“I have found out that there 
ain’t no surer way to find out 
whether you like people or hate 
them than to travel with them.”
Mark Twain

As the clock wound down on 2025, we knew it was now or never — a 50th Anniversary trip to Nassau, in The Bahamas. Dan Pasini and I taught at Saint Augustine’s College in the 1974-75 academic year. It was a transformative experience for both of us. While I’d returned to Nassau on several occasions through the years, Dan had never made it back… until November 18, 2025. The return was epic.

Much has changed in Nassau in the past fifty years, and much has remained the same. Significant improvements have been made in the tourist areas, as tourism is the #1 industry in The Bahamas. In other parts of Nassau, where the locals live, much-needed improvements remain to be addressed. Many of the roadways are ridden with potholes and craters, which cannot be good for the cars driven by local Bahamians. Street signs, even at major intersections, often don’t exist, making it difficult for those unfamiliar with the local neighborhoods to navigate their way around. Water pressure in Bahamian homes is minimal, and during the hottest times of the year, electricity can be unreliable, often leaving locals without air conditioning in their homes and workplaces. 

Despite all this, Bahamians are generally a happy lot. One might expect hospitality and friendly smiles in the tourist areas. After all, the economy of the country depends on keeping visitors happy. But even in other parts of the island, people are hospitable, friendly, and courteous, even on congested roadways. We heard a lot of horn-honking during our recent visit, but those were mostly indications of gratitude for motorists who slowed down or stopped to let others enter the roadway or change lanes.

Dan and I had the opportunity to visit the campus of Saint Augustine’s College where the principal is one of Dan’s former students. We got together one evening with about twenty of our former students at a local restaurant. I must admit that I didn’t recognize several of them, but when I heard their names, images of them fifty years ago came to mind. We had so many life stories to share throughout the evening.

Walking around downtown Nassau was quite nostalgic. Many of the business that were there fifty years ago are gone, replaced with new shops catering mostly to tourists. One shop I don’t recall from fifty years ago, but is still thriving today, is the Sue-Nan Shoppe, which offers a wide variety of Bahamian souvenirs, shirts, towels, hats, postcards, and other assorted items. We walked through the straw market where Dan purchased a handmade set of Dominos from the craftsman, who seemed quite appreciative that Dan made no effort to bargain with him for a better price. We met the man’s two school-age daughters and Dan knew that paying above the asking price was the right thing to do. That’s just how Dan is.

Many of our old haunts are gone — the Bridge Inn, the Nassau Beach Hotel, Quality Market, the Pilot House Hotel (where we’d pick up a copy of the New York Times on Sundays), Dipper Dan’s Ice Cream in the Palmdale neighborhood, and the Poinciana Inn, a local bar near Saint Augustine’s College that we never visited, which sported the sign “Take Courage at the Poinciana Inn” on the outside. Courage was a popular ale available on the island at that time.  

We did, however, treat ourselves to lunch at The Poop Deck, a popular restaurant owned by a SAC family, which overlooks Nassau Harbor. And on several occasions, we indulged in some of the local Bahamian menu items: conch fritters, cracked conch, Bahamian Mac & Cheese, and peas & rice. Those meals brought back wonderful memories from our shared past.

We had such a good time in Nassau this year that Dan mentioned that we should make this an annual event. Twist my arm!!!

I am grateful to Dan for the experience we shared in Nassau fifty years ago, for the 50-year anniversary visit this year, and for the friendship we have maintained and nourished since 1970. I am blessed to have such a treasured friend.