skinned like Kelly. The truckers in Barstow surely thought we were quite the sight
dancing around the diesel pump.

D I A RY: S H U T T E R S TO C K

d
s an
Drip

- Se

Picture Perfect

|back in the day. He may be square now, but he thought.

he was Super Fly,. said my mom, barely able to keep a

8-

t.100

01

t - V.0

in
y Pa
Spra

Who knew Nana was a pinochle champ back in the day?

Naima and I would have never guessed when we pulled
out the cards and Connect Four. Well, I dont tell you
girls everything, smirked Nana. Born Geneva Carter in
Detroit, Nana married the first man she ever dated. She
met Wayne State University classmate Frank Simmons,
a smooth-talking jock, and they soon got hitched. You
know, I think he went out with me because I could help
him with his homework, Nana said candidly. Aww, but
you two were so in love, cmon now, said Mom, a true
daddys girl. Well, the best thing was that he got us out
of Detroit, Nana said, imitating a cold shiver. The first
in their families to leave Michigan, Nana and Grandfather moved to L.A. when he got a job at the Veterans
Hospital. I managed the money and made sure the bills
were paid. We just divided up the responsibilities, said
Nana of their 33-year marriage. I dont know if that
worked, but thats all I knew. Nowadays, you girls are dating longer, and I guess, learning more about men. Naima chuckled, realizing that Nana was trying to get her
to divulge details about her own relationship. But just
before Naima could comment, Nana piped up, .Now .
.all men my age want is a nurse with a purse.. Nearly
choking on her oatmeal, Mom busted out laughing and
rolled her hazel eyes. Never a dull moment.

LIVE

Travel

Vegas, Baby

Birthday Girl
Before heading to dinner at STK, a little photo shoot was
in order. Smoky eyes? Check. Too-tight dress? Check.
Moms best friends for more than 30 years? Yay! In walk
two more surprises: Lynn and Grace, my moms BFFs
who came to Vegas to celebrate. Taking along two bottles of Veuve, we head out. (Hey, corkage fees are much
cheaper than any restaurants wine list!) Ladies, Im so
glad youre all here, Mom said, beaming and holding up
her flute. Weve been through it all: marriages, a lot of
divorces, babies, jobs. Weve done it all. Thank you for being there for me and being the amazing women you are.
Cheers! After two bottles, three courses and a round of
Patrn Anejo shots, were off to Marquee nightclub (sans
Nana). ..Three 60-year-olds, one 50-something and two.
30-somethingsthe bouncers couldnt help but smile..
smile.

Lady Luck
Never hit the tables without a plan, Nicole advised,
sounding like she knew from not-so-lucky past experiences. Thats why I stick to penny slots, Grace chimed in.
Feet sore but egos pumped up after some football players
tried to holler at our multigenerational clique, we headed
off to gamble. But after a few rounds on the Sex and the
City-themed slots, the birthday girl was ready for bed. Get
some sleep, ladies. More fun tomorrow, said Naima, ever
the tour guide and trip planner. To which Grace replied,
There better be! I left [my husband] Michael at home!

72

V I S I T E B O N Y. C O M / M A Y 2 0 1 3

e,
d to the birthday surpris
From cards on the roa
must.
snapping pictures was a

Brunch, Booty & Baby Talk

An all-you-can-eat brunch is a Vegas must. Caesars Palace had the new hot spot to try. After rounds of Bloody
Marys, mimosas and too many crab legs to count, we
were by far the loudest group in the restaurant. In between the cackles and requisite Giiiirl quips, nearby
tables could hear bursts of, Can you believe we were
dropping it on the dance floor? Followed by, You still
got it! Mmmhmm. Admittedly, Mom and her friends
have come full circle .living
living life as if theyre in their
their.
.20s,
20s, except now with more money
money. and even more
gumption. Let me just see the day when my girls have
little girls of their own, Lord Jesus, Mom said, gesturing with a piece of bacon. Grace shot off, Well Ive got,
like, 10 grandkids, so you can have some of mine.

No Place Like Home

.I never want to see another glass of champagne,.

Mom said, clutching her Starbucks. You know you had

fun, Mom, Naima reassured. Getting back on the road
to drive home, Mom started to recall all the over-thetop birthdays shed had: On her 55th, we rented out a
club and packed it with 200 friends and family. Her 50th
included a house party with custom-made cookies that
looked like Manolos. Whew! Youve done it all, Joy,
Nana said while shaking her head. Birthdays have always
been a big deal to us. As kids, every month our whole
family would get together at my grandfathers house to
celebrate the folks who had birthdays that month. Ill
be 84 this year, girls, Nana said. That just means weve
got to do something extra special, I said, shooting Naima a wink to let her know we needed to start planning
and scheming. Oh, no! No trip or big to-do; just you
girlsthe four of us. Thatll be just fine, Nana replied.

CHIPS: CORBIS

After being unable to find the Welcome to Las Vegas

sign for a photo op, we pulled into the Cosmopolitan
Hotels valet service. .First, up to our fabulous suite to.
.chill five bottles of Veuve.. Hey, like Nana says: Its
better to have and not need than to need and not have.
Next, lunch with cousin Nicole, who surprised Mom by
flying in from Detroitof course, all a part of my master plan. Cheers to being sexy at 60, Nicole toasted.
Yay! Mom shouted before insisting we stop for some
shopping at Donna Karan, her fave. After two marathons and all this working out, why do I still need these
darn Spanx? she asked while trying on a gown. Nicole
chimes in, Girl, who are you telling? Weve got those
Simmons hips. Finally, I know what theyre talking
about. After years of being naturally skinny, I now own
three different kinds of shapewear to combat jiggle.
Diet starts next week, I said as we walked through
Louis Vuitton. Right, Naima co-signed.