The BALD and the BEAUTIFUL take a road trip to see THE mouse **FINISHED**

[reyasmommy]

Unfortunately, no one in my family had a private patio. There was this common area that was near my sisters room. So when my niece (15 months old) went to bed, they could bring the baby monitor outside. I think we were too loud and annoyed other guests though. Here's a photo of the area...

Your Anabella photos reminded me of the good times we had there...so thanks!

My pleasure!

The buildings and landscaping at the Anabella were really beautiful! I was impressed. Did you by any chance notice a bunch of stray cats around?!? I had one in particular that would come to my door everynight to visit with me. He wasn't very friendly though, he was just using me for my ham and turkey meat.

I have a about 1/4 of it left. I started reading The Host again after you said it was good... it did get better. The first part was SO confusing! But I'm liking it now. I keep waiting for a vampire to show up but I know it won't.

It sucks to come home to housework but it's always nice to sleep in your own bead, right?!

It was confusing.... But it didn't take to long to start making sense. And don't you just LOVE Ian?!?! ((or have you gotten that far?))

It does suck coming home to housework And I thought my bed was comfortable until I slept in the beds at TI. Those were the most comfortable beds I think I've ever slept on.

 

[mommaU4]

Love the update. The hotel looks amazing. Good choice.

Sorry you didn't like the Walk of Fame/Hollywood area. It can be overwhelming if you aren't used to the area or aren't sure what to expect. There is certainly an interesting variety of characters down in Hollywood. I remember my aunt from Tennessee was totally scared when we took her there. it doesn't phase me too much since I've been there so many times.
But there is so much history too. It's kind of cool.

Can't wait to hear and see more!!!!!

 

[heatherleigh]

Isn't the Hungry Bear Restaurant the worst? We ordered the same thing- chicken sandwiches, and had to ditch them untouched. There was a single bite taken out of one, and the rest were dumped. I have yet to find anyone who actually LOVES this restaurant.

I love the set pics you took. That is so interesting. It would be weird to see all the houses that are familiar from tv.

 

[reyasmommy]

Next we were taken to the Props department to look around. It’s in this area that they have dedicated an entire room to “CENTRAL PERK” where they have retired all the original props and such from the set. Everything is in it’s original spot exactly as it was when Friends was on the air.

After taking a tour of the props department we were taken to a warehouse where they have many famous cars. These included cars from Batman, The Matrix, Dukes of Hazard, Scooby Doo, and Harry Potter.

We were then taken to the set of the television show Big Bang Theory where they explained to us how a typical sitcom is filmed. It was interesting to find out that it takes an average of 6 hours to film a 30 min show and that the writers rewrite the script during filming based on how the studio audience is responding to it. On this particular day they were giving out free tickets for my favorite sitcom New Adventures of Old Christine. Unfortunately I didn’t have 6 hours to spare.

After the main part of the studio tour was over we were taken to the Warner Brothers museum to explore for 20 minutes at our leisure. The entire upper floor was filled with Harry Potter memorabilia. Sadly we weren’t allowed to take any pictures so I don’t have any for ya, but it was a highlight of the trip.

Overall I was extremely pleased with this tour. This wasn’t our first visit, we had also been 4 years ago and it was a completely different experience. For example last time we were able to go into one of the recording studios and visit the sets of Gilmore Girls and Everybody Loves Raymond. I look forward to doing it again a few years from now, so I recommend it to anyone who might be interested.

After the tour it was time to weather the horrible LA rush hour traffic back to our hotel. Before checking in we headed to the local grocery store to pick up some beverages and snacks to stock up on.


We were given room 2109 in the San Diego building.

The room was nice and comfortable with 2 beds. One was king sized and the other was a double. We were in a perfect location with a beautiful semi private patio.

After dropping off the food we walked over to Downtown Disney to meet up with everyone at the Rainforest Café. The walk to Disney and DTD was always peaceful, beautiful, and quite. After this first night we discovered a short-cut through the Grand Californian which made the walk even better.

Guess what?!?!? Reached my limit again!

To be continued…………..
​

 

[reyasmommy]

Very cool! I love seeing those sets. I've never done a tour like that but it looks fun.

It was a really fun tour, I highly recommend it!

Love the update. The hotel looks amazing. Good choice.

Sorry you didn't like the Walk of Fame/Hollywood area. It can be overwhelming if you aren't used to the area or aren't sure what to expect. There is certainly an interesting variety of characters down in Hollywood. I remember my aunt from Tennessee was totally scared when we took her there. it doesn't phase me too much since I've been there so many times.
But there is so much history too. It's kind of cool.

Can't wait to hear and see more!!!!!

Thanks! I was really happy with my choice too. I always stress about finding the perfect place to stay.

I still wouldn't have minded getting out to explore when we were in Hollywood but due to time we weren't able too. So I can't judge fairly?!? Just by quick glance it was a little overwhelming and not quite what I had imagined.

Thanks for being such a faithful reader. Your trip is coming up soon!! Bet you're getting excited.

Isn't the Hungry Bear Restaurant the worst? We ordered the same thing- chicken sandwiches, and had to ditch them untouched. There was a single bite taken out of one, and the rest were dumped. I have yet to find anyone who actually LOVES this restaurant.

I love the set pics you took. That is so interesting. It would be weird to see all the houses that are familiar from tv.

It was HORRIBLE!! I loved the location of the restaurant but that was it. Ohhh well, I guess you live and learn.

I'm glad you're liking the pictures. I took a couple thousand. LOL!

 

[mommaU4]

ItThanks for being such a faithful reader. Your trip is coming up soon!! Bet you're getting excited.

I am so excited!! I can't wait. We're leaving one week from tomorrow!!

Right now reading your TR and seeing all your pics is giving me my fix. And I can't get enough of Reya's pics. She's just too cute. Bet ya she'll make a really great big sis one day.

 

[travelmel]

Hi,
I actually missed one of your updates from before my last reply..

Ok.. so Grauman's Chinese Theater... I haven't been there since that area has allegedly been "cleaned up" but lemme tell you, if it's been "cleaned up" and you were still scared by it then imagine what it was like 15 yrs ago.

Talk about not being what I expected! Yikes, that place was a zoo. And not a nice zoo. LOL

However, I am a HUGE I love lucy fan and so Grauman's holds special interest for me.. as does the Brown Derby (if you're a lucy fan you know what I mean). I so want to go to WDW and experience them both. When I saw the one in LA I was so disappointed that there was nothing FUN inside that big, cool building! At DHS (MGM) they have a cool ride inside! Ohhh how I want to go see it.

Did you see the El Capitan? Now that I've heard of it (Yep, never heard of it before the Dis and I am native Californian ) I really want to go there.

WOW you had great weather travelling the scenic coastal route!! Those were beautiful pics. I did that when I was a tween and had no fear of death. I'm not so sure I could face those roads now that I have mortality as my middle name.

I so totally want to do the Warner Bros tour! Never even heard of it before It reminds me of how I felt the first time I did the Univeral Studios tour but 30 yrs ago that one has not changed almost at all! The Waner Bros one looks WAY cool and way more up to date. I'd love to see the ER and Central Perk. Very nice!

Ok, I think I'm caught up. P.S. That hotel looked VERY old school LA sorta like Norma Jean's place . Nice!

P.P.S. My new favorite comedy is ALSO the New Adventures Of Old Christine.. though I've only seen one episode (I hate TV! It's so time consuming! :lol: ) I loved it!

 

[JaneJetson]

Isn't the Hungry Bear Restaurant the worst? We ordered the same thing- chicken sandwiches, and had to ditch them untouched. There was a single bite taken out of one, and the rest were dumped. I have yet to find anyone who actually LOVES this restaurant.

I love the set pics you took. That is so interesting. It would be weird to see all the houses that are familiar from tv.

I like the burgers at hungry bear.

 

[Disneygrl36]

Great updates.
Those pictures of the coast are amazing.
I really wanted to do the WB tour when we go in December but there is no time.
Yeah we are at Disneyland now............that hotel looks great. We are staying at the Grand Californian but it looks like there are a lot of nice options right around DL that aren't Disney owned hotels.

 

[reyasmommy]

We met everyone outside of Rainforest Café and were given an estimated wait time of 15 minutes.

We were seated upstairs directly in front of the gorillas. My nephew got such a kick out of them, he couldn’t stop staring and smiling. Speaking of Logan, I was VERY impressed on how he handled everything on this trip. He’s 21months old, which is the age my DD was when we took her to WDW last year. She was terrified of ALL of the characters, and half of the rides so I was assuming that Logan would be the same way? NOPE!!! He LOVED everything! He wasn’t scared of one single ride, and one single character. He did better then my 2 ½ year old and his 4 year old sister.

Well we learned quickly that poor Reya had not grown out of her fear of this restaurant. The poor thing would hide behind me or under the table anytime one of the animatronic animals moved or made noises. Surprisingly she somehow fell asleep in Linda’s arms during one of the simulated rainstorms.

Once the food arrived we passed around the sleeping toddler.

I ordered the Chicken Friend Chicken, as usual it was absolutely fantastc! After we got our bill, we bid farewell to the RFC and headed to Build-a-Bear!

When we arrived at Build-a-Bear it was insanely crowded! So for those of you who have never been and plan on going, they have an entire upper floor that is barely used. We found this out after we already created and paid for our new animal friends. We went upstairs and realized there was only 3 people up there while the entire downstairs was packed.

Reya and Alyssa picked out their animals.



They both ended up picking out the exact same one, but we didn't realize it until it was time to stuff them. They chose an adorable brown shaggy dog.

After the girls picked out, stuffed, and gave their new little friends hearts it was time to brush and bathe them!

Next the girls picked out their doggies clothes.

Then it came time to pick out their names… Reya named hers Pumpernickel and I can’t remember what Alyssa named hers, I think it was Rover or something like that

After our Build-a-Bear adventure we walked back to the hotel to retire for the night. We had a wonderful fun filled day, and were excited for our first day at Disney!

Up next ……… Our 1st day at Disneyland​

 

[mommaU4]

I love the RFC!! Sorry Reya was still scared though. Poor thing. Cute BAB pics. They are too rich for my blood though. My girls would have me bankrupt in there in no time.

 

[reyasmommy]

I am so excited!! I can't wait. We're leaving one week from tomorrow!!

Right now reading your TR and seeing all your pics is giving me my fix. And I can't get enough of Reya's pics. She's just too cute. Bet ya she'll make a really great big sis one day.

I bet! I'm excited for you!

I'm glad I'm giving you your fix, I LOVED reading everybodys TR before I left too. Thanks for all the wonderful comments on Reya, it's always nice to hear. I know she's going to make a superb big sis one day! During the trip she went through the "mine, mine, mine" phase with her cousins. I'm not looking forward to that however.

Hi,
I actually missed one of your updates from before my last reply..

Ok.. so Grauman's Chinese Theater... I haven't been there since that area has allegedly been "cleaned up" but lemme tell you, if it's been "cleaned up" and you were still scared by it then imagine what it was like 15 yrs ago.

Talk about not being what I expected! Yikes, that place was a zoo. And not a nice zoo. LOL

However, I am a HUGE I love lucy fan and so Grauman's holds special interest for me.. as does the Brown Derby (if you're a lucy fan you know what I mean). I so want to go to WDW and experience them both. When I saw the one in LA I was so disappointed that there was nothing FUN inside that big, cool building! At DHS (MGM) they have a cool ride inside! Ohhh how I want to go see it.

Did you see the El Capitan? Now that I've heard of it (Yep, never heard of it before the Dis and I am native Californian ) I really want to go there.

WOW you had great weather travelling the scenic coastal route!! Those were beautiful pics. I did that when I was a tween and had no fear of death. I'm not so sure I could face those roads now that I have mortality as my middle name.

I so totally want to do the Warner Bros tour! Never even heard of it before It reminds me of how I felt the first time I did the Univeral Studios tour but 30 yrs ago that one has not changed almost at all! The Waner Bros one looks WAY cool and way more up to date. I'd love to see the ER and Central Perk. Very nice!

Ok, I think I'm caught up. P.S. That hotel looked VERY old school LA sorta like Norma Jean's place . Nice!

P.P.S. My new favorite comedy is ALSO the New Adventures Of Old Christine.. though I've only seen one episode (I hate TV! It's so time consuming! :lol: ) I loved it!

You've never been to WDW before?!?! That surprises me.

The ride they have at MGM is pretty fun, it's not my favorite but a nice way to get out of the heat for awhile. I've never eaten at the Brown Debry, but have always wanted to. Maybe on our next trip ?!?!

The WB tour was soooo neat. It was a little expensive but totally worth it! The tour lasts over 2 hours, unlike the quick 15 minute tram tour they have at Universal. They also have a Deluxe Tour that lasts 5 hours. I was really hoping to see some movie stars, but NO luck! I used to work for the airlines and would see movie stars all the time. I've met and or seen Kevin Bacon, Matthew Fox, Jeff Foxworthy, Woody Harrelson, Shirley Mclaine, Sigorney Weaver, Gene Hackman, Darrell Hannah, Toby Mcguire, Kirsten Dunst, and many, many more.

I LOVE TV I watch way to much of it. ((At night)) Never watch it during the day, only when DD is sleeping. The DVR is the best invention EVER!

I like the burgers at hungry bear.

Yeah, DH had the burger and said it was okay. Don't eat the chicken sandwich though.

Great updates.
Those pictures of the coast are amazing.
I really wanted to do the WB tour when we go in December but there is no time.
Yeah we are at Disneyland now............that hotel looks great. We are staying at the Grand Californian but it looks like there are a lot of nice options right around DL that aren't Disney owned hotels.

Thank you!!

You're so lucky to be staying the the Grand Californian. We walked through it everyday, and I was soooo jealous of everyone staying there. I wanted so bad to stay, but we just couldn't afford it. HAVE FUN!!!!!!

I love the RFC!! Sorry Reya was still scared though. Poor thing. Cute BAB pics. They are too rich for my blood though. My girls would have me bankrupt in there in no time.

I love the RFC too. I wanted to eat there a second day but I didn't want to subject Reya to another terrifying meal.

 

[reyasmommy]

Just for the HECK of it, I'd thought I would share some of my brothers pictures with you! These were taken when DH and I were taking the WB studio tour.

​

 

[SoonerGirl]

LOVE this one!

 

[reyasmommy]

LOVE this one!

Me TOO!! It cracks me up! Look at that crazed look in my nieces eyes.... And my poor DD looks like she's running for her life!

 

[reyasmommy]

September 23rd​



Unfortunately this morning started out a little rough. Everybody was ready to leave around 9:15am until DH and I realized that we had misplaced our Discover Card.

DH: “Where’s the Discover card?”
ME: “I don’t know, I gave it to you yesterday”
DH: “No, you didn’t”
ME: “YES, I DID”
DH: “NO, you didn’t”
ME: “YES, I DID”



We frantically searched EVERYWHERE!! Under the couch, under the bed, at the front desk, in the car, in the dressers, in our clothes, etc, etc, etc…. All the while snapping at each other accusing one another of loosing it. I was almost in tears and my heart was racing. I was mostly worried because that card was pretty much our only means of funds for the trip. Before we left I had sent cash to the Credit Card to cover gas, hotels, and tickets. Everything else was to be paid for in cash. So loosing the Discover card would have been a Very, Very, Very bad thing. Finally after 30-40 minutes of turning our hotel room upside down we found it under the window next to the ironing board. DH and I then went back to accusing each other of who had it last until my DAD told us to grow up and drop it… We found it and that’s all that mattered.

After a very stressful 40 minutes we were ready to go. But before we could head to Disneyland I had everyone come to our room so the kids could open their gifts from Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse.

It was a complete hit… they absolutely LOVED everything, especially little Logan!

Now it was time to FINALLY head to Disneyland! Dad and Linda bought everyone a bus ticket to get to the park on this morning. This was the only time that we used it because it seemed to be more difficult and time consuming rather then just walking. It was a nice gesture for them to buy it for us, but we just preferred to walk. DAD and Linda used the bus both days they were there however.

We were through the gates by 10:15 am ….. It’s always such a beautiful sight and all my worries just melt away when I see this ……………………

My first stop was to get birthday pins for Alyssa and I at City Hall

After we got our Pins, we were headed down beautiful MAIN STREET USA!

Once we got near the partners statue my dad said that he needed to get some bottled water real quick and to wait for him. He turned around and headed back towards the entrance. About 5 minutes later we see him rushing towards us, waving his arms up in the air. He proceeds to tell us that the dream team is hidden over by the lockers and giving away fast passes, so we all rush over and get our DREAM FAST PASSES!

After receiving our AWESOME new gifts we headed towards Fantasy Land!

To be continued……………………….

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[travelmel]

Ohhh.. sorry about the DC trouble!

Yea, you're finally there... it looks so nice and sunny. It's raining here in Oregon (FINALLY feeling like fall). Reya looks so cute with her lanyard

I'm patiently looking forward to more!

 

[reyasmommy]

Our first stop in Fantasy Land was the CAROUSEL. As I mentioned in a previous post Reya is terrified of carousel’s so the three of us skipped this one. Lori and Alyssa rode together as did my Dad and Logan.

Next we went flying with DUMBO. We waited in line for only 5 minutes! I definitely think this is one of DD’s favorites, she was smiles the entire ride.

After Dumbo we decided to take a Wild Ride with Mr. Toad. The wait was also only 5 minutes here as well.

This was a first for me, and to be honest I wasn’t a big fan?!?! But I’m still glad I had a chance to ride it at least once in my lifetime. It was funny to see everyone come out with foggy glasses on though!

Next was Peter Pan… I was in shock when I saw that the wait was only 15 minutes!

I Love, Love, Love, Love this ride. I can see why it's always so crowded when we're at WDW! I was so thrilled that we got a chance to ride it! Like I said in my PTR I WON'T wait more then 30 minutes in any line, so I thought I might not get a chance!

Reached limit again......... To be continued!!!!​

 

[JaneJetson]

Great photos!

I really like Mr. Toad's. I don't know why exactly...but I do.

I can't wait to read more!

 

[Disneygrl36]

You got dreamed.
Wonder why Reya is so scared of carousels but likes Dumbo? They both go round & round.