No Flights No Turkey?!

So the flights might not fly.

Thanksgiving plans are wobbling. And you’re sitting there watching group chats go from “See you soon!” to “Yeah… maybe not.”

Before everyone sinks into couches and disappointment, there’s another play:

The Inner-City Rendezvous.

No airport. No luggage. No drama.
Just the crew + a few cars + a plan.

Here’s how to run it:

1) Set a Convoy Point

Pick one spot everyone can reach in under 45 minutes.

A grocery store parking lot works. A coffee shop lot works.

What matters is starting together.

2) Choose a Theme You Can Eat Three Times

Make the day ridiculous on purpose.
Examples:

• Taco Trifecta: breakfast taco → lunch street cart → late-night taqueria

• Diner Crawl: three diners, three coffees, one shared pie

• Only Places With Neon Signs

Food becomes the route. The route becomes the day.

3) Build a Simple Scavenger List

Nothing complicated. Just reasons to stop and laugh.

• A mural everyone poses in front of

• A scenic overlook nobody’s been to

• A thrift shop “find the weirdest item” challenge

• A gas station hot chocolate review (seriously: elite entertainment)

4) End with a Fire, a Patio, or a Parking Lot Sunset

It’s not about where.

It’s about recovering something that almost slipped away:
being together.

5) Create a Shared “Convoy Playlist” — But Let It Evolve

Start with one song per person.

Every time someone yells “skip!” the DJ adds a new song instead of skipping.

By the end of the night you have a memory-log of the day.

6) The Scenic Pull-Off Rule

Anytime someone in any car says, “Snap, look at that,”
you pull over — no debate.

Bridges, water views, abandoned train tracks, skyline overlook, wherever.

This is how days become stories.

7) The Gas Station Gift Exchange

Every stop = each person buys someone else a $3 gift.

Stupid. Cheap. Unreasonably heartfelt.

Someone’s going home with a keychain possum wearing sunglasses and it will mean everything.

8) Borrow a Dog

You know someone who would happily loan their golden retriever for the day.

Dogs turn a drive into a pilgrimage of joy.

Everyone pets the dog at every stop. Mandatory.

9) Finish With The “What Actually Mattered Today” Round

Everyone picks one tiny moment — not the big one.

Something like:

“when we all yelled when the light hit the river”

or

“the guy at the diner who called us ‘kids’ and we liked it.”

Pick up the phone. Call your old friends. Make it happen.