Trip Report Golden State of Mind: Our August 2017 California Adventure

11 Days
10 Nights
9 Miles walked on our busiest day
8 Months of planning
7 Days with a rental car
6 Hotels
5 Boat rides
4 Flight segments
3 Disney park days
2 East coasters
1 Unforgettable vacation

Hello and welcome to my trip report! For those who don't know, here is the essential information:

Me (Bee): 28, opera singer/voice teacher
DW (M): 28, writer/academic administrator
We: grew up in Florida, have visited WDW many times, have been together 10+ years, have been married almost 3 years, now live in NJ just outside of NYC

Dates: August 4-14, 2017
Flights: Southwest, EWR-MDW-SMF and LAX-MDW-EWR
Transportation: Rental car, Lyft, local public transportation
Major locations: Sacramento, Napa Valley, San Francisco, Muir Woods, Sequoia National Forest, Los Angeles, Anaheim
Lodging: 6 different hotels varying from 1-3 nights in each

And here is a link to my PTR: Not our typical Disney trip

I will add the usual disclaimer about us having only smartphone cameras. I am working on uploading all my photos to a third party site which is free and allows me to easily embed them here; however, they only allow 150 uploads per day so it will take some time. All my photos are uploaded and ready to post!

The first six days (August 4-9) we toured various parts of northern and southern California. From August 10-13 we visited Disneyland, including both parks and Downtown Disney. On August 14 we flew home to New Jersey. If you'd like to skip ahead to the Disneyland part of this trip, click here. Otherwise, continue reading for the entire trip report!
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9, cont.

We had a 5:30 dinner reservation for Napa Rose and we checked in about fifteen minutes early.

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Since the restaurant didn't begin seating until 5:30 we were offered a table in the lounge, which we of course accepted.

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I ordered the Bitter Storm.

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M ordered the Napa Rose.

As we waited for our drinks we noticed that there are roses EVERYWHERE in Napa Rose. Some are more obvious than others.

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L: the Napa Rose. R: the Bitter Storm.

We both really liked these. They were the kind of fancy drinks that use higher-end ingredients and are very drinkable so you don't realize how drunk you're getting! :hungry: After my one drink I was already slightly drunk (and you know from my TRs how much we can drink on vacation ;) ).

Soon we were taken to our table, which was right by a window looking out onto the grounds of the GC.

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Our server, Steven, greeted us soon and explained the menu. Side note: It's always a little awkward to be a vegetarian at a nice restaurant when the server is going on and on about steaks and seafood, and you don't want to interrupt his speech but you also don't want to waste his time! We decided not to interrupt and to let him give the whole speech. We did eventually get to tell him we're vegetarians and he gave us some suggestions of things that were either veggie by default or could be modified.

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More roses!

In the meantime, it was time for more drinks!

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This was Steven's recommendation and M chose it. It had a nice strong coffee flavor (it actually tasted almost like cold brew!) and a little spice at the end.

I had a glass of Federalist Zinfandel. I didn't take a photo of the bottle even though I really wanted to because it had Alexander Hamilton's portrait on it! I didn't want to look weird at a nice restaurant, though, haha. It was very flavorful and had notes of white pepper (which I have recently realized I really like!).

We ended up ordered two appetizers, an entree, and a side to share. Before our apps came out Steven brought us a bread basket!

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I don't remember what all of these were, but one had caramelized onions inside and once was a crispy herb-y cracker. Although we wanted to stuff ourselves with bread we didn't so we'd have enough room for dinner! :hungry: :hungry: :hungry:

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Tomato and melon salad

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Beet salad-without bacon!

As we were enjoying our salads a woman at the table next to us asked us if we had visited the parks today. We talked about our days and it turns out we'd both done Magic Morning and used MaxPass that day-and loved both! We had quite a conversation throughout dinner and eventually we realized we hadn't really introduced ourselves. The woman's name was Melinda and she was with her daughter Lindsay. We all talked about our jobs (they both love music and theatre thought it was cool that I'm an opera singer) and our lives and our trips to Disney. Melinda and Lindsay live in Orange County and Melinda's job sent her to a conference at the Grand Californian, and they were celebrating Lindsay's 9th birthday. They go to DL fairly often for day trips but have never been to WDW. It's funny how Disneyland people have a hard time imagining the huge scope of WDW until they actually see it. We really enjoyed talking to our new friends and we're so glad Melinda struck up a conversation! And she thanked us for bringing the topics of conversation to a higher level than what a 9-year-old would typically talk about. :hilarious:

Back to the food!

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Squash blossoms

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Truffle mac and cheese

Our meal at Napa Rose was excellent in every way. The food was delicious, the drinks were strong and flavorful, the service was wonderful, and the atmosphere was upscale but modern. It was on par with or better than the signature restaurants we've visited at WDW, and especially reminded me of a slightly more fancy California Grill.

One more lamp on the way out!

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Up next: Disneyland at night!
 

dizfan917

Well-Known Member
Okay... now I seriously have to plan a trip to Disneyland!! Your report and photos are super cool! I will try and book the Grand Californian once again with our DVC points and if I can't get a room, I'll suck it up and stay off property. I love how similar things are and yet how different they are, too. I knew Napa Rose would be delicious. We are doing brunch at California Grill during our November trip. That will have to suffice until we make it to CA.
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 9, cont.

After we finished our dinner it was time to get back to the park for some nighttime entertainment!

Our first stop inside was:

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We didn't have dessert with dinner, and what's a Disney trip without a...

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DOLE WHIP!!!

Someone on the forums gave me the tip about there being two lines. If that was you, thank you, because you saved us at least 5 minutes of waiting time!

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So pretty at night!

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I'd gotten us a FP for Space Mountain earlier, so we headed to Tomorrowland to redeem it.

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Blurry photo, but it shows how backed up the FP line was. :eek:

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We loved it once again! BUT...when we entered the holographic tunnel at the end, the ride suddenly stopped! The lights came on and the music stopped and the CMs working the ride were talking to each other over the ride PA system to coordinate rescuing everyone from the ride! :eek:

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We waited just a few minutes here and a CM had to push our ride vehicle back toward the loading area. Luckily we'd basically finished the ride but I hope those who hadn't finished were given FPs or something!

It was time for the Main Street Electrical Parade! We hadn't staked out a spot so we weren't right up close to the action but we had a decent view nonetheless.

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You may have gathered from our previous reports that we're not parade watchers. As many times as I've been to MK I've never seen the Electrical Parade in its entirety (I usually catch like three minutes of it as I'm trying to get out of the park, if that), and I've never stopped to watch Festival of Fantasy. But there was something really special about watching the Electrical Parade here in Disneyland, with a crowd of enthusiastic guests who were so excited to wave to their favorite characters and watch the blinking lights go by. We had a lot of fun watching and are so glad we did it!

We may not be parade people, but we're definitely fireworks people! We'd read that one of the best uncrowded spots to watch "Remember...Dreams Come True" was near It's a Small World, and we found an area with tables and chairs nearby.

We may have already had dessert, but we'd gone three DLR park days without having...

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CHURROS! (Oops, they're out of focus lol)

A few other people had the same idea we had. Each time a new person would sit down by the water with their snacks this very persistent duck would come sit right by them, JUST IN CASE they dropped some of their food! :hilarious:

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Soon the music began...and M and I gave each other the strangest look. "Is this...the 'Wishes' music???"

Turns out a whole lot of this show is parts of "Wishes" (RIP <3) spliced in with narration from Julie Andrews about Disneyland Park itself. It was kind of weird. Oh well!

Earlier I'd made a FP for Haunted Mansion, but HM was down when the window opened, so it turned into a free FP! What do you think we used it on?

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And our last ride of the night (and of the trip) got to be Space Mountain! There were no mishaps this time, just a lot of fun and an amazing way to end the night.

We said goodnight to the park and walked back to our room. It had been a long and wonderful day.

Up next: Day 10
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
BEST BUBBLE MAKER EVER!!!!
The CM were using them standing in the doorway of the shops when we were there

Max
So cool! Now I wish I'd bought one! (JK...where would I put it???)

Okay... now I seriously have to plan a trip to Disneyland!! Your report and photos are super cool! I will try and book the Grand Californian once again with our DVC points and if I can't get a room, I'll suck it up and stay off property. I love how similar things are and yet how different they are, too. I knew Napa Rose would be delicious. We are doing brunch at California Grill during our November trip. That will have to suffice until we make it to CA.
Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Staying at the Grand Californian sounds amazing, but if you can't get it there are lots of great, very close choices offsite. It's not at all like WDW where you have a huge advantage staying onsite.

Have you had brunch at California Grill before? I hope it's amazing!
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Day 9, cont.

After our break in the room we walked back across Harbor Blvd.

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This time we were headed to the Grand California, via...

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Have I said how much I love the small scale of the entire Disneyland property? The parks, Downtown Disney, and all three resort hotels are within walking distance. It's so convenient!

Inside the GC...

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Some fancy bathroom pics for those who I know like them:

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Bunny tile in the bathroom for @DisneyShe and my little brother

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Loved these subtle Mickey lamps near one of the lounges!

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Pool area

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Reading @Doc Disney's reports has made me notice interesting lighting fixtures a lot more. :p

Up next: We make new friends at dinner!
Love it! Looked for you @bee! Figured we would see each other at Food & Wine. We spent most of the time there and AK.
 

ScarletBegonias

Well-Known Member
Soooo I'm SUPER late! (I go through phases where it hurts too much to come on here :( ) But I LOVED your report! It looked like such a fantastic time!

I'm STILL drooling over those coffee's from Ghiradelli's!
 

amjt660

Premium Member
Remember - the fireworks show used for the 50th was the best of Wishes with an amazing trip around Disneyland through lights, sounds, projections on the castle and fireworks.
We first saw in in 2005 standing in the hub and we had fireworks going off all around us.
It is in a two way tie for me with Illuminations as the best fireworks show I have ever seen.
Having Julie Andrews voice narrating just takes it to a higher level.

(Fan boy rant over)

Max
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Catching up on your report, but have to say, - WOW is right....and I'm just looking at photos, not the real thing! Gorgeous photos!!
Thank you!! M and I were just taking a walk around the neighborhood and gushing about how beautiful the trees were.

Love it! Looked for you @bee! Figured we would see each other at Food & Wine. We spent most of the time there and AK.
I looked for you too! We only ended up going to Epcot and AK (no MK :eek: ) and I thought we'd see each other.

Soooo I'm SUPER late! (I go through phases where it hurts too much to come on here :( ) But I LOVED your report! It looked like such a fantastic time!

I'm STILL drooling over those coffee's from Ghiradelli's!
Welcome! I understand the hurting too much. :(

We really did have a fantastic time! And MMMMM Ghirardelli!!!! :hungry:

Remember - the fireworks show used for the 50th was the best of Wishes with an amazing trip around Disneyland through lights, sounds, projections on the castle and fireworks.
We first saw in in 2005 standing in the hub and we had fireworks going off all around us.
It is in a two way tie for me with Illuminations as the best fireworks show I have ever seen.
Having Julie Andrews voice narrating just takes it to a higher level.

(Fan boy rant over)

Max
Yes, I think it fits as a celebration of the 50th...or even 60th...but it still felt pretty random to me. I do like that DL changes up the fireworks more frequently than MK.

The private entrance to DCA is very much a benefit of staying at the Grand Cali
And having early entry on all your park days is a benefit as well
Especially for us this time because we had less park hours to work with.

STOP - (Save it for your own report )

OK I am done now

;)

Max
Write your own report, Max! :p

I didn't say there were NO benefits to staying onsite; I meant more than the difference (location-wise at least) between onsite and offsite at WDW is huge whereas the difference at DL is smaller. Of course I'd love to stay at any of the DL resorts! :D
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 10: Sunday, August 13

Though our park days were over, our Disney fun certainly wasn't!

We actually slept in a bit today until 8:30 or maybe even 9:00. We had some donuts and coffee for breakfast so we wouldn't fill up before our brunch.

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Once again we enjoyed breakfast on the outdoor terrace.

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We finished packing up and brought our bags down to the lobby to check out. Then we walked over to...

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Side note: I like that you go through security before Downtown Disney and not just the parks. It makes the whole area feel a little safer. Another side note: I don't remember which day it was (I think this day but who knows?) that we got stuck behind a group of three teenagers who were held up at security because one of them had a giant speaker in his bag. He was told to take it back to the car, throw it away at bag check, or leave. :confused:

We were early for brunch so we took our time walking through DD.

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We arrived at Tortilla Jo's (I keep wanting to type "Trader Joe's" lol!) and checked in a little early.

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We were seated shortly and looked over the menu.

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If you don't already know why we picked this place, look at the orange box. :p

Our server brought us chips and salsa.

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And we each started with a classic orange mimosa.

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Okay. Best. Mimosas. Ever. They were quite strong and they were huge!! And only $10 for unlimited! Anyone who's ever brunched in NYC knows this is a steal!!

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Before the food came out we finished our mimosas and the server brought us another round. This time I tried cranberry.

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I liked both cranberry and orange. We were already feeling the buzz :cool:

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My huevos divorciados :hungry:

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M's chilaquiles

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The fruit plate for the table. At first it looked pretty wimpy but honestly there was no way we could have eaten any more than this!

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The shared dessert plate. I think we each had ONE bite of each dessert because we were so full.

By the end of the brunch we'd each had four strong mimosas. The food was delicious and plentiful. If you like Mexican brunch I'd definitely recommend Tortilla Jo's!! $24 for a HUGE amount of food PLUS unlimited mimosas!

Up next: More DD time
 

dizfan917

Well-Known Member
Speaking of brunch... I did the California Grill brunch in January. It was amazing and we had bottomless mimosas... AND we paid $160 for two of us. Granted, there was sushi and you could go back to the buffet as often as you liked and you could order any or ALL of the items on the menu and there were beautiful pastries and cookies and chocolates and the views are gorgeous!

If you break it down... let's see - each mimosa is what? $12.00? and an entrée for... $16.00 each? So - $36 for drinks each plus $32 for entrees each PLUS the buffet... I guess it might make sense. :geek:

It was lovely. AND delicious. AND we're doing it again in November...
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Speaking of brunch... I did the California Grill brunch in January. It was amazing and we had bottomless mimosas... AND we paid $160 for two of us. Granted, there was sushi and you could go back to the buffet as often as you liked and you could order any or ALL of the items on the menu and there were beautiful pastries and cookies and chocolates and the views are gorgeous!

If you break it down... let's see - each mimosa is what? $12.00? and an entrée for... $16.00 each? So - $36 for drinks each plus $32 for entrees each PLUS the buffet... I guess it might make sense. :geek:

It was lovely. AND delicious. AND we're doing it again in November...
We almost did the brunch a few trips ago but decided against it. We were under the impression that they only gave you one drink each. Glad to hear that's not the case and CG brunch may be back on our radar!
 

Trisha Lynn

Well-Known Member
Too bad the movie it's based on isn't more relevant.

And yet seems that only yesterday I was working the press party for the opening of "a bug's land." (Also, I liked Antz better as a movie, but now feel weird about it because of Woody Allen.)

Yes, we know those two rides are in Adventureland but it was easier to just go into Frontierland and take the path over to Adventureland.

Best shortcuts ever. The Fantasyland Trail heading towards Frontierland was one of my other favorite "get around people" shortcuts.

The whole Toontown area was in pretty sad shape.

This makes me sad, too. There was so much promise in Toontown as a concept. You'd think they could spice it up a bit, perhaps re-theme it to the shared Disney TV cartoon universe a la "House of Mouse" back in the day.

If you've only ridden the WDW version (like us!), you may be surprised to learn that this train goes inside a museum-like natural history display!

Just as I came to that part, I immediately heard the narration and the music that plays during the Grand Canyon sequence. I'm sad that the WDW Railroad doesn't have that. I wonder why.

Alexander Hamilton's

"His name is Alexander Hamilton / And there's a million things he hasn't done / But just you wait..."

It's funny how Disneyland people have a hard time imagining the huge scope of WDW until they actually see it.

To be frank, I'm now starting to feel intimidated by the scope of WDW and worrying that we didn't book enough days for our vacation.

We'd read that one of the best uncrowded spots to watch "Remember...Dreams Come True" was near It's a Small World, and we found an area with tables and chairs nearby.

This is so true. The fireworks are launched from backstage behind Small World and the spent shells can fall in Toontown, which is why you can't watch them from Toontown. When I was a CM and was rehearsing for the Candlelight Procession in 2000 [corrected the year], our practice sessions were often held after the fireworks went off (to give CMs the chance to have dinner and rush in from Burbank), so we'd often be walking past the shells at the north CM entrance. (On a clear day, I could also see and hear the fireworks in the summer from my south-facing bedroom. It was awesome.)

If you don't already know why we picked this place, look at the orange box.

I like your style, ma'am.

Hoping your house search goes well. And what do you think about the Congers area, near the big mall up there? Is that still too far away from Manhattan?
 
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bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 10, cont.

A few more TJ's pics:

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We browsed some of the shops at DD.


Creepy Yoda

Soon it was time to say goodbye to Disney. We walked back to the BW to retrieve our bags.

Since I hadn't gotten any photos of the BW lobby at the beginning of the stay, I took some at the end!

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We really liked staying at the Best Western. We felt safe and secure even though the room doors open to the outside. All of the staff members we encountered were professional and helpful. The rooms were large and well-appointed, and the grounds and common areas were well-maintained. The breakfast was nicer than most free breakfasts at similar hotels. And the location was excellent. We were one of the closest non-Disney hotels to the entrance on Harbor Blvd. and it only took us about eight minutes to walk from the park exit to our room.

We called a Lyft to take us to our hotel near the airport. Our driver's name was Victor and we had a great conversation (which is good because it's a long ride from Anaheim to the LAX area!). Victor works in the film industry so we had quite a bit in common as artists trying to make it in competitive fields

Up next: Wine and "bougie b1tc#e$!"
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Best shortcuts ever. The Fantasyland Trail heading towards Frontierland was one of my other favorite "get around people" shortcuts.
Agreed! We loved that trail!

Just as I came to that part, I immediately heard the narration and the music that plays during the Grand Canyon sequence. I'm sad that the WDW Railroad doesn't have that. I wonder why.
I'm guessing the DL RR has that by necessity? Because it has to go through a building so they wanted to have something instead of just darkness (lol)? And at WDW they didn't need to do that because they had enough space? Just guessing.

"His name is Alexander Hamilton / And there's a million things he hasn't done / But just you wait..."
:D

To be frank, I'm now starting to feel intimidated by the scope of WDW and worrying that we didn't book enough days for our vacation.
Don't worry! Just prioritize what's most important to you and make sure you make time for it. WDW is huge and you couldn't do EVERYTHING even if you went for two weeks straight. It just means you'll have to go back! :p

This is so true. The fireworks are launched from backstage behind Small World and the spent shells can fall in Toontown, which is why you can't watch them from Toontown. When I was a CM and was rehearsing for the Candlelight Procession in 2001, our practice sessions were often held after the fireworks went off (to give CMs the chance to have dinner and rush in from Burbank), so we'd often be walking past the shells at the north CM entrance. (On a clear day, I could also see and hear the fireworks in the summer from my south-facing bedroom. It was awesome.)
Cool, I didn't know that about Toontown. Did you sing in Candlelight? How similar is it to the WDW version (if you know)?

I like your style, ma'am.
:D

Hoping your house search goes well. And what do you think about the Congers area, near the big mall up there? Is that still too far away from Manhattan?
Thank you! I'm hoping I'll have very good news to share next week.
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 10, cont.

Soon we arrived at the Hilton LAX. I'd originally booked the Four Points by Sheraton but the Hilton had better reviews and was about $30 cheaper.

The Hilton was huge! The lobby was a little too elegant for me to be comfortable taking photos, haha. We checked in and got our keys and walked to the fancy elevator of the future:

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Instead of pressing an up or down button, you press the floor you're going to and the little elves inside the elevator system assign you a specific elevator to take. I've only seen this once before, when M's brother visited New York with some friends and we hung out with them in their hotel.

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Our room was large and tastefully decorated. We had something of a view:

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Is that...downtown???

It was dinner time so we walked to a neat little place. You may have heard of it.

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They have a surprisingly good veggie burger for about $3.00!

After we had ordered and while we were waiting for our food, a man came in from outside and was bothering one of the female employees. She told him to order something or leave; on his way out the door he yelled, "I don't want to see you bougie b******s anyway!" Because Burger King is SOOOOO bougie. :rolleyes:

After Burger King we stopped at a nearby liquor store/convenience store for some wine to go with Game of Thrones.

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Yum! This wine was fruity but not sweet, with a lot of spice!

And that's about all we did this night. We went to bed early-ish so we wouldn't feel terrible the next morning for our early flight.

Up next: Day 11: travel day
 

bee

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Day 11: Monday, August 14
Goodbye, California!

The Hilton had a complimentary airport shuttle that ran 24/7 about every fifteen minutes. Since our flight was at 7:15 we went down around 5:00. A shuttle was ready and waiting for us!

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Bye, Hilton!

Unlike Newark (Stupid Newark!), LAX has self-service bag check kiosks in the Southwest ticketing area.

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Bag drop was a breeze and security only took about ten minutes.

There was a food court area near our gate. The line for Starbucks was absurdly long so I tried a pizza place. I ordered a breakfast pizza from the menu and the employee said they only had lunch/dinner pizzas??? At 5:30am??? :confused:

But while M held a table for us I found another option: a sandwich place!

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Our flight to Chicago was completely full but at least we took off on time!

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Once again we were served a variety of snacks beyond the usual peanuts and pretzels.

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When I ordered a tequila and orange juice the FA said, "Oh, okAAAAAAY" and gave me a slightly judgy look. PLEASE, I am on vacation.

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Always time for BallZ!

Well, either my phone and/or my photo Tumblr seems to have eaten the rest of my photos from the trip. I know we landed early and had about an hour before boarding the flight back to Newark. We were planning to eat at a Pan-Asian restaurant in the food court at MDW but it had been replaced by a sushi place and none of the sushi looked good. So we shared a panini from a sandwich place (it was a sandwichy kind of day, I guess!). The flight from MDW to EWR was uneventful and we had to wait awhile to collect our suitcase from baggage claim. We took a Lyft home and ordered some nice North Jersey pizza for dinner, AND there was Mickey mail waiting for us for our Labor Day WDW trip!!!

And that was the California trip! If I have time in the next few days I'll post some concluding thoughts and observations. I go back to my two main jobs on Sunday and Monday respectively. AND I hope to be able to post some very good news re: the apartment search early next week.

Thanks to all who have followed along and commented! It has been wonderful to relive this trip through a TR and it's even better to know someone else is reading it. :D
 

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