1 post tagged “disneyland”

It’s hard to believe I’ve been a fan of the Go-Go’s for more than a quarter of a century. Even more amazing is how true Jane Wiedlin’s song about my hometown still resonates, even after all these years.

Chris and I returned Tuesday night from our trips to Las Vegas and Los Angeles. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and it was hard to believe that we had been gone a full week. By the way (shameless plug ahead), we both highly recommend flying Jet Blue.  We flew out on Delta, which, as Delta flights go, was largely uneventful. From Vegas to Burbank and from Burbank to Orlando, we flew Jet Blue, and Chris could definitely feel a difference. For one thing, he wasn’t cramped, sore, or tired getting off the plane in Orlando (a miracle in itself) – and we weren’t even sitting in the emergency exit row on that flight! And I may be totally wrong, but it felt like the seats were all a little wider (not that I take up that much room, but it does make a difference).

While in Vegas, we saw 2 shows: the Blue Man Group at the Venetian (tons of fun!) and Cirque du Soleil’s Love at the Mirage (by far my favorite Cirque show). I honestly think I could watch both of those shows several more times and still not feel like I saw everything – there was so much going on, I didn’t know where to begin to look! I have to confess, though, that I needed to break out my sunglasses a few times for the Blue Man Group; they had these super bright lights that would blind the audience, and the sunglasses certainly came in handy.

Regarding the buffets (because you have to eat at a buffet at least once when in Vegas), we ate at the Harrah’s buffet twice (once for breakfast and once for dinner) and at Caesar’s Palace once (for lunch on the day we left for LA). The Harrah’s dinner buffet was not my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed breakfast at Harrah’s and lunch at Caesar’s. My favorite thing at Caesar’s? It was the caesar salad – go figure!

We didn’t do too poorly at the tables; between the two of us, we about broke even.  I lost about $13 playing craps, but Chris more than made it up at blackjack. Then he introduced me to this type of roulette table, and that’s where we really made it all back. My husband, I discovered, is very good at understanding odds (though it’s no surprise that he’s better at it than I am!).

The visit home was bittersweet. It’s always great to see my parents and the friends I left behind, but it’s been so different visiting since my parents sold their house almost 5 years ago. They live in the artsy district of North Hollywood now, east of where we used to live in Van Nuys, and in territory that I didn’t explore nearly as much as the West Valley (where I went to school, to the mall, to friends’ houses, etc.). So, even driving around their condo is (almost) like being in completely new territory. Only the key street names are familiar – I knew what connected with what and could get us to our final destination… eventually!

My parents hosted an “At-Home Day” for us on Saturday, complete with lechon (roasted pig) and tons of other food. I had a chance to reconnect with old friends, and Chris got a chance to meet the rest of his extended family. All in all, it was a lot of fun.

On Sunday, I couldn’t find DuPar’s in Studio City, so we had breakfast down the road at Mel’s in Sherman Oaks. We had lunch at the Los Angeles Hard Rock (the very first one in the United States, located at the street level of the Beverly Center and very difficult to get to because they closed the damned escalator) and made our way to Griffith Park. It was kind of disappointing; the observatory was under construction/renovation, so we couldn’t even walk around the perimeter. Chris discovered a hiking trail (go figure – I’ve been there dozens of times and never noticed it), which we started up, only to turn back because we weren’t appropriately equipped for a hike. Then we had dinner with my parents and cousin at Lido’s in Van Nuys (best antipasto salad in the world). Lots of good eating.

We went to Disneyland on Monday and were able to do everything we wanted to do except ride Big Thunder Mountain (ran out of time) and Indiana Jones (it was closed whenever we passed it). The saddest thing of all, though, is that we missed the Halloween version of the Haunted Mansion by only 4 days.

It’s always so much fun to go to Disneyland with Chris because he knows the Magic Kingdom here at Disney World so well, he can pick out minor differences. We ate at the Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square before going on Pirates of the Caribbean (no matter what, I still say the Disneyland version is the best), and Chris stopped for a Dole Whip while we were waiting for the Enchanted Tiki Room to start. After getting used to the size of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, I finally realized how small Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom really is. It never fazed me before this trip.

Of course, once we got back, it was back to work for both of us, jet lag and all. Thankfully, it’s Friday, so we’ll both get a chance to sleep and readjust our circadian clocks over the next few days.

As much fun as we had, though, Chris and I were so happy to come home. My tomatoes are still growing (one is even changing color now!), our TiVo is full, and Chris fits comfortably in the shower without needing to duck.

There really is no place like home.