Anyone Game? 2 Castles and a Road Trip TR! Last Day and TR Wrap Up! #2796; 10/01

[DisneyFirefly]

I'd rather not I think the longest I've spent on a plane was when I went to Alaska, with a layover in Seattle.

 

[Twigs]

Hi Princess! I found you here and am following your report! And I know not to look at your posts on an empty stomach!

 

[skier_pete]

e-readers. Yes.

(Nice to see you here, Pete. I only realised yesterday that you've finished your TR. I will be catching up on it today.)

Ah, you know I would join in, even if I only comment occasionally! Heck, you may have met with a lot of other DISers here in the USA, but how many of them have been to your house.

I get the electronics dilemma. We are going to leave a lot of stuff home - we are restricting DD to ONE piece of electronics for the trip. We'll see what she picks.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'd rather not I think the longest I've spent on a plane was when I went to Alaska, with a layover in Seattle.

I don't blame you.

Hi Princess! I found you here and am following your report! And I know not to look at your posts on an empty stomach!

You know me well. Make sure you have a full stomach for the next set of posts as well.

Ah, you know I would join in, even if I only comment occasionally! Heck, you may have met with a lot of other DISers here in the USA, but how many of them have been to your house.

I get the electronics dilemma. We are going to leave a lot of stuff home - we are restricting DD to ONE piece of electronics for the trip. We'll see what she picks.

Pete - I've met a few Dis'sers in the US and in Australia; but there is only ONE that has been over to my house. And we both know who that YOU is.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Groundhog Day




Due to the quirk of the International Dateline, we arrived in LA some 3 hours earlier than we left Melbourne. We still have Friday the 13th to re-live all over again; albeit in a completely different country.



The First Flight In

We were the first plane into LAX on the morning of the 13 September. We’d made good time and got in just shortly after 6 am. I learnt something new this morning. Even though we were on the ground, we had to wait until 6.30 am before the cabin crew were allowed to open the doors. Turns out custom officers start work at that time, when they are paid.

One of the things that I worried about in the planning phase was clearing customs at LAX. With the lack of Government funds and furloughs on offer, we had heard that some people were taking up to 3 hours to clear customs in US airports. I figured that if I planned for a long wait, then anything less than that would be a bonus.


And as we were allowed to disembark only when the officers clocked on, I power walked the boys to the customs area so that we would beat pretty much everyone except the upper deck customers.


The benefit of being the first plane to land was that they let us use the express pass lanes as well.
I did look back at the line at one stage….after the planes from Brisbane and China had landed; with the planes from Sydney and South America still to disembark. Yes, I’ll take a 20 minute wait for the customs officers to clock on any day!




All in all, we cleared out of the airport within 20 minutes and were well on the road by 7.30 am!



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[PrincessInOz]

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The Best Laid Plans #1




In planning this trip, I had printed off Google map directions on how to get to each destination. Our first stop after picking up the hire car was always going to be an AT&T store….in Long Beach. It was also a convenient destination because I had planned to catch up with franandaj for a Shabu Shabu lunch. As we were so early, I texted her from DH’s cellphone to let her know that I was heading in her direction.


In my plans I did not envisage franandaj asking me what route I was planning on taking to LV. But she did. Turns out Google maps has nothing on local knowledge. The 4-0-5 (or so hours) was close to standstill and she suggested I take the 105 to 710. So, we made the re-route.


I do thank you, franandaj, but the 710 was also pretty bad.






For the ANZACs that might be reading this, driving in SoCal is not as bad as it seems. With the traffic, you will only be travelling at most around the 60 – 80 kmh mark…at best….and the LA drivers are a LOT more polite than the drivers in Melbourne. If you indicate, someone will let you in.




The irony of my “best laid plan” was that the Google map directions had me approaching Long Beach and 2nd Street from the south; Alison’s route had me approaching LB from the north. I remember having a few texts with her on how to get to 2nd Street…..and eventually figured it out based on sheer dumb elephant swiss cheese memory. But we did take 3 left turns in Long Beach at least twice!

For anyone reading this and if you're going to re-route, just make sure you have a better map that the Hertz rental map as a guide. I completely forgot to pack my existing road maps on this trip! And even though a fellow Aussie Dis-ser had loaned me her US Garmin, DH and I decided not to take it along as we really wanted to cut down on the number of devices we had on this trip.




We got to Long Beach at around 9 am; just in time for the AT&T store opening. I LOVE AT&T customer service. I was Walk-Out-Working within 10 minutes. As I was going to be in the US close on a month, I had decided on the new monthly $60 prepaid plan for the smart phone. This included 2 GB of data; all my voice and text messages and a whole bunch of other Value Added Services as well. Plus, they gave me a SIM card for free.




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[PrincessInOz]

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Not Coffee #1




By this time of the morning, DS was flagging fast. It was, afterall, 4 am Melbourne time and he had stayed up for the entire duration. We checked 2nd Street and there was a Starbucks and Peets Coffee directly opposite each other. We chose Peets.


I got sucked into the Maple Ice. It was definitely NOT the coffee hit I was looking for.






I’ve long maintained the viewpoint that age is more a mental thing than anything. But this has to be one of those few rare moments where I conceded to the physical side of aging.


O.M.G. This this was so sickly sweet that I couldn’t finish it! I had to reflect that this was the FIRST time EVER that I’ve found anything too sickly sweet; and it was a sign of things to come. Sadly, the amount of sweetness I indulged in for this trip was significantly less than I had planned.



Oh….and I should mention that cherry roll was something that we shared 3 ways. It isn’t going to be a snack that I’ll be rushing back to get.




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[PrincessInOz]

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DisMeet #1




By this stage, DS was asleep, face down, on the table. Alison had contacted me to let me know that the Shabu Shabu place was opened at noon; but given the state DS was in, we jumped at the alternative that she proposed.






The Nomad Asian Bistro is located at the Marketplace complex in Long Beach. It was a pleasant enough space for us to feel at home and comfortable immediately.






More importantly, it was opened earlier than the Shabu Shabu and we had plans for the afternoon that meant we needed to complete lunch a lot earlier than originally planned.



It was wonderful to see Alison in 3D again. We’ve known each other now for over 3 years and this was the 3rd or 4th time that we’d physically been breathing the same air space. So, we had lots to chat about and catch up on; even if the conversation did pick up from where we left off on the Dis some 24 hours prior.


And as a DisMeet is not officially recognised as having been completed without the objective evidence…….






Due to the way our bookings for WDW had worked out, I got a set of Magic Bands delivered to her address. We can talk about these when I get to Orlando. But for now, I was pretty pleased to pick them up from her.






Our lunch?






I ordered the lunch special, which came with a short soup….






Sole and Vegetables; and brown rice.






DH ordered the stir fry vegetables.






I ordered a chicken fried rice for DS.







DS? Well, he ordered the table. He was so tired that after the rice arrived, I noticed that he was sleeping sitting up. I had to get DH to move the rice real quick before DS’ forehead smacked down on the table. Poor boy. He was so tired that all he wanted for lunch was the table! He pretty much spent the entire lunch working on creating a nice indentation on his forehead.



Alison ordered the chicken chow mein…..







….and a serve of scallion pancakes that took forever to arrive. I must have been more tired than I thought as I don’t have a picture of it in my collection!




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[PrincessInOz]

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”It is not a real house - not until you decide to add a Haunted Mansion Room”




We gave up on the Shabu Shabu lunch because Alison had arranged for me to go see her new home. The agent had given her a time (and Alison, you know….with all the delays, we could have gone to Shabu Shabu instead!) and after lunch, we headed on over.






Some of you on the Dis may know that she’s been posting about this new home on a variety of threads and it is one heck of an amazing space. The best thing is that franandaj are planning on converting one of the rooms into a Haunted Mansion theme. Just like a Gingerbread House, it is not a real house….not until you decide to add a Haunted Mansion Room! I can’t wait to see the finished room; but until then, the existing space will have to suffice.


Did I mention it is an amazing space?


I love leadlight; and the ones in the entry door are beautiful.






DS found the couch in the living room and promptly went back to sleep. At least that table indentation in his forehead didn’t need to develop deeper. I considered leaving him in the car to sleep; but temperatures were approaching the 90's and it was way too hot to leave him there.






Alison’s kitchen.






I have no doubt that many a delicious meals will be created here.






I suspect that Alison will enjoy being able to socialise plenty from the kitchen with open space like this around her.






I’m also betting that the formal dining room will be well used.






That walk-in fridge with the wall refrigerator. Yes, it really does seem to work.






The laundry.






I liked the bedrooms. They were all a decent size and airy. Alison can come along and let us know which one of these will be the HM room.





















The ensuite to the master bathroom is HUGE!






Check out the outdoor space.











And before anyone else has other ideas, I have first dibs on one of these seats!






I think the master bedroom opens out to this space and table.







I could have easily spent another hour or two there. All that was missing was a cabana boy to go with the changerooms! And I did have our swimsuits in the bags in the car. There was plenty of space in here....I'm pretty sure we could have hidden in there and the owner may not have noticed!






But the agent needed to lock up and go. Technically, it still wasn’t Alison’s house yet….it would be another 3 weeks before it was all properly formalised.


I’m really happy to have had the opportunity to view the Haunted Mansion room house on this trip.

Thanks Alison!






ps. For the record, I'll be happy to share a room with Olga again....anytime!

 

[mvf-m11c]

Nice to hear that you were able to get to LAX early that Friday morning.

That is a good idea from Alison to change to a different restaurant so you can see her house that day. Nomad Asian Bistro looks like a good place to have lunch. That is nice picture of you and Alison at the restaurant. The food looks very appetizing. I remember during the meet that your DS was tired from the flight and slept at the restaurant that afternoon. I would have been the same as DS if I didn't get enough sleep during the flight.

The pictures from Alison new house looks very nice and spacious. I can imagine how her house will look when everything is finished and will look very nice.

Very nice update.

 

[DisneyFirefly]

Her house is so pretty!

 

[zanzibar138]

Oh poor DS! I feel for him - I was a bit like that the last time I went to the US and nothing was fun (for anyone ) until I'd had a nap.

That traffic!

I love that photo of you and Alison at the restaurant, and the food looks delish

Alison's new house is just gorgeous! And I LOVE the idea of having a HM room! That's it, our next house is going to have an extra bedroom so that I can do that Now to convince DH

 

[RGirl]

Great updates! I can't believe you were alive enough after that travel day to drive and to engage in comprehensible conversation with someone! Sounds like you had a great DIS meet!

 

[ACDSNY]

The indentation in the forehead story was cracking me up. I'm sure you're DS wouldn't think it's quite as funny.

Alison & Fran's house looks amazing, I'd be happy to stay in the backyard.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I'm in!

 

[kmedina]

Your poor DS. He must have been so tired. How funny that you had to go through Friday the 13th twice! Glad you got through customs quickly. Way to hustle. I hate Google Maps. It always seems to get me lost. I use my iPhone now, so I do not get lost anymoreGlad Alison gave you better directions (even though they weren't the best either. LA traffic is the worst. I remember seeing a play that ended at 10:30 on a Saturday night. Traffic looked like 5pm on a weekday.

That house is even more stunning than I pictured it. I am so happy for Alison and Fran. It is going to look even better all Disneyed out. Is that seriously a fridge within a fridge? A walk in fridge would be incredible.

 

[franandaj]

In my plans I did not envisage franandaj asking me what route I was planning on taking to LV. But she did. Turns out Google maps has nothing on local knowledge. The 4-0-5 (or so hours) was close to standstill and she suggested I take the 105 to 710. So, we made the re-route.


I do thank you, franandaj, but the 710 was also pretty bad.

I hate to break it to you but at that time of the morning EVERY freeway in LA will look like that, but in my experience the 405 is often the most traveled freeway and has the most novice drivers which makes it move so much slower. Either way you arrived well in time for your target if you not well ahead of it!

Thank you so much for sharing the photos you took of the place, they are lovely and since we still can't get in there for another two weeks or so, they are making me very happy to see what my future house will be like!

”It is not a real house - not until you decide to add a Haunted Mansion Room”

Key words, "add a Haunted mansion room". Eventually this bedroom (most likely) will be cannibalized into a staircase which will lead to the haunted mansion room that will be built as a second story on the house.



There is no one room in the house which is dark enough nor large enough for us to create a Haunted Mansion room on the ground floor. It needs to be about as big as the Living room so if we put it over the Master bedroom and bathroom, we could turn that other bedroom into a hallway staircase up to the second floor and not take away from the lovely vaulted ceilings in the Living room and skylights in the dining room. Also, that way it would only be used by us and not disturb us in our sleep because we would be in the room watching movies. The HM room would also be our movie room as it would be nice and dark.

This will be our bedroom, but we will have different furniture....



We are also planning some demo work in the, as you call it, en suite bathroom. Not exactly sure what that means, but I've heard Aussie's use the term before to indicate kitchen, and other parts of hotel rooms. I want a Jacuzzi tub where the make up counter is located, and I think we might remove the wall which hides the toilet and bidet, we might even remove the bidet and replace with another toilet. Fran thought it would be great if we had two toilets next to each other so we could both potty together!

We gave up on the Shabu Shabu lunch because Alison had arranged for me to go see her new home. The agent had given her a time (and Alison, you know….with all the delays, we could have gone to Shabu Shabu instead!) and after lunch, we headed on over.

I even thought about it that day, but can you imagine DS face planting into a plate of raw meat? I think we made the right choice. At least there were viable leftovers. I'm not sure what you would have done with thin slices of raw beef and a plate of raw veggies. Then again, maybe a pot of boiling water in front of him would have caused him to wake up, either that or get a facial!

Check out the outdoor space. !

You did miss the grassy area of the yard

ps. For the record, I'll be happy to share a room with Olga again....anytime!

This one is Olga's room, we will have a bed in it instead of the desk. Actually the same comfy bed that you slept on. It is relatively new! Our bed on the other hand is older than dirt! We are getting a new bed for this house. The master bedroom will have a brand new bed with bedroom set that is at least new to us.

 

[franandaj]

That house is even more stunning than I pictured it. I am so happy for Alison and Fran. It is going to look even better all Disneyed out. Is that seriously a fridge within a fridge? A walk in fridge would be incredible.

That's the freezer inside the fridge!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Nice to hear that you were able to get to LAX early that Friday morning.

That is a good idea from Alison to change to a different restaurant so you can see her house that day. Nomad Asian Bistro looks like a good place to have lunch. That is nice picture of you and Alison at the restaurant. The food looks very appetizing. I remember during the meet that your DS was tired from the flight and slept at the restaurant that afternoon. I would have been the same as DS if I didn't get enough sleep during the flight.

The pictures from Alison new house looks very nice and spacious. I can imagine how her house will look when everything is finished and will look very nice.

Very nice update.

Thanks Bret. I really enjoyed going to see the house on this day.

Her house is so pretty!

Yes. I hope to visit it again.

Oh poor DS! I feel for him - I was a bit like that the last time I went to the US and nothing was fun (for anyone ) until I'd had a nap.

That traffic!

I love that photo of you and Alison at the restaurant, and the food looks delish

Alison's new house is just gorgeous! And I LOVE the idea of having a HM room! That's it, our next house is going to have an extra bedroom so that I can do that Now to convince DH

I hope you convinced DH. And whilst you're at it, tell him that you need to go shopping for the room.

Great updates! I can't believe you were alive enough after that travel day to drive and to engage in comprehensible conversation with someone! Sounds like you had a great DIS meet!

: I'm pretty sure I engaged in conversation. As to whether it is comprehesible or not....well, I'll leave that for Alison to be the judge of that.

The indentation in the forehead story was cracking me up. I'm sure you're DS wouldn't think it's quite as funny.

Alison & Fran's house looks amazing, I'd be happy to stay in the backyard.

Me too.

I'm in!

YAY! You made it over.

Your poor DS. He must have been so tired. How funny that you had to go through Friday the 13th twice! Glad you got through customs quickly. Way to hustle. I hate Google Maps. It always seems to get me lost. I use my iPhone now, so I do not get lost anymoreGlad Alison gave you better directions (even though they weren't the best either. LA traffic is the worst. I remember seeing a play that ended at 10:30 on a Saturday night. Traffic looked like 5pm on a weekday.

That house is even more stunning than I pictured it. I am so happy for Alison and Fran. It is going to look even better all Disneyed out. Is that seriously a fridge within a fridge? A walk in fridge would be incredible.

I used my iPhone in Colorado. Sadly, it is not 100% error free and we ended up having to backtrack and to find another way. I think it's fine in cities. It's just not great outside of the major urban areas.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I hate to break it to you but at that time of the morning EVERY freeway in LA will look like that, but in my experience the 405 is often the most traveled freeway and has the most novice drivers which makes it move so much slower. Either way you arrived well in time for your target if you not well ahead of it!

Yes, Glenn and I have been caught on the 405 before. It took us over 3 hours to make it from the Hollywood area to Costa Mesa.

And you're right. We got to Long Beach in plenty time. Any earlier and we would have had to wait for the shops to open.

Fran thought it would be great if we had two toilets next to each other so we could both potty together!

What was that I posted about 479 passengers that have to share and experience my smells, noises and personal Tourette ticks with for the 14 hours?






I even thought about it that day, but can you imagine DS face planting into a plate of raw meat? I think we made the right choice. At least there were viable leftovers. I'm not sure what you would have done with thin slices of raw beef and a plate of raw veggies. Then again, maybe a pot of boiling water in front of him would have caused him to wake up, either that or get a facial!

You did miss the grassy area of the yard

I know. It was all gated up and I didn't know if it was okay to just open gates and barge in.