Vacation Station!

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Cool Off in
Hot Florida!

Florida- March 1993 & March 1994

South Miami Beach: This is were you want to be!! The sun on the beaches is HOT! I stayed about two blocks away from the core of South Miami Beach's, Ocean Drive. The first time I visited I went to the beach once, but I made up for it the second time by going just about everyday. Well you know what that means, SUNBURN!! I was somewhat toasty in about a week and then Wendi came down to meet me for the second week. We drove over to Tampa and then to Orlando. But you can't beat the streets of Hot Miami Beach!!

Kissimmee: Located right around the corner from Orlando and Disney World, this silly-named area is the perfect resting spot for all travelers and tourists. It has everything you need from major hotels, food chains, and of course gift shops. This was our final resting place, we enjoyed a time share, Disney, and Universal Studios. The first time I visited Florida we did a 3 day, 4 park marathon run. First day was spent in Disney World (Christmas Day, which was a Friday), the second day we went to MGM Studios during the day and Epcot Center at night, and the third day we spent marching through Universal Studios.

Orlando: Well, what can you say about the land that holds the greatest attractions an this earth, boring. All you find in Orlando are commercial outlets and some ok houses, WHOOPIE!!

Time Share: Right next to our hotel in Kissimmee was the Westgate Time Share. We wanted to get free tickets to some of the attractions around the area so we indulged in a Time Share campaign. We spent about 4-5 hours there and did end up buying a slice of Westgate, but don't worry we ended up canceling the contract. The place was ok, but everything they said about security and the such, was way off base. Jesus, are sales rep, was a little pissed, but you know what shit-happens!

Busch Gardens: This was my first time at Busch Gardens and I had a genuinely pleasant time. We toured the beer manufacturing museum and working plant, we got on some "definitely getting soaked" water rides, we saw a seal show (the animals not the artist) and I won Wendi the only prize to date ever, a two feet tall King of the Lions (not to be mistaken for the Lion King). It wasn't much of a prize, but it's the only one so far, so it will have to do.

Disney World: Visiting this national attraction was a true delight. I have visited both times that I have been to Florida and would probably go back. What isn't there to enough in Disney World!! The first time I (I hadn't met Wendi yet at this point) went was with my brother and a friend of his. We were there at the opening of the gate at around 7-8 AM on Christmas Day. I don't ever recall getting up this early during the holidays, and they call this a vacation?? Anyway, we spent the whole day running around the park and trying to take in as many rides and attractions as possible. We the exception of a few long delays on lines the experience was nice. The rides I liked the most were the Space Mountains thingy and the Rabbit-Bear-Animal story/log ride water splash down thingy. In case you couldn't tell I have a horrible memory. After a full day of gallivanting through the park we finally stopped for the famous Christmas Day Mid-Night Fireworks Parade and Show. Well I had never seen anything like it, it was fabulous!! The parade was a beautiful display of floated adorned with multi-colored lights and designs. Each float carried with it a distinct array of music and characters. That year one of the main focuses was on the Little Mermaid floats and the such. After about 45 minutes of parading, then Tinker Bell slides from the top of the Disney Castle lands safely, about a few hundred feet from the ground. This coupled with the finale fireworks proved to be a dream vacation stop.

MGM Studios: This was part of day two of a very Hellish schedule. One of the first attractions was the Oriental Museum/Building directly ahead of the Main Entrance, this was pretty cool. The first major event that day was the Alladin parade. This was very quite and interesting. Then we proceeded to enjoy the rest of the park, at places like: the Muppet 3d Spectacular, the replica of New York City, and the Indiana Jones and Temple of Doom Stunt show.
Embarrassing Moment: I had been wearing some old long pants throughout the morning and when we came to the replica of NYC I had decided to sit on a thrown that was there to pose for a picture, what my brother quickly found was that my pants we ripped in the crouch. I really didn't have any other choice but to breakdown and buy some really cheap shorts and a somewhat matching t-shirt. Well, I looked like a dufus!!

Epcot Center: After a very intense couple of days of rides and attractions this was a nice ending to the second day of a 3 day marathon. We enjoyed the multi-cultural areas and displays and had your typical dinner at the Mexican fiesta place. After that we situated ourselves to enjoy a very spectacular display of fireworks and laser light show.

Universal Studios: This was and still is my ultimate favorite place to visit!! I loved every ride and every attraction. This is where you will find the following rides: Back to the Future, Jaws, King Kong, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the Flintstones. You'll also enjoy shows like: Beatle Juice Live Grave Show, Murder She Wrote Filming, and TV Pets and Tricks. Basically, there isn't enough I could say about Universal. This is a great place to visit for those with children old enough to get on some rocky rides.

The Ride Back: On the way back that Sunday night I vowed never to do that again, it was completely exhausting and a little unenjoyable. But, it was all free and a gift from my brother, so I really didn't mind.