Summer Vacation Part 6: Downtown Disney and the Days Between

Well, although my Disney World stuff is pretty much done, I did forget to talk about Downtown Disney. It is basically tons of stores, restaurants, and some entertainment (House of Blues, Cirque du Soleil, Disney Quest). The neat part about it for me is that we usually end up taking a boat ride from our hotel to Downtown. It is relaxing, I get to talk to the hubs a bit, and there is plenty of nature to see on the way.

I really need to take a better picture of downtown next time we are there.

What we usually do at Downtown is look at the shops (and maybe buy a little something).

I had  a hard time deciding between this hat and figment, but this one is my favorite colors and a little bit funnier.

As a side note, I didn't buy either of these items from downtown. I'm sure that you could find them there though.

We also get a treat from Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop. They have wonderful ice cream and other treats there. My hubby usually gets a chocolate chip cookie (they are huge) and some chocolate covered strawberries. I, on the other hand, have to get something that involves chocolate and ice cream. I like trying different things as well. I've gotten many different kinds of sundaes there. This time I got the Haight Ashberry which is strawberries, blueberries, vanilla ice cream, and a waffle cone stick that is chocolate covered. Yummy!

We got home on a Tuesday afternoon, but I had my mini vacation to Chicago with my aunt on Friday. In the meantime, my mom, sister, and I were combining forces to have a garage sale with the town garage sales where my parents live. I had quite a bit of clothes that were too big, so I let go of the ones I didn't care for much and wouldn't wear again because they just look silly big. I spent Wednesday pricing and bagging them up along with some unpacking and laundry (yay for the sun being out and line drying).

Thursday I went out to my parents house and helped my sister set up for the garage sale. I know I'm a little too particular, but I hung all my clothes up and by size (with labels) and tried to make it look really nice. It didn't matter much in the long run, because my sister said there were very few people out. I only ended up making $35 which is better than nothing. The last time I sold clothes there I made $70. My mom knew someone who could wear some of my old clothes, so I bagged them up and let her take them. The ones that didn't fit she takes to church for women who don't have much money to buy new clothes. At least I know someone else will appreciate them.

This is the hairstyle I wore to go shopping and set up a garage sale. I thought that my hair looked cute and I'm showing off my new earrings.

The back view of the ponytail.

On the way to my parents house I did some shopping to look for a Pink Floyd shirt for the concert. I went to all my usual stores in my nearest big town, and only found one in a men's size large which I didn't buy. I prefer a medium when it comes to men's shirts. On the way back home I stopped in the next biggest town to them and tried some stores. I was about ready to give up and decided to give Wal-Mart a try. I found a shirt in my size for only $7.50, so I got it. You'll get to see it when I do my post about the concert...

Summer Vacation Part 5: Hollywood Studios

This is the last post about Disney World, and pretty soon I'll be writing about what I'm actually doing for weight loss instead of what I'm doing for fun.

Hollywood Studios

The Rides/Attractions:

American Idol Experience- A singing competition with people competing to get a ticket to the front of the lines at a real American Idol Audition.

Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular- Stunt actors from the movies along with crowd volunteers do stunt scenes from the movies.

The Great Movie Ride- A slow moving ride which shows you scenes from movies throughout the years.

Can't tell this one came out of a scrapbook, right?

Muppet Vision 3D- The Muppets have a little fiasco with 3D effects.

On our honeymoon outside the Muppets.

The Restaurants:

50's Prime Time Cafe- It is American food served up in a restaurant that oddly doesn't look that different in style from my house when I bought it...

Can't tell it is the 50's or anything...

I always get Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken (and peel the breading/skin off).

Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano- Another Italian restaurant! I have been there several times and know what to eat without talking to the chef. I get the Mixed Greens Salad which has dried cherry vinaigrette, candied walnuts, fresh pear, and imported gorgonzola cheese. They also serve fresh bread with olive oil to dip it in. I forgot to take a picture of this meal, but it was good.

This is from our honeymoon again. Also, we are eating a dessert that is no longer on the menu.

The Recommendations:

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Featuring Aersomith- I used to go on this all the time, but old age has me fearing it a little more than usual this time (along with my neck hurt severely from Expedition Everest the day before). It goes from 0-60 in no time and is an indoor roller coaster that is in the dark featuring the music of Aerosmith.

Another honeymoon picture, but this time we are outside the rock 'n' roller coaster.

Star Tours- A simulated ride (they bump you around and turn you around) while watching a Star Wars inspired movie. It has been redone, but once again the neck pain kept me from riding it this time.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror- The ride is an elevator in which you sit down and basically get thrown up and down in random patterns. They start you at the top and you can see out the ride to the park to see just how high you are before you do the major drop. It is fun, but I'm not a fan of heights. Once again, I didn't go on it due to my neck hurting.

Inside the hotel waiting for an elevator

Oh yeah, there are also attractions where you can walk through and see costumes, props, etc. from movies, so you'll want to do that too.

Alien

From Pirates of the Caribbean

Summer Vacation Part 4: Epcot

Epcot

Did you know that Epcot stands for experimental prototype community of tomorrow?

The Rides/Attractions:

The Seas with Nemo and Friends- The characters from the movies try to find Nemo and there are parts where you can see in the big aquarium with real "sea" animals.

Oh no! Jellyfish!

Spaceship Earth- It tells the story of how communication developed through time. At the end you get to create your own story of "tomorrow." My hubby thinks it is funny to make horrible faces and say we're from North Korea. We're gonna end up on some government list because of it... ;)

World Showcase- Features countries from around the world with shows, rides, stores, and restaurants.

China

Germany

Japan

Morocco

France

Mexico

England

Canada

Mexican Mariachi Band

Morocco again

Good old America

Journey into the Imagination with Figment- This was my hubby's favorite ride as a child, and then they changed it. It isn't the best ride as it is right now, but there is never a line to get on it. He always has to comment to a worker there about if they are going to bring the old ride back or the dreamfinder back.

The little guy on top of my hubby's head is Figment himself.

The Restaurants:

Restaurant Marrakesh which is Moroccan and my second favorite Restaurant. I usually get the Chicken Kebabs which comes with couscous. This meal is not only yummy, but actually served in about the correct portions if you are trying to eat right.



Tutto Italia which is I'm sure you figured out by the name, Italian. It was the most embarrassing part of the trip and my personal worst meal. The restaurant has great food (or so says my husband and father-in-law), but I'm allergic to oregano, basil, and am lactose intolerant. I have NO business being in an authentic Italian restaurant. Then I have to talk to the manager or chef to explain all my allergies and they help me figure out what I can eat. I couldn't eat anything besides the Caesar salad with no dressing (got oil and vinegar on the side). When I got my salad, it was two big wedges of Romain lettuce with two cherry tomatoes on the side! I ate it because it was $13! Now my husband had the spaghetti and my father-in-law the salmon which they both said was really good.

Boulangerie Patisserie which is a quick service French restaurant. They have wonderful pastries. My husband always gets the strawberry tarte. I tried the apple tart and apple turnover. They are all yummy!

My apple tarte which was yummy.

My hubby's favorite- the strawberry tarte.

He actually looks kinda happy in this picture. He isn't a fan of taking pictures, but maybe the strawberry tarte helps.

The Recommendations:

Don't eat at Mexico! It used to be really, really good, but they changed management and it sucks now. It is reheated chicken breasts and canned soup. Don't waste the money. Do go into Mexico to see the attractions though.

Soarin' is an awesome ride in The Land, but there is always a LONG wait. I hear that Mission:Space is also a good ride, but I'm too claustrophobic for it.

Also, there is a restaurant inside the Land. It is a sit down restaurant where the room rotates and characters visit you while you eat. Right now they only serve dinner, but we used to go there for lunch (and they are thinking about bringing lunch back). The food was great and all you can eat!

They served all American food like catfish, turkey, green beans, carrots, and even dessert!

Here is how the hubs interacts with the characters...

Here is how I interact with the characters.

Summer Vacation Part 3: Animal Kingdom

So here is the next vacation installment about Disney World...

Animal Kingdom

Just walking around the park you get to see settings like this one.

The Rides/Attractions:

Expedition Everest - This is one of my favorites with a mild roller coaster and a Yeti chase!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EEconstruction.jpg

Kilimanjaro Safaris Expedition - It is fun to see the animals and try to get some awesome pictures of them.

It's Tough to Be a Bug- It is a 3D show that shares information about bugs.

Source: http://www.mouseplanet.com/guide/362/Walt-Disney-World/Disneys-Animal-Kingdom/Discovery-Island/Its-Tough-to-Be-a-Bug

Dinosaur - It is a "time travel" bumpy and dangerous ride to bring back a dinosaur from the past.

The Restaurant:

Yak and Yeti which is Asian. I usually get the Crispy Honey Chicken. They also have excellent fried green beans (which I'm considering of getting instead of a meal next time).

 

The Recommendations:

It can get very hot during the day for people and animals (meaning you won't get to see them). Go on a cooler day or during the evening to see more and be more comfortable.

Also, there is also a dinosaur themed carnival with neat little rides outside of the Dinosaur ride.

There is a Rainforest Cafe here (and in Downtown Disney) which is a great place to eat.

Andrew and I at Rainforest during our honeymoon.