Back to work...
It's time to earn my keep once again and say good-bye to the uncharacteristically cloudy Southern California sky. Those clouds were a good thing as they kept temperatures moderate and made outdoor activity enjoyable. I arrived in LA Saturday afternoon. Beth and Amber picked me up at LAX and we headed for Universal Studios to catch "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." I enjoyed the movie quite a lot, although there were a few things I would have changed. Nothing major. That same evening we enjoyed a nice dinner at Gladstones on City Walk, where a bird narrowly missed me and bombed the table instead. Whew, lucky miss I guess. Gotta love patio dining!
We headed back to Anaheim that night where we stayed across the street from Disneyland. The original plan was to spend Sunday at the LA Farmers Market, but instead, we opted to go to Disney's California Adventure and add a second day of Disney fun and go to Disneyland on Monday. The Farmer's Market had to wait until today, but in the end, Beth and Amber decided to nix that plan and drive back to Vegas after they dropped me at Orange County airport.
Disney's California Adventure was a lot of fun. Although it isn't Disneyland, overtime as the park builds up with more attractions, and, more importantly, more vegetation, it will become an even more delightful place. I enjoyed the new "Tower of Terror" that recently opened. Although it wasn't terrifying, it was fun. I'd have to say "Soaring Over California" is one of the more unique rides I've ever been on. Grizzly Rapids (or whatever it is called) is a ride that won't get you wet, it will SOAK you. Going on it at 6:30 at night when the sun is setting is not a good idea. We damn near froze, but we headed straight for the hotel to change into warmer clothes and enjoy the rest of the evening at Disneyland.
We did make one more stop at DCA, however, and that was to enjoy the classic "Disney's Electrical Parade." It was just how I remembered with some new floats, too. From there we headed over to Disneyland and spent the evening riding Indiana Jones, Haunted House, Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean. We spent all of yesterday at Disneyland, but found a lot of it to be disappointing.
Most of Tomorrowland was closed for various reasons. Space Mountain is being renovated and will re-open next year. The Autopia was closed for sometime after someone injured themselves. Star Tours closed due to technical problems. The Rocket Ride, which replaced the People Movers, is permanently closed and being torn out (it was only open three years) and the restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed, too. Beyond Tomorrowland, Pirates of the Caribbean closed for sometime as well due to technical problems. The park had AT LEAST twice as many people in it compared to Sunday (which didn't make any sense) and there were a bunch of teenagers from various high schools there that were acting as the worst of them do. It was a big problem because I heard people complaining about them left and right. Between all the closures, the increased wait time due to those closures and unexpected increase in people and those high schoolers, it was a less than magical Disney Day. It took me a while to get over it, but I did and the day was fun in the end. I just wish it would have been fun from the beginning. I don't ever recall being disappointed while at Disneyland, so this will be a sad first.
In the end, the trip was a lot of fun and a great getaway with Beth and Amber. I am back in St. Louis now and am back to work tomorrow morning. I won't return home until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and then will pick up and leave for Wisconsin Thursday for a week. I will only have a few days at home this month (I haven't been there at all in June yet) so when I am it will be nice. At least I still get to see Beth plenty.
There are a few photos from my camera phone on the photo blog of the trip... I hope you enjoy them.
It's time to earn my keep once again and say good-bye to the uncharacteristically cloudy Southern California sky. Those clouds were a good thing as they kept temperatures moderate and made outdoor activity enjoyable. I arrived in LA Saturday afternoon. Beth and Amber picked me up at LAX and we headed for Universal Studios to catch "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." I enjoyed the movie quite a lot, although there were a few things I would have changed. Nothing major. That same evening we enjoyed a nice dinner at Gladstones on City Walk, where a bird narrowly missed me and bombed the table instead. Whew, lucky miss I guess. Gotta love patio dining!
We headed back to Anaheim that night where we stayed across the street from Disneyland. The original plan was to spend Sunday at the LA Farmers Market, but instead, we opted to go to Disney's California Adventure and add a second day of Disney fun and go to Disneyland on Monday. The Farmer's Market had to wait until today, but in the end, Beth and Amber decided to nix that plan and drive back to Vegas after they dropped me at Orange County airport.
Disney's California Adventure was a lot of fun. Although it isn't Disneyland, overtime as the park builds up with more attractions, and, more importantly, more vegetation, it will become an even more delightful place. I enjoyed the new "Tower of Terror" that recently opened. Although it wasn't terrifying, it was fun. I'd have to say "Soaring Over California" is one of the more unique rides I've ever been on. Grizzly Rapids (or whatever it is called) is a ride that won't get you wet, it will SOAK you. Going on it at 6:30 at night when the sun is setting is not a good idea. We damn near froze, but we headed straight for the hotel to change into warmer clothes and enjoy the rest of the evening at Disneyland.
We did make one more stop at DCA, however, and that was to enjoy the classic "Disney's Electrical Parade." It was just how I remembered with some new floats, too. From there we headed over to Disneyland and spent the evening riding Indiana Jones, Haunted House, Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean. We spent all of yesterday at Disneyland, but found a lot of it to be disappointing.
Most of Tomorrowland was closed for various reasons. Space Mountain is being renovated and will re-open next year. The Autopia was closed for sometime after someone injured themselves. Star Tours closed due to technical problems. The Rocket Ride, which replaced the People Movers, is permanently closed and being torn out (it was only open three years) and the restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed, too. Beyond Tomorrowland, Pirates of the Caribbean closed for sometime as well due to technical problems. The park had AT LEAST twice as many people in it compared to Sunday (which didn't make any sense) and there were a bunch of teenagers from various high schools there that were acting as the worst of them do. It was a big problem because I heard people complaining about them left and right. Between all the closures, the increased wait time due to those closures and unexpected increase in people and those high schoolers, it was a less than magical Disney Day. It took me a while to get over it, but I did and the day was fun in the end. I just wish it would have been fun from the beginning. I don't ever recall being disappointed while at Disneyland, so this will be a sad first.
In the end, the trip was a lot of fun and a great getaway with Beth and Amber. I am back in St. Louis now and am back to work tomorrow morning. I won't return home until Tuesday or Wednesday of next week and then will pick up and leave for Wisconsin Thursday for a week. I will only have a few days at home this month (I haven't been there at all in June yet) so when I am it will be nice. At least I still get to see Beth plenty.
There are a few photos from my camera phone on the photo blog of the trip... I hope you enjoy them.
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