Our End-of-the-Summer Celebration! *TR LINK ADDED!!*

[wdwgirl03]

Love the pictures! I can't remember the last time I went to an Olive Garden, was it good? I hope so! Looking forward to more!

Yeah, the Olive Garden was really good but then again I could eat Italian food every day.

 

[tinkgurl]

Hey, will you do me a favor? Will you take a picture of Obama when you see the Hall of Presidents? I want to see how he looks!

 

[irky416]

I feel you on the wine thing. I hardly ever drink either. At Christmas my step mom made me two drinks with peach schnapps and I was like, "Wow, I'm feeling a little odd." And they were all, "You had two drinks! With Schnapps that has barely any alcohol!"

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hey, will you do me a favor? Will you take a picture of Obama when you see the Hall of Presidents? I want to see how he looks!

Yeah, sure!

I feel you on the wine thing. I hardly ever drink either. At Christmas my step mom made me two drinks with peach schnapps and I was like, "Wow, I'm feeling a little odd." And they were all, "You had two drinks! With Schnapps that has barely any alcohol!"

Yeah, I've never been much of a drinker and it was kind of pathetic because it was just a little sample and I felt like I was choking it down.

 

[tinkerbell87512]

Great list and NYC update!

Side note- who do you think is going home tonight? I'm thinking Lil.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Great list and NYC update!

Side note- who do you think is going home tonight? I'm thinking Lil.

Thanks!

As for AI...I'm not sure what to think. I have become obsessed with checking dialidol, even though it is not always accurate (like last week it had Kris going home). I wish Lil would go home but I don't think she will. She totally annoyed me last night when she had to have the last word with the judges! It's going to stink the next few weeks because I pretty much like everyone who's left. I don't want anyone to go home! LOL. I am going to be so bummed if Anoop Dog leaves.

 

[wdwgirl03]

Hi again DIS friends! Happy Friday...it's a really nice day here...sunny and 60!

I have some exciting news that I wanted to share with everyone! A while ago my cousin applied for one of the Professional Internships with Disney and I just found out today that she got it! I have to admit I am super jealous, how cool would it be to work for Disney?! I'm going to be curious to see what she has to say about it. So now that might be another thing we can do on our trip if she wanted to meet up. Maybe she can hook us up with discounted park tickets?

It's also my sister's birthday today, so Claire, if you ever read this HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

 

[troobabiee7]

That's so exciting! Good luck to her

And happy birthday to your sister!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Hi again DIS friends! Happy Friday...it's a really nice day here...sunny and 60!

I have some exciting news that I wanted to share with everyone! A while ago my cousin applied for one of the Professional Internships with Disney and I just found out today that she got it! I have to admit I am super jealous, how cool would it be to work for Disney?! I'm going to be curious to see what she has to say about it. So now that might be another thing we can do on our trip if she wanted to meet up. Maybe she can hook us up with discounted park tickets?

It's also my sister's birthday today, so Claire, if you ever read this HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Wow! That is exciting news! Congratulations to your cousin! And happy birthday to your sis!!!

 

[wdwgirl03]

That's so exciting! Good luck to her

And happy birthday to your sister!

Wow! That is exciting news! Congratulations to your cousin! And happy birthday to your sis!!!

Isn't it?! Man now I really want to work for Disney...forget the whole teaching thing!

 

[wdwgirl03]

So I thought I'd go ahead and finish up the NYC trip report. I'm going to keep this one mostly pictures. Enjoy!

NYC Day 4: Sightseeing!!!
Since Marquette was out of the Big East tournament our last full day was going to be filled with lots of sightseeing! Dad wanted to get going early so we were up and ready to go by 9:00. We had been wanting to see the Statue of Liberty so we took a subway to the Staten Island ferry. Dad said that would be the easiest way to see the statue instead of actually going onto the island.

The subway was kind of thrilling! haha It was interesting seeing everyone on their way to work while we were doing all the touristy stuff. Anyway, the subway ride didn't take too long before we got to the stop we needed. We arrived at the ferry dock and we could already see the Statue of Liberty while we waited for the boat. It was going to be fun to see it a little closer. Oh yes, I should also mention the ferry was free which was good.

We waited maybe 15 minutes for the ferry to make its way back from Staten Island. When we got on, we went out onto the deck (I guess you could call it that) with all the other tourists so we could get a good look at the Statue once we passed it. It was a little chilly that morning but atleast the sun was out.

Think I took enough pictures along the way? After the ferry ride we decided to walk up to Wall Street. Emma wanted to see the Stock Exchange building.

We also saw the Federal Building which was right there. It was funny because there was a protest going on. haha!

Little did we know that it was the place of an historic event!

Pretty interesting!

We continued walking and eventually stopped at a street corner to just kind of take everything in. It's so crazy because you're just surrounded by HUGE buildings. We must have looked like we were lost because this one man asked us if we were finding everything OK. It turns out he saw dad's Brewers hat and asked if we were from Milwaukee. He said that he was born and raised in New York but a huge Packers fan. He was really nice, we wanted to know how to get to the World Trade Center site (he said he always wonders why everyone wants to see it!) so he gave us directions and also told us about some other places we could go to. So next up was the WTC. Here's another random shot I took:

As we got closer to the WTC site we could see that area was fenced off where they are doing all the construction.

It was kind of depressing as we approached the memorial and of course I started thinking about that day. Like so many others I will never forget where I was when I heard about the attacks. Here's the memorial:

I wish we could've gotten to NY sooner because it would have been neat to see the two towers. I can't even imagine how big they must've been because there are so many huge buildings there now.

I'll continue in the next post...I'm getting close to my limit on pictures!
up next: Greenwich Village, Central Park, and Fifth Avenue!

 

[wdwgirl03]

NYC Day 4 cont'd
Our next stop was Greenwich Village so we hopped onto another subway. I was getting kind of hungry at that point so I suggested we stop to get something to eat before we continued. After lunch we headed toward Washington Square Park and I think NYU was right there too. It kind of stunk because the park was pretty much all closed off.

I attempted to get a better picture of the archway at the park:

Then it was back to the subway to make our way to Central Park. We got off right near Columbus Circle (doesn't the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade start right around here? I seem to remember them saying that when they show the parade route).

As we were walking along the one edge of the park we were stopped by SOOOOO many people asking us if we wanted to take a carriage ride through the park. I'm not kidding, it seemed like every five steps some guy would ask us if we wanted to. We finally just started ignoring them. I guess they could tell we weren't from around there. It would have been fun because they show you all these places where they've filmed movies but it was so cold out! And they sure had enough carriages.

Some pictures of Central Park:

We didn't actually walk into Central Park at all but that would've been kind of cool. Instead we just continued on and spotted the Plaza Hotel. Of course I immediately thought of Home Alone 2.

Finally it was time to hit some stores! First up was FAO Schwartz. As we entered there was this guy doing a demonstration of how to solve a Rubix Cube puzzle...he was really good!

A giant soldier in the candy section.

And huge gummy bears.

The store had 3 floors I think. On the upper level there was a little Harry Potter section.

After we were done exploring it was on to the next store. Can anyone guess which store that might be?



















That's right, the World of Disney store! I was so excited to go there, maybe since the Disney Store around here closed.

The main difference between this store and the regular Disney stores is that the WOD is owned by the theme parks so they carry a lot of the theme park merchandise (I actually did see a couple things that said Walt Disney World on them). The store was 3 floors and it was fun to see all the Disney stuff. On the third floor there was a gallery and I spotted one of those computers, like the ones they have at the Art of Disney stores in WDW. If you've never seen/used them before you can use them to order different pieces of art, including the attraction posters! I started looking at them and since I didn't get anything for my birthday yet Mom and Dad let me order one as my present. I decided on the Jungle Cruise poster! Ohhh I just love those attraction posters...they remind me of walking through the railroad station at the Magic Kingdom. I'll have to post a picture later on. I also got a couple other things. It's funny how pretty much the only things I bought on the entire trip were Disney things. When I was checking out I also received two buttons for the new D23 club which was kind of cool.

One more picture in the store...

After the WOD we split up for a bit. Emma wanted to see Yankee Stadium so she and dad went on their own little adventure while Claire, Mom and I visited a couple more stores.

We covered a lot of ground in a short period of time so we decided to head back to the hotel. We turned on the TV and found that it was one of those Disney days on the Travel Channel. WOOT! I think this is where I actually started getting serious about going back to WDW in August. On one of the shows they said how the crowds were really low at the end of August and into September so when Dad and Emma got back I made sure to share that little piece of information. Dad said that when we got home I should start thinking of dates so we could look into it...and here we are today, with this new PTR.

Since we were pretty tired we didn't really do much for the rest of the day. Let me tell you that was a really busy, exhausting, exciting day! Dad and I went to find something for dinner and then we just got ready to head home the next day.

So there you have it, my mini report is complete! We had a really fun time in NYC and got to experience a lot of cool things. I'd love to go back sometime. I'll be sure to post my Disney goodies once I get the pictures uploaded.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I'm glad you had so much fun in NYC. Thanks for sharing pics of the 9/11 memorial. I haven't seen it in person but like you will never, ever, forget that day.

Love the Harry Potter section of FAO Shwartz. I cannot wait for the new land to open in Universal!

World of Disney looks awesome and your Jungle Cruise poster sounds awesome. I am re-doing my basement and am thinking that some framed attraction posters might be just the ticket!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I love all of these pictures! It's like being there! I loved the Home Alone movies too. My oldest DS used to watch them over and over. That's when he got his NYC obsession. He wants to go there so bad. I need to plan him a trip. I'm nervous about staying in a bad place. I want something nice and clean, in a good area, for a decent price. I'm not sure I can find that.

 

[disneydusted]

You guys really did it up the last day in NYC, seems like you covered a lot of ground!
It probably does seem strange to the locals that tourists want to see the WTC site. I think I would want to go too, it was a heart wreching day. My DH and his best friend had gone up to a basketball tournament about a month after 9/11 and they went over to ground zero. It was still smoldering and firemen were still working. Very painful time.
A question... do you know if can you order the ride posters online?

 

[tinkerbell87512]

Looks like you had a great sight seeing day! Thanks for the 9/11 memorial pictures. I, like everyone, will never forget that day. I'm sure it seeing ground zero was very moving.

I would be thinking the same about the Plaza hotel. I just love Home Alone 1&2!

I never knew that you could order ride posters on those computers. Thanks for the heads up. What other rides do they have?

Thanks so much for sharing your trip to NYC with us. You guys covered so much ground and did so much!

Thanks!

As for AI...I'm not sure what to think. I have become obsessed with checking dialidol, even though it is not always accurate (like last week it had Kris going home). I wish Lil would go home but I don't think she will. She totally annoyed me last night when she had to have the last word with the judges! It's going to stink the next few weeks because I pretty much like everyone who's left. I don't want anyone to go home! LOL. I am going to be so bummed if Anoop Dog leaves.

Ugh I was so mad Lil didn't go home. She just doesn't do it for me. She tries too hard it it comes of fake to me. I'm so glad they saved Matt though. I think it's going to be a tough week with the theme being disco. I'm like you it's getting to the point where I like everyone (besides Lil) and I don't want anyone to go.

 

[tinkerbell87512]

PS: That's awesome news about your cousin! Oh and Happy late birthday to your sister!

 

[Lady Lallie]

Wonderful pictures! I love the Harry Potter display, I really can't wait for it to open in Universal. Of course, I love the WOD pictures as well.

 

[wdwgirl03]

I'm glad you had so much fun in NYC. Thanks for sharing pics of the 9/11 memorial. I haven't seen it in person but like you will never, ever, forget that day.

Love the Harry Potter section of FAO Shwartz. I cannot wait for the new land to open in Universal!

World of Disney looks awesome and your Jungle Cruise poster sounds awesome. I am re-doing my basement and am thinking that some framed attraction posters might be just the ticket!

Yeah, I think the next time we go back to Universal will be when the Harry Potter stuff opens. I know my sisters are especially looking forward to that!

I think the attraction posters sound like a great idea for your basement! They are so neat!

I love all of these pictures! It's like being there! I loved the Home Alone movies too. My oldest DS used to watch them over and over. That's when he got his NYC obsession. He wants to go there so bad. I need to plan him a trip. I'm nervous about staying in a bad place. I want something nice and clean, in a good area, for a decent price. I'm not sure I can find that.

Glad you like the pictures! That is funny about your son...I bet he'd have a blast then if he went to visit! The hotel we stayed at was really nice. I'm not sure how much we paid for it but I don't think it was that bad.

You guys really did it up the last day in NYC, seems like you covered a lot of ground!
It probably does seem strange to the locals that tourists want to see the WTC site. I think I would want to go too, it was a heart wreching day. My DH and his best friend had gone up to a basketball tournament about a month after 9/11 and they went over to ground zero. It was still smoldering and firemen were still working. Very painful time.
A question... do you know if can you order the ride posters online?

We did cover a lot of ground but it was so much fun. Wow, I can't imagine being there so close after 9/11 and seeing everything still smoldering.

As for the ride posters unfortunately I do not think you can order them online as of right now. When we got home I did a search for them and came across a couple but you have to pay way more than the original price.

Looks like you had a great sight seeing day! Thanks for the 9/11 memorial pictures. I, like everyone, will never forget that day. I'm sure it seeing ground zero was very moving.

I would be thinking the same about the Plaza hotel. I just love Home Alone 1&2!

I never knew that you could order ride posters on those computers. Thanks for the heads up. What other rides do they have?

Thanks so much for sharing your trip to NYC with us. You guys covered so much ground and did so much!



Ugh I was so mad Lil didn't go home. She just doesn't do it for me. She tries too hard it it comes of fake to me. I'm so glad they saved Matt though. I think it's going to be a tough week with the theme being disco. I'm like you it's getting to the point where I like everyone (besides Lil) and I don't want anyone to go.

There was also a small museum right near the 9/11 memorial that we were going to go into but ended up skipping it. I felt kind of bad for not going in though.

Let's see, what other ride posters do they have...I know they have Splash Mountain (Dad has a big one of those in our basement...it is probably my favorite one!), Pirates, the Railroad, and Jungle Cruise. I think they also have small world, Mad Tea Party, and one for Tomorrowland. There may be a couple more too. I really wish they would have one for Thunder Mountain...that one is awesome! And the cool thing about them now is you can get them in smaller sizes. Like the one Dad has is huge (I think it must be the same size as the originals) but mine is a 16x20.

Lil doesn't do it for me either, ugh, I just don't get her! It was pretty cool they saved Matt. This week is going to be sad with 2 people going home. I have a bad feeling this will be the end of the road for Anoop, he doesn't have a prayer! I'm hoping Lil will finally go too.

PS: That's awesome news about your cousin! Oh and Happy late birthday to your sister!

I know, I had no idea she was interested in working for Disney!

Wonderful pictures! I love the Harry Potter display, I really can't wait for it to open in Universal. Of course, I love the WOD pictures as well.

Thank you! The Harry Potter land sounds like it's going to be pretty cool. My sisters love Harry Potter...Claire already asked me if I'd be interested in going to a midnight showing of Half Blood Prince!

 

[irky416]

Great pictures!

I don't think I could go to the WTC site without ending up in tears. It doesn't take much talking about it for me to start crying.

I didn't know the FAO building had a HP section! Now, I want to go even more!

Do you mind if I ask how much the poster was? I would love to get some for a room in our new house, but am wondering if they're cheaper online or from the source.