Normally I like chocolate, but I don't really love it any more than I love other sugary delights. However, there are certain times when hormones dictate that chocolate is the most important and essential food on earth. Today was one of those times, and the only thing that could fulfill my craving was heapin' helpin' of Baskin Robbins rocky road ice cream.
You'd think that would be a simple cure, right? In most of the country it would be. Unfortunately, here in the Kissimmee Tourist Corridor, the closest Baskin Robbins to Celebration is also a bastion of confusion where I've never...literally never...had a smooth transaction.
I'm not talking about simple errors, like counting out the wrong change or starting to scoop the wrong flavor. Oh, no, that sort of faux pas is much to simple for my local ice cream shop. Here's an example of the sort of insanity that awaits an innocent ice cream shopper:
I once went into the shop and requested a pint of ice cream. After a lengthy search, the clerk informed me that they were all out of pint containers. Now, I know they weigh the pints rather than relying on container size, so I asked to confirm that and the clerk said yes, that's true. Next, I asked, "So can't you just put a pint's worth of ice cream into a quart container?"
I could hear Jeopardy music playing faintly in the background as that concept slowly sunk in. Finally the clerk agreed and weighed me up a pint of my preferred frozen indulgence. Then he brought it to the register and rang it up at the quart price! Seriously, in the two seconds it takes you to walk from the freezer to the cash register, how can you forget how much ice cream you just scooped up?
That was just the culmination of a series of Three Stooge-like shopping experiences, and after that I pretty much gave up on Baskin Robbins ice cream. But they say hope springs eternal, and today, in a hormone fueled frenzy, I decided to take a chance.
My husband rolled his eyes knowingly when I said, "It's been a long, long time. Surely there can be one day when I get ice cream here and things actually go smoothly."
My hope soared even higher when I entered the store and discovered that I was the only customer. Normally, I'm the victim of some big screw-up after waiting for at least half a dozen other customers to go through their own screw-ups. My order was very simple: a two scoop sundae with rocky road and pralines and cream ice cream and marshmallow sauce.
The first indication of trouble was, "We're all out of marshmallow till the truck comes tomorrow." I told myself, "Okay, I can deal with that. I'll just order hot fudge."
The second indication was when the clerk couldn't get any sauce to come out of the dispenser. Then she said she had to heat it up so it would take a few minutes. Okay, it's pretty bizarre when an ice cream shop has been open for several hours, yet apparently never turned on the hot fudge heater, but I could deal with that too.
The minutes ticked away, but when the clerk tried again, the fudge still wasn't budging. She finally got someone else who I think pumped it out with a combination of muscle strength and sheer force of will. By now, the sauce wasn't all that appetizing to me, but I was in too deep. I could only watch helplessly as a thick, gooey string of brown glop was laced onto my sundae.
In the meantime, several other people had come into the shop, and they milled around impatiently while the hot fudge drama played out in front of them. I sympathized, as I was normally in their position. At least today I got my abuse without having to wait for it.
As I ate my sundae, I discovered there was nothing "hot" about the fudge. Somehow I doubt that fudge dispenser actually works like it's supposed to. I ate around the solidified sauce and took comfort in the fact that my rocky road and pralines and cream were as good as usual.
I supposed it will be a long time before I try that shop again. I'm sure an "again" will come because hope does indeed spring eternal. They say the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, so I may just be certifiable by the time I give up on fulfilling my Baskin Robbins cravings.
Check out my theme park adventures in my Examiner column.
I've written lots of Kindle and Nook ebooks too!
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Showing posts with label Walt Disney World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Walt Disney World. Show all posts
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Mickey Mouse is My Neighbor
Well, I've finally done it. I've long wanted to adapt my Celebration, FL, blog into a book, and I finally released the eBook on Amazon for Kindle and Barnes & Noble for Nook. If you read my blog regularly, you'll already know the stories of stalking Davy Jones, fighting rampant Florida wildlife, visiting the nudist camp, and the like. I took my favorite blog entries for the first two years, edited them a bit, and put them together into an easy package.
As I worked on the book, I was amazed at how much has changed since I started this blog back in 2004. I lamented about how the proposed condos would worsen the parking problems downtown and how, at the time, there was no viable solution on the table. Guess what? Parking is even more of a nightmare, particularly during special events, and no solution ever materialized. Worse yet, the housing bubble burst just in time to burn pretty much everyone who bought those condos.
I also lamented about Water Tower Place. Little did I know that the failure of Goodings and the initial store closures were just the start of a dizzying revolving door of businesses that opened and closed shortly thereafter, sometimes literally overnight. Hopefully the coming of Publix will give that story a happy ending.
Celebration is a much different town now. Many of the old special events are gone, but the fake leaves and snow still fall on Market Street and we still have some pretty cool happenings. Our town isn't nearly as pristine as it once was. Just about every street, including mine, has at least one obvious foreclosure. We also had our first official murder and a horribly tragic incident involving police barricades and a suicide. Both of those incidents made national news because, of course, we're the "Disney Town," and things like that shouldn't happen here. In reality, I'm amazed that it took for long for major tragedy to touch us.
Our little town, nestled just outside of Disney World, is all grown up now, with the attendant woes of adolescence and adulthood. There's still no place I'd rather be, and I'm already wondering what I'll think when I look back on this period in my blog a few years down the road. I hope I'm still as happy here then as I still am now.
As I worked on the book, I was amazed at how much has changed since I started this blog back in 2004. I lamented about how the proposed condos would worsen the parking problems downtown and how, at the time, there was no viable solution on the table. Guess what? Parking is even more of a nightmare, particularly during special events, and no solution ever materialized. Worse yet, the housing bubble burst just in time to burn pretty much everyone who bought those condos.
I also lamented about Water Tower Place. Little did I know that the failure of Goodings and the initial store closures were just the start of a dizzying revolving door of businesses that opened and closed shortly thereafter, sometimes literally overnight. Hopefully the coming of Publix will give that story a happy ending.
Celebration is a much different town now. Many of the old special events are gone, but the fake leaves and snow still fall on Market Street and we still have some pretty cool happenings. Our town isn't nearly as pristine as it once was. Just about every street, including mine, has at least one obvious foreclosure. We also had our first official murder and a horribly tragic incident involving police barricades and a suicide. Both of those incidents made national news because, of course, we're the "Disney Town," and things like that shouldn't happen here. In reality, I'm amazed that it took for long for major tragedy to touch us.
Our little town, nestled just outside of Disney World, is all grown up now, with the attendant woes of adolescence and adulthood. There's still no place I'd rather be, and I'm already wondering what I'll think when I look back on this period in my blog a few years down the road. I hope I'm still as happy here then as I still am now.
Sunday, January 01, 2012
The Illogical Shortcut
When I moved to Celebration, Florida, I knew that traffic would be a constant headache because I was moving into the heart of Tourist Land. It's manageable most of the time, but at peak times like the holidays it's best to stay home as much as possible or learn all the alternate routes, since main roads like 535, 192, and I-4 turn into veritable parking lots.
Ironically, one of the best shortcuts is driving through Disney property. You'd think that traffic would be worse right in the Belly of the Beast (or, better yet, Belly of the Mouse), but that's not really the case. I know it sounds illogical, but Disney World is actually the best shortcut during the peak season.
Most of the people who stay on site at the Disney World hotels seem to depend on the internal transportation system. Those who stay offsite clutter up the roads outside the resort much worse than they do around the theme parks. When I use Disney property as a shortcut, I mostly avoid the parks anyway. I tend to cut from Celebration to Crossroads (535) if I-4 is backed up and I'm heading to SeaWorld or Universal, or I bail off of West 192 at Black Lake or Sherbeth and take the back roads back home. The tourists are trying to get TO Disney World rather than wanting to drive THROUGH Disney world, which makes the illogical sounding shortcut a real time saver.
Of course, when you drive on Disney property, you're one of a tiny minority of locals in a sea of lost, confused tourists. The stress you save by not being in traffic is somewhat replaced by being surrounded by a predatory forest of cars that might "attack" by swerving into your lane, abruptly coming to a stop from 40 m.p.h., or some other type of dangerous behavior at any time. After a while, you actually develop a sixth sense on what a tourist is likely to do and the spots where they're most likely to do it.
I do pity the tourists a bit. Florida is famous for lanes that suddenly turn into "right turn only" or "left turn only" with literally no warning. I can just imagine some sadistic Sunshine State traffic planner saying, "If we have to deal with their tourist antics, we'll at least make them suffer a bit. The locals will learn where those lanes are, and they can laugh at the out-of-towners who get suckered into making turns they never wanted to make."
Fortunately, all of the mayhem is over for a while now. Peak season ended today, and the tourists are all heading back to real life after their holiday vacations. The streets are already blissfully deserted and I can take the main roads without relying on Mickey for my shortcuts. Still, I don't mind driving through Disney, even if it adds a bit of time to my trip. I've lived in Celebration for years now, yet I still get that little thrill at driving through the Walt Disney World gate. I guess a little part of me will be a tourist forever.
Ironically, one of the best shortcuts is driving through Disney property. You'd think that traffic would be worse right in the Belly of the Beast (or, better yet, Belly of the Mouse), but that's not really the case. I know it sounds illogical, but Disney World is actually the best shortcut during the peak season.
Most of the people who stay on site at the Disney World hotels seem to depend on the internal transportation system. Those who stay offsite clutter up the roads outside the resort much worse than they do around the theme parks. When I use Disney property as a shortcut, I mostly avoid the parks anyway. I tend to cut from Celebration to Crossroads (535) if I-4 is backed up and I'm heading to SeaWorld or Universal, or I bail off of West 192 at Black Lake or Sherbeth and take the back roads back home. The tourists are trying to get TO Disney World rather than wanting to drive THROUGH Disney world, which makes the illogical sounding shortcut a real time saver.
Of course, when you drive on Disney property, you're one of a tiny minority of locals in a sea of lost, confused tourists. The stress you save by not being in traffic is somewhat replaced by being surrounded by a predatory forest of cars that might "attack" by swerving into your lane, abruptly coming to a stop from 40 m.p.h., or some other type of dangerous behavior at any time. After a while, you actually develop a sixth sense on what a tourist is likely to do and the spots where they're most likely to do it.
I do pity the tourists a bit. Florida is famous for lanes that suddenly turn into "right turn only" or "left turn only" with literally no warning. I can just imagine some sadistic Sunshine State traffic planner saying, "If we have to deal with their tourist antics, we'll at least make them suffer a bit. The locals will learn where those lanes are, and they can laugh at the out-of-towners who get suckered into making turns they never wanted to make."
Fortunately, all of the mayhem is over for a while now. Peak season ended today, and the tourists are all heading back to real life after their holiday vacations. The streets are already blissfully deserted and I can take the main roads without relying on Mickey for my shortcuts. Still, I don't mind driving through Disney, even if it adds a bit of time to my trip. I've lived in Celebration for years now, yet I still get that little thrill at driving through the Walt Disney World gate. I guess a little part of me will be a tourist forever.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A Look Back on 2011 - Exciting Year at the Florida Theme Parks
One of the main reasons I moved to Celebration, Florida, was because of my love of Disney World and the other Central Florida theme parks. When we made the big move, the only others we were familiar with were Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Living in Celebration meant learning more about SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, too, since they were now easily accessible.
The theme parks are part of my leisure time, and they're also work. As the Orlando Theme Parks Examiner and a freelance writer doing articles and guides for Disney World and the other parks, visiting them is a necessity (albeit one I love). In reflecting back over 2011, I pinpointed my five favorite theme park events in 2011. Here there are in no particular order (and there's a related story in my Examiner column):
-Legoland Florida opens on the site of the old Cypress Gardens theme park. Yes, I know I said these were in no particular order, but I have to put this one first because opening a brand-new theme park is big news. Well, okay, it's not 100 percent brand new. It retains some elements of Cypress Gardens, like many of the roller coasters, the carousel, the very cool Island in the Sky, and the gardens themselves. But it's amazing how much has changed and how quickly it was put together. In March, I was taking a helicopter ride over the construction site. In October, I was watching the opening ceremony where the final gold brick was snapped into place to signify the park's completion.
Even though Legoland Florida is meant mainly for kids between the ages of 2 and 12, adults can find lots of enjoyment there. I love strolling through the gardens, getting a birds-eye view on Island in the Sky, and looking for new details in Miniland USA. Some of the rides are fun for "big kids," too, but I warn you: the roller coasters are real knee bangers.
Interview With Anthony Daniels and Designers from Industrial Light & Magic:
Flashback to Cheetah Hunt Construction at Busch Gardens Tampa:
One Ocean Orca Show Highlights at SeaWorld:
Halloween Horror Nights Tweet-Up Q & A Session at Universal Studios Orlando:
The theme parks are part of my leisure time, and they're also work. As the Orlando Theme Parks Examiner and a freelance writer doing articles and guides for Disney World and the other parks, visiting them is a necessity (albeit one I love). In reflecting back over 2011, I pinpointed my five favorite theme park events in 2011. Here there are in no particular order (and there's a related story in my Examiner column):
-Legoland Florida opens on the site of the old Cypress Gardens theme park. Yes, I know I said these were in no particular order, but I have to put this one first because opening a brand-new theme park is big news. Well, okay, it's not 100 percent brand new. It retains some elements of Cypress Gardens, like many of the roller coasters, the carousel, the very cool Island in the Sky, and the gardens themselves. But it's amazing how much has changed and how quickly it was put together. In March, I was taking a helicopter ride over the construction site. In October, I was watching the opening ceremony where the final gold brick was snapped into place to signify the park's completion.
Even though Legoland Florida is meant mainly for kids between the ages of 2 and 12, adults can find lots of enjoyment there. I love strolling through the gardens, getting a birds-eye view on Island in the Sky, and looking for new details in Miniland USA. Some of the rides are fun for "big kids," too, but I warn you: the roller coasters are real knee bangers.
-Star Tours reopens at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This was such a cool event in so many ways. I love what they did with the ride, which now features C3PO prominently and which has multiple versions. It will quickly become a vendetta to ride it multiple times so you can see as many as possible.
But perhaps most cool of all was being there for the opening and standing within spitting distance of George Lucas as a voice intoned, "Darth Vader, meet your maker." There were designers from Industrial Light & Magic on hand, too, and even Anthony Daniels himself. Meeting him was a major geek-out for me.
-Cheetah Hunt opens at Busch Gardens Tampa. Busch Gardens is Central Florida's roller coaster mecca, and Cheetah Hunt is a worthy addition. SheiKra is still my favorite, both for its airtime and its sheer size, but Cheetah Hunt nips at its heels. It seemed to run slower when it first opened, but once it broke in, it became an airtime machine. The launches give it a uniqueness that make it a nice counterpoint to the existing coasters. The lines get extremely long at peak times, but it's almost walk-on in the quiet season so you can get your fill of the speed.
-SeaWorld debuts its One Ocean show. I miss the "Believe" orca show, but "One Ocean" is a worthy successor, and I really love the first song. Having lived in Celebration for many years now, and being a SeaWorld passholder who visits the park regularly, I know the orcas' names and can usually tell them apart. I love how One Ocean gives them an opportunity to showcase their individual personalities. Of course, Shamu himself (i.e. Tili) still comes out at the end to soak the audience as only he can.
-Universal Orlando has its first Halloween Horror Nights tweet-up. The Central Florida theme parks are really embracing social media in general and Facebook and Twitter in particular. This year, Universal held several Halloween Horror Nights tweet-ups, starting before the event even began. Of course I was there to get a sneak preview, and better yet, I won a spot on a group tour through one of the houses with TJ Mannarino (you'll know who that is if you're an HHN fan). My even luckier husband nailed a spot at the team preview of the event. It was a great way for Universal to build even more excitement for Halloween Horror Nights (not that they really need to, since the rabid fans are usually already whipped up into a frenzy by September).
Below are some video highlights of the events. I have my fingers crossed for even better theme parking in 2012, although 2011 will be hard to beat:
Legoland Florida Grand Opening Ceremony:
Interview With Anthony Daniels and Designers from Industrial Light & Magic:
Flashback to Cheetah Hunt Construction at Busch Gardens Tampa:
One Ocean Orca Show Highlights at SeaWorld:
Halloween Horror Nights Tweet-Up Q & A Session at Universal Studios Orlando:
Friday, December 30, 2011
A Celebration of the New Year 2012
It's hard to believe that it's nearly 2012 already, not just because 2011 went by so fast, but also because it's been nearly eight years since I started this blog. I remember wanting to move to Celebration so badly and wondering what it would be like to live in Florida. That seems like only yesterday, but in the blink of an eye I'm suddenly a (fairly) long-time Florida resident.
On the plus side, living in Florida is everything I ever hoped it would be. It's late December, yet the sun is shiny, the grass is green, and I don't even need a coat. I spent the entire season visiting the Christmas celebrations at Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Universal/Islands of Adventure, and Legoland Florida, and before that it was another year of fun at Halloween Horror Nights and Howl-O-Scream. I'm still not tired of hearing the Illuminations fireworks while sitting in my family room every night.
But some things have changed for the negative here in Celebration. We were lucky enough to buy Duloc Manor before the real estate bubble peaked. After that peak, there was the big bust, with aftershocks that are still affecting Celebration and all the rest of Florida. If you drive around our once immaculate town, you'll quickly be able to pick out the foreclosures, with their ragged appearance and overgrown lawns.
Still, I've never once regretted my decision to move to Celebration, Florida. It's my home now; Publix has replaced "da Jewels" as my grocery store of choice, I no longer long for a basement, I ask for "unsweetened tea" because I barely remember that I used to live where that was the default, and my regret at no longer getting to eat at Lawry's anymore is dampened by places like Sweet Tomatoes, Sunny's BBQ. I even found a Mexican restaurant in Kissimmee, called El Tenampa, where the food rivals anything you can get in Chicago's Hispanic neighborhoods. They even have horchata and a wide array of aguas frescas.
I've been very busy with my writing career and other endeavors. I'm building up a list of ebooks on Amazon.com with topics ranging from Disney World and the other theme parks to personal finance and becoming a travel agent. I'm going to try to find the time to post to my Celebration, Florida, blog more regularly, too. I think it's an appropriate time because life in Florida has entered a new phase...well, actually, it's been in that phase for a while now. It's still a great place to live, and you can get some fantastic bargains if you move to Celebration now, but it's very different from the place I blogged about in 2004. Welcome to Phase Two!
On the plus side, living in Florida is everything I ever hoped it would be. It's late December, yet the sun is shiny, the grass is green, and I don't even need a coat. I spent the entire season visiting the Christmas celebrations at Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Universal/Islands of Adventure, and Legoland Florida, and before that it was another year of fun at Halloween Horror Nights and Howl-O-Scream. I'm still not tired of hearing the Illuminations fireworks while sitting in my family room every night.
But some things have changed for the negative here in Celebration. We were lucky enough to buy Duloc Manor before the real estate bubble peaked. After that peak, there was the big bust, with aftershocks that are still affecting Celebration and all the rest of Florida. If you drive around our once immaculate town, you'll quickly be able to pick out the foreclosures, with their ragged appearance and overgrown lawns.
Still, I've never once regretted my decision to move to Celebration, Florida. It's my home now; Publix has replaced "da Jewels" as my grocery store of choice, I no longer long for a basement, I ask for "unsweetened tea" because I barely remember that I used to live where that was the default, and my regret at no longer getting to eat at Lawry's anymore is dampened by places like Sweet Tomatoes, Sunny's BBQ. I even found a Mexican restaurant in Kissimmee, called El Tenampa, where the food rivals anything you can get in Chicago's Hispanic neighborhoods. They even have horchata and a wide array of aguas frescas.
I've been very busy with my writing career and other endeavors. I'm building up a list of ebooks on Amazon.com with topics ranging from Disney World and the other theme parks to personal finance and becoming a travel agent. I'm going to try to find the time to post to my Celebration, Florida, blog more regularly, too. I think it's an appropriate time because life in Florida has entered a new phase...well, actually, it's been in that phase for a while now. It's still a great place to live, and you can get some fantastic bargains if you move to Celebration now, but it's very different from the place I blogged about in 2004. Welcome to Phase Two!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
A fiesta of flavor at Epcot's new Hacienda de San Angel restaurant
On September 15 I had the pleasure of attending the media event for the grand opening of La Hacienda de San Angel at Disney World's Epcot theme park. I wrote about it for Examiner, but they only allow me to post one photo now so below is my full photographic coverage, including plenty of "food porn" at the bottom. Click here to hop to the Examiner article if you didn't read it already. The food was delicious, and as an added bonus, the outdoor eating area is a perfect spot to see Illuminations. I enjoyed the view here even more than I do at the U.K. restaurant patio.
Here is the friendly team from Hacienda de San Angel:
Opening ceremonies:
Mickey and Donald were on hand to cut the ribbon. Note that it's up in this photo:
Aren't those lovely light fixtures?
What Mexican-themed celebration would be complete without a mariachi band?
And now the best part...food porn! Everything was delicious:
Mole on pork:
The item below was my favorite. It had a slightly sweet flavor:
Rose petal margarita that did indeed taste like rose water:
I didn't dare try the jalapenos:
This was filled with cheese. It reminded me of the quesadillas casera I get at El Tenampa, my favorite Kissimmee Mexican restaurant:
I can't remember if this was a mango or guava margarita, but it was good either way!
The shrimp taco will definitely please seafood lovers:
Yum! They use my favorite kind of Mexican cheese (the white, crumbly kind), as you can see below:
I think the photo below is another view of my favorite tasty treat:
Here is the friendly team from Hacienda de San Angel:
Opening ceremonies:
Mickey and Donald were on hand to cut the ribbon. Note that it's up in this photo:
And now it's cut!
Grand opening sign inside the restaurant:
Aren't those lovely light fixtures?
What Mexican-themed celebration would be complete without a mariachi band?
And now the best part...food porn! Everything was delicious:
Mole on pork:
The item below was my favorite. It had a slightly sweet flavor:
Rose petal margarita that did indeed taste like rose water:
I didn't dare try the jalapenos:
This was filled with cheese. It reminded me of the quesadillas casera I get at El Tenampa, my favorite Kissimmee Mexican restaurant:
I can't remember if this was a mango or guava margarita, but it was good either way!
The shrimp taco will definitely please seafood lovers:
Yum! They use my favorite kind of Mexican cheese (the white, crumbly kind), as you can see below:
I think the photo below is another view of my favorite tasty treat:
All photos copyright 2010 by Barb Nefer, all rights reserved.
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