Despite an unusually mild winter in Chicago, I was happy to escape to Florida for a week. Spring Training, great food, pickleball and sunshine still beat Chicago in February, even if it is relatively warm. Staying with my sister and brother-in-law in Bonita Springs was an added bonus.

My trip started at JetBlue Park, the Spring Training facility of the Boston Red Sox. After trailing most of the game, the Red Sox scored two in the bottom of the ninth for a thrilling 7–6 comeback win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

Opened in 2012, JetBlue Park has the same dimensions as Fenway Park and some of the same features. Other similarities include the manual scoreboard, the Pesky Pole and a red seat marking the longest home run hit in the park. This left field Green Monster wall has seating within the wall, unlike the Boston version.

We celebrated the win at Cantina 109. My shrimp and pineapples taco with a side of fried plantains was incredible!

The next day we took a sightseeing cruise around Naples Bay, including a quick turn in the Gulf of Mexico. The staffers provided interesting information about the area, homes and boats, some owned by famous folks, including the Portillo family of Chicago restaurant fame.

On the way home, we dined at Grouper & Chips, which came highly recommended by Scott. The grouper sandwich lived up to the hype.

One night we laughed through two hilarious acts at Off the Hook Comedy Club in Naples. Opener Nathan Wallace started the fun, and Mike Vecchione kept the laughs going. The chicken alfredo flatbread was awesome, too.

Thursday was pickleball day, followed by my last night’s dinner at Doc’s Beach House in Bonita Springs. Renovated after the hurricane, it served fantastic pizza and was mere steps away from the Gulf.

I had one more pleasant surprise on the trip. Despite nearly full planes, I had a whole row to myself both ways.

— John Wroblewski, online writer