For many the weekend has just begun. For me, a two week adventure awaits. So much to do before a noon flight tomorrow. Maybe I should have started this after packing luggage ...
On a side note, here’s to dreaming The King joins the Kings in the off-season. His current supporting cast is abysmal and is statistically the worst of his illustrious career. You know when SNL makes fun of “The Other Cavaliers” there’s always truth behind the humor.
Just like Lebron, better get back to packing - but this time I’ll be the one going to South Beach ...
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All packed and ready to go. Not as much to take as imagined.
There are quite a few people at the airport traveling with their dogs. Mylo would definitely not like being on a plane as he barley tolerates car rides. Speaking of Mylo, he’ll be in good hands for the time we’re gone, but I’m sure he’ll also manage to get into some mischief. He was so sad this morning, probably because he knew we would be gone and not be back for a long time.
T minus 30 minutes before a short flight to San Diego. I’m sure the weather will be much nicer than it’s predicted to be in Florida. Climate change at its finest folks, no matter how much Floridians try to deny it.
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You know you’re in Florida when you see signs like this:
Two years ago an unattended child wandered into about a foot of lagoon water and it didn’t end so well.
Off to a pretty good start so far. A 4.5-hour plane ride from San Diego plus a 3-hour time difference had us leaving the airport past midnight and sleeping past 2 am.
Several sightings of frogs, a bunny and some other critters. No alligators or anacondas yet ...
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Fun fact: Downtown Disney is now called Disney Springs. Our uber driver seemed quite confused because we had no idea!
There are lots of gigantic scenes made of Legos. Pretty amazing!
And then for all you Starbucks fans out there, there was indeed a need for a pickme up even in the Mesozoic Era. Back then, the mascot was Rex, the Rubiacasaurus.
What better way to wind down the evening than at a fantastic restaurant called Miramoto Asia. This dessert was an absolute delight. The garnish on top is, you guessed it, seasme seed whipped cream. Paired that with a caramel drizzle that’s both sweet and sour over a custard and you’re in heaven!
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An pretty relaxing day at the pool, then the movies (Deadpool 2 was fantastic) and finally Universal City Walk.
And course, the night wouldn’t be complete without a very non-traditional burger. It’s a fusion between a burger and sushi. The buns are made of seeweed wrapped in crab and sushi rice. The meat is rare yellowfin tuna, spicy mayo and bacon! It’s definitely different but really good.
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Today, a magical visit to Epcot, which is actually the largest of all the parks at Disney World. Such a wonderful experience of all cultures, from China to Canada. It’s also the International Festival of Flowers l so there’s lots of Disney characters scattered throughout Epcot built entirely of flowers!
And this night concluded with over 10 minutes of spectacular fireworks!
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The sun is finally shining on the sunshine state and boy is it intense! Perfect weather for an authentic safari at Animal Kingdom.
So the verdict is in ... the safari was a big letdown. You can see pretty much the same thing at your local zoo. The San Diego Zoo would be your best bet for a much better experience.
On the flip side, the “Flight of Passage” ride in Pandora is incredible. It’s been open exactly a year, does not offer Fast Pass yet, but is totally worth the hour+ minimum wait time. It’s like Soarin’ over California at Disneyland but perfected and that much better.
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Three days and four theme parks later (not to mention 55,000 steps equating to 33 miles), there’s a clear winner for best rides and theme parks to visit in Orlando. Most of Disney is pretty lame, unless you have kids (but even then, there’s Disney for all the Cali and west coast kids). The best Disney theme park is Epcot, best ride at Disney is Flight of Passage in Pandora at Animal Kingdom.
But everything else goes to Universal. Better of the parks is Islands of adventure, with the original Hogwarts and ride that’s a close second behind the one in Pandora. And don’t forget that Butter Beer! All other rides are just better, more technological advanced and makes use of all your senses.
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Lots of San Francisco themed areas at the theme parks including Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghiradelli Square.
It looks like they are building some new and exciting attractions at Disney Springs.
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Today, subtropical storm Alberto is making its presence felt. Scattered showers throughout, but particularly strong downpour near Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale areas.
Drive time from Orlando was about 3.5 hours. The turnpike is an interesting concept, and is more of an expressway going north to south. An unusual number of vehicles on the shoulder and a few accidents.
Once in Ft. Lauderdale, it’s like traffic in SF. It takes forever to go a few miles. Tomorrow is a day to relax and hopefully avoid what’s supposed to be the worst of Alberto.
Let’s hope it’s not as bad as the meteorologists predict, otherwise Key West may not happen on Monday and Tuesday.
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After a few gloomy days due to subtropical storm Alberto, the skies have cleared and people have returned to business as usual in South Florida. Today is a perfect day to take a trip to the Everglades!
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Today, the weather is even nicer. Perfect for a trip down to the southernmost point in the continental U.S.
Fun fact ... the landmark stone isn’t actually the southernmost point. Technically, that distinction goes to a private island called Ballast Key, part of the Dry Tortugas National Park.
Key Lime is always a delight at Kermit’s. The original key lime pie on a stick!
And notice where these key lime tea bags are from ... hmmm ...
Fort Taylor is a pretty impressive (and massive) Civil War era defense fortress.
And ... sunset in Key West is like no other!
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Party in the city where the heat is on
All night, on the beach till the break of dawn ... welcome to Miami!
Home of Ricky Martin
Home of Carmen Elecktra
Home of Shakira
Home of Diddy
Speaking of Will Smith. Here’s his home.
Home of th guy who invented Viagra. Most expensive property in Miami worth over $84 million and a property tax of a quarter million a year.
When I accumulate $35 million, this home is on my list.
Home of David Beckham
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