Senior IT Support Specialist John Goodlunis celebrated his five-year Arthrex anniversary with a tour of California – and several family reunions.
John and his wife, Deb, flew from Fort Myers to San Francisco, where they met up with their daughter, Deanne.
“Deanne had never been to California before, so she flew from Manhattan to join us for my Trip of a Lifetime,” John said.
While in San Francisco, Deb’s cousin, Paulette, and her daughter drove down from Fort Bragg, California, to spend a day with John and his family.
“Deb hadn’t seen her cousin since the early 70s,” John said, “so that was a nice reunion.”
Together, they hit some of the city’s highlights, including Twin Peaks, two prominent hills near the geographic center of San Francisco, and Lombard Street, known as the “crookedest street in the world” because of the eight hair-pin turns contained within one city block.
The following day, John’s cousin, Frannie, and her daughter joined John, Deb and Deanne for a van tour that took them across the Golden Gate bridge, through Sausalito and continued on to wine country.
“I hadn’t seen Frannie since the 80s,” said John.
While in San Francisco, John and his wife and daughter also visited Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in North America, and Alcatraz Island, once home to the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Embracing America’s pastime, they then made their way to Oracle Park, where they saw the San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets.
“The highlight of our trip, though, was probably Yosemite National Park – with its granite mountains, sequoia trees, seasonal waterfalls and the bear we saw looking for a snack.”
From Yosemite, they set off toward San Diego. With Deanne doing the driving, John and Deb were able to enjoy the spectacular views along the Pacific Coast Highway and take in the sights of cities and towns made famous by television and movies. On their way south, they also made a pit stop at the Hearst Castle.
“It’s not a bad joint,” John said of the 42-bedroom, 61-bathroom home built for William Randolph Hearst, founder of one of the nation’s largest media companies.
Once in San Diego, they took a harbor cruise and then met up with another cousin John hadn’t seen since the 80s to catch a San Diego Padres/Philadelphia Phillies game.
“Another highlight,” John said, “was seeing my family laughing and smiling as we rode the 1895 Looff Carousel.”
John thanked Arthrex for providing what he described as “the impetus for what was truly a Trip of a Lifetime.”
For every five years of employment with Arthrex, employees are eligible for a company-paid Trip of a Lifetime to recognize their dedication. Look for more Trip of a Lifetime highlights on the Arthrex Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.