The convergence of everything I love in WDW! Nov 2011 PTR-p.9 updated plans!

[aprilisis]

I've always wanted to go to Philly! Can't wait to hear all about your trip...and see your beautiful pictures!!
We have some baby turkeys in our neighborhood...we have only see them 2x..we counted 14!!! of course, we didn't have a camera
I'll be on the look-out for them with camera in hand!!

Thanks! You will be disappointed in me- I didn't take too many Philly photos. It was in the high 90's & very humid, so we didn't get to do as much as I wanted to. It's so funny- I really have never seen baby turkeys before. Please take photos if you see the ones in your neighborhood!

Thanks! I will probably put the pics of my pets tonight or tomorrow night. I don't have access to them during the day at work, so I have to upload them to Photobucket tonight so I can post about them.

It is so nice in Utah! I have been to Zion a couple of times. I am going out there again this October and am going to Bryce this time. It is like a completely different world than the East Coast. So beautiful.

You will LOVE the Philadelphia Zoo! I have not been there in a long time, but it is incredible.

I loved the photos of your pets! Oooh- you will definitely have to post Bryce Canyon photos! I absolutely loved it there.
We didn't get to the zoo in Philly. I definitely will go there the next time!

No problem! That seems like a lot of fun. I hope your friend has a fun birthday weekend! My cousin went to the Eastern State Penitentiary before, I'd like to go someday as well. It is a lot of fun, another thing I love about it is that they have a tent sponsored by mostly Campbell's soup, V8 and Pepperidge farm and they have so many samples! I'm kind of going to miss not going this year - but I really shouldn't complain because I'll be at Disney. No problem again!

ESP was really cool! It was so hot in Philly, though, that we didn't do as much as we wanted to. That is my reason for wanting to go back!

Thank you on the photos. There's another tip...if you can catch an animal when they are looking your way it is usually a more compelling picture but it obviously is not always a happening thing. It's not like you can wave at them and they will look over at you so you have to be patient and even at that it is often fruitless.

I have always wanted to take a class as well but yes they can be expensive and I think that the money is better used for other equipment I end up reading books instead.

Have a great weekend!!! I know you will get some great pics.

We missed the zoo. I took only about 285 photos & most were of ESP.

Your fans will wait for you!!

I hope I don't lose all of my readers after you all see the depressing photos I took in Philly. I think the sun & heat fried my brain & took my will to photograph that weekend.

 

[aprilisis]

Last Friday, I woke up at 3am to get ready to go to the airport. I got through security in no time & before I knew it the plane was boarding. I slept on the flight- which was VERY short. The take off & landing process was longer than the actual flight! I arrived in Philadelphia at about 7:45am. I had researched transportation online and decided to take a shuttle called "Lady Liberty" because it was only $12. I called them when I reached the ground transportation area. Let me just say that they were BEYOND rude on the phone. They acted like I should know what to do & where to go and like I was bothering them by asking any questions. They were AWFUL. At least the service was quick. I was at the Hyatt by 8:30. They did not have a room with 2 double beds ready, but told me to check back at 9am. I went & sat in their cafe and had an orange juice while I waited. My friend (who drove down from Scranton) arrived shortly after me and sat with me. I checked soon after 9am and they had a room ready. I didn't care that it wasn't city view or a high floor (I had requested both) because I just wanted to be able to put our luggage away and regroup before we headed out. The room was pretty clean and big enough. They have a security feature in the elevator that I loved- you have to insert your room key to use the elevator at all. Our view was good- nothing spectacularly interesting.

We left the hotel & walked to the Liberty Bell.

There was a short security line & there were exhibits leading up to the bell. It was definitely a cool thing to see. I never got to photograph it straight on because of the crowd that was there. There was a group of about 20 people that each wanted their photo taken with the bell & we weren't about to stand there for 45 minutes waiting for them to finish up.

After that, we headed outside & went to Independence Hall. We bought a water, looked around, and continued outside to get our 48 hour Trolley passes. The trolley stopped at almost every place we wanted to go.

It did NOT, however, stop at the Mutter Museum, so we decided to get off of the trolley (which was actually a double-decker bus) at the closest stop to the Museum- which was about 2 blocks south & 6 blocks west of the stop. It was about 90 degrees at this point in the day. We were super-sweaty by the time we got there. I'm glad we got there when we did because on the way, we saw a few questionable businesses and saw a man screaming death threats at a man walking by.

This Museum was awesome. It is full of medical oddities and samples. We spent a while in the museum & gift shop. (no photography allowed) I would recommend it to anyone who isn't too squeamish. It was very educational, but completely freaked me out at the same time. It made me think about how fragile life really is and about how anything can happen to anyone at any time. The Mutter Museum was a small area to cover, but there is a TON of stuff to see there.

 

[aprilisis]

We decided to walk up to the Franklin Institute to catch the trolley. It was SO darned hot and there was no breeze at all.

We go to this park & there was a huge fountain with a bunch of kids splashing around in it.

It was a really pretty park! We strolled through the park & across the street to our double-decker bus that was just picking people up- perfect timing! We made the mistake of sitting on the upper deck of the bus for the breeze- but there wasn't one. The sun was blazing hot. I took some photos along the way:

Can you see the reflection of the Dis visor??

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[aprilisis]

We moved to the lower part of the bus and rode through all of the stops until we decided to grab some food at Reading Terminal Market. We found a great little vegetarian place in there & I got a Philly Cheesesteak made with seitan (gluten) & it was awesome! I know you guys are sitting there, scratching your heads, thinking- "that sounds totally gross". I can't tell you how good it was! We looked around in some of the shops there & decided to call it a day. We were completely fried. We had to wait for the trolley for a while, then ride almost the whole route to get back to our hotel. Here was our view:

I was trying to figure out what kind of car the little green one was:

I didn't bring a tripod, so all of the night photos are blurry. I also tried to capture lightning in some photos, but only caught a little glow in the clouds in 2 photos.

One good thing was that our room was facing the baseball stadium (forgive me for not knowing what it is called) & we saw 2 full fireworks shows!
After resting in the room & taking a shower, we decided to go to the restaurant in the hotel. It was pretty good! We split the avocado/tomato salad & got an appetizer portion of flatbread. By the time we got to sleep, it was about 10:30pm. Well- I use the term "sleep" loosely. I was tossing & turning all night!!!

The next morning, we decided to walk over to South Street for some shopping

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[aprilisis]

We walked over to the Craft sale at Head House Square & browsed for a while. After that, we walked down South Street & began to realize that nothing was open. It was almost 11am!

I love these:

We did stop in a few different shops before taking the trolley to Eastern State Penitentiary. This is where I took most of my photos.

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[aprilisis]

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[aprilisis]

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[PhoenixStrength]

Wow, you take pictures like me (meaning, of everything! ). But they are great pictures! The only time I have been in Philly was a quick trip to the Zoo, then back to MD, so I'm loving the pics of the sights.

Oh, and I think that green car is a Lamborghini. They have those trademark rectangular headlights like the car in that picture. If you look them up in Google images you can see top views of a model that looks just like that car.

 

[aprilisis]

Wow, you take pictures like me (meaning, of everything! ). But they are great pictures! The only time I have been in Philly was a quick trip to the Zoo, then back to MD, so I'm loving the pics of the sights.

Oh, and I think that green car is a Lamborghini. They have those trademark rectangular headlights like the car in that picture. If you look them up in Google images you can see top views of a model that looks just like that car.

Thanks! I take WAAAAAY too many photos! I thought that car was a Lamborghini, but I wasn't sure. That is just such a bright green.
I really wish we went to the zoo.

 

[aprilisis]

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[aprilisis]

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[aprilisis]

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[aprilisis]

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[aprilisis]

After ESP, we decided to take the trolley back to South Street to get some dinner. We went to a place called Tattooed Mom. They had all sorts of veggie stuff- but I got another "Cheesesteak". This one wasn't as good as the first because it was just crumbled veggie burger. It was still good, though, and the restaurant/bar was really cool. The decor was awesome & the staff were late 20-30 something hipsters. I'd be there a lot if I lived in Philly. After dinner, we walked back to the hotel & I took ANOTHER shower.

We had a ghost hunting tour at 8pm. We walked over to the ghost hunting tour meeting area & waited.

We were handed an EMF meter & began walking to a bunch of different sites. I'll spare you the details. Except that there are hundreds of people buried in this park:

And some photos from the Powel House:

We heard some good stories & saw some things we wouldn't normally have seen if we didn't do the tour. Did we see any ghosts or get any EMF readings? Nope. It was still a fun activity. We had no clue where we were in the city when the tour was over, so we took a cab back to the hotel. By the time we got there, it was 10pm. We just called it a night.

The next morning I wanted to be sure I got to the airport with enough time, so I spent the $28.50 on a taxi. While I was sitting at the gate at the airport, there was a man arguing with his girlfriend on the phone. He had a loud, booming voice that carried really well, so the whole airport knew his business & he really didn't care. He had his 2 or 3 year old daughter with him, too. After listening to him give his gf a guilt trip for not driving there to give him money, he called his ex (baby mama) and yelled at her for an hour. I got up and moved because I couldn't take it anymore. I guess he missed his first flight, so he was stuck at the airport all day. The flight home was in the air & back on the ground again before I knew it.

All in all, it was a fun trip. I actually felt refreshed when I got home. So that's that. I have Disney trip related news AND a Robin update coming soon.

 

[natebenma]

Thanks for sharing your trip to Philly. Looks like you did and saw a lot. The ESP looks like an amazing tour!

 

[aprilisis]

Thanks for sharing your trip to Philly. Looks like you did and saw a lot. The ESP looks like an amazing tour!

Philly was a lot of fun. We didn't even come close to doing & seeing all we wanted to, though. I want to go back! ESP was so cool- it was kind of creepy, too.

 

[aprilisis]

Time for an update on the little Robin...we let him go! he was coming back several times a day at first, but lately he drops by once a day. I'm happy he has learned to take care of himself. This is my last photo:

Onto WDW plans:
My travel agent was able to get me an AP discount! The good news is that I now have a water view room & saved $300. The bad news (not really THAT bad) is that I am staying at Yacht Club instead of Beach Club. That's ok with me- I just couldn't pass up the savings!
So, I'll be here:

And I will hopefully not have the farthest room from the lobby again like I did in October!
I arrive in Orlando at 9am on Tuesday, November 8 & will catch ME to the YC. I plan to unpack & relax for a bit (if the room is ready), then head over to MK. I have a dinner scheduled for Liberty Tree. I have to admit that I go here for the excuse to completely carb out. The vegetarian items on the menu are potatoes & mac & cheese. I'm all over that!!

Wednesday, November 9 I will head over to DHS whenever I wake up & have some lunch at Brown Derby. Later in the day I may go to the pool or just take a break before heading to EPCOT for EMH that night. I want to do the Behind the Seeds tour, too.

Thursday, November 10 will start at AK. I plan to spend most of the day here (I may even do a tour). I have dinner scheduled at La Hacienda & will most likely watch Illuminations.

Friday, November 11 I have breakfast at Cape May Cafe, then I'm going to DtD to see if they have anything set up for Festival of the Masters yet. The day is pretty open except for MVMCP that night. I love the MK counter service options, so I'll be happy with whatever I decide to get for dinner that night.

Saturday, November 12 is open except for dinner at California Grill. I want to see Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at EPCOT, so I may just stay at EPCOT. MK is open until 1am, though. I'm really not sure what I will do.

Sunday, November 13- I am trying to book a Fantasmic dinner package, but nothing is available so far. I'm leaving this day wide open, too, so I can decide what I want to do on my last day.

The next morning, I'm not sure when ME will be picking me up. My flight leaves around 1, so I think I'll have time to grab something quick for breakfast.

That's it for now. You know I'll change at least one thing before then.

 

[natebenma]

What a beautiful bird!!!

Your plans sound good.

As much as I love the BC, I think waterview at YC with a $300 savings is totally worth it! Plus, you know that you will have a full balcony at YC, and at BC it is a gamble.

By the way- make sure you familiarize yourself with the advice on Page 1 of the Y&BC FAQ thread. Do regular checkin (not the online advanced checkin) and before you take your keys, ask where the room is located. If it seems too far from where you want to be, ask if they have something available better suited to your needs.

 

[mickeystoontown]

My word, April, you were an updating fool. The pictures of Philly were beautiful but I was most intrigued by those of the Penitentiary. I've seen several ghosts hunting shows do an episode there. I kept finding myself looking every so closely at each picture hoping I'd spot some sort of mist or orb floating around. Imagine my surprise when I scrolled down and saw the guy in the orange jumpsuit. I almost pee'd my pants before I realized that was a prop.

Too bad you didn't see or hear from any ghosts on your ghost tour. I so want to do a ghost tour one day but there's no way I could get any of my family members to do it with me. I might and that's a serious might, be able to talk Hunter into going on one with me. He's been to The Myrtles which is supposed to be one of the most haunted places in the United States.

Yay for Robin growing up and flying the coop. I am sure he is very thankful that you took him in and helped him get ready to be on his own.