Keane and PiC's December 2009 Florida Trip - Part 2
Keane
Part 2 - On The Road, Meeting in Atlanta, Arrival! and Animal Kingdom
Lodge...
So I don't have to repeat myself:
>Who: Me (Keane). PiC (Partner In Crime). And a cast of thousands.
>What: 2009 Winter Vacation.
>Where: Florida. Kidani Village, Disney World; and Inn at the Beach, Venice Island.
>When: Dec 2 through Dec 13.
>Why: Because we *like* you. Em. Oh. You. Ess. Eee.
December 2. Annd, they're off!
Out of the gate at 7:00am. 0 miles. 41 degrees. Leave home. Rush
hour (a misnomer, it actually lasts about 3 or 4 hours) traffic isn't
too bad, and once you're past the loop, traffic lightens up
considerably. Traffic on the Skyway and Indiana Tollway is almost
non-existent.
8:00am. Exit off of I-90, and enter the start of I-65. I'm on this
sucker until Nashville...
9:16am. 116 miles. Around Brookston, IN, there's a new wind farm,
and even unfinished Power Lines leading out of the area. There are
hundreds of wind turbines, all turning at a healthy rate...
11:11am. 241 miles. Rain. Crap.
Noon. 307 miles. Crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky. Still
Raining.
Get to Clearmont, Kentucky, home of Jim Beam. They've remodeled
the Visitors center, but still don't have factory tours. They have a
new bourbon, introduced in April 2009. It's a Black Cherry 'infused'
bourbon called 'Red Stag'. They have a tasting of it, and it's pretty
good. It's made from White Label Jim Beam, but the good thing is,
it doesn't taste like 4yo Jim Beam. I buy a bottle. It could be
dangerous stuff, since it's so smooth, and too much of it will
probably get you sicker than a dog, with a hangover to (hopefully) die
for... Oh, it's still raining.
2:36pm. 453 miles. Entered Tennessee. And it's still Raining. I
don't mind rain, but rain all the time...sucks. Thank you, it had to
be said.
I realize how much I missed being on the road. It's not the best in
the rain, but there's something about getting in the car and hitting
the strips of asphalt and concrete that criss-cross the country. I
think it gives me a sense of freedom that I don't normally have. The
scenery, the differences in season...all things noticed and filed away
along with the other however many thousands of miles on the road.
Then too, sometimes the rain is quite hard, making passing semi-trucks
a joy. Not.
Three accidents, two in the opposite direction, but all in Tennessee.
I'm not slowed terribly by the incidents, but if people wouldn't
gape...
3:50pm. 504.9 miles. End the day early in Nashville. The Mexican
Restaurant on the property is highly recommended. The Fajita fixin's
were tasteless with too much liquid, the tortillas were sub-par, the
guacamole tastes like it came from a can. I'd give dinner a 'D'. Oh
well, what do I expect for Mexican food in Tennessee. Problem is, I
think dinner at McDonalds would have been better. Maybe.
My room also faces the highway, making the noise level a little high.
It get's quieter as the night goes on...
================================================================
December 3. The First Annual Varsity RADP meet!
Single cup coffee maker in room. Ugh. Bad coffee. Well, maybe not
bad coffee, but the problem with drinking really good coffee, is that
normal coffee sometimes...sucks. Bed was comfortable, but the shower
ran scalding every once in a while. I was so disappointed by the
restaurant, that I pass on breakfast there.
7:15am CT. 505.1 miles, start day 2 of the road trip.
Go through the mountains in Southeastern Tennessee, and they look
different with all the trees dormant for the winter. I wonder if the
fall had a lot of color this year. So many previous times I've
traveled this way, and all you can see is are green canopies of the
Eastern forests.
9:19am, 625 miles. In Chattanooga, I'm about 20 minutes behind
schedule. Well, it's a straight shot to Atlanta now, hopefully, I'll
be able to make it on time.
I get to the Atlanta area about 11:45, and have to stop for gas. If
it doesn't make me late, I'll be cutting it close.
I get to the Varsity at almost exactly Noon. What timing.
Now, it's been said that I organized this meet. I didn't really. All
I did was make an offhand remark that I keep seeing the Varsity off of
I-75 as I pass through Atlanta, and suddenly, we're going to meet and
have hot dogs.
Of course, I didn't even know if I was going to Disneyworld yet.
When my plans finally come together, I announce the date. That's all
I did. These meets aren't planned, they just happen. :-)
I arrive within a couple of minutes of noon. and Rodney is waiting at
the rear entrance. Good thing he recognized me, 'cause he looks
nothing like his Usenet posts. :-) Michelle and Jay show up not much
later. (They've met Rodney before, so that was easy.) We decide to
get a table. Three tables, actually.
Lisa and Andy are there next, and we're wondering what Fizzie and her
daughter Cat looks like, and within minutes, there's a mother and
daughter with Disney stuff on. Yep! The last of the family shows up.
;-) It's a good time, with various subjects from wife swapping to
teaching computer classes to a bunch of glassy-eyed brainstems.
Two Chili dogs, fries and a Diet Coke later (with the addition of a
couple of Onion Rings and their Frosted Orange), I complete what will
be the first of three sessions I'll have with Hot Dogs this trip.
Mmmmm.... Now where did I put that Imodium?
We make sure we have pictures, and the official pictures are taken by
Cat. Official. Like we come close to anything official...
We break up at 2:30 (ET), since I still have some driving to do, but
we probably could have stayed and talked for another hour or two...
Before we go, we are declared "Not Lame" by Cat.
Had I not had to drive, I would have broken out the scotch. "Not
Lame" has *got* to be better than "Old Farts." At least I hope so.
2:20pm, 784 miles. Sun! Big round bright ball.
Oh, a warning. The Georgia State Police are using Dodge Chargers, in
all different colors. You need to fear more than just Crown Vics...
I'm at Ashburn, GA, by 5pm, where I have reservations. I get in,
settle down, and Lisa already has a trip report out. That's good, I
really didn't want to have to write one that night. :-)
It was a fun day, but the funner days are coming up, starting
tomorrow...
===================================================================
Dec 4. Arrival!
The day starts by leaving the hotel at 6:00am, 903.6 miles. It's 45
degrees. It might be cold, but at least it didn't snow. LIKE IT DID
IN CHICAGO! Hahahaha... But I digress.
7:38am. 1004.9 miles. Around Lake City, it starts to rain. Then it
stops. Then it starts again, and doesn't stop. And it gets heavier.
And then it gets lighter, but it becomes heavier again. Please don't
tell me that of all the late year trips I've taken, this is going to
be the first one that rains me out.
Exit 354, Shell Station in Ocala. (Personal note. You can ignore it
unless you prefer Shell gas on I-75...)
9:45am. 1134.0 miles. I turn onto the Florida Turnpike, which
traditionally tells me I'm on the last leg to WDW. It might be
pouring, but I'm baaaack! I might be flooded out, but I'm hoooome!
A bad day at WDW is still better than a good day at work. (Yes, I
know I'm perverting the quote.)
They've changed the gas stations in the rest areas on the turnpike to
Shell stations. My gas of choice. Good move!
It's raining so hard by the time I'm past Turkey Point, that I opt out
of experimental routes to the World, and get on I-4. The rain begins
to lessen as I go through the Welcome signs, but it doesn't stop.
I get to Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL) and they've moved the guard shack.
I always wondered where that restricted road went the previous times
I've been to AKL. It goes to Kidani! I get to the temp parking, and
yes, it's still raining. I walk through the rain to registration, and
there's some carolers singing Christmas tunes in the lobby, and I
remark the CM that this is the first time I've been entertained
checking in.
I pay for the room using two Disney Reward Cards and my Visa. Between
the AP rate I have and the Disney Reward dollars, I'm paying
$142/night for a studio savanna view. I can't beat that with a stick.
They want to put me at the far reaches of Mongolia. I beg and plead
for a room close to transportation, for the first time pulling the
'ended chemo a couple of months ago, and get fatigued easily' excuse.
Well, it's true. I didn't lie. And they give me a better room. The
problem is I go from having a room to not having a room. No problem,
I have to pick up some tickets at Guest Services. Downtown Disney,
here I come!
Walk back to the car (in the rain) then drive to DD (in the rain). I
park in lot two, and wade through the puddles in the parking lot, and
use the corridor between World of Disney and Legoland. It's a zoo,
*and* it's raining.
I walk through WoD, then through Arribas Brothers to Guest Services.
Get my tickets, and decided to walk around DD for a while. I get to
the bathrooms by the old guest relations office, and when I come out,
it's raining even harder. Another guest and I remark on the rain, but
that's not going to make it stop. I won't melt. I don't think I
will, anyway... The Wicked Witch of the West comes to mind...
I stop in at Once Upon a Toy, to see if they have Holiday Wishes and
the parade music on CD. Nope. I stop outside the entrance, and if
anything it's raining harder. I call PiC, have her check the radar
plots. The rain isn't going to stop. Oh well, deal with it. Tuck
the camera up into the armpit to keep it dry and walk out.
There isn't a line into Days of Christmas, so I go in. I decide to
buy a couple of stockings (Eeyore, PiC's favorite, and Sorcerer
Mickey), and a couple of strings of lights to decorate the room. In
October, I had Lisa pick up a 2009 Christmas Mug (#5 in a series of
5), and they don't have any. The only thing they have is a generic
Christmas mug. Well, I don't care. I already have mine.
Well, that's it. I'm wet, and decide to go back to Kidani, and wait
around there for the room to get ready. Before I go, I pick up a
couple of Wetzel Dogs for lunch. Mmmmm... My second encounter
with a hot dog goes well.
I get back to Kidani, and find parking near the elevator in Timon I'm
going to have to use, so I just sit in the car, eat a Wetzel dog with
brown mustard, and read my book. My cell phone rings at 3:27pm.
My room is ready.
Takes me three trips to get everything out of the car, including PiC's
suitcase. She still doesn't think I'm serious about charging her $20
to transport her luggage to Orlando...
Since the rain is still falling heavily, I decide I'm going to stay in
the room and decorate for Christmas, while swilling a little scotch.
And a little Red Stag. After looking around, I decide the dresser/TV
stand is the object of decoration. I pencil out a couple of options,
and find it's dependent on the length of electrical cords, both on the
lights and the power strip I have. I find an electrical outlet behind
the dresser, accessible from the bottom shelf. If not for that, I'd
have been in trouble. Turned out pretty good, if I don't say so
myself. :-)
At 9:51, I hear fireworks, but I can't see where it's coming from.
It's Illuminations, and I'm hearing the Christmas tag. You can see
the high-aerial shells just to the left of ExE, but it's nothing more
than a glow on the horizon.
I'm unconscious not much later...
===================================================================
Sidenote - Animal Kingdom Lodge, Kidani Village:
This will have marked my 4th stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge (AKL), but
AKL is much different now than it was when I was last here. What I
used to know as AKL is now AKL - Jambo House. The new building I'm in
is AKL - Kidani Village, a DVC resort with some rooms that they rent
to people like me. At least I got decent AP rates.
My room is 7530 on the 5th floor, overlooking the Sunset Savanna, the
shared savanna with Jambo House. The room layout is very similar to
the Saratoga Springs studio I was in (in 2007), but in typical AKL
dress with a *much* better view out the balcony.
The room is laid out a little weird, or at least the bathroom is. The
bathroom has a sink and a bathtub, but the commode is in a small
room all by itself. It's about a 5'x5' room, with four bare walls, a
door, a light, a fan and a toilet. Oh, there's also a sprinkler head,
but I can't imagine what could catch on fire in here. (Yes, there's a
joke here, but I'm not going there. Oh, there's a joke there too...)
So long as I have the command strips out, I put a picture of
Yellowstone up on the wall, just at the right height to look at when
you're...busy. (More proof why people shouldn't drink alone.)
And I still can't get used to the angry toilets they have here. Every
time you flush it, it sort of explodes. But I digress.
If you've stayed at Jambo House, then you'd be right at home with the
interiors at Kidani. If you haven't stayed at a villa, the microwave,
larger fridge and larger capacity coffee maker is welcome.
My PS3 recognized the TV as 1080i, via HDMI through the breakout box.
The box also has VGA and standard video/stereo audio inputs. I'll
have to remember to bring a VGA cable so I can put the pictures up on
the TV from my laptop.
If you want a little surprise, take a picture of the shields they have
on the doors or in the elevators with a flash. The rugs too. They're
really bright colors, obscured by the dim lighting.
You can come see Kidani, but there are fewer viewing areas than there
are at Jambo. If I were coming for a visit and just see the resort,
I'd come to Kidani first, then Jambo. The buses to the theme parks
even work that way. (Kidani first, Jambo second. The bus to Downtown
Disney is just the opposite.) I don't know, I'd describe the atrium
at Kidani as 'Cozy', and Jambo's as 'Grand'. They are two different
resorts with a common theme. More than Jambo House, Kidani has
artifacts on every floor, and you can hunt around the entire resort
for quotes painted on the walls...
End Keane and PiC's December 2009 Florida Trip - Part 2
--
When stars are born, They possess a gift or two,
One of them is this, They have the power to make a wish come true...
-- Wishes
Visit my site: http://keanespics.com
Laura Gilbreath
Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>And I still can't get used to the angry toilets they have here. Every
>time you flush it, it sort of explodes. But I digress.
The turbo-toilets...
>resorts with a common theme. More than Jambo House, Kidani has
>artifacts on every floor, and you can hunt around the entire resort
>for quotes painted on the walls...
A CM told us that there were 40 of them. I took pictures of all of the
ones I saw - which was maybe 10 or so. Might be a good rainy day
activity...and you'd certainly get your exercise wandering those
verrrrrry long hallways.
Laura
**************************************************************************
Email: lgil at lgil dot net or remove "REMOVETHIS" from "Reply to" address.
Visit Tigger's Vacation Page:
http://www.travelswithtigger.com
Rudeney
>
> Out of the gate at 7:00am. 0 miles.
> Noon. 307 miles.
That's barely 60mph. My great-grandmother could do better than that! ;-)
> 3:50pm. 504.9 miles. End the day early in Nashville. The Mexican
> Restaurant on the property is highly recommended. The Fajita fixin's
> were tasteless with too much liquid, the tortillas were sub-par, the
> guacamole tastes like it came from a can. I'd give dinner a 'D'. Oh
> well, what do I expect for Mexican food in Tennessee. Problem is, I
> think dinner at McDonalds would have been better. Maybe.
Next time, come through Birmingham (stay on I-65 to Montgomery) and then
you can cut down US-231 through Dothan and hit I-10 just west of
Tallahassee. The mapping programs claim it's about 50 miles further and
adds about 90 minutes, but you can avoid the Atlanta traffic and the
I-75 construction. We've tried both ways from Birmingham (going through
ATL vs. Dothan) and I always make better time through Dothan. A
friend told me about a route on US-280 going through Columbus, but
there's a lot of congestion that way. The worst of US-231 is getting
from I-65 to it in Montgomery (and there's a secret shortcut for that).
And if you time your trip through the small towns (incl. Dothan) ,
traffic's not bad at all there.
Anyhow, I said all that o suggest that we have much better Mexican
restaurants here in Birmingham, so if you do ever come his way, we can
do a meet at one.
> December 3. The First Annual Varsity RADP meet!
>
> I get to the Varsity at almost exactly Noon. What timing.
Yep, I had been there for about 5 minutes when I see Keane pull up
(wearing his floppy hat and driving his Maxima).
> Now, it's been said that I organized this meet. I didn't really. All
> I did was make an offhand remark that I keep seeing the Varsity off of
> I-75 as I pass through Atlanta, and suddenly, we're going to meet and
> have hot dogs.
>
> Of course, I didn't even know if I was going to Disneyworld yet.
>
> When my plans finally come together, I announce the date. That's all
> I did. These meets aren't planned, they just happen. :-)
>
> I arrive within a couple of minutes of noon. and Rodney is waiting at
> the rear entrance. Good thing he recognized me, 'cause he looks
> nothing like his Usenet posts. :-)
Apparently, I do look a little better than my typos.
> Michelle and Jay show up not much
> later. (They've met Rodney before, so that was easy.) We decide to
> get a table. Three tables, actually.
>
> Lisa and Andy are there next, and we're wondering what Fizzie and her
> daughter Cat looks like, and within minutes, there's a mother and
> daughter with Disney stuff on. Yep! The last of the family shows up.
> ;-) It's a good time, with various subjects from wife swapping to
> teaching computer classes to a bunch of glassy-eyed brainstems.
>
> Two Chili dogs, fries and a Diet Coke later (with the addition of a
> couple of Onion Rings and their Frosted Orange), I complete what will
> be the first of three sessions I'll have with Hot Dogs this trip.
So, we do need to know which was best!
> We make sure we have pictures, and the official pictures are taken by
> Cat. Official. Like we come close to anything official...
Officially nuts!
> We break up at 2:30 (ET), since I still have some driving to do, but
> we probably could have stayed and talked for another hour or two...
> Before we go, we are declared "Not Lame" by Cat.
That was actually quite an achievement.
> Had I not had to drive, I would have broken out the scotch.
Yeah, next time, we need to plan a meet where you are stopping for the
night and where I don't have a 150 mile drive back home!
> "Not
> Lame" has *got* to be better than "Old Farts." At least I hope so.
I think it's actually two points better. I'll have to check with Katie
on that for the official scale.
> Oh, a warning. The Georgia State Police are using Dodge Chargers, in
> all different colors. You need to fear more than just Crown Vics...
Alabama uses them, too. They also use SUV's (mainly Ford Explorers and
Expeditions, along with Chevy Tahoes). One of the major local police
departments here (Hoover) uses Tahoes, but they are well marked.
> They've changed the gas stations in the rest areas on the turnpike to
> Shell stations. My gas of choice. Good move!
I think Shell bought out several other brands (Texaco) so there's not as
much choice anymore. Around here, we either get Chevron, Shell, BP or
Exxon/Mobil. Anything else is unbranded mystery gas.
> It's raining so hard by the time I'm past Turkey Point, that I opt out
> of experimental routes to the World, and get on I-4.
Experimental? You just needed to take 429 south, the new Western
Bypass. It's simple and we've been talking about it here for years now.
You come in right at CSR.
> They want to put me at the far reaches of Mongolia. I beg and plead
> for a room close to transportation, for the first time pulling the
> 'ended chemo a couple of months ago, and get fatigued easily' excuse.
> Well, it's true. I didn't lie. And they give me a better room.
My thoughts on this are that there is plenty of walking to be done at
WDW< and I need to do all that I can to burn off all the crap that I'll
be eating, so I really don't care about the distance to my room. Now,
if my wife is there, she will want to be as close as possible to
everything - transportation, food, elevator, pool, ice machine, etc.
> Before I go, I pick up a
> couple of Wetzel Dogs for lunch. Mmmmm... My second encounter
> with a hot dog goes well.
Good!
> Takes me three trips to get everything out of the car, including PiC's
> suitcase. She still doesn't think I'm serious about charging her $20
> to transport her luggage to Orlando...
LOL! Still, that's less expensive than the airlines or UPS!
> And I still can't get used to the angry toilets they have here. Every
> time you flush it, it sort of explodes. But I digress.
Exploding toilets are not a good thing! :-(
--
- RODNEY
Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!
Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?
Lisa Cubbon
> Keane wrote:
>>
>> Out of the gate at 7:00am. 0 miles. ...
>> Noon. 307 miles.
>
> That's barely 60mph. My great-grandmother could do better than that! ;-)
highway driving! She did better than me on some trip!
Lisa
Caren
(snip)
>
> 3:50pm. 504.9 miles. End the day early in Nashville. The Mexican
> Restaurant on the property is highly recommended. The Fajita fixin's
> were tasteless with too much liquid, the tortillas were sub-par, the
> guacamole tastes like it came from a can. I'd give dinner a 'D'. Oh
> well, what do I expect for Mexican food in Tennessee. Problem is, I
> think dinner at McDonalds would have been better. Maybe.
Never have Mexican food in Tennessee, never have Chinese food in
Tennessee, and never ever attempt the Mexican Chinese buffet in
Tennessee. Yes, there is such a place. Yes, I have eaten there.
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
Lisa Cubbon
Please no...... I can't get my mind around that at all!
Lisa
Rudeney
Yuck! We used to have a Mexican/Italian restaurant in town. The
problem was that they used the same sauce on everything, sort of a
Mexican Marinara. Not good!
Paul
news:654ab9be-09fd-46ad-a676-a44b7b666143
@u37g2000vbc.googlegroups.co
m:
I have had fairly good Mexican food in Nashville, back when I had to
go there for conferences every other year or so. The name of the
place was La Paz, IIRC. It was in Nashville, but not downtown.
--
Paul in NH (PSS)
p s s a w y e r at c o m c a s t dot n e t
Michelle in Atlanta
"Caren" <dri...@sgi.net> wrote in message
news:654ab9be-09fd-46ad...@u37g2000vbc.googlegroups.com...
Never have Mexican food in Tennessee, never have Chinese food in Tennessee,
and never ever attempt the Mexican Chinese buffet in Tennessee. Yes, there
is such a place. Yes, I have eaten there.
--
Caren
TDC Queen of Adventureland
We have a delivery only place near downtown Atlanta called Chico &
Chang's-you can get both Mexican and Chinese food delivered. It's really not
so good (I haven't ordered from there in decades) but I think it survives on
it's novelty factor alone!
Michelle in Atlanta
Rudeney
>
> I have had fairly good Mexican food in Nashville, back when I had to
> go there for conferences every other year or so. The name of the
> place was La Paz, IIRC. It was in Nashville, but not downtown.
>
La Pas is grat! It's a chain, and there are location here in Birmingham
and one in Destin. I think the first store (and corp. HQ) is in Atlanta.
Lisa Cubbon
> Paul wrote:
>>
>> I have had fairly good Mexican food in Nashville, back when I had to
>> go there for conferences every other year or so. The name of the
>> place was La Paz, IIRC. It was in Nashville, but not downtown.
>
> La Pas is grat! It's a chain, and there are location here in Birmingham
> and one in Destin. I think the first store (and corp. HQ) is in Atlanta.
>
> http://www.lapaz.com
>
>
We have a small local restaurant we go to when we get the
craving for mexican. Lisa
Keane
wrote:
>Keane wrote:
>>
>> Out of the gate at 7:00am. 0 miles.
>> ...
>> Noon. 307 miles.
>
>That's barely 60mph. My great-grandmother could do better than that! ;-)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And she walked to school 50 miles each way, and it
was all uphill, both ways.
>> 3:50pm. 504.9 miles. End the day early in Nashville. The Mexican
>> Restaurant on the property is highly recommended. The Fajita fixin's
>> were tasteless with too much liquid, the tortillas were sub-par, the
>> guacamole tastes like it came from a can. I'd give dinner a 'D'. Oh
>> well, what do I expect for Mexican food in Tennessee. Problem is, I
>> think dinner at McDonalds would have been better. Maybe.
>
>Next time, come through Birmingham (stay on I-65 to Montgomery) and then
>you can cut down US-231 through Dothan and hit I-10 just west of
>Tallahassee. The mapping programs claim it's about 50 miles further and
>adds about 90 minutes, but you can avoid the Atlanta traffic and the
>I-75 construction. We've tried both ways from Birmingham (going through
> ATL vs. Dothan) and I always make better time through Dothan. A
>friend told me about a route on US-280 going through Columbus, but
>there's a lot of congestion that way. The worst of US-231 is getting
>from I-65 to it in Montgomery (and there's a secret shortcut for that).
> And if you time your trip through the small towns (incl. Dothan) ,
>traffic's not bad at all there.
>
>Anyhow, I said all that o suggest that we have much better Mexican
>restaurants here in Birmingham, so if you do ever come his way, we can
>do a meet at one.
Actually, since Chicago is a sanctuary city, we have *excellent*
Mexican restaurants. We even have a couple of local tortilla
factories, so I can get really good fresh flour or corn tortillas
at my grocery store.
That might be why I really hated the place in Nashville. I know
what really good Mexican tastes like.
Of course, one the top 5 Mexican restaurants I et at was in
Escalante, Utah. She had four tables inside, and one outside.
>> I arrive within a couple of minutes of noon. and Rodney is waiting at
>> the rear entrance. Good thing he recognized me, 'cause he looks
>> nothing like his Usenet posts. :-)
>
>Apparently, I do look a little better than my typos.
I don't know about that. You've had some pretty good typos...
>> Michelle and Jay show up not much
>> later. (They've met Rodney before, so that was easy.) We decide to
>> get a table. Three tables, actually.
>>
>> Lisa and Andy are there next, and we're wondering what Fizzie and her
>> daughter Cat looks like, and within minutes, there's a mother and
>> daughter with Disney stuff on. Yep! The last of the family shows up.
>> ;-) It's a good time, with various subjects from wife swapping to
>> teaching computer classes to a bunch of glassy-eyed brainstems.
>>
>> Two Chili dogs, fries and a Diet Coke later (with the addition of a
>> couple of Onion Rings and their Frosted Orange), I complete what will
>> be the first of three sessions I'll have with Hot Dogs this trip.
>
>So, we do need to know which was best!
The Wetzel Dog was the best. The dog is tasty, and the dough beats
a regular bun hands down.
The Varsity and the Disney dogs were probably about the same. A mild
sausage that a kid would like. So if I had to pick second place, it'd
be Disney's hot dog. Mainly because it came with Magic Kingdom
wrapped around it. As much as I liked the Varsity meet, if I had a
choice...mmmm...Magic Kingdom wins. Sorry.
>> We make sure we have pictures, and the official pictures are taken by
>> Cat. Official. Like we come close to anything official...
>
>Officially nuts!
Hey, watch it. Keep repeating it, and people will start to believe
it.
>> "Not
>> Lame" has *got* to be better than "Old Farts." At least I hope so.
>
>I think it's actually two points better. I'll have to check with Katie
>on that for the official scale.
Well? I haven't conversed in teenager for years...
>> Oh, a warning. The Georgia State Police are using Dodge Chargers, in
>> all different colors. You need to fear more than just Crown Vics...
>
>Alabama uses them, too. They also use SUV's (mainly Ford Explorers and
>Expeditions, along with Chevy Tahoes). One of the major local police
>departments here (Hoover) uses Tahoes, but they are well marked.
That was the problem with the GSP. You saw a Dodge sitting on the
side of the road, a green or red charger, and you really don't notice
it's a trooper until you passed it.
>> It's raining so hard by the time I'm past Turkey Point, that I opt out
>> of experimental routes to the World, and get on I-4.
>
>Experimental? You just needed to take 429 south, the new Western
>Bypass. It's simple and we've been talking about it here for years now.
> You come in right at CSR.
It would have been experimental for me, and it was doing waves of
tropical storm type rain. (I should have pulled out the laptop and
GPS'd my way in...)
>> They want to put me at the far reaches of Mongolia. I beg and plead
>> for a room close to transportation, for the first time pulling the
>> 'ended chemo a couple of months ago, and get fatigued easily' excuse.
>> Well, it's true. I didn't lie. And they give me a better room.
>
>My thoughts on this are that there is plenty of walking to be done at
>WDW< and I need to do all that I can to burn off all the crap that I'll
>be eating, so I really don't care about the distance to my room. Now,
>if my wife is there, she will want to be as close as possible to
>everything - transportation, food, elevator, pool, ice machine, etc.
Well, it worked. I wanted to be a victim at least once before this
was all over. (I found I did get tired faster in the parks than I
usually did, but you can some how pull out that reserve energy
when you're at the World...)
>> Takes me three trips to get everything out of the car, including PiC's
>> suitcase. She still doesn't think I'm serious about charging her $20
>> to transport her luggage to Orlando...
>
>LOL! Still, that's less expensive than the airlines or UPS!
Think so? It wouldn't be too late to charge her $50...
>> And I still can't get used to the angry toilets they have here. Every
>> time you flush it, it sort of explodes. But I digress.
>
>Exploding toilets are not a good thing! :-(
I think I addressed this in another post, but not only did the toilet
explode, but if you went to the bathroom during the middle of the
night, IR sensors would activate not only one, but two fans.
And the door squeaked.
(Okay, maybe I have an explanation for the commode room. Hurricanes.
You're in a windowless room behind a very heavy door surrounded by
interior walls. Outside the door is another windowless room with
another very heavy door...)
Keane
Lisa Cubbon
> On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:07:11 -0600, Rudeney <rud...@mickeypics.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Keane w
>>> I arrive within a couple of minutes of noon. and Rodney is waiting at
>>> the rear entrance. Good thing he recognized me, 'cause he looks
>>> nothing like his Usenet posts. :-)
>> Apparently, I do look a little better than my typos.
>
> I don't know about that. You've had some pretty good typos...
>
>>> Michelle and Jay show up not much
>>> later. (They've met Rodney before, so that was easy.) We decide to
>>> get a table. Three tables, actually.
>>>
>>> Lisa and Andy are there next, and we're wondering what Fizzie and her
>>> daughter Cat looks like, and within minutes, there's a mother and
>>> daughter with Disney stuff on. Yep! The last of the family shows up.
>>> ;-) It's a good time, with various subjects from wife swapping to
>>> teaching computer classes to a bunch of glassy-eyed brainstems.
>>>
>>> Two Chili dogs, fries and a Diet Coke later (with the addition of a
>>> couple of Onion Rings and their Frosted Orange), I complete what will
>>> be the first of three sessions I'll have with Hot Dogs this trip.
>> So, we do need to know which was best!
>
> The Wetzel Dog was the best. The dog is tasty, and the dough beats
> a regular bun hands down.
>
> The Varsity and the Disney dogs were probably about the same. A mild
> sausage that a kid would like. So if I had to pick second place, it'd
> be Disney's hot dog. Mainly because it came with Magic Kingdom
> wrapped around it. As much as I liked the Varsity meet, if I had a
> choice...mmmm...Magic Kingdom wins. Sorry.
I am with you on this one. Did you notice the French Fries were
different? I think they are MOST excellent at the MK now. The Varsity
is TRADITION. There are baby boomers born around here who remember
sneaking into the city and going to the Varsity at midnight for a dog.
>
>>> We make sure we have pictures, and the official pictures are taken by
>>> Cat. Official. Like we come close to anything official...
>> Officially nuts!
>
> Hey, watch it. Keep repeating it, and people will start to believe
> it.
>
>
>>> "Not
>>> Lame" has *got* to be better than "Old Farts." At least I hope so.
>> I think it's actually two points better. I'll have to check with Katie
>> on that for the official scale.
>
> Well? I haven't conversed in teenager for years...
I get to regularly but I am not sure we are on the same plane.
>
>>> Oh, a warning. The Georgia State Police are using Dodge Chargers, in
>>> all different colors. You need to fear more than just Crown Vics...
>> Alabama uses them, too. They also use SUV's (mainly Ford Explorers and
>> Expeditions, along with Chevy Tahoes). One of the major local police
>> departments here (Hoover) uses Tahoes, but they are well marked.
In the Atlanta area, drug bust cars are used as cop cars too. But the
most fun are the sheriff's cars in the south of the state, brown and
black jobs, lined up along the shoulders and on the over passes. Hard to
miss. We will have a new super speeder law in January. Going over 85
on an interstate will get you and extra 200 bucks in a separate bill
which will be mailed to you. The revenue is to go to Trauma centers.
Notice I said revenue... Cops as tax collectors. OK, I am stepping
down from my soapbox.
Lisa
Keane
wrote:
We had Mexican in Chattanooga on the way home. PiC described it
as McMexican.
Apt description... :-)
Keane, who'll pass on the Chi-Mex cuisine, thank you...
Rudeney
> Keane wrote:
>>
>> The Varsity and the Disney dogs were probably about the same. A mild
>> sausage that a kid would like. So if I had to pick second place, it'd
>> be Disney's hot dog. Mainly because it came with Magic Kingdom
>> wrapped around it. As much as I liked the Varsity meet, if I had a
>> choice...mmmm...Magic Kingdom wins. Sorry.
>
> I am with you on this one.
Well, yeah, Spam at the MK would probably be better than gourmet food at
home.
> In the Atlanta area, drug bust cars are used as cop cars too. But the
> most fun are the sheriff's cars in the south of the state, brown and
> black jobs, lined up along the shoulders and on the over passes. Hard to
> miss. We will have a new super speeder law in January. Going over 85
> on an interstate will get you and extra 200 bucks in a separate bill
> which will be mailed to you. The revenue is to go to Trauma centers.
> Notice I said revenue... Cops as tax collectors. OK, I am stepping
> down from my soapbox.
Traffic cops have always been about revenue collection. Nabbing
speeders has very little to do with public safety. Back when I was in
school, I did research for a paper in y statistics class that basically
drew the conclusion that speeding on an interstate highway actually
caused fewer accidents than police cars stopped on the side of the highway.
Lisa Cubbon
> On Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:45:10 -0800 (PST), Caren <dri...@sgi.net>
> wrote:
>
>> On Dec 20, 2:55 pm, Keane <ke...@keanespics.com> wrote:
>>
>> (snip)
>>> 3:50pm. 504.9 miles. End the day early in Nashville. The Mexican
>>> Restaurant on the property is highly recommended. The Fajita fixin's
>>> were tasteless with too much liquid, the tortillas were sub-par, the
>>> guacamole tastes like it came from a can. I'd give dinner a 'D'. Oh
>>> well, what do I expect for Mexican food in Tennessee. Problem is, I
>>> think dinner at McDonalds would have been better. Maybe.
>> Never have Mexican food in Tennessee, never have Chinese food in
>> Tennessee, and never ever attempt the Mexican Chinese buffet in
>> Tennessee. Yes, there is such a place. Yes, I have eaten there.
>
> We had Mexican in Chattanooga on the way home. PiC described it
> as McMexican.
>
> Apt description... :-)
>
> Keane, who'll pass on the Chi-Mex cuisine, thank you...
Lisa Cubbon
> Lisa Cubbon wrote:
>> Keane wrote:
>>>
>>> The Varsity and the Disney dogs were probably about the same. A mild
>>> sausage that a kid would like. So if I had to pick second place, it'd
>>> be Disney's hot dog. Mainly because it came with Magic Kingdom
>>> wrapped around it. As much as I liked the Varsity meet, if I had a
>>> choice...mmmm...Magic Kingdom wins. Sorry.
>>
>> I am with you on this one.
>
> Well, yeah, Spam at the MK would probably be better than gourmet food at
> home.
>
>> In the Atlanta area, drug bust cars are used as cop cars too. But the
>> most fun are the sheriff's cars in the south of the state, brown and
>> black jobs, lined up along the shoulders and on the over passes. Hard
>> to miss. We will have a new super speeder law in January. Going over
>> 85 on an interstate will get you and extra 200 bucks in a separate
>> bill which will be mailed to you. The revenue is to go to Trauma
>> centers. Notice I said revenue... Cops as tax collectors. OK, I am
>> stepping down from my soapbox.
>
> Traffic cops have always been about revenue collection. Nabbing
> speeders has very little to do with public safety. Back when I was in
> school, I did research for a paper in y statistics class that basically
> drew the conclusion that speeding on an interstate highway actually
> caused fewer accidents than police cars stopped on the side of the highway.
>
take Sonny Perdue on two road trips; to Macon at speed limit and back
from Macon at what ever Neal could do and see what happened.
OK, this is way off topic now. I love WDW. anyone else?
Lisa
Keane
wrote:
>Keane wrote:
>I am with you on this one. Did you notice the French Fries were
>different? I think they are MOST excellent at the MK now.
The fries were hot and good, but I'm not sure they were
different. They were served quickly, though, and weren't
allowed to sit around.
But I think Casey's will win out over Pecos Bill's...
> Going over 85
>on an interstate will get you and extra 200 bucks in a separate bill
>which will be mailed to you. The revenue is to go to Trauma centers.
>Notice I said revenue... Cops as tax collectors. OK, I am stepping
>down from my soapbox.
No need. One day someone will push too far, and I'll get on my
soapbox about red-light cameras and parking meters...