~How TWO trips became...who knows? ~ It's a TRIP! and an upgrade.... 4/22

[maroo]

When we went to Tony's DD had the kids ziti with a meatball. The sauce was OK and the meatball wasn't good. DW had the Zuppa de Seafood (or whatever its called.. LOL and she said she liked it... She's the Italian one!) I had the NY Strip so no Italian for me. The NY Strip was awesome!!

Where are you from in CT?????

Sorry Maroo for the thread hi-jack!!!! LOLOLOL

This is making me hungry!!!

And you can hijack anytime you would like!!!!

Maroo,
I know you are on vacation (if you can call it that LOL) but I found a thread with someone asking about TS meals in DHS. As of now there isn't anything too telling in it, but you might get some random opinions. Check it out when you have time.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2183705

Tim

Well, right this second I am sitting in a nice hotel room and DISing...so it certainly feels like a vacation! But I have a feeling that may end soon. I will do a mini update on here, too, but I already posted the full deal on the Wish Trippers thread...

This is great!! Thank you...Maybe I can read it when they are practicing at some point here!

I can offer no help at all.

I'm just posting so you'll know I'm here!

Haven't eaten at Brown Derby or Mama's. Only Play 'n Dine at Hollywood and Vine for both breakfast and lunch. The buffet selections at lunch were very good; can't imagine they'd be much different for dinner.

The atmosphere is very retro-Hollywood... art deco... chrome trimmed tables... pretty murals on the walls. We liked it!


Kathy

You are so funny!! Thanks for posting! This is helpful!

We ate at Brown Derby in November and the food was great. We ate at Hollywood and Vine, but for breakfast and that food was good also. We would be willing to go back to either restaurant.

Note: The characters are only at Hollywood and Vine for breakfast and I think lunch.

Hmm...sounds like a lot of you guys like Brown Derby...and H&V....

 

[maroo]

Tim mentioned I was on vacation and since a lot of you guys have been following Lauren through my reports, I should let you know that she is sick today. Our first full day of this mission trip (we are in Chicago) and she is sick.

We are hoping if we let her sleep for a long time that she will perk up when she wakes up. We are actually going to the zoo today after our concert, so I am hoping she is up for something like that.

We traveled for 15 hours before we got here yesterday and went to sleep quite late. I think it was just a little much for her.

Anyway...that is the update for today from Chicago!

Oh, and you guys should pray for my driving!!! This city has some crazy interstates and construction like none other!

 

[All7OfUs]

Anyway...that is the update for today from Chicago!

Oh, and you guys should pray for my driving!!! This city has some crazy interstates and construction like none other!

Thanks for the update! and stay safe, my friend!

Liesa

 

[that's nice]

Hope Lauren is feeling better today!

 

[If U Had Wings]

When we went to Tony's DD had the kids ziti with a meatball. The sauce was OK and the meatball wasn't good. DW had the Zuppa de Seafood (or whatever its called.. LOL and she said she liked it... She's the Italian one!) I had the NY Strip so no Italian for me. The NY Strip was awesome!!

Where are you from in CT?????

Sorry Maroo for the thread hi-jack!!!! LOLOLOL

I heard the NY strip is pretty good. Mine was probably something chicken. (I can be pretty predictable when I'm out at restaurants. )


I'm from the shoreline area. Near New Haven. What part of CT are you in?

Tim mentioned I was on vacation and since a lot of you guys have been following Lauren through my reports, I should let you know that she is sick today. Our first full day of this mission trip (we are in Chicago) and she is sick.

We are hoping if we let her sleep for a long time that she will perk up when she wakes up. We are actually going to the zoo today after our concert, so I am hoping she is up for something like that.

Hope she's feeling better today!

 

[maroo]

Thanks for the update! and stay safe, my friend!

Liesa

Hope Lauren is feeling better today!

Hope she's feeling better today!

Thank you, guys!!!

See...I said "guys" instead of "y'all"...and I have only been in Chicago for a few days.

We let Lauren sleep in on Sunday and she was able to rejoin the group on Monday.

Monday was a very long and fantastic day. We were able to do 3 big concerts - two were at a youth detention center (which normally - in fact NEVER - has allowed a youth group to come and volunteer) - and the response from the residents of the detention center was nothing less than amazing, awesome ... I really can't sum it up. But it was a wonderful day!

We ended the evening at a homeless shelter. It was amazing, too!!

Today we are going to a home for disabled children. Lauren is the only person on this trip with a severe disability, so this will be a great opportunity for her.

Anyway...thanks for keeping up with us!

And someone must have been praying for my driving...because I feel much better now. I have figured out that my iPhone is my new best friend!! It has fantastic GPS...I had no idea!

 

[ndloewen]

Tim mentioned I was on vacation and since a lot of you guys have been following Lauren through my reports, I should let you know that she is sick today. Our first full day of this mission trip (we are in Chicago) and she is sick.

We are hoping if we let her sleep for a long time that she will perk up when she wakes up. We are actually going to the zoo today after our concert, so I am hoping she is up for something like that.

We traveled for 15 hours before we got here yesterday and went to sleep quite late. I think it was just a little much for her.

Anyway...that is the update for today from Chicago!

Oh, and you guys should pray for my driving!!! This city has some crazy interstates and construction like none other!

Oh, I SO didn't want to hear that Lauren is sick! Praying she is feeling better today.

 

[maroo]

Oh, I SO didn't want to hear that Lauren is sick! Praying she is feeling better today.

She is feeling much better!!! I posted an update at the same time you posted this!!

 

[ndloewen]

She is feeling much better!!! I posted an update at the same time you posted this!!

So, happy to hear that! Have a fantastic trip!!

 

[jenb1023]

Here I am late to the party again! Darn life and work keep interfering with my DIS time!

DHS meals - We are not fans of Hollywood and Vine. It is basic buffet fare but we were not very impressed (And we like buffets). I would only do this meal again as a character meal (it is a great character interaction!). We enjoyed Mama Melrose - we weren't raving but we thought is was good. We loved 50's Prime Time but sounds like it is out of the question. I have heard Brown Derby is good but we never eat at 2TS restaurants (except CRT). So I guess all of this rambling leads to - I vote for Mama Melrose.

Glad to hear you are having a great trip to Chicago! Sorry to hear Lauren was sick at first but glad to hear she has recovered and things are going well. Thanks goodness for the iphone - you can DIS and GPS!

 

[KathyRN137]

So glad to hear that Lauren is better!

Kathy

 

[TarzansKat]

Very glad to hear Lauren is feeling better!

 

[All7OfUs]

Really looking forward to all the stories you will have to share when you get back! Stay safe you guys, and most of all have fun being a blessing to others!!

Liesa

 

[maroo]

So, happy to hear that! Have a fantastic trip!!

We did have a FANTASTIC trip!!!! It was beyond all of my expectations in so many ways. Lauren did GREAT and is still sleeping (it is 11 AM here), bless her heart!

Here I am late to the party again! Darn life and work keep interfering with my DIS time!

DHS meals - We are not fans of Hollywood and Vine. It is basic buffet fare but we were not very impressed (And we like buffets). I would only do this meal again as a character meal (it is a great character interaction!). We enjoyed Mama Melrose - we weren't raving but we thought is was good. We loved 50's Prime Time but sounds like it is out of the question. I have heard Brown Derby is good but we never eat at 2TS restaurants (except CRT). So I guess all of this rambling leads to - I vote for Mama Melrose.

Glad to hear you are having a great trip to Chicago! Sorry to hear Lauren was sick at first but glad to hear she has recovered and things are going well. Thanks goodness for the iphone - you can DIS and GPS!

GPS...Oh my gosh...you have NO IDEA... I did not even know my phone had GPS maps...and those saved me in Chicago. Those interestates! And we went all over Chicago. We put over 2500 miles on the van in 8 days (and only 1500 was to and from Chicago). So, I was very thankful to have the GPS.

The trip was wonderful...I am going to do a quick update on that in a minute.

And thank you for the ADR help! I can't believe I do my ADR's in just days!!!

So glad to hear that Lauren is better!

Kathy

Thanks...she did great!!

Very glad to hear Lauren is feeling better!

Thanks!!!

Really looking forward to all the stories you will have to share when you get back! Stay safe you guys, and most of all have fun being a blessing to others!!

Liesa

Stay safe. Wow. You just have no idea. I have some stories to tell...

 

[maroo]

We are BACK!!!!

Eight days in Chicago!! It was great...awesome...words can't really describe the experience...but I will try.

I am going to do a mini...and very toned down, just the highlights...trip report right here for those that are interested. Hold out...because there is some cool Disney stuff!! We had a CM on our trip!

The Cast: 142 Students in a Church Youth Choir, 40+ Chaperones
Lauren is a student, and Maroo (me) and her Mom (Lisa) were chaperones.

Purpose: To do "concerts" and ministry projects in various places in Chicago.


Saturday: We left at 5 AM. We traveled separate from the 3 big tour buses. The big news this day was that we had a flat tire. But we were very fortunate to stop at a gas station and notice it before it was a complete blowout and there was a tire shop across the street that was open and able to fix it fairly quickly.

We did set up and a rehearsal at the church the first night. This stage was one of only a few that just were not accessible for Lauren. I was totally upset by this, because I was so afraid we had come all of this way and she would have to sit and watch her peers. But she was totally fine with it. They checked into the hotel about midnight and Lauren went to bed. I stayed up a while and got our luggage off the buses and enjoyed talking to the students while we waited for the elevators (no stairs). Our room was awesome! A full suite with a wet bar...it was HUGE!

Sunday morning, 3 AM: Lauren calls for her Mom and is not feeling well. Lisa makes executive decision to keep her at the hotel for the morning worship service at the church so that she can catch up on her sleep and not get sick for the whole trip.

Sunday: The choir led worship and did a rehearsal on Sunday. The church loved it! But we missed it since we were still at the hotel with Lauren.

Then they went to the Zoo. Lauren woke up feeling better and we joined the group at the zoo! We had Dinner and a team meeting at the hotel and went to bed early.

Monday: Big day! Up very early to get through security at a youth detention center. This was a big, completely locked down facility, with many layers of security. *** Disney moment! We were waiting at a check point and were all sitting around talking about their year-round school system and I said that it would be good for going on vacations at Disney World because you could go during a lower crowd time. And one of the people in the room said she agreed...that she was a CM!!! We talked and talked...I was amazed. Turns out, she is one of my favorite characters! (By the way...they LOVE Wish Kids!!!! End of Disney Moment! ***

The choir was the first time any youth under age 21 were allowed to present a program in this facility. The response from the detainees was nothing short of phenomenal.

We did another program in the evening at a homeless shelter/church. This included a great opportunity to feed the homeless and meet many of them. It was a special night!!

Tuesday: The whole choir was able to sleep in a little. We had a program at Misericordia. This is a HUGE community of developmentally disabled adults and children. They allowed Lauren to open the whole program and introduce a song of her choice. Lauren chose a song called "Celebrate" that celebrates life. I was not the only one with tears in my eyes as she spoke about how blessed she was and how she feels like we should celebrate every single day of life, regardless of our circumstances. The residents were nodding in agreement.

The Misericordia choir actually performed for us, too. It was so sweet! They were good!!

We ate dinner at Ed Debevic's (which reminds me of the 50's Prime Time Cafe) and this was a lot of fun. We actually sang and danced WITH the restaurant staff!

Wednesday: Our program this morning was at the IYC for Girls. This is basically a jail, but for juvenile female offenders. They LOVED the singing and dancing and the response from the girls was really touching! They look so hardened by life...but they are so sweet when you really get to talk to them about what is going on in their world.

The evening concert was at a US Naval Base training facility. The choir really enjoyed getting to interact with the Navy.

Our dinner tonight was at a local pizza place with real Chicago pizza!

Thursday: We did two programs for the IYC for Boys. This was a different environment for us, because we were not allowed to talk individually with the boys. They had some recent security violations and were required to stay seated. We were fairly separated from them.

Lauren was given the opportunity to go back to Misericordia to interact with the residents. This was a special time because Lauren is not shy about interacting.

Friday: We did a scaled down version of the program for a public school. This was the only other venue that just did not have a way to get Lauren up on the stage. The stage was quite small for our huge choir, too. The students were able to interact with the choir and we were part of a project where the students interviewed our choir members. It was a neat program!

Friday night was quite interesting. We brought security with the choir. It is our church's policy to have trained security (ours happened to be a Secret Service agent at his real job and volunteered to help us) with the choir. Lauren and I were alone, though, because we got separated from the buses and went by ourselves to wait for the buses to come to the next concert. (It was the same place as our Monday night concert, so I was familiar with the area.) We used the extra time to take Lauren to the rest room. While we were in the Ladies room, I got a phone call to IMMEDIATELY leave the premises and drive 10 blocks in any direction. "Just get out of there." I admit, I was scared. I went to high school in a pretty bad area of town in the city where I grew up, so being there didn't phase me...but something was up to have our security guy tell us to leave right then. I tried, as calmly as possible, to get Lauren situated and calmly take all of our stuff and get out of the area.

Turns out a group of our students was on the way to the same restroom (with our security) when they witnessed a violent act (something about a gun? ) and that there were many reports of recent (last 24 hours) of violence in the area.

We decided to do the concert anyway. Lots of security came (friends of our security guy) plus Chicago PD and I definitely felt safe once all of the kids got set up. This was one of our best concerts! It was outside so all of the people on the streets all came up to listen and dance with us. Kids were all playing and dancing. It was a great night!


And that was basically it! We spent our last night on a church floor and it took us about 15 hours to get home yesterday.

The big Homecoming Concert is tonight!


If you guys want more information, I have a website that anyone can check out with pictures and videos of the different days. However, it is distinctly Christian and I am pretty sure it would violate the DIS Rules and has nothing to do with Disney anyway...except the COOL CM that I got to hang out with!! (That was SOOOO cool!) So...if you want the website link, feel free to PM me and I can give it to ya!

 

[Sandy321]

Tim mentioned I was on vacation and since a lot of you guys have been following Lauren through my reports, I should let you know that she is sick today. Our first full day of this mission trip (we are in Chicago) and she is sick.

We are hoping if we let her sleep for a long time that she will perk up when she wakes up. We are actually going to the zoo today after our concert, so I am hoping she is up for something like that.

We traveled for 15 hours before we got here yesterday and went to sleep quite late. I think it was just a little much for her.

Anyway...that is the update for today from Chicago!

Oh, and you guys should pray for my driving!!! This city has some crazy interstates and construction like none other!

see I take a break from the Dis and I missed stalking you in Chicago!!

Lucky you!! (unlucky me)

 

[maroo]

see I take a break from the Dis and I missed stalking you in Chicago!!

Lucky you!! (unlucky me)

Are you from Chicago?!?!?! I can't believe I missed you?

We would have been hard to stalk, since most of our concerts were "private" - Jails, detention centers, shelters, etc... We did have a couple of public programs, though!

 

[eyor44]

You got to meet a CM and have a Secret Service as a security guard? That is so double cool. It sounds like y'all had a great trip.

 

[kdzbear]

Your trip sounded like a lot of fun. I hope you had an interactive waiter at Ed Debevic's. I love that restaurant! I am glas everyone is back home safely!

 

[maroo]

You got to meet a CM and have a Secret Service as a security guard? That is so double cool. It sounds like y'all had a great trip.

The CM deal was so, so cool! She was very Disney-like and did not reveal any secrets (although we were certainly pressuring her!)...but I am sure she would not have said a single word if she knew I was a DISer...

It was very cool to hear what a typical day was like. And the College Program is very interesting! They basically make no money, but the experience is really cool! I would have loved to do something like that when I was that age!! (Heck, can I sign up now?!?)


The Secret Service deal is probably not as cool as it may sound. I did not realize there were Secret Service Agents stationed here in Mississippi. Probably not the glorious job that many associate with Secret Service life. But he was extermely knowledgeable and it certainly was a huge blessing to have his expertise on the trip!

Your trip sounded like a lot of fun. I hope you had an interactive waiter at Ed Debevic's. I love that restaurant! I am glad everyone is back home safely!

Ed Devebic's was fun.

We got about as much service as you could expect for 200 people! We pre-ordered our meal, so that was easier for them to take care of us. They did do a little dancing for us, but it was not the same as ordering from the menu and getting a lot of interaction from them!

The best part, though, was when they let us play a track from our concert and sing and dance to THEM! I did feel a little sorry for the few regular customers they had, though. But we were very nice to them and even offered to buy one family their dinner.

And we had one regular customer that asked us to perform at their venue.