Ooh-de-lally! A dining heavy October '13 Trip Report *update 2/23-We're Going Back!*

[TheMaxRebo]

Ugh how annoying about the urgent care locations! But I'm glad they were able to go and everything worked out for them!

Art of Animation really is super fun and bright! The surf and surf burger sounded interesting, I almost got it myself but decided on something else. I'm glad to hear it was good! And I love all your pictures!

ah, you snuck in there while I was commenting

It was very annoying but we are very glad that everything got taken care of. It was actually something that was bothering Judi for a while but we just thought it was an acne type thing. I mean, who would of thought that having a trained medical person look at a condition could result in an improvement? The joys of modern medicine

I was flip-flopping a bit as I too wasn't sure about the Surf and Surf burger but I am very glad I tried it. The creole sauce on it definitely made it - so you would have to like those types of flavors.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Gee Phil, it's a good thing your need for the "urgent" care facility wasn't actually incredibly urgent. My God what a journey.

Haha, see one a the big benefits of staying offsite that people don't get is that you get to drive under the arch multiple times a trip. Unless of course you're located where you are where it would make no sense to do that.

Ugh, not looking forward to the rapid fill system at all. What's the time limit between refills?

Yay for AoA. I agree, it's extremely well done. OK Disney, now stop building hotels and start building some new attractions!!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Gee Phil, it's a good thing your need for the "urgent" care facility wasn't actually incredibly urgent. My God what a journey.

Haha, see one a the big benefits of staying offsite that people don't get is that you get to drive under the arch multiple times a trip. Unless of course you're located where you are where it would make no sense to do that.

Ugh, not looking forward to the rapid fill system at all. What's the time limit between refills?

Yay for AoA. I agree, it's extremely well done. OK Disney, now stop building hotels and start building some new attractions!!!

So, the time limit between refills is 2 mins, but then if you buy a paper cup you get 4 fills total and has to be within 1 hour, after 1 hour it no longer works even if you only filled it once

haha - they need the people behind building the resorts to get on Star Wars land ... and then quietly move James Cameron over to building a resort rather than Avatar Land

 

[khaleesi]

Oy. Look at all those people! Crowds make me twitchy. Glad you were able to escape to MK, but boo to not being able to do everything you wanted.

The picture of Olivia with her grandpa is very sweet!

Your "A, 2, iii" numbering system makes me laugh. I do that at work and people just roll their eyes.

haha - they need the people behind building the resorts to get on Star Wars land ... and then quietly move James Cameron over to building a resort rather than Avatar Land

AGREED!!!!!!!!!

 

[emmysmommy]

Phil I laughed so hard at your urgent care clinic quest. This is particularly funny to me since I work for a major insurance company who occasionally has patients tell us that doctor so and so died 5 years ago I can't see him! (That's definitely not the funny part.) But your son of a bee-sting - so eloquently put.

I think that church must have a good number of tourists visit weekly since I've seen it in many a trip report. Seriously, that's cool that you took the time to do that.

Your photo tour of AoA included many parts that I haven't seen - very well done Disney. It must have been a lot of fun creating all the fun designs and features around the resort. Olivia with her head in Maters gaping mouth is awesome!

And here's a to your comment about having James Cameron building a resort instead of Avatarland.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Oy. Look at all those people! Crowds make me twitchy. Glad you were able to escape to MK, but boo to not being able to do everything you wanted.

The picture of Olivia with her grandpa is very sweet!

Your "A, 2, iii" numbering system makes me laugh. I do that at work and people just roll their eyes.

AGREED!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, we have gone in October our last few trips and it was so empty compared to this year... not sure if it is just the economy picking up or what, but it was crowded. And there were some tour groups but not a ton so it wasn't like it was just that. We did have another whole day at MK where we got a ton more done. Still not everything, but hey, that's another reason to go back

Phil I laughed so hard at your urgent care clinic quest. This is particularly funny to me since I work for a major insurance company who occasionally has patients tell us that doctor so and so died 5 years ago I can't see him! (That's definitely not the funny part.) But your son of a bee-sting - so eloquently put.

I think after the second time in a row of it being wrong we were just kinda like that SNL bit - "Really? Really?" It just annoys me because they put these limits in place and then don't have accurate information - it would be like a restaurant having a menu that does not line up with what they are actually cooking.

I think that church must have a good number of tourists visit weekly since I've seen it in many a trip report. Seriously, that's cool that you took the time to do that.

Your photo tour of AoA included many parts that I haven't seen - very well done Disney. It must have been a lot of fun creating all the fun designs and features around the resort. Olivia with her head in Maters gaping mouth is awesome!

And here's a to your comment about having James Cameron building a resort instead of Avatarland.

We were all impressed by AoA -definitely over the top with the themeing but can see how it would be great for families with young kids - and love that they have the family suites.

I think that would work out for the best - I mean, a resort that is done up like Pandora could be kinda cool with the floor lighting up when you walk on it ... and just imagine the themeing of the pool area! Plus this way people who are into it can stay there but people that want nothing to do with it don't have to see it in a park

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 3 - Part 3: Victoria & Albert's ... Fancy Pants Anniversary Dinner​

One of the great benefits of bringing along Judi's parents was that they offered to watch the kids so that we could have a night out alone - "Date night" if it were.

Knowing this, and given that this year was our 10th Anniversary, we decided to celebrate with a evening out for dinner at Victoria & Albert's. Not to ruin the ending, but let's just say it was a good call.

I should preface the below that we didn't take our camera (so only used our phones, and with the low lighting the pictures aren't the best) and I didn't take detailed notes as we just wanted to appreciate the experience, and, you know, each other's company and what not. But hopefully the below gives you some idea of the wonderful night we had.

Judi's dad was nice enough to drive us and pick us up, and after dropping us off at the Grand Floridian we took a little time to enjoy the lobby and even listen to the band that was playing:

We then made our way up to the second story, past the fancy shops and the check-in counter for Cetrico's and entered Victoria & Albert's. I think just at that point we knew we were in for a great night. We were seated at a 2-top off to the right at what I thought was a great location as we could take in the entire room and felt secluded but not isolated.

Our main waiter was Micheal but he had a partner as well and some additional help. I will probably mention this again at the end but it warrants multiple mentions - the wait staff could not have been any better. While their outfits might have been a little frilly, they were all completely down to earth and made great conversation and absolutely knew the menu inside and out.

I actually had surprised Judi by pre-arranging for a bottle of champagne to be at the table when we arrived. Unfortunately I didn't write down the name of it and the receipt doesn't indicate it either - but it was a very nice, easy to drink, NV French Champagne and Judi was very (and pleasantly) surprised - so mission accomplished.

We were first provided with a water menu. Personally I had not ever seen a water menu before but I thought it was neat (though we opted for their standard triple filtered "house" water). I guess this is becoming a thing and I recently learned that Rays & Stark Bar at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art now not only features a water menu but also a water sommelier who can help you decide what water to pair with what dish, and the also offer water flights.

As it was our anniversary we were provided with customized menus which I thought was a nice touch and made a nice keep sake:

We both decided to do the wine pairing with our dinner. Since that normally includes a glass of champagne with the amuse-bouche and we already had a fully bottle to split they instead would provide us with a dessert wine with our dessert ... works for us.

The amuse-bouch this evening was a sampling of tuna. Here is probably where having taken good notes would have helped

Amuse-bouche: Tuna sampling:of a spring role, soba noodles with tuna tartare, and seared tuna

They were all very good but I especially enjoyed the soba noodles bite.


Next, the first of our breads came out. There was a progression of breads throughout the meal each paired with a different butter - again, another nice touch.

Bread: fresh baguette with slow churned creamy butter with sea salt

First course:

Petit Poussin with Violet Mustard and Crispy Skin: paired with a Langtry Savignon Blanc Lillie Vineyard

Octopus "A La Plancha" with Black Garlic Aioli: paried with Granbazan Albarino

These were both very good. I had the Poussin and appreciated the extra texture the crispy skin gave it. Though I must admit I liked Judi's Octopus dish just a little bit better - the different sauces provided with it gave it so many layers of flavor.


Second course:

Yellowtail Snapper with Yellos Tomato Bouillon and Almonds - paired with Fiano di Avellino Dei Feudi Di San Gregorio

Main Diver Scallop with Cauliflower and Glace de Viande - paried with Mer Soleil Cardonnay

um, yeah, totally forgot to take pictures of this and figured I needn't bother you wish shots of fish or scallops that were 80% eaten (I do have them, so PM me if interested).

It's a shame too as the snapper dish I had was one of the highlights of the meal. Lot's of depth of flavor. The scallops were good too, but I think I won this round.


Before this course we were given another bread, I think the description will let you know how rich and yummy it was:

Bread: baked with black truffles and served with butter that had black truffles in it as well

Third course:

Veal Napolean with Chanterelle Mushrooms - paried with Grgich Hills Merlot

Palmetto Farms Quail with Serrano Ham and Figs (sand the Ham as Judi doesn't eat pork) - paried with Cakebread Zinfandel

As Judi doesn't eat pork or beef she wasn't sure what to get this course with the quail came with ham. They indicated that she could order in it's place any dish from the vegetarian menu (so know that is always an option) but they also indicated she could get the quail without the ham, which is what she went for.

This is probably a course where we both like our choice best. The mushrooms in the thick, rich sauce were really excellent on mine and the veal itself was super tender.


I should note that during the meal they have a harpist playing and she was very good. I enjoyed the fact that she mixed in traditional classic music with harp transpositions of more contemporary music.

It was around this point in the meal that we thought a song she was playing sounded familiar. After a bit of "no, it can't be" we determined that she was in fact playing "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds which happens to be the song that we danced to at our wedding reception as our first song. It is just about the sweetest, most romantic song we know - but in an unconventional and odd way ... kinda like us. We mentioned this fact to our wait staff who, must have mentioned it to the harpist as she wound up playing it again. Then on her break she came over to our table to introduce herself and to tell us how excited and happy she was to hear that was our wedding song as she too thinks it is the most romantic song ever. She also gave us a copy of her CD that features that song on it, and posed for a picture:

I wish I could have said that I planned that as another surprise, but it was just fate. It certainly made the night even more special and one we will never forget. Should you want to look up her music, her name is Elizabeth Gerberding - and if you are reading this Elizabeth - thank you so much!


Fourth course:

Australian Kobe-Styple Beef Tenderloin with Oxtail Ravioli - paired with Chateau Lassegue Bordeaux blend.

Niman Ranch Lamb with Squash Ragout, Gnocchi and Red Pepper Sauce - paired with Gigondus Domaine du Grapiollon d'Or

These were two excellent courses - and both very hearty without being super heavy. The Kobe beef really was excellent - it tastes so different than "regular" beef - just on another level. I must admit one of the main reasons I chose this was to try the oxtail ravoli and that did not disappoint at all. I could have had a meal of just that and been extremely happy. All of the wine pairing were excellent but these were two great wines - along with the two the previous course I should note.


Fifth course:

Cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano, Fiscalini Cheddar, Rogue River Blue, Gouda Reypenaer - paried with Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Porto

Roased White Chocolate Gelato with Blasamic Glaze - paired with Bosio Moscato D'Asti
... which I apparently don't have a picture of

I think at this point we might have been starting to get full but I did enjoy that the gelato cleansed the pallate quite well. Also the port that came with Judi's cheese was excellent.


With dessert we ordered the "Celebes" Coffee - which is this amazingly cool contraption for brewing coffee that we found way too fascinating. It's designed to steep the coffee in the top part when the water in the bottom is heated and then when the heat is removed the coffee is sucked from the top part to the bottom. However it works it creates some dang fine coffee.

Sixth course:

Caramelized Banana Gateau - paired with a dessert wine that I cannot recall

Grand Marnier Souffle - paired with the same dessert wine I can't remember

These were among the desserts that were recommended to us. They were both very good and both looked very impressive. I do have to say that Judi's souffle was the hands down winner. That was one of the best desserts I have every tasted.


They then brought out some after dessert desserts (since clearly we hadn't eaten enough) that we actually asked if they could pack up for us.

They also gave us some fresh baked sweet bread to have for breakfast the next day and presented Judi with a rose.

The only hiccup to the evening was that I had also arranged with Disney Florist to have flowers brought out for Judi during dessert. I inquired to the wait staff, but they indicated they didn't have anything and called the front desk and they had not received anything either. The next day I called Disney Florist and they said they delivered it to the Grand Floridain, and are not sure what happened. One person they spoke to said their records indicated we switched our meal to be at Citricos, which a) isn't true and 2) doesn't explain what happened to the flowers. They refunded the cost so in the end it wasn't a huge deal - but still a bit annoying. Oh well, I think I got brownie points for trying at least

All-in-all the meal took about 3.5 hours but didn't drag at all. This was easily one of the best meals of our lives and are so glad that we decided to do this. If you are thinking of doing this, I definitely suggest giving it a shot - obviously not the cheapest meal, but given the setting, level of service, and variety and quality of the food, it really is worth it.


With the TIW we saved $106.00 bringing the grand total to $264.60

We spent a little more time walking around the lobby

Then Judi's dad picked us up and we went back to the condo to rest (and digest) for we had a long day back at the parks coming up the next day

 

[missangelalexis]

So nice that you guys got to have a night to yourselves! The food looks exquisite. How amazing that the harpist played your wedding song! That's definitely some pixie dust After dessert desserts? Wowza they really like to go all out! Sorry about the mixup with the flowers, but it sounds like overall it was a perfect night!

 

[IheartDDuck]

Okay, I have to comment that I loved your A) 2) iii) reasons for loving the picture. I snorted laughing, because it makes me think about people listing things out and not remembering what they start with.

I'm glad that you really didn't need that urgent care location! Because:

A) Not finding it would stink.
2) No one wants to need urgent care and not find it.
iii) Wouldn't want a trip to be really ruined.

The food looks good at Landscapes of Flavor. Haven't been there yet, but definitely want to swing by and check it out.

Ooohhh, fancy pants anniversary dinner!

Wow, a water menu. That is fancy stuff.

They serve the Grand Marnier soufflé at Chef Paul (formerly The Bistro), and it's amazing!

That stinks about the flowers! Such a shame that they were lost. I'm glad they refunded you with no problem, but it still doesn't make it any better.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Hmmm, I'm not sure I'm even classy enough to READ a report on Victoria & Albert's. I feel so under-dressed just commenting. (Don't worry, I'm still dressed, just not at a Victoria & Albert's level. I felt the need to clarify.)

Customized menus, now that IS classy and what a lovely momemto.

So I have to ask, was the Amuse-bouche "amuse-ing"? (Yeah I had to get a Friends reference in here somewhere.)

Wow, to have "Your Song" playing during this experience must have just been amazing. So wonderful and pixie dust-ish.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

So nice that you guys got to have a night to yourselves! The food looks exquisite. How amazing that the harpist played your wedding song! That's definitely some pixie dust After dessert desserts? Wowza they really like to go all out! Sorry about the mixup with the flowers, but it sounds like overall it was a perfect night!

Overall it was such a great night! Like I knew I would like it going in but it exceeded my expectations - and the harpist playing our song is definitely something we will remember forever

Okay, I have to comment that I loved your A) 2) iii) reasons for loving the picture. I snorted laughing, because it makes me think about people listing things out and not remembering what they start with.

I'm glad that you really didn't need that urgent care location! Because:

A) Not finding it would stink.
2) No one wants to need urgent care and not find it.
iii) Wouldn't want a trip to be really ruined.

The food looks good at Landscapes of Flavor. Haven't been there yet, but definitely want to swing by and check it out.

Ooohhh, fancy pants anniversary dinner!

Wow, a water menu. That is fancy stuff.

They serve the Grand Marnier soufflé at Chef Paul (formerly The Bistro), and it's amazing!

That stinks about the flowers! Such a shame that they were lost. I'm glad they refunded you with no problem, but it still doesn't make it any better.

Thankfully the "urgent care" wasn't super urgent, but still annoying.

We liked Landscape of Flavor a lot - worked out really well going there on one of our off days.

Have to remember that they have the Grand Marnier Souffle at Chef Pual's as well - it really was amazing!

I was bummed about the flowers - it was the one thing I actually made a point of calling the week before the trip to check and confirm that everything was set - and of course super awkward to sit there during dessert and just waiting for them to come out with the flowers and it not happen and have to ask, etc.

Hmmm, I'm not sure I'm even classy enough to READ a report on Victoria & Albert's. I feel so under-dressed just commenting. (Don't worry, I'm still dressed, just not at a Victoria & Albert's level. I felt the need to clarify.)

Customized menus, now that IS classy and what a lovely momemto.

So I have to ask, was the Amuse-bouche "amuse-ing"? (Yeah I had to get a Friends reference in here somewhere.)

Wow, to have "Your Song" playing during this experience must have just been amazing. So wonderful and pixie dust-ish.

first off, thanks for clarifying about your state of dress

One of the things I loved about V&A was not pretentious at all. Living/working near NYC I have gone to some fancy-smancy restaurants and always hate the ones that are full of themselves and find we go back to the ones that were more down to earth and the staff at V&A was really great.

ok, really glad I am not the only one that thinks of Chandler whenever hearding/reading "Amouse-bouche"

Definitely a moment ... was funny in that it just took us a while to convince ourselves that it actually was that song she was playing since it just seemed so made up that it would happen.

 

[kastoney]

WOW your meal at V&A looks amazing. I think I would have just stuffed myself on the truffle bread and butter and called it a day. And the tiw discount to boot, perfect anniversary.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 4 - Part 1: MGM Studios ... Breakfast and Characters Dinner​

Monday was another park day which meant it was another early, pre-park opening breakfast. In this case our destination was:

And we were off to Hollywood & Vine for the Dine & Plan breakfast. We had to wait a little bit for them to call our names and we were seated at a pretty good table on the left side as you come in, close to where they do the dace party parts.

Right after drink orders were taken and before we even had a chance to go up for any food OSO (the unique, stuffed bear) was at our table to greet us.

This morning Olivia had to warm up to the characters being mostly into the autographs and Peter was very into spotting them from afar but wanted nothing to do with them when they came to the table.

After OSO left for another special assignment we had our own special assignment - basically to go get food. Below is a shot of my plate, then Olivia's plate, and then Peters:

The food is pretty standard - my plate (starting at the top, going clockwise) had a bagel with butter, some grapes, a blueberry muffin, veggie fritata, cheesy potatoes (that were not as good at as Akershus), sausage patty, and a biscuit with sausage gravy. Overall it was fine - not terrible, but not the best either.

We then were visited by June from Little Einsteins, Jake (who was very fun - saw a lot of good interaction with kids), and Handy Manny.

Prior to Manny getting there they brought out a birthday cupcake for Bob which had captured Peter's full attention (you can see him basically ignoring Manny above). I think the cupcake was Peter's favorite part of breakfast:

As the meal went on Olivia did warm up to the characters some more and even got up for one of the dance parties and had fun (sorry, didn't have any pictures of her dancing that didn't have other kids in it whose parents may or may not want their images on the internet)

Before we left Olivia made it known quite clearly that she wanted a picture against the backdrop they have set up:

Overall I would rate the Hollywood & Vine breakfast as just OK. Definitely not bad and the character interractions are very good - but of the 4 breakfasts we did this week I would rank it last and the next trip we take, unless one of the kids is dying to meet one of the characters and that is the only way to see him/her I think we will pass.

We were able to use TIW and saved $22.79. This brings our total TIW savings to $258.42 and, with the parking savings at MGM that morning, that brings our AP savings to $43.97, and a grand total of $279.60 ... so about 2/3rds of the way to breaking even!


One thing I should note is that at around 8:50 we noticed that people had been let into the park so Bob took off with our tickets to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania. He got ones with return times for 2:35-3:35. After we finished breakfast we walked by to see what standby time was (this was at around 9:15) and it was already at 70 mins and all the fast passes we gone for the rest of the day. This trip showed me pretty clearly that FP+ is definitely lessening the availability for FP-.


After this we decided to head to Animation Courtyard and saw that Sophia the First was already out, so Olivia the First definitely had to meet her. She was great and gave tons of hugs and just seemed excited to meet all her friends ... even if Peter wasn't super into it just yet.

I wanted to do the drawing class but we had just missed the cut-off for the next class so decided to go meet Minnie at her new location in her new dress. This was a really nicely set up area - loved all the Disney-fied movie posters - and Minnie was super sweet really trying to get Peter to engage her. He found her ottoman really interesting and she went over to it to see if that would help ... not so much

After this we did go to the next drawing class which I found a lot of fun. Only issue was they took a vote to draw either Dopey or Daisy and Olivia really wanted to do Daisy but Dopey one. She was fine at first but once she realized that they weren't going to do Daisy too she kinda got upset and it took a bit to get her to come around.

Anyway, here is my take - think it came out pretty good ... you can at least tell who it is

next up -> more fun at MGM including the Disney Jr. Show and an experience that seems to be a real rarity for DISers

 

[spiritsim]

So do you get to keep the menu as a keepsake? Just curious....Very lovely dinner........But not my style for our anniversary we plan on Fultons crab house...

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Disney's MGM... NICE!!!!!!

Wow, I had heard stories in October about FP's disappearing quickly. Unreal that all TSMM were gone by 9:15. I guess that helps explain why the FP tiering came into play. You were lucky to get any at all. Just wow.

I can't really explain it, but I think Sophia creeps me out a little. I think it's because most "real people" characters appear in face form, so it just throws me when they're in fur form. Her head is so BIG!!

 

[kastoney]

Great update. I've contemplated doing H&V mainly for the Disney Jr aspect but after reading this think we will hold off. I'm actually surprised they haven't updated the characters. Nor sure about your kids but only Jake is in the upper echelon of characters at our house. I don't think my daughter would care too much about June, Oso, or Manny. Now if Sophia and Doc joined Jake that would be a different story ; )

 

[missangelalexis]

Lots of characters this morning, awesome! So jealous that you got to draw Dopey, I think you did a great job!!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

WOW your meal at V&A looks amazing. I think I would have just stuffed myself on the truffle bread and butter and called it a day. And the tiw discount to boot, perfect anniversary.

That bread was ridiculously good even though we were getting full we had to finish our slices

Unfortunately next year they will stop accepting TIW there, but we were glad to get in there in time.

So do you get to keep the menu as a keepsake? Just curious....Very lovely dinner........But not my style for our anniversary we plan on Fultons crab house...

We did get to keep the menus - they put them in a nice folder/envelope for us

Disney's MGM... NICE!!!!!!

Wow, I had heard stories in October about FP's disappearing quickly. Unreal that all TSMM were gone by 9:15. I guess that helps explain why the FP tiering came into play. You were lucky to get any at all. Just wow.

I can't really explain it, but I think Sophia creeps me out a little. I think it's because most "real people" characters appear in face form, so it just throws me when they're in fur form. Her head is so BIG!!

It will always be MGM to me

We are glad we got FP for TSM. Didn't mention specifically in the report but the McNamees didn't join us for breakfast but did meet us in the park a little later and by the time they got there there were no FP and they weren't waiting over an hour for it so they didn't get to go on the ride. I am looking forward to the future when the whole FP+/MB thing is fully rolled out and all the kinks are worked out (ok, I get that I am an optimist) but there are definitely some issues during this "testing" phase

yeah, here head is pretty huge, but I think they captured the character pretty well and she was super energetic and definitely one Olivia was looking forward to and was excited about.

Great update. I've contemplated doing H&V mainly for the Disney Jr aspect but after reading this think we will hold off. I'm actually surprised they haven't updated the characters. Nor sure about your kids but only Jake is in the upper echelon of characters at our house. I don't think my daughter would care too much about June, Oso, or Manny. Now if Sophia and Doc joined Jake that would be a different story ; )

It is a fun breakfast and a lot of kids seem to enjoy it - and the food isn't *bad* but it isn't the best and like you said, a lot of the characters aren't the most popular. Also, it is slightly more epensive that Crystal Palace (when we went, an aduly was $2 more at H&V vs. CP) which I find to be a superior breakfast (food and characters) so makes it even harder to justify

Lots of characters this morning, awesome! So jealous that you got to draw Dopey, I think you did a great job!!

yeah, we really hit up a bunch at MGM that day - some more to come as well! Thanks - they do make it pretty easy, but was pretty happy with my work ... plus you get to keep them so kind of a free souvenir

 

[RatherBeInAK]

I really enjoyed reading about your experience at V&A. I would really like to have dinner there one day. I mentioned the possibility to DH but he wasn't as keen on the idea. I figure we'd pay that much to go on a whale watching tour or a kayak trip, why not for 3.5 hours of eating? Maybe one day. Until then I'll just live vicariously through those of you who have been and are willing to share your experience.

 

[khaleesi]

It was around this point in the meal that we thought a song she was playing sounded familiar. After a bit of "no, it can't be" we determined that she was in fact playing "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds which happens to be the song that we danced to at our wedding reception as our first song. It is just about the sweetest, most romantic song we know - but in an unconventional and odd way ... kinda like us. We mentioned this fact to our wait staff who, must have mentioned it to the harpist as she wound up playing it again. Then on her break she came over to our table to introduce herself and to tell us how excited and happy she was to hear that was our wedding song as she too thinks it is the most romantic song ever. She also gave us a copy of her CD that features that song on it, and posed for a picture:

That's one of the coolest things I've ever read!

Hmmm, I'm not sure I'm even classy enough to READ a report on Victoria & Albert's.

That totally made me laugh, because I was thinking the exact same thing about myself!! LOL.

I am completely intrigued by the concept of a water flight. I'm perfectly happy drinking tap water, and drink plenty of it. But I think that's kind of a cool idea! I'm just too cheap to pay money for something I can get for free .

This 41 and childless girl cannot wait to meet Sophia the First. I'd be lying if I said I didn't record that show. Haha. And my nephew loves Jake, so I'm hoping I can meet him on my trip!