Back to my Happy Place! FINAL UPDATE 6/28 - Pg. 20 Posts #291 & #292

[OhioStateBuckeye]

The Kentucky Derby?! Ooooh that'll be so sweet. I have never been, but I've always wanted to go. My dad went the year Secretariat won...I would love to go to a year with a Triple Crown Winner. Please do post pics!

 

[Spartangirl]

Wow, that inn looks amazing! They really rolled out the welcome mat!

It was really nice and we loved being right across the street from the parks. I think it was a 5 minute walk!!! They really did roll out the welcome mat and the people at the front desk couldn't have been anymore helpful or kind!!!

Looks like fun times in California Adventure. We never got to go on the Mickey Wheel since it was being transformed into the Mickey version when we were there. We definitely will need to make a trip out there in the next couple of years.

You'll definitely have to head back! Come to think of it, I believe it was the "Sun Wheel" last time we were there!

I hope you have a blast at the Kentucky Derby! I hope that you take plenty of pics for us and tell us all about it!

Thank you!!! We are really looking forward to it......we'll be on the road nice and early tomorrow! You know me with pictures! I'm sure I'll have plenty!!!

Yikes, nothing could get me on that wheel of death with the sliding cars!

Yeah.......I don't know how soon we'll be going back on it...especially Chris!

Love Minnie in her flight gear, how cute is that?!

I thought she was adorable! I've never seen her dressed up like that before!

Have fun at the Kentucky Derby. Did you buy yourself a cute hat to wear?

Thank you so much! We can't wait!!! Of course!!! I actually bought two! I'm not really a hat person, but I'm going "all in" for the Derby!!!

Park View Inn looks great! DS stayed there and said it was nice, but I didn't see any pics - I'm def. going to remember this one So nice that you got the gift basket and birthday surprise! Seems just as good as being on property, without the extra $$

It was really nice...actually even better than we expected! I would definitely stay there again! I guess they put a basket in EVERY room, which is such a nice touch. AND...you can't beat how close the hotel is to the parks!!! We had actually looked at staying at the Grand Californian...however, we couldn't justify the cost for staying for such a short time and not spending anytime at the hotel. I definitely think we made the best choice for us and saved a ton of money in the process!!!

Too bad TSM was closed. You got off to a roaring start, though. I love the moving side on the Mickey Wheel, but no one in my fam wants to ride it with me!

I was so bummed that it was closed! But, we just tried to go with the flow and focus on the positive!!!

Hey, you found a handsome action figure for sure!

I sure thought so!

I've never seen Soarin' Minnie - how cute!

That was a first for us too...she was so adorable!

Great update!!! So happy to read about your time at Disneyland!!!

Thank you!!! I can't wait to share more!

Have a great time this weekend!

Thanks! We are really looking forward to the Derby!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

The Kentucky Derby?! Ooooh that'll be so sweet. I have never been, but I've always wanted to go. My dad went the year Secretariat won...I would love to go to a year with a Triple Crown Winner. Please do post pics!

I KNOW!!! We can't wait!!! That is VERY COOL that your dad went the year Secretariat won! I just watched the movie not too long ago to get pumped up for the Derby! I will definitely post a few pictures when we return!!!

 

[MeMom]

Now we know where to stay when/if we ever make it to Disneyland. Can't beat being right across the street from the park.

I'm looking forward to Little Mermaid in Fantasyland in WDW, and I would be all for a Monsters, Inc. ride taking over the Stitch building.

I have seen the Mickey pretzel, but I did not get one at the time. I don't know why I didn't. I guess the timing just wasn't right. I am hoping that in the 13 days I will be there this summer, the timing will be right at some point.

Have fun at the Kentucky Derby!

 

[SoonerGirl]

I would be all for a Monsters, Inc. ride taking over the Stitch building.

 

[Charleston Princess]

Have fun at the Derby this weekend!!!

Park Vue looks very nice, and I love all the pictures from California Adventure! Bummer about TSM being broken down, though.

 

[Minnie824]

Love your trip report! We're going for the first time this summer and doing DL, WB tour, Hollywood and VIP tour at Universal. I have a question on the VIP tour....for the lunch, can you tell me more of what food offerings there are? We're bringing our 8 & 10 year old DDs and want to make sure there's something they'll eat. Thanks!

 

[Jennifer48]

Great first day at Disneyland! Well, California Adventure

 

[Spartangirl]

Now we know where to stay when/if we ever make it to Disneyland. Can't beat being right across the street from the park.

It was a great little hotel! Clean and SO CLOSE to the parks!!! We loved all of the little surprises too!

I'm looking forward to Little Mermaid in Fantasyland in WDW, and I would be all for a Monsters, Inc. ride taking over the Stitch building.

I'm with you!!!

I have seen the Mickey pretzel, but I did not get one at the time. I don't know why I didn't. I guess the timing just wasn't right. I am hoping that in the 13 days I will be there this summer, the timing will be right at some point.

Yes, you'll definitely have to get one! And I'm jealous...13 days sounds wonderful!!! I'm so excited for you!!!

Have fun at the Kentucky Derby!

Thank you! We had such a fantastic time!!!

Have fun at the Derby this weekend!!!

Thank you...we had such a great time!!!

Park Vue looks very nice, and I love all the pictures from California Adventure! Bummer about TSM being broken down, though.

We were happy with our choice of Park Vue. It was a great little hotel!

Love your trip report!

Thanks so much! I appreciate you taking the time to read it!

We're going for the first time this summer and doing DL, WB tour, Hollywood and VIP tour at Universal. I have a question on the VIP tour....for the lunch, can you tell me more of what food offerings there are? We're bringing our 8 & 10 year old DDs and want to make sure there's something they'll eat. Thanks!

You are going to have a FANTASTIC time!!! As for the lunch...there was a HUGE variety of different meats, salads, cheeses, veggies, seafood, pasta, etc. I believe they even offered chicken nuggets and french fries. I wish I had taken pictures...but, I do remember having a hard time choosing what to eat because there was so much. There were a ton of desserts too, including ice cream bars. There were some kids eating in there when we went to lunch...I'm sure your daughters will be able to find something!

Great first day at Disneyland! Well, California Adventure

Thanks!

 

[Spartangirl]

Well, I'm back from the Derby and all I can say is that we had an AMAZING weekend! It was pure fun and I took about 150 pictures! Before getting back to my DL TR, I promised I would share a few pictures from our adventure. For my FB friends, I apologize because you've probably already seen some of these! On with Derby weekend!!!

The little weekend trip came about because my parents had gone to the Derby for the first time last year and came home raving about it. My dad mentioned that he was going to put his name in the raffle at Churchill Downs to see if he could get tickets again. Chris and I jumped at the opportunity and said we'd like to go too, if he got seats. Fast forward ahead......in March, we OFFICIALLY found out that we had tickets and were thrilled beyond belief. Chris and I were headed to our first Kentucky Derby!!!

Chris and I, along with my parents, headed down early on Thursday morning...I think we hit the road by 5:30 a.m. We arrived in Louisville in the afternoon and checked into our hotel. From there we made our way to downtown Louisville to do a little exploring and to find some seats for the Derby Festival Pegasus Parade. The parade wasn't scheduled to begin until 5:00 p.m., but the streets were beginning to fill up around 2:00. A couple of my parents' friends (who they attended the Derby with the previous year) wanted to meet up with us for the parade. We ended up purchasing some tickets for the parade so that we could have seats, instead of sitting on the curb. The lady who sold us the tickets not only gave us chairs (instead of bleacher seats), but sat us right up front.......VIP seating! We weren't complaining...

5:00 came and went and the parade still hadn't started......we baked in the sun and continued to check our watches.......at around 5:35, my dad spoke with one of the police officers on the street. He said that in all of the years that he had been working the parade, it had never started so late! By about 5:45, the people and floats began making their way down the street and the huge crowd broke into applause!

Here comes Miss America!

Look! It's a "touch of Disney!" Not quite Snow White and the 7 dwarfs we are used to.........but, I was happy to see them none-the-less! Behind the dwarfs were a few horses and behind the horses were several other Disney princesses. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture because the princesses were the official "pooper-scoopers!"

Now, for those of you who have read my TRs in the past, you know my love of Chick-fil-A!!! (And yes, we did make a stop at one in Kentucky!!! ) Check this out!!!

Cyndi Lauper was the Grand Marshal of the parade. Remember I said the parade started late? Guess who was to blame!!! I guess someone brought Cyndi the WRONG type of water and she didn't want to start the parade until she had the right kind. REALLY???

The Marine Band was AMAZING!

Any "Once Upon a Time" fans??? Well, Josh Dallas made an appearance in the parade!

I just love the Clydesdales!!!!

Look, it's NEMO! All of the little kids around us went crazy!!!

A Derby Horse!

We ended up staying at the parade for about an hour and a half and then decided to head out. The parade was still in full swing, but we wanted to grab a quick bite to eat before calling it a night.

We found a cute little cafe near our hotel and all had delicious meals. As a bonus, the owner came over and chatted with us for awhile after noticing the "Derby gear" that we were wearing. He told us to head to the Kroger store right by our hotel because tonight they would be making the garland for the Oaks and tomorrow night they would be making the garland for the Derby. The garlands are what they put on the winning horses for both races! Sounded like a great plan to us!!!

We were happy to say that we witnessed the garland being made. They called this one the "Lillies for the Fillies" for the Kentucky Oaks!

We soon called it a night so that we would be ready for our first day of races on Friday morning!

**************************************************

The next morning, we got up and ate a leisurely breakfast, got decked out for the Oaks, and headed out for our first taste of Churchill Downs.

Chris and I were so excited to finally be at the track!!!

Here we are with my parents...we're ready for the Oaks and our first day of races!!!

Here they come!!! This was our first race at Churchill Downs!!!

Continued in next post... http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44853767&postcount=231

 

[Spartangirl]

Continued...

After being at the Oaks all day, we headed to dinner and then made our way back to the same Kroger from the other night. This time, they were working on the garland of roses for the Kentucky Derby...

They even had a Derby trophy!

After another long day, we soon called it a night and decided to go back to our hotel to rest for the big day!

**************************************

The next morning we were up, ready, and excited for the day's events!!!

Approaching our gate, we noticed that the red carpet was out...

Chris and I were ready for the BIG EVENT!!!

All day long, we went back and forth on who to place bets on for the BIG RACE...

The horses were such beauties and I enjoyed watching them as they ran past us...

Jim Cantore, from the Weather Channel was in a "News Box" right by our seats! Chris and I love watching his "thundersnow" segments...he's hilarious! Jackie...I know you know who he is!

These were our clubhouse "box" seats!

We soon placed our bets for the Kentucky Derby 138!!! Hope we have a winner! You'll notice that we have several tickets in our hands...some friends and family (who knew that we were going) wanted us to place bets for them too!

I was all set for the big race...I got my mint julep and rose! It makes me laugh looking back at these pictures because I am so "not a hat person." Although, I always think they look cute on other people. I just figured that if we were "doing the Derby," we were going to do it right!

Soon, the bugle sounded and everyone at the track sang "My Old Kentucky Home"...

It was time for the "quickest 2 minutes" in sports! Look at all of the dirt!!!

All too quickly, they made it to the finish line...

I'll Have Another was the winner of the Kentucky Derby 138!

The standings are now official!

And yes, we were happy with the results!!! We bet on Bodemeister to win, place, and show. Since he came in 2nd, we won for place and show. We also bet on I'll Have Another to show. Not too shabby!!!

We really had a fantastic weekend! Everything leading up to the Derby was new and exciting for us and the actual race was a pure adrenaline rush! I really hope we have a chance to go back in the future...

Hope you enjoyed my little "side trip." I'll be back with more of my "regular scheduled TR" this weekend! http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44896427&postcount=238

 

[Aburns8]

What a great experience. Makes me want to go to the Derby. It seems like there are a lot of activities for people to do. The Dwarfs were very scary. If I was a kid I might have been scared. Did you buy your hats before you went down or did you get them there?

 

[Jennifer48]

What an awesome experience! Thank you for sharing!

BTW, I think you look lovely in your hat

 

[MAGICFOR2]

You look FABULOUS Dahling! What a great experience! I'm glad it was so fun for you, and the weather was good too!

How fun to be able to watch the garlands being made!

 

[Tracy161]

Looks like you had a fabulous time!!! Love your Derby outfit and you look great in a hat!

 

[SoonerGirl]

Looks like so much fun! And, by the way, I think you look very cute in your hats! I do know what you mean though, I have a friend that wears hats and I always think she looks so great in them, and then I put one on and I think I look silly.......

 

[Spartangirl]

What a great experience. Makes me want to go to the Derby. It seems like there are a lot of activities for people to do.

It was so much fun! There was a ton to do and I definitely want to go back in the future!!!

The Dwarfs were very scary. If I was a kid I might have been scared.

I thought they were a little creepy too...however, the kids around us seemed to enjoy them.

Did you buy your hats before you went down or did you get them there?

I bought them before we went down. There were TONS of hats in Louisville, but hefty prices to go with them!!! I was happy I made the purchases before going...

What an awesome experience! Thank you for sharing!

You're welcome!!! We loved every minute of it!!!

BTW, I think you look lovely in your hat

You are too sweet! Thanks!

You look FABULOUS Dahling!

Why thank you, Dahling!

What a great experience! I'm glad it was so fun for you, and the weather was good too!

We were so happy the weather held out...they were calling for rain on the two race days!!!

How fun to be able to watch the garlands being made!

It was such a unique experience...we were so happy to have been able to see it!!!

Looks like you had a fabulous time!!!

It was wonderful...I want to go back!!!

Love your Derby outfit and you look great in a hat!

AWE...thanks so much!!!

Looks like so much fun!

We had such a great time!!!

And, by the way, I think you look very cute in your hats! I do know what you mean though, I have a friend that wears hats and I always think she looks so great in them, and then I put one on and I think I look silly.......

Thank you so much!!!

 

[Spartangirl]

Disney Artists for a Day & The Grand Californian

After our snacks, we were ready to draw! Chris and I were headed for the Animation Academy!!!

Today we had a chance to draw Goofy, which was a first for us. Here are our attempts...

This is why I'm NOT an artist!!! I prefer to draw for the 1st graders in my class who tell me how talented I am!!!

We always have a great time "pretending" to be Disney artists!

Off the Page was our next stop!

This store had so many neat, artistic things that I'd love to collect (if only I had the room)! There were these cool, little light boxes that I had never seen before...

Many fun statues...

And the ever popular Jim Shore figurines!

After exploring the store, we soon headed out and were off to pick up our next FP.

Chris and I were kind of taking things at a slower pace today and it was so nice. The crowds were pretty large, but it didn't really bother us because we were in "relaxation mode." It was very refreshing to just take things in instead of racing around in our normal "commando mode!"

As we walked, we passed by the construction site of the new Cars Land...it looks like it's going to be amazing! I hope we can make it back to check it out in the near future...

Since we were near the Pacific Wharf, we decided to do the Bakery Tour.

We absolutely loved the Mickey shaped bread!

And we even got a sample of fresh sourdough bread...

Continued in next post... http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44896503&postcount=239

 

[Spartangirl]

Continued...

After our tour, Chris and I headed over near the entrance to the Grand Californian. We decided to make a little side trip!

The grounds were so pretty and the lobby was gorgeous!

We were so happy that we took the time to make a stop! I was pretty close to booking our stay in DL at this resort, but I just couldn't justify the price, seeing as though we would be spending all of our time in the parks. With that said, we were so happy to have walked the grounds...

Chris and I soon headed back into the park and we walked toward Soarin' to use our FPs. A show caught our eye on the way. It was pretty cute!

Our next stop was a flight over CA!!! This ride never grows old for me...

And then it just happened to be time for our next FP and my favorite ride...The Tower of Terror. Poor Chris could "take or leave this ride." But, I drag him on it at least once per trip!!!

On our journey toward ToT, we happened upon a Super Hero parade. Here are a few pics that I caught as we walked by...

And then we made our way to this...of course, it never disappoints!!!

Up Next: Wine Country Trattoria, a Friendly Little Competition, and the World of Color http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=44962832&postcount=246

 

[SoonerGirl]

That light box is very cool! Not sure I could justify the cost though......

The Grand Californian is beautiful, I would love to stay there someday