Editor's Note: This was written in the lobby of Disney's Wilderness Lodge and at Orlando International Airport on October 5. I finally got around to doing some editing and adding photos in NY on October 19. I'm sending this out this weekend, because I'm going to wait till both LCS Series are over as well as the Liberty-Lynx WNBA Finale on Sunday night before I recap all of that. That post will come sometime later in the week or even next Sunday.
I'll recap the last two days at Disney and the flight home in a future post.
For now, enjoy this one.
ORLANDO- Coming to you from the Happiest Place on Earth…
This is my 5th time to Disney World. My first trip was in 1979* with Mom, Dad and Kris when I was 6. (Or 4 B.K-before Katie). I came back the day after my 20th birthday in 1993, and then with Tara in 2007**. Our last trip before this one was 10 years ago in 2014.
And every time I come here, it never ceases to amaze me 1) how much the place grows every time, and 2) how this entire city was nothing more than orange groves and swamp land less than 75 years ago.
On Wednesday, Tim and I took an Uber to Universal Studios Theme Park from our hotel at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, and 20 minutes of the half hour trip was within Disney property. All the parks are connected by three lane highways. It’s truly a city onto itself. If you’ve been here, you know what I mean, but it really blows my mind.
I realize that to build a place of this magnitude there had to be some unscrupulous dealings between Walt Disney’s team and the Government of Florida. I’m sure some folks were displaced and there have been stories of Walt Disney being somewhat less than tolerant of folks who were different than he, (though I’ve heard just as many stories of Disney having people of all races and creeds on his team). But you really can’t help but be impressed by this place. The overall ingenuity of the place is just spectacular.
It’s also one of the great sociological experiments in human history. I’m sure Tara and I drove Tim nuts every time we did it, but when we were in line waiting for a ride or to get on a bus or boat to take us somewhere, we struck up conversations with folks from all over. The older I get, and even with access to news and information from all over the country (and the world) at our fingertips, I still get a kick out of meeting and talking to people from different places. We think of NY as the center of everything (at least I do) but talking to folks from Ohio, and Tennessee and Michigan and even England (they said they were from Old Jersey, as opposed to New Jersey), I just get a big kick out of that.
Of course, Disney is a trip you really have to plan well in advance to get the most out of, and when we started planning this trip, the last thing I thought was going to have to worry about was how could I watch Met playoff games. We started planning this adventure around the time the Mets were wallowing below .500 and wondering if they should trade Pete Alonso at the July 31 deadline.
Let me take you through the week that was…
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30th- I have one more day at work before my big trip. I have a ton of stuff to take care of plus Monday is always the craziest day of the week. I have an inter-office conference call at 11 and a virtual doctor’s appointment from my desk at 2. Oh, and the Mets are playing a doubleheader against the Braves to determine if they can make the playoffs or not.
I stream the game on my laptop and place it somewhere inconspicuous in my office where I can keep an eye on it while getting everything I need to get done before I leave.
The Braves struck first with a two-run homer in the third. Another solo shot in the 6th and I started thinking we’d have to find a way to win the second game.
But then thankfully the hits started to come. Little by little they climbed back. A Brandon Nimmo homer capped off a 6 run seventh inning and gave us a 6-3 lead.
Only to have Edwin Diaz cough it all back up. 4 runs for the Braves in the 8th. I couldn’t even get that upset, as I still had to get through the rest of my workday.
I wasn’t surprised that Francisco Lindor homered to give the Mets back the lead. He has been our hero all year. I was stunned that Diaz came back out for the 9th inning and was able to shut the door.
I got stuck late at work on Monday, but the car ride home was a treat. A happy re-cap as Bob Murphy used to say, plus I had a few days off from work to look forward to.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 1st.-I don’t travel often, and I feel like every time I do, the rules change. They made me take my iPad out of my carry-on backpack, plus since my driver's license has a crack in it, I needed another form of id to get through the terminal. I understand why they do it, but it’s not easy.
It was cool and crisp, if a bit overcast when we left NY. When we landed here in Orlando, the heat hit you like a blast furnace. Tara had on a brown fleece that she took off after about a minute of walking to our car.
By the time we got to the hotel, between the hassle at JFK, and having an issue with the cab we took from the airport, I was a bit grouchy when we were greeted by the happy folks at the Wilderness Lodge. But everyone here makes you feel right at home. We got our room number, dropped off our bags, and headed to the Territory Lounge, at least Tara and I did. I needed a beer.
The Mets-Brewers wild card round game was starting at 5:30. We watched an inning at the Territory lounge, then went for dinner at Rapid Forks. They didn’t have TV’s there so Tim followed it on his phone. Once again, we got off to a slow start.
But by the time we got back to our room, the runs were coming, and Luis Severino had settled down. Carlos Mendoza stuck with him, and he got better as the game progressed. A huge thunderstorm hit Orlando, so we couldn’t really go to the pool. We just hung out in the room and watched the Mets win Game 1, 8-4.
Tuesday was an early night.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2- Still riding high from the big win, Tim and I headed to Universal Studios.
It was 10 o'clock in the morning, when we got to the place where we had to pick up our tickets, and I already felt like I had put in a full day of walking. From where the Uber guy left us off to the Will Call Window had to be close to a half mile. Not to mention it was already 80 degrees under a cloudless, sunny sky.
They had told us to bring the credit card we used to purchase the tickets and the confirmation e-mail. We had both and the machine still said there was no record of our purchase.
So, we stood in line for another 20 minutes till we got a human being to help us. He found our reservation no problem. When I asked him what the issue with the machine was, he said the machines can be "temperamental"
Standing in a line that should have been unnecessary makes me temperamental, but I digress. We were off and run- well, walking.
The first ride Tim wanted to do was the Jimmy Fallon Race Through New York City. From where I usually write these masterpieces, you can literally see 30 Rock right over my left shoulder. Now we were heading to a replica of that very building here in hot steamy Florida.
I'm not sure if they have this in the lobby in NY, but in the lobby of the Fallon Experience, they had a display case for each of the 6 people who were permanent hosts of the Tonight Show.*** That's the kind of stuff I enjoy. (Tim could take it or leave it). The ride itself was fun kind of like the thing they had years ago at the Empire State Building with Yakov Smirnoff (remember him?) as the tour guide.
From there we headed to the section of the park dedicated to the Simpsons. My sister and brother-in-law got Timmy and I fast passes which came in handy. Between my heart issues and my worse as I get older motion sickness, I sat this one out. But he had a blast.
We did a couple more rides there, then we went across to Islands of Adventure for a bit. There was an arcade there where the two of us shot hoops and played some crazy video games, mainly because it was air-conditioned. Then we headed to the NBC Sports Bar and Grill for lunch.
We headed back to the main park after lunch. Tim went on the Transformers Ride and I walked around and took pictures of the old streets. As I was walking, I saw this fella come out of one of the shops...
Turns out he was a Saxaphone player and as he started playing, a woman dressed as a waitress came out and started singing Respect by Aretha Franklin.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
This pic is actually taken a video I made of this performance while I was dancing and singing along. But if you want to see the video, you'll have to subscribe to my Only Fans page.****
A mortified Timmy came from the Transformers ride to witness his old man attempting to dance. Probably the first of a few times he thought about defecting to Florida while sending Tara and I back to NY.
We went back to Simpsons land which was laid out to look like Springfield. I had a Duff's beer (which was not that good.) And we went into Moe's Bar, (Duff Beer had it's own stand. ) I said I was looking for a Kaholic, first name Al.
Bigger than Jesus (IYKYK)
We got an Uber back to the Wilderness Lodge and met up with Tara, who had a pool day for herself. Meanwhile, my Apple Watch alerted me that I had set a new record..
I walked a lot more than 2 hours and 35 minutes
If I had walked anymore, it would have asked me if I was being chased by the cops.
The three of us were going to go to Geyser Point restaurant for dinner, but there was like a 45 minute wait, so Tim went back to the room and Tara and I went back to the Territory Lounge. That's where we met Justin.
I'm going to post a picture of Justin with Tara and I, but it really doesn't do him justice. Justin looked and sounded like Howard from Only Murders in the Building, but about a million times more jovial and a million times less weird than Howard.
Myself, Justin the waiter, and Tara
Anyway, I told Justin I was coming back after dinner to watch Game 2 of Mets Brewers and he made sure that we got seats right near the TV.
Tara and I had split the Bison Burger and got one to go for Tim, then we headed back to the Territory Lounge. Tara kept going back outside to see if the fireworks were going to start, but for the second night in a row, the heavens opened up on Orlando.
Turns out the only fireworks we got to see that night came off the bats of the Milwaukee Brewers, namely Jackson Chourio who went deep twice and the back breaking game winning home run from Garrett Mitchell. The Mets had been 6 outs away from advancing to the NLDS, instead they became the only team in both leagues who had won on Tuesday to lose on Wednesday.
I was determined not to spend anytime at the Happiest Place on Earth bring miserable, but now not only had the Mets pooped the bed, but I realized that beers at the Territory Lounge were a lot more expensive than they are at, let's say, Donovan's. I hadn't paid this much for a beer since the time I went to Scor-,
Never mind.
I remember about 40 years ago, one of my Dad's uncles came back from Bermuda and was complaining that he had to pay $3.50 for a beer down there. It's a lot more than that now.
It was still pouring when I got back to the room, so I just turned in.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 3- It was off to Hollywood Studios for the 3 of us.
We had breakfast at what was supposed to resemble the Star Wars Cantina, and I have to say, the breakfast sandwich there was really good.
Tim did the Indiana Jones Experience and a couple of Star Wars rides, while Tara and I went to see the Muppet Show, complete with Stadler and Waldorf in the balcony.
Fozie: Hey how did you guys get in here?
Stadler: We entered a contest.
Waldorf: And we lost!
I know. You kinda had to be there.
Hollywood Studios wasn't nearly as spread out as was Universal, but we still did a ton of walking.
What the three of us were really looking forward to on Wednesday was our dinner reservation. The Yachtsman's Steakhouse.
It took us a while to get there. It was technically an Epcot resort, but we made the mistake of going from Wilderness Lodge to Epcot, then pretty much walking through the entirety of Epcot to get there. Once again it was hot and sticky and the sun was beating down on us. So when we finally got there it was a huge relief.
I have no complaints about the Wilderness Lodge, I really don't. The people there was super friendly, the rooms were clean and comfortable and it was an overall really nice experience. However, the hotel where the Yachtsman's Steakhouse was located was unbelievable. Their pool had a lazy river and the hotel itself reminded me of the Simsbury Inn in Connecticut where Tara has some family. Just magnificent.
As for the dinner we had, well, I'd say besides Peter Lugers, it was the best steak I ever had. our waiter Bao, was amazing, very nice and very knowledgeable. If these guys are faking it, and I'm not saying they are, but if they are, they deserve Academy Awards.
I realize at this point I'm talking more about food than I am about rides, but honestly, at my age, I'm not doing roller coasters anymore. For Tara and I, and even Tim, this dinner was the highlight, great food and great conversation.
To get back to the Wilderness Lodge, the girl at the pool told us to go out in front of the hotel and take a bus to Disney Springs. There we could transfer for a bus to the Wilderness Lodge. I told Tara and Timmy that in Queens we called that a two-fare zone.
It was the first night since we got there that it wasn't raining at night. So, while Tara decided to stay in and read and Tim watched the Mets, I headed to the pool.
The pool as you could imagine was awesome. You could dive right in, there was no need to "get used to it". I swam around for a bit and even went down the 7 foot slide. (One kid asked me as I was heading to the top "If I worked there" I guess thinking I was the security czar of the slide. I could have had fun with that, but I assured him I was just taking the slide as he was.)
I occasionally checked on my phone to see how the Mets were doing. I had kind of written them off, that was a soul crushing loss on Wednesday, and like I said, it would have been unfair to my family if I was moping around. We were going to meet up with Krissy, Steve and Rachel the next day, so I was determined to behave myself.
When I saw they were down 2-0 thanks to Jose Butto, I again shut everything off and headed to the jacuzzi. yes, it was still plenty hot down there even at night and the pool itself was fairly warm. But I figured my joints could use a few minutes of water therapy. So off I went.
Sometime while I was sitting in the hot tub, I heard Stars and Stripes Forever start blasting out of nowhere. So, every night, on the lake behind the hotel, there is a boat parade. I stood in the jacuuzi and watched the beginning, but I decided to go out closer to the lake to get a better look.
I got to a spot where I could get a good look at the red, white and blue lit boats on the lake. It happened to be right outside Geyser Point, the outdoor bar and grill where Tara and I had dined the night before. I noticed that the Met game was on the TV's there. This would be ok. They had a great season, at least I could say I was with them when it ended.
The problem was, since I had come right from the hot tub, I had no shirt, no shoes, and most importantly, no glasses. Not to mention I had left all that along with my phone and watch on my poolside chair. Like Robinson Crusoe, as primitive as can be.
So I watched the boat show while trying to keep an eye on the game. I had seen enough games to be able, even as blind as a bat as I was, to make out Francisco Lindor at the plate. I assumed the score was still 2-0 and probably in the 9th inning, but I had no idea how many outs there were.
Lindor worked out a walk and Mark Vientos came up, or was it Jose (OMG) Iglesias. I wasn't sure and whoever it was, they struck out (it was Vientos). Next up was Brandon Nimmo. who after fouling off a couple of pitches, lined a single. It was first and third.
By this time the boat show was pretty much over, and people were starting to head off. I stood on the outskirts of Geyser Point Bar and Grill and watched Pete Alonso come to the plate. He was more than due to have a big hit, but again, I didn't want to get my hopes up. Besides, I still wasn't sure if Milwaukee had picked up an insurance run or two.
It was even hard to tell what the count was because I was far away from the TV and without my glasses everything was a blur. But on the 5th pitch, Alonso hit a long fly ball, even I could see it was a home run.
At that point, I forgot for a minute that I was half nekked in a dripping bathing suit. I ran into Geyser Point and asked two dudes at the bar "What just happened?" They proceeded to walk away with puzzled looks on their faces. I asked the bartender if he could tell me the score, and he said in a southern drawl in a way that sounded like he had never seen a sporting event before, never mind a baseball game "2 to 3. Neeew Yerk." I started jumping up and down like a madman, and there was an older couple sitting at a table that clapped for me. Everyone else was contemplating calling security.
Jesse Winkler was hit by a pitch and Sterling Marte drove him in to make it 4-2. When the inning was over, I went back to the pool to gather my belongings. I supposed I should have stayed where I was, but the pool was closing at 10 and of course in addition to not being able to see, I had no idea what time it was. I didn't want my stuff locked at the pool overnight.
I made myself somewhat decent and I headed back to just outside Geyser Point, The bartender said I could come in and have a drink, even in my wet clothes, but I took my seat where I was. At least now I could see what the hell was going on.
David Peterson gave up a leadoff hit because of course he did. But he struck the next guy out and then got a ground ball to induce a game ending and series ending double play. The older couple at the table congratulated me and the bartender offered me a drink, which sounded good till I realized I had left my wallet up in the room.
It was surreal. I was about a thousand miles away from home, seeing the Mets win a series I thought was lost. Had I been in NY, I would have had the FAN on all day Friday. Instead I was in Disney World. It felt strange. Wonderful, but strange.
I knew a text wouldn't do justice to this story, so I recorded a video and tried to send it out to my family and to Karl and Ray. But the damn iPhone said it was too long. I managed to send a shorter version out, but the original one I did had actual fireworks going off in the background.
Notice the fireworks over my shoulder
The resort had another pool with that was open till 11, so I went for one more swim before I headed back to the room. We had another big day ahead.
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Back here in NY, I have a favor to ask all of you. Tara's union is fighting for a fair contract and they are asking folks to show their support. If you have a second, and if you are so inclined, please click this link that will send an e-mail to the higher ups at Mt. Sinai to take care of their nurses.
Thank you so much.
Let's Go Mets, Let's Go Yanks and Let's Go Liberty!
Stay Safe and Have a Great Week
*We were there on November 4th 1979, the day the US Embassy in Iran was seized. I have a knack for traveling during world crisis. I was flying between Dublin and London in 1998 when Bill Clinton ordered cruise missiles fired in Afghanistan and Sudan in retaliation for the embassy bombings in Tanzania and Kenya.
**Which was a disaster. The reason the trip was so cheap was because it was tied to a time share seminar. I could do a whole separate post about that trip.
***Steve Allen, Jack Parr, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Fallon.
**** Please. If ever I start an Only Fans page, I'd have to pay you $39.95 a month to watch.
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