Elevationist
Princess No-Pants
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2004
DAY 1
October 20th, 2016 - Thursday
Fun Times on International Drive!
So when I last left you guys, I had just taken ya'll on a tour of my lovely first-night hotel room. At this point I just kinda hung out in the room for an hour or two, I can't remember. What I do remember is lounging in that super comfy bed, and flippin' channels while just relaxing for a bit. I had dinner reservations that evening and had purchased some discounted tickets through work for a couple of Orlando attractions that we'd recently begun selling, and I wanted to check them out. Eventually I got my butt moving and got all cuted up to go out!
I made my way down to the car, plunked the restaurant address into my GPS, and off I went! It was a pretty easy drive... Not even going to lie, another reason I chose that particular hotel was it's proximity to the restaurant! Oh, where was I headed?
Texas de Brazil! I first learned of the Churrascaria, or Brazilian Steakhouse, concept in dining about a decade ago, and was absolutely fascinated. Given the fact that I was very obviously a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a previous lifetime, it seemed like the ultimate meat feast! And yet not once in the last 10 years have I actually had an opportunity to actually GO to one of these fine establishments of excess! I decided that this trip was the time to change all that!
If you're interested in all the delicious details of my dining experience here, feel free to visit my Dining Review over HERE! Also, here's a teaser pic...
My vegetarian and vegan followers are probably dry-heaving right now... Sorry, ya'll! (Okay, not really.)
After an absolutely incredible dinner, I hopped back in my rental car, and made my way a couple miles south to the new I-Drive 360 Entertainment Complex that they just built a few years ago, which is a super cute area on i-Drive with restaurants and cute little bars and shops, and three big attractions... two of which I would be visiting on this night! First up?
The SeaLife Orlando Aquarium!
What to say about this place? It was... cute! Their website made it seem like it was going to be way cooler than it was. In actually, it was pretty small and kinda hokey. BUT! That all being said, I am actually really glad I went! I really love aquariums, so I still enjoyed myself! Plus I picked the right night because it was super dead, and I was able to very leisurely stroll through all the areas without fighting a ton of people.
I also know that no matter my best efforts not allow this to happen, my opinion was probably colored by the fact that only 9 day prior, I had spent a day at the Georgia Aquarium. You know... The largest in the country? Second largest in the world? Yeah, that one. I wasn't consciously comparing them, I swear... but I'm sure that it did effect my my enjoyment of it subconsciously. Oops!
Anyhow... I did manage to take a whole bunch of photos inside, which I'm going to totally spam ya'll with now. Enjoy!
I have no idea why I am looking so suspicious about his lionfish...
This Green Sea Turtle WAS actually very cool. Unfortunately, he swam by the glass once, then just did this the rest of the time. Jerk.
Sharks!
They had a whole section on different river turtles and tortoises...
Selfie time!
Weird fishies...
More selfie time! Because I'm the cutest thing in this aquarium! La-la la la la!
Many many fishies!
Seahorse rockin' the camouflage! (Not very well, obviously. You know. Since I found him and all.)
Mr. Ray!
Mrs. Ray!
They had a LOT of rays, and it was kinda cool... But after seeing the 20-foot wide, 3,000-lbs Manta Rays at the Georgia Aquarium... OKAY OKAY, I'LL STOP.
I'mma just selfie it up with this fish and little ray here instead.
Near the end, there was some sorta petting exhibit where you could touch things, but I wasn't feeling it. (See what I did there?) What I remember most about this part was the guy working the touch tank was WAY too chatty and just was not picking up on my cues that I was trying to move on. I think I told him thanks and have a good night three times and he just kept talking. This is the only pic that turned out decent....
And of course, like all attractions whose mama's raised them right... the exit was through a gift shop. Don't worry, I didn't buy anything. I saw some cute stuff, though!
For example: This pink shark. I really really wanted this stupid pink shark:
So would I do the SeaLife Orlando Aquarium again myself? Probably not. Would I recommend it for a solo traveler, or a party of adults traveling without kids? Only if they are aquarium lovers like me. Would I recommend it as a fun little thing for a family with kids to do together? Absolutely, without a doubt.
I had a little time to kill before heading to my next attraction, so I exited the main building and went out to explore the complex a little, taking a few pictures as I went. Like this pretty fountain that I spent WAY too much time trying to take a good selfie in front of but eventually gave up on...
Just a cute little bar/lounge that I liked the look of and would have popped into for a drink if I wasn't driving (and I'd already had a drink with dinner, so I was cut off)...
And a cute little coffee shop that I nearly visited, but decided to stay away from caffeine to increase my odds of sleeping that night...
There was also a guy there with this bike and, like, 5-6 Macaws and a Cockatoo! He was talking to people and doing different tricks with the birds, but I saw the signs on his bike and I didn't have any singles on me and felt guilty about it, but not guilty enough to get out my Visa card, so I just took a sneaky pic of the bike...
So are we wondering yet where my next attraction was? Maybe this selfie will give you a hint. I mean, it's kinda hard to miss...
No nerds, that's NOT a fancy hat... It's the Orlando Eye! (Also, we're not gonna talk about how long it took me to get that shot just right! )
When it was time, I headed back into the main structure...
...And lined up, with my ticket in-hand!
Waiting my turn to board!
I'm in, woot! (They turn the lights off inside once you leave the loading platform.)
Here we gooooo!
And couple pics taken during my 22-minute "flight!"
This is the carriage behind mine when we are all the way at the tippity-top...
And of course... A skyline selfie:
This was taken looking down at the I-Drive 360 Complex (where I was walking around and saw fountain and the Bird Man). See that Walgreens down there? I bought a few bottles of water there before heading to my car... Super convenient!
And finally, here's a quick little video I took...
And that was evening! After picking up my waters at the previously-mentioned Walgreens, I headed back to the parking garage and headed back to my hotel. After a quick shower, I snuggled into the bed and watched an episode of "Friends" that I never saw the end of... I was out like a light!
Up Next... Disney Resort Arrival!
October 20th, 2016 - Thursday
Fun Times on International Drive!
So when I last left you guys, I had just taken ya'll on a tour of my lovely first-night hotel room. At this point I just kinda hung out in the room for an hour or two, I can't remember. What I do remember is lounging in that super comfy bed, and flippin' channels while just relaxing for a bit. I had dinner reservations that evening and had purchased some discounted tickets through work for a couple of Orlando attractions that we'd recently begun selling, and I wanted to check them out. Eventually I got my butt moving and got all cuted up to go out!
I made my way down to the car, plunked the restaurant address into my GPS, and off I went! It was a pretty easy drive... Not even going to lie, another reason I chose that particular hotel was it's proximity to the restaurant! Oh, where was I headed?
Texas de Brazil! I first learned of the Churrascaria, or Brazilian Steakhouse, concept in dining about a decade ago, and was absolutely fascinated. Given the fact that I was very obviously a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a previous lifetime, it seemed like the ultimate meat feast! And yet not once in the last 10 years have I actually had an opportunity to actually GO to one of these fine establishments of excess! I decided that this trip was the time to change all that!
If you're interested in all the delicious details of my dining experience here, feel free to visit my Dining Review over HERE! Also, here's a teaser pic...
My vegetarian and vegan followers are probably dry-heaving right now... Sorry, ya'll! (Okay, not really.)
After an absolutely incredible dinner, I hopped back in my rental car, and made my way a couple miles south to the new I-Drive 360 Entertainment Complex that they just built a few years ago, which is a super cute area on i-Drive with restaurants and cute little bars and shops, and three big attractions... two of which I would be visiting on this night! First up?
The SeaLife Orlando Aquarium!
What to say about this place? It was... cute! Their website made it seem like it was going to be way cooler than it was. In actually, it was pretty small and kinda hokey. BUT! That all being said, I am actually really glad I went! I really love aquariums, so I still enjoyed myself! Plus I picked the right night because it was super dead, and I was able to very leisurely stroll through all the areas without fighting a ton of people.
I also know that no matter my best efforts not allow this to happen, my opinion was probably colored by the fact that only 9 day prior, I had spent a day at the Georgia Aquarium. You know... The largest in the country? Second largest in the world? Yeah, that one. I wasn't consciously comparing them, I swear... but I'm sure that it did effect my my enjoyment of it subconsciously. Oops!
Anyhow... I did manage to take a whole bunch of photos inside, which I'm going to totally spam ya'll with now. Enjoy!
I have no idea why I am looking so suspicious about his lionfish...
This Green Sea Turtle WAS actually very cool. Unfortunately, he swam by the glass once, then just did this the rest of the time. Jerk.
Sharks!
They had a whole section on different river turtles and tortoises...
Selfie time!
Weird fishies...
More selfie time! Because I'm the cutest thing in this aquarium! La-la la la la!
Many many fishies!
Seahorse rockin' the camouflage! (Not very well, obviously. You know. Since I found him and all.)
Mr. Ray!
Mrs. Ray!
They had a LOT of rays, and it was kinda cool... But after seeing the 20-foot wide, 3,000-lbs Manta Rays at the Georgia Aquarium... OKAY OKAY, I'LL STOP.
I'mma just selfie it up with this fish and little ray here instead.
Near the end, there was some sorta petting exhibit where you could touch things, but I wasn't feeling it. (See what I did there?) What I remember most about this part was the guy working the touch tank was WAY too chatty and just was not picking up on my cues that I was trying to move on. I think I told him thanks and have a good night three times and he just kept talking. This is the only pic that turned out decent....
And of course, like all attractions whose mama's raised them right... the exit was through a gift shop. Don't worry, I didn't buy anything. I saw some cute stuff, though!
For example: This pink shark. I really really wanted this stupid pink shark:
So would I do the SeaLife Orlando Aquarium again myself? Probably not. Would I recommend it for a solo traveler, or a party of adults traveling without kids? Only if they are aquarium lovers like me. Would I recommend it as a fun little thing for a family with kids to do together? Absolutely, without a doubt.
I had a little time to kill before heading to my next attraction, so I exited the main building and went out to explore the complex a little, taking a few pictures as I went. Like this pretty fountain that I spent WAY too much time trying to take a good selfie in front of but eventually gave up on...
Just a cute little bar/lounge that I liked the look of and would have popped into for a drink if I wasn't driving (and I'd already had a drink with dinner, so I was cut off)...
And a cute little coffee shop that I nearly visited, but decided to stay away from caffeine to increase my odds of sleeping that night...
There was also a guy there with this bike and, like, 5-6 Macaws and a Cockatoo! He was talking to people and doing different tricks with the birds, but I saw the signs on his bike and I didn't have any singles on me and felt guilty about it, but not guilty enough to get out my Visa card, so I just took a sneaky pic of the bike...
So are we wondering yet where my next attraction was? Maybe this selfie will give you a hint. I mean, it's kinda hard to miss...
No nerds, that's NOT a fancy hat... It's the Orlando Eye! (Also, we're not gonna talk about how long it took me to get that shot just right! )
When it was time, I headed back into the main structure...
...And lined up, with my ticket in-hand!
Waiting my turn to board!
I'm in, woot! (They turn the lights off inside once you leave the loading platform.)
Here we gooooo!
And couple pics taken during my 22-minute "flight!"
This is the carriage behind mine when we are all the way at the tippity-top...
And of course... A skyline selfie:
This was taken looking down at the I-Drive 360 Complex (where I was walking around and saw fountain and the Bird Man). See that Walgreens down there? I bought a few bottles of water there before heading to my car... Super convenient!
And finally, here's a quick little video I took...
And that was evening! After picking up my waters at the previously-mentioned Walgreens, I headed back to the parking garage and headed back to my hotel. After a quick shower, I snuggled into the bed and watched an episode of "Friends" that I never saw the end of... I was out like a light!
Up Next... Disney Resort Arrival!
Last edited: