Woke up to pack my things before enjoying one final meal with my cousins at a great little café which called Breakfast Klub (all the C's were replaced with K's so I loved this place). They were famous for their Southern hospitality, which I definitely felt straight away everyone working there, as well as their signature dish of Waffles and Wings. Combined on the same plate, it was an interesting (and delicious) experience to eat wings slightly dusted in sugar. And once you finished the wings, you poured the syrup and ate the waffles. I contemplated dipping the wings in the waffles, but alas, I just wasn't brave enough. Breakfast done, I bid farewell to my cousins and bid farewell to the Lone Star State!
My flight to Orlando was pretty uneventful, except I was sitting beside two very horny country bumpkins. It was like they had never seen a girl before. There was one girl who walked down the aisle to go to the bathroom and these two were just ogling her and climbing out of their seats to get a better view. Other than that, they were really nice and friendly guys and I had a nice chat with them. Apparently it was their first time away from home - it clearly showed lol.
Once I landed in Orlando, it was a short bus ride to my motel to rest up for my full day at Universal Studios the next day. The cool thing about this motel was that it was like those ones you see in old movies - I even had to go collect ice with a bucket! Granted, I didn't need ice, but hey, if you get to use an ice bucket, why not? The only thing my room was missing was one of those old coin-operated vibrating massage beds - that would have just made my night! But with that riveting ice bucket experience out of the way, it was time to call it a night.
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Day 11
The day had arrived!! HARRY POTTER WORLD!! I was up at 7am raring to go, only to be left waiting in the lobby for a taxi for about 20 minutes. I should have called one myself, but I asked the concierge and they arranged one of their private drivers instead. In the end, it was ok, and I still managed to beat a lot of the crowd once I got there.
I remember walking through the gates of Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure and just being amazed. I was so excited! There was just so much to see and do, but I knew what my priority was. I manoeuvred my way expertly through the crowds of school kids and slow walkers and managed to get to Harry Potter World quite early. Rushed straight to the Forbidden Journey ride in Hogwarts Castle, and discovered that alas, as a single rider, I could skip straight to the front of the line. So awesome! The single rider was my best friend that day. I did the Forbidden Journey ride five times that day, obviously not all at once. One time I missed the turnoff to the single riders line and ended up having to wait through the whole castle - however it was then that I realised how much I had missed out on seeing by skipping the line. The whole castle was amazing and there were so many displays and videos playing - it's just a shame that you have to wait almost an hour in that line to see the castle. And on my fourth go on the ride, it malfunction leaving me on my back with the Whomping Willow about to thump the crap out of me. It did start up again pretty soon, but the screens were all blank. You realise just how little the chairs are actually moving when you have no visual display in front of you to distort your perception. In my boredom, I looked down to see quite a few lost items of clothing: things, hats, sunnies, and even a few phones. I was lucky enough to not lose mine. I had felt it slide out of my pocket but luckily I had been on my back so the chair caught my phone, and I was able to quickly grab a hold of it before I was flipped forward. But all in all, what a great ride! Definitely one I would do again (and again and again).
The rest of Harry Potter World was awesome as well. They had really brought Hogsmeade to life, and it was so great to be able to visit all the stores that I had read about and seen in the movies. It really was, might I say, a magical place. I was so enchanted with all the stores that I found myself buying and splurging on purchases (within limits - I wasn't going to spend $110 on a set of robes!). And of course, what visit would be complete with some butterbeer. From people's descriptions of it, I was expecting something to taste like vanilla ice cream in creaming soda. It was an interesting taste, delicious, refreshing, and definitely really sweet. I ended up having four cups of frozen butterbeer, which was a relief on such a hot day. On my last cup, I decided to buy the souvenir mug. To my disappointment, I got told that if I had the mug, it was $1 refills - why did no one tell me the first time I bought it?! Oh well, it wasn't that big a deal. Went on the Hippogriff ride a few times, and also watched the stage shows (also grabbed photos with the performers). I felt I really got my money's worth and time in Harry Potter World.
Of course, the park is called Islands of Adventure, of which Harry Potter World is only one of them. I spent the whole day exploring the entire park and spent a fair amount of time in each one. Aside from the Harry Potter area, I quite enjoyed the Jurassic Park world and the Marvel world. I ended up managing to ride on every ride available in the park except for the rollercoasters (I hate rollercoasters), as well as most of the live action shows (the Sinbad one was awesome). Haha I don't really have much to say about the rest of the park - I enjoyed it and had fun, but Harry Potter World really just took over everything else.
I ended up leaving the park at about 8:30pm. 12 hours. Solid day. The line for the taxis was extremely long, and I found myself getting really impatient. That was when an unlicensed taxi driver approached me and offered me a fare $10 cheaper than the standard. Usually I would have never have considered it, but in my exhausted and impatient state, I accepted. It was only when I got in his car that the gravity of the situation I found myself hit me. He could take me anywhere he wanted, I had no control over anything. What's worse was when he said "oh shit, I missed the exit". I was already anxious but after that, I was on full alert and panicking. My only comfort was that he was heading in the general direction of my motel so if I needed to, I could always jump out of the car. He was also being quite sociable so that was of some comfort that maybe he wouldn't try and kidnap/kill me. In the end, I began to recognise my surroundings, and after seeing my motel up ahead, breathed a sigh of relief. That was one of the most tense car rides I've ever had. Thinking back, I probably should have just waited for a licensed taxi (saying that though, a taxi driver could also kidnap me just as easily). Ended up pigging out on Arby's, a burger joint, as an excuse to "calm my nerves" before spending the rest of my night vegging out in front of the TV.
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Day 12
My time in Orlando was up, really I was only here for Harry Potter World. After checking out, I was on my way to NYC!! Fast forward through flight and taxi ride, I found myself wandering the streets in the city where dreams come true. With wide eyed wonderment and a sense of awe, I wandered the streets looking for an apartment building which belonged to my friend Jen. I walked up and down the street several times and couldn't find it, until I realised that the gigantic building (which looked like hotel) was actually her building! As I entered, after having the door held open for me by the doorman, I "checked in" with the concierge and was on my way up to her apartment. An interesting thing that I noted was that the elevators had no numbers inside. You had to key your number on a number pad outside and then it would signal which lift for you to get in. Took me a while to realise how it all worked.
Anyways, Jen's place was awesome! So central, and her views from the roof were spectacular. Her actual apartment was quite nice too. My domain was the living room, with the fold-out couch which was more than enough space for me. Considering that I probably would have had to pay anywhere from $100 to $150 a night in NYC, I was grateful to have any accommodation for free, let alone a place that looked like a hotel. After dumping my stuff, Jen and I went out for lunch at a Mexican place which had awesome frozen margheritas followed some shopping at the world's largest Macy's.
That night, we were joined by Jen's college friends as well as Nikki, one of our friends from Sydney who had also relocated to NYC. Dinner was at Brother Jimmy's, right down the street from Jen's place, and specialised in good ol' wholesome healthy BBQ food. I had a delicious burger, which came with the most amazing sweet potato fries. And then there was fried pickle. As with all things American, covered in batter and deep fried. And surprisingly good. I hate pickles. I pick them out of cheeseburgers. But as Jen described it to me as "a cheeseburger in one bite", and I tried it, I realised that she was right. It was oddly addictive. The deliciousness of many cheeseburgers without as many calories lol. What else was unique about this place was the Swamp Water, which was a cocktail fishbowl, served with a toy crocodile. Novelty factor aside, it was a great drink, and I would have gladly had more, had it not been so expensive.
The night ended with casual drinks back up at Jen's apartment where Jen, Nikki and I caught up and they helped me plan my sightseeing in NYC. I remember going to sleep feeling really excited about simply being in NYC. After all, this is the place that everyone raves about going to and falling in love with. Go to NYC. Tick.
HBL signing out of New York City, New York, USA.
Up next: The city where dreams supposedly come true...
Previously: Wedding bells ringing in Houston...
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