Tag Archives: travel

the magic kingdom

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ARGH. Work life has been UNBELIEVABLY busy. With the exception of a quick weekend trip to Las Vegas recently, in the past 2-3 weeks, I’ve spent at least 90% of all waking hours working. I wish I was joking.

Revisiting my Florida vacation takes my mind to happier places so onward with my Walt Disney World trip report…

The last of the theme parks we visited was the Magic Kingdom. We spent 2 days touring the park, 11/29 and 12/6, and 1 night attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on 11/30.

If you’ve been to Disneyland, then the Magic Kingdom will be familiar to you. It’s just that nothing is in the “right” place (I kept wanting to go in specific directions because “that’s where it is at Disneyland”) and everything is bigger (just look at how HUGE Cinderella’s Castle is compared to Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland). It’s like the most bizarre feeling of “déjà vu.”



SQUEE. The main entrance.



On our first Magic Kingdom day, I made reservations for breakfast so we could get into the park earlier than the general public. I wanted to get photos of the park without the crowds! This was before they installed the enormous Christmas tree in Town Square. So empty!



For the record, here’s the Christmas tree a few days later.



Back to the empty park. And the first glimpse of Cinderella’s Castle!



Getting closer to the castle. I love it!



GORGEOUS. I absolutely loved the gardens surrounding the castle.

For the most part, all the rides and attractions are similar to those at Disneyland with just a few exceptions —

Space Mountain never had more than a 5-10 minute wait. UNHEARD OF AT DISNEYLAND.

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is normally a favorite but OMG, it was such a disappointment at WDW. The guns are attached to the ride vehicle and you can’t move them around. GAH.



There’s no Indiana Jones ride but there is the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover!



Fantasyland is one of the areas that looks completely different. I didn’t care for the exterior facades. I mean, It’s A Small World is indoors (on the right side of the picture above)! It kinda loses its grandeur.



And there’s a Liberty Square (so patriotic) instead of New Orleans Square.

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2 days at EPCOT

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Hi Everyone! THANK YOU all so much for your thoughtful comments, cards, texts and calls. It’s been a really emotionally draining week and a half and I’m so grateful for all the support. YOU ALL ROCK SO HARD.

I’m more than ready to get back to normal, though, and I’m going to continue on with my Walt Disney World trip reports. I have about 3 or 4 more entries planned. Bear with me. 🙂

Today I’m revisiting the 2 days we spent at EPCOT on Mon, 11/28 and Sat, 12/3.



You know you’ve arrived at EPCOT when you see the park’s icon, Spaceship Earth.

The first area of the park that you come across is Future World. I have to admit that a lot of the rides & attractions in Future World are either boring or SUPER outdated. But we gave (almost) everything a chance and found a few that were particularly memorable…



Like Test Track. My favorite EPCOT ride. It’s a vehicle simulation ride that ends in a high-speed drive around the exterior track. SO AWESOME.



Living with the Land is a boat ride through the Land pavilion’s greenhouse where you can see the various crops grown on site. Look at that 9 pound lemon! I have really distinct memories of going on this ride when I was 10 with my parents so I love this ride for the nostalgia factor.

Over at the Innoventions pavilion, we went to Club Cool to sample Coca-Cola products from around the world. Free of charge!



Krest Ginger Ale from Mozambique (much stronger ginger taste than I’ve found here in the US) and Lift Apple from Mexico were the stand-outs to me. Stay away from the Beverly (Italy). Trust me. It is TERRIBLE.

Innoventions also features various interactive exhibits and rides, one of which is a video game playground where we created a game starring… ourselves.



Here we are on screen. LOL. We had to perform a series of actions (running, jumping, dancing) that were then inserted into the game. HILARITY. We got such a kick out of this.



Spaceship Earth (aka the ride inside the giant golf ball) was a pleasant surprise. The ride itself is ok at best (it takes you back in time to track advancements in human communication) but the end is pretty entertaining. The ride is equipped with interactive touch screens where you answer various questions and somewhere along the way your image is captured. Then your future is revealed to you in a series of images. Ours were HIGHLY AMUSING. Well, technically, it was Rob’s future because my picture didn’t get taken for some reason. It ended up being MUCH better this way.



OH MAN. This was THE BEST. We could NOT stop laughing.

After we had our fill of Future World, we made our way to the World Showcase, which is my favorite part of EPCOT. I LOVE to travel so this part of the park is right up my alley. Plus, there’s such a wealth of dining options. There’s only 2 rides in the World Showcase (in Mexico and Norway) so we did lots of exploring. Just taking in the sights, checking out the food & drink offerings, and browsing in the shops (that actually sell non-Disney merchandise!). Some of my favorite pics…



The Canada pavilion is so beautiful.

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a day at the animal kingdom

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In today’s installment of my Florida trip report, we’ll be visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Our park of choice for Fri, 12/2.

I LOVED Animal Kingdom.

There will be a ridiculous amount of photos in this entry.

Like Hollywood Studios, this park doesn’t have a huge number of rides or attractions but there is such an INCREDIBLE level of theming and detail that it more than makes up for that deficit.

I pretty much walked around in a constant state of awe. Like with my jaw to the floor. It’s AH-MAY-ZING.



We made a beeline to Asia to hit Expedition Everest first thing in the morning.



I had a feeling I would LOVE this ride…



And I did! It’s a roller coaster but it doesn’t throw you around like some older coasters do. It’s a very smooth ride. The ride vehicles even go forward AND backward! So exhilarating. It catapulted to my Top 3 rides EVER (for the record – Space Mountain at Disneyland, Forbidden Journey at Wizarding World of Harry Potter and now Expedition Everest).



GAWD. THIS PARK. It’s just gorgeous.

We made our way to Dinoland to ride DINOSAUR.



Hated it. It uses the same ride vehicle and track layout as Indiana Jones at Disneyland but it is NOT nearly as fun or exciting. Not to mention that the “storyline” is also pretty lame. Oh well.

Each of the Disney parks has its own “icon” — and at Animal Kingdom, it’s the Tree of Life.



Again, so much detail. Look at the animal carvings on the bark!



We even found Simba as we were admiring the tree. 😉



Over in Africa, we experienced the Kilimanjaro Safaris where we toured the savanna to see various African animals.

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off to hollywood

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Happy New Year Everyone!

I’m good at making New Year’s resolutions buuuut not so good at keeping them so I’m not going to bother this year. Instead, my “theme” for 2012 will be to use what I have and try to rein in any extraneous purchases (unless I have a gift card :)). The goal is to save more money that we can use on the house, to travel or to keep for a “rainy day.”

So that’s the plan for 2012.

Now let’s go back to 2011 again to continue on with my Florida trip report — this time I’ll get started with our time (10 nights!) at Walt Disney World. Specifically Disney’s Hollywood Studios which we visited on Mon, 12/5.

Again, this will be a pic heavy entry. I think all of my planned WDW entries are going to be.

I’m starting with DHS because it’s my least favorite of the 4 main Disney theme parks. While it’s nicely themed (come on, it’s Disney), it doesn’t have the same charm and depth that the other 3 do. At least to me. The park is supposed to evoke Hollywood in the 1930s/1940s and while it may look the part, it also feels a little thrown together. Like all the pieces make sense individually but not so much together. I DON’T KNOW. AM I EVEN MAKING SENSE?! There’s also significantly less rides and attractions in this park so it feels lacking in that way too. But we still managed to have a great time. 🙂

The main entrance…



Instead of Main Street, we walked down Hollywood Boulevard and saw the park’s icon…



Mickey’s Sorceror Hat! YAY.

We arrived right before the official park opening in order to join the HORDES of people heading to Toy Story Mania in Pixar Place. This was INSANE. I think 99% of people in the park were headed there too. I wish I had a picture of the crowd because it was RIDICULOUS. But once it hit 9am, the Disney cast members led the entire mass of humanity over to the ride in a (fairly) orderly line. I knew that Rob & I wanted to get on the ride at least twice that day but I wavered over riding first and then getting a Fastpass or vice versa. If you get there at park opening, my recommendation is to RIDE FIRST. The Fastpass line gets long immediately because people are cramming multiple tickets into the machine. The standby line is still walk-on at this point.



We were in such a rush to get on the ride that I didn’t even get a chance to really admire Pixar Place until later in the day. It’s amazing how much it resembles Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, CA (I used to live right by it!).

Next we headed to Sunset Boulevard and…



Tower of Terror!

Of all the rides that are duplicated in Disneyland & Walt Disney World, I FAR preferred Tower of Terror at WDW (all the other rides are the same or are better at Disneyland, in my opinion). Tower of Terror had an amazing “pre-show” before the drop sequence where the doors open and the entire ride vehicle moves forward into the hallway. SO COOL. I’m pretty sure there are more drops too. LOVED IT.

Other rides/attractions we checked off our list that morning…



Star Tours (after which Rob found this Boba Fett hat to try on, hehe)…



The Great Movie Ride (this was kinda lame, I’ll be honest)…

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visiting hogwarts

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Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend! We had a whirlwind few days of eating, visiting family and friends, eating, opening presents… did I mention eating?!? Thought I’d share a little family pic we took before heading over to my cousin’s on Christmas Eve…



Now to FINALLY get started on my Florida trip report! YAY.

I’m going to start with our visit to Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure. Where we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter on Thurs, 12/1. !!!

WARNING: PIC HEAVY ENTRY! (Feel free to click each pic for bigger).

Walking up to the entrance…



I PRETTY MUCH STOPPED IN MY TRACKS.



The Hogwarts Express! SQUEE!



Then Hogsmeade. It’s so detailed! STUNNING.

And finally…



HOGWARTS. As we were walking up to the castle, I suddenly felt so overwhelmed. Everything looked absolutely perfect and I couldn’t believe we were actually there!

We went on all 3 rides in the Wizarding World, the best of which was Forbidden Journey. It’s not a roller coaster but it’s definitely a thrill ride — the ride spins, twists, and drops you every which way as you soar through Hogwarts with the trio. It’s AH-MAY-ZING. Probably in my Top 3 rides EVER.

It even features a fan-freaking-tastic queue where you see…



The Mirror of Erised…



Professor Sprout’s greenhouse…



the House Points…

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back to reality + miami beach

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So I’ve been back home since Saturday and have serious vacation withdrawal. It was such a FANTASTIC trip. I miss waking up early and looking forward to new adventures (as opposed to waking up and dreading work). I miss the warm weather (I guess I’m a wimp because I am FUH-REEZING in CA). And I miss DISNEY. So much so that I’m trying to convince Rob to take a quick trip to Disneyland this weekend. Hee!

Anyway, I’m currently weeding through all our pictures and hopefully I’ll get around to sharing some of them here with a trip recap.

To ease into it, I’ll start with Miami Beach…

Ok, I’ll be honest and say that I didn’t love Miami Beach. That’s not to say we had a bad time. I just don’t think we really gave it a fair shake. We only had 2 full days at the end of our trip there (I planned it that way so we could relax and take it easy after conquering the theme parks in Orlando) and I did very minimal research as far as sight-seeing. So we pretty much only saw the 2-3 mile area around our hotel, which included the beach, Ocean Drive, Collins Ave and Lincoln Rd. It didn’t help that we missed Disney like crazy. Seriously! Rob even admitted that maybe we should have stayed in Orlando for the entire 2 weeks.

The one thing I DID research was the food. So while we didn’t really see anything major besides the gorgeous art deco hotels and the beach, we were VERY well fed. We had AH-MAY-ZING Cuban food at Puerto Sagua, NOM-MY crab claws at Joe’s Stone Crab and DELICIOUS burgers at Shake Shack.

In any case, I’m glad we took the time to visit. Even though we only took ONE picture of ourselves the entire time we were there. OOPS.

Here it is…



Next I’ll post some pics and thoughts about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter! (Preview: SO GREAT).

Trip Report: Vancouver Highlights

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This past weekend was probably the most productive 3 days I’ve had at home in a long time. Ok, so technically the house isn’t technically clean yet. BUT! We got rid of A LOT of the mess that’s accumulated these past few months, purged the pantry, pulled out weeds in the yard, and did some re-decorating in the office (moved around furniture and started putting up shelves and artwork on the walls). Phew! I feel accomplished. Still so much more work to do, though.

I have a lot of TV to talk about but I’m going through vacation withdrawals so I thought I’d post some pics and write up some thoughts from our recent anniversary trip (click pics for bigger)…

Whistler, September 28 – 29



Driving on the Lion’s Gate Bridge through Vancouver heading towards Whistler. We had FABULOUS weather our entire stay (cool but with the sun shining). And to think I was worried it would rain!

After we reached the halfway point, we decided to stop at Tim Horton’s to pick up coffee and a snack. Weeelll, we decided to use a credit card for payment since we hadn’t picked up the local currency yet. Unfortunately, they only took Mastercard, which OF COURSE, is the only type of card we don’t have. EEEKKK. I think the employees felt sorry for us, though, since we had already ordered and were about to leave to find an ATM with our tails between our legs… and they proceeded to GIVE US our coffee and food FOR FREE. I have never felt so simultaneously embarrassed and grateful all at the same time. SONICEOMG.



Getting closer! You can see the mountains!



Arriving at Whistler Village and being welcomed by the Inukshuk.



Before it got too dark, we took a stroll around the Village and found the Olympics rings. I’m a HUGE Olympics junkie so this was so exciting for me. 🙂



So I pride myself on doing thorough research when making vacation plans. But I totally messed up in Whistler. The entire reason we made the extra trip there was to take the Peak 2 Peak gondola up to see Whistler & Blackcomb Mountains. I somehow missed the fact that the gondola was closing for the end of the season a mere 3 days before we arrived. ARGH. So yeah. That’s why the above pic is completely empty. We were there and didn’t even get to go up on the mountains. EPIC FAIL. I was so pissed at myself. Oh well. Gives us another reason to go back? I guess?



Instead we did some more wandering around the Village. We went back to Olympic Plaza, tried the coffee at Blenz and admired the mountains from afar.



The views on the Sea to Sky Highway back to Vancouver were so beautiful.

Vancouver, September 29 – October 1



I love walking along Robson Street. It’s so vibrant and has such great energy. It has the feel of a big city without losing its intimacy.



We had such a fantastic time biking along the Seawall last year that we did it again. Sadly, Rob injured his foot while biking (he used the wrong part of his foot to pedal) so we had to take it easy the next few days. Regardless, biking the Seawall is probably my #1 favorite thing to do in Vancouver besides eat.



Speaking of eating, our beloved Japadog was closed! Waaahhhh.



But we more than made up for it with nommy meals at Blue Water Cafe + Raw Bar and Hapa Izakaya among others.



No Joshua Jackson sighting but we did see this notice for Fringe filming as we walked from Chinatown back towards Downtown. So cool!

All in all, we didn’t do much but still had a FANTASTIC trip. It reinforced my love of the city and I can’t wait to go back again. Next time I’d really like to explore the Kitsilano and Granville neighborhoods, possibly visit Victoria, and actually go to Whistler when the gondola is open (d’oh!).

Now I’m finalizing our plans for our next trip to Orlando & Miami, which is just over 6 weeks away. I’m totally counting down the days…

this year’s travel

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My friend Sebastian linked to some awesome travel-themed videos on his blog. They’re so great I wanted to share them here too. But for some reason I can’t embed the videos. GRRR. So I’ll have to settle for the links.

My absolute favorite is MOVE. But EAT is a very close second. It also makes me supremely HUNGRY. They’re only a minute each so… no excuses. Watch them!

I LOVE to travel so these videos give me a serious case of wanderlust. Unfortunately, I don’t have the funds or the time to travel often. FAIL. My ultimate dream is to go on a Round the World trip. Someday…

For now, though, Rob and I have 2 trips planned before the end of the year. First off, we’re heading to Vancouver at the end of the month for a belated third year anniversary trip. We loved it so much last year (see my trip report here and here) that we really wanted to spend more time there. And this time we’re going to spend a day in Whistler! Then after Thanksgiving, we’re taking a longer trip to Florida where we’ll spend 10 days at Disney World (with a side trip to Universal Studios for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) and 3 days in Miami.

So much to look forward to… CAN’T. WAIT.

minneapolis trip report

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I feel like I start all my blog entries like this but seriously… HOW IS IT ALMOST THANKSGIVING?! I don’t even know where the time goes (oh wait I do… it’s spent working… BLAH).

Last week I took a few extra days off so I could tag-along with Rob on his business trip to Minneapolis. I only had 2 full days there but I made the most of my time away…

We landed late on Saturday night (only had time to brave the cold and eat dinner) so we woke up early on Sunday to explore downtown. It was a beautiful day (and unusually warm for this time of year) so we walked down to the river to see…



… the Stone Arch Bridge. It’s gorgeous.



The bridge has pedestrian and cycling lanes so we walked a bit to check out the view of the Mill District…



… the Mississippi River…



… and the view of the downtown skyline.

For brunch we went to Hell’s Kitchen (so good!) where they have the most amazing homemade peanut butter (and marmalade). I bought a small jar of peanut butter to take home with me and LIKE AN IDIOT, I put it in my carry-on luggage. I did not know TSA considers it a liquid so they took it away from me at security. Waahhhh. Luckily, Rob was staying an extra day and bought me another one. Phew. So remember kids, peanut butter is a liquid (even though it’s totally not).



After stuffing ourselves, we walked down to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.



It was nice to be outside in the cool, crisp air. Especially since Orange County was experiencing heat in the upper 80s.



Of course we had to see the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture. Iconic.



For dinner we went to 112 Eatery where I had tres leches cake for the first time. OMG. It was incredibly rich and decadent. So good.

The following day was Monday and Rob had to work (hahahaha) so I was on my own. In Minneapolis there’s no tax on clothing or shoes so I decided to do a little retail therapy.



I started downtown and since the weather was cooler than the previous day, I took advantage of the Skyway system. This California girl loved the Skyways. They’re basically an above-ground, enclosed pedestrian walking path that connects various office towers, hotels, and shops. I didn’t have to go outside once! Ok, except to take this picture.



I even found this awesome bakery Cocoa & Fig. Their chocolate chip cookies were TODIEFOR. They even had macarons!



After lunch I took a trip out to the Mall of America. It was such an inexpensive (only $2!) and easy trip on the light rail from downtown.

I wasn’t originally planning to go to MoA but I figured that at least now I could say I’ve been there. It’s your normal suburban mall but amplified by about… a million. Not to mention that there’s a freaking amusement park in the middle of it all.



Craziness, right?

My 2 days went by in a flash. If I had more time, I would have loved to walk around the Uptown area, see the Lakes or even visit St. Paul. I guess there’s always next time. 🙂

easter weekend

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Aaahhh, I’m having a nice and relaxing Easter weekend so far. Hope all of you are as well.

I had Friday off from work, which was so great. 😀 I got the chance to meet up with friends for lunch and we checked out the new H&M that opened up near my apartment. Then to top off my day, I got a much-needed pedicure. If only life could be as simple as this…

I’ve recently become seriously addicted to The Travel Channel. I’ve been recording the daily reruns of Passport to Europe. Samantha Brown, the host, can sometimes border on annoying and cheesy (a la Rachael Ray) but whatever, it’s EUROPE. *sigh* I wish there was a way to make travelling my day job. Or just to have the time and money to leave everything and travel through Europe for a month. I even checked out the 5 Takes website to see if they were casting. LOL. (It’s a reality show where 5 travelers are chosen to be immersed in a country and the online community on the Travel Channel site decides their daily activities, their next destination, etc). Unfortunately, you have to be 30-39 to apply. WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEING 27? 😛

The one regret I have about my college experience is that I didn’t take time over the summers to travel. I spent all my summer vacations fitting in summer school so I could graduate with a double major. If I could, I’d go back and change that in a heartbeat. I’d have taken an extra year to graduate or even applied to a study abroad program. Everything’s 20/20 in hindsight, right?

I’m also loving the Travel Channel’s 1,000 Places to See Before You Die. This show chronicles the adventures of a really lucky couple who gets to travel around the world for a few months. (The show’s based on the book of the same name). I found out about this show in Paris from our Segway tour guide. He had just finished filming a segment for the show a few nights before, which featured the Segway tour. I can’t wait to see the episode when they get to Paris. So far, they’ve been to Alaska and Italy and every time the episode is over, I am SO JEALOUS. Can you imagine? 13 weeks. All expenses paid. LUCKY.

In honor of Easter, I thought I’d share this link to the 2007 US State Easter Eggs. It’s an annual tradition that each state (plus DC) submits a decorated egg to the White House. I think it’s kinda fun. My favorites are Georgia, Maine and Washington.

Ok, enough randomness for today… I’m off to watch the first episode of The Tudors. Jonathan Rhys Meyers! WOOT.