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| Las Vegas 2008 | |
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4.22.2008
8:15 PM | Link |
 My parents and I have settled into the habit of visiting Las Vegas every other year now, and this past weekend was our third spectacular Vegas vacation together! This time we stayed at the Venetian, which was magnificent since we had our first-ever two-room suite. It was really nice to have a such a spacious room, and I especially enjoyed getting ready in the mornings in the giant bathroom, wearing a huge fluffy robe after my shower. We saw a different show each night, and I'll be reviewing all three of them over the next few days - they were all incredible. Other than eating, the only other thing we did was gamble - we didn't even stop to do any shopping! As usual, we played tons of penny and nickel slot machines and enjoyed the free drinks, and now I can rank the free Manhattans on the strip. The best was at Paris, since it was served in a full-size Martini glass with three cherries and tasted wonderful, while the worst was at MGM, since the liquor proportions were off and it was too small! I really enjoyed the Monopoly-themed slot machines, as well as the Star Wars ones - it was great playing them in the morning when it wasn't crowded and I could take in all the cool sound effects and music. Of course, the best part of the whole trip was just spending time with Mom & Dad - enjoying meals together, cheering each other on as we played, and experiencing awesome entertainment together. I have no doubt we'll be headed back to Vegas in 2010! View photos: Las Vegas 2008
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| Super-fun Disneyland weekend | |
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10.17.2007
7:19 AM | Link |
 Last weekend I had a fantastic time in Los Angeles with my pal Dae, the best host on the West Coast! We went to the Disneyland Resort for two days, starting with Disney's California Adventure (which I hadn't been to in over a year). We had a really leisurely time at the park, taking a long lunch break with a couple glasses of wine just before riding Monsters Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue (which was even more fun after the wine!). It's a cool little attraction with fantastic theme details in the queue, and so much better than Superstar Limo was! After riding all the major attractions, we hopped over to Disneyland the same evening to take on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! We had to wait about 75 minutes, but it was worth it! Just seeing the subs in action was incredible, and going through that hatch and down the spiral staircase brought back a flood of memories. Who knows, I may have been sitting on the same seat I was in around 30 years ago! The new effects on the attraction are wonderful, and I was glad the shark scenes weren't too scary. I can't wait to ride it again each time I visit the park! We also rode Space Mountain that night, so we could avoid the biggest lines the next day.The next morning we hit Disneyland right at opening, and we were amazed at the crowds - definitely more than the average October attendance! But since we're Disney pros, it didn't matter - we still got to ride everything, including Haunted Mansion Holiday twice! I really enjoyed the new Pirate's Lair theme on Tom Sawyer Island, and it was fun watching watching an excellent Jack Sparrow actor stealing kids toys, looking through women's purses, and generally being a pirate. To top off the day, I beat Dae at Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (which hardly ever happens), thanks to a tip I read earlier in the week - go for the diamond-shaped targets! Our last day was a little rainy, but we had a nice lazy day anyway. We started with hitting some golf balls at a driving range, which was fun since I'm such a novice, and then we played cards at a coffee shop. Next we shopped Toys R Us, where Dae bought an RC helicopter, which we flew (and crashed) around his condo! Next we went to the movies, and finally we had our usual "break the budget" meal at a four-star restaurant called Nico's, which was pretty incredible! As always, it was a fantastic trip, and I'm already looking forward to doing it again! View photos: Disneyland 2007 View photos: Disney Pals 2007 View photos: Los Angeles 2007
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| OKC jetting | |
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7.09.2007
8:45 PM | Link |
 I really enjoyed my four days in Oklahoma City with my parents! We had a great time losing money at the casino, going to a movie, eating wonderful food, and playing lots of game shows together on TV. Even though I'm a fairly loyal American Airlines flyer, I decided to try out the relatively new ExpressJet airlines this time, since they have the only direct non-stop flight from Austin to Oklahoma City. The flights went well and on-time, and it was so nice not stopping in Dallas to switch planes! On the way back I even gate-checked my bag, which made things even faster. Even better, when I was at the airport to catch my return flight, I heard the American travelers were all delayed an hour due to weather in Dallas, but I was able to get home on time. So far the convenience has me sold, so I think I'll keep ExpressJet in mind for my Christmas flight!
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| Galveston weekend | |
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6.14.2007
5:57 PM | Link |
 Every now and then my pal Tom and I take a little road trip together, and last weekend we headed to Galveston. The drive was pretty easy and fun, too. We decided it was Andrew Lloyd Webber weekend, so we listened to Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar all the way (and there was plenty of bad singing going on, that's for sure!). We stopped in Houston first to enjoy the Menil Collection, which is a great museum of modern art with lots of incredibly famous stuff (I really enjoyed all the Magritte pieces). We also checked out the Rothko Chapel, which I've wanted to see for a long time. Later we checked into Galveston's not-so-fabulous Beachcomber Inn, but it was nice and close to the beach, so were able to walk almost everywhere. We ate at Shrimp & Stuff and had some nice gulf shrimp (and stuff), then we did a lot of beach walking before having a few evening drinks. The next day we walked around the downtown area (the Strand), and got to see some huge cruise ships in port. All in all, it was a relaxing trip and a really nice weekend! View photos: Galveston Road Trip
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| Wonderful waterfall | |
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5.15.2007
12:25 PM | Link |
 My parents and I always take a vacation or two together each year, and this year Mom decided it would be nice to visit Niagara Falls! It was really a fantastic trip for so many reasons. There's nothing like actually seeing the falls in person - I had seen a million photos, of course, but I was still absolutely amazed at what it was like to actually be there! The Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls are both beautiful, and it's incredible to think of the sheer power of all of that water. Our hotel was really nice and had a great falls view, but the best feature was the enclosed walkway to the casino next door, where we spent most of our time! It was fun getting Canadian money and blowing it on the slots, and we found some really fun games (I even managed to play non-stop for several hours on a single $20 once!). We took a wonderful tour to get in all the major attractions, such as the Skylon Tower (terrific view), Journey Behind the Falls (which is mind-blowing just because you can actually look out through the rushing water), and of course, the Maid of the Mist! The boat goes right up to the Horseshoe Falls, and I loved getting soaked in the mist and screaming the whole time! Everything about the trip worked out nicely - we had beautiful weather, a super-friendly driver from the airport and a great tour guide, and I even got to be together with Mom on Mother's Day, which hasn't happened in years. As always, it was a wonderful family vacation! View photos: Niagara Falls Watch video: Niagara Falls VacationLabels: niagara falls, photos, trips, videos |
| Falling for Niagara | |
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4.22.2007
7:17 AM | Link |
 The next vacation trip my parents and I are taking together will be next month to Niagara Falls! I'm looking forward to seeing such an incredible sight for the first time, and we're all going to enjoy some casino action as well. As usual, I'm playing the part of travel agent, and I already have everything planned and booked. We're going to stay in the fabulous Niagara Falls Hilton, which looks like a wonderful hotel with nice views and quick casino access. After flying into Buffalo, we'll be riding across the border into Canada in our Jewel of Niagara car (they were exceptionally nice to work with when I made the reservation). Of course, we're taking a tour while we're there to get in all the major falls attractions, including Maid of the Mist, which is the famous boat ride that takes you right up to the falls and gets everyone soaked (wearing raincoats, of course). Since Mom & Dad were a little worried about wet shoes, I found us some disposable shoe covers to wear (I never dreamed I would be ordering "commercial-grade work supplies" one day)! It's going to be a great trip, and I can't wait to go!Labels: niagara falls, trips |
| Walt Disney World wrap-up | |
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4.06.2007
9:40 PM | Link |
 Thanks to my pal Melinda, I have a few photos of myself with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale from my recent trip to Walt Disney World, which gives me an excuse to write a little more about the fun!Each day of the trip I carried a pedometer with me, and Melinda and I were amazed at the miles we walked! Of course, Epcot is the largest of the four parks, and believe it or not, we covered a full 18 miles that day! All of the other days were over 10 miles each, too. Keep in mind that the counting started by walking to the bus stop at 7:30 AM, and finished back at the room after 10:00 PM, so we definitely had some full days of walking! I've been thinking some more about Space Mountain lately, and now I think I like the original Magic Kingdom version better than the Disneyland version, just because it's little more exciting. It definitely feels scarier, but it's great to get really pumped up and enjoy it! Part of the fun is screaming at the other track during the main lift - it's so cool to look across and see the other set of rockets and cheer each other on! View photos: Mikey & Characters
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| Private parade & mountain madness | |
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4.01.2007
7:55 AM | Link |
 Here are some magical highlights of the last two days of my recent Walt Disney World adventure! At the Magic Kingdom, Melinda and I got to ride everything (in spite of Spring Break crowds), and we even had another lucky moment where a Tomorrowland Cast Member handed us some Space Mountain Fastpasses out of the blue, so we got to ride it twice (I definitely think it's scarier than the California version!). We also got to see the totally brand new Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor attraction, and we had an amazing spot for the Wishes fireworks show! We decided to go to the late Spectromagic parade (at 10:00 PM, after Wishes), and it was like having a private parade performance! The crowds for the late parade seemed about 80% less, so I definitely recommend it!At Animal Kingdom we enjoyed the entire park, including the new Finding Nemo musical (definitely Broadway quality), and especially the incredible, fantastic, amazing Expedition Everest! I knew this ride was going to be great, but it was even better than I expected! The transition into the snowy peaks is really cool, and the backwards sections of track inside the dark mountain are really exciting (it really feels like a reverse loop is coming, but it doesn't!). The huge animatronic Yeti at the end of the ride is definitely an Imagineering achievement - I can't believe something that big can move so smoothly! Enjoy the photos, and I'll have one more trip wrap-up next week. View photos: Magic Kingdom View photos: Animal Kingdom
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| Forever at Epcot | |
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3.30.2007
5:34 PM | Link |
 Here's the rundown for my second day of Walt Disney World fun, this time at Epcot! There were lots of fun things about this day, which included two new attractions: the amazing Soarin' (which is identical to the ride at Disney's California Adventure, but just as beautiful), and Mission: Space. My Disney pal Melinda and I were both a little freaked out by the possibility of getting woozy during our trip to Mars, so we chose the Green Team (which is the same ride with less intensity). It was a totally cool experience, and I loved being in that cool cockpit with all of the switches, buttons, and lights (you can play with them to your heart's content, which I did!). Next, I finally got to check out the Leave a Legacy photos that my parents and I had taken during our 2004 visit, and it was so nice to think of our faces being there at Epcot forever! Finally, this was my first chance to really explore the nooks and crannies of World Showcase (on other trips I always went too fast), and it was lots of fun (I even spoke a little bit of Japanese in the Japan pavilion). Have fun checking out the photos! By the way, Melinda took some pics of me, which I'll have online sometime next week (hang in there, Mom!). View photos: Epcot
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| Lights, Motors, Action! | |
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3.28.2007
10:07 PM | Link |
 One of the new attractions at Disney MGM Studios that I got to experience for the first time was the Lights, Motors, Action Extreme Stunt Show. I've seen other stunt shows before (including the Indiana Jones show several times), but nothing compares to this show! The theater is absolutely huge, containing an entire French town set. To fit the MGM Studios theme, there's a pretend director and actors that walk the audience through the various scenes, but the meat of the performance is sheer action! It's really exciting when each scene begins, because you hear the roar of the cars approaching, and then suddenly they are all over the place. Each car is constantly skidding, creating tons of smoke as they grind their tires down to nothing! This is really precision driving, too - whipping around to shop inches in front of other cars, going forwards and backwards at high speeds, and many other jaw-dropping maneuvers. Of course, there are explosions, too (gotta have a fireball!), as well as motorcycles and even a jet-ski! It's amazing to me they can do this show several times a day - the drivers are really fearless professionals. If you like roaring engines and squealing tires, this show is definitely for you! Here are a few photos from the first day of my Walt Disney World trip, and there are plenty more on the way. View photos: Disney MGM Studios
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| Fantastic Fantasmic | |
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3.26.2007
6:32 PM | Link |
 I just got back from my 4th spectacular Walt Disney World vacation, and this one was really incredible! My pal Melinda and I are both "Disney pros", so we managed to see nearly every attraction at all four parks during the trip. Of course, I have about 600 pictures to go through, so it will take some time before I get them online, but I can at least start talking about all the fun. We had tons of luck with timing for buses, getting great spots for parades, and snagging Fastpasses before they ran out, but the most amazing luck was when we saw Fantasmic at Disney MGM Studios! Before the show, we got stuck in a pretty slow line for mouse ears embroidery, and by the time we got to the amphitheater, they were announcing standing-room only (for the 9000 seat theater!). They were herding everyone into a special area for standing, but one nice Cast Member saw the two of us and waved us down into the seats, just to attempt to find a place to sit. That was amazing enough, but then a guy sitting way down in front saw us and gestured that he had two available seats - so we ended up sitting only a few rows from the front! It was an incredible combination of lucky timing, and it turned out to be the best view I've ever had for Fantasmic, which was wonderful as always! I always love it when so many people from so many nations all get together and scream for Mickey - the whole world loves him. Stay tuned for more Walt Disney World stories (and too many photos) in the next few days!
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| Pals and pumpkins | |
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10.23.2006
11:14 PM | Link |
 Wow, this is the most days in a row without posting in a long time! I'm back from Los Angeles, so it's time to get back to WEBmikey. My trip was a lot of fun (of course!), so I think I'll go over the highlights in some detail.After I arrived, Dae and I went to the Farmers Market, a really cool collection of shops and stalls with all kinds of food. We checked out a cool toy store, then ate some incredibly yummy treats for breakfast (bypassing the healthier fruit). After that we tried to catch a studio tour, but it was sold out! Next we thought we would see a movie at the El Capitan, but it was closed for the day for a special event that evening! So, we decided to visit the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, and it was pretty fun (totally cheesy, but great!). Next was ice cream at the Disney Soda Fountain (my first time), and then it was naptime (after some nice scotch). Later we went to a sports bar to watch the Mets lose and eat some oh-so-tasty food. The next morning was Disneyland, bright and early! The Halloween decorations were everywhere, and they were pretty cool. The new Jack Sparrow-ized Pirates of the Caribbean was great, although I still wish I could step back into the original attraction. The biggest surprise for me wasn't the new effects or figures, but instead it was the changes in music! The dramatic movie music (especially during the Wicked Wench attack) really makes the ride more adventurous. Injun Joe's Cave wasn't so exciting, but now I can say I've been there! There were some great new music acts (Mary Poppins and the Pearly Band, plus a pirate band) that were really entertaining. As expected, we had a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious twelve hours! The next day we walked around Venice Beach and had lunch there. I really enjoyed being there with so many different kinds of people (every extreme imaginable), yet everyone seemed to have an accepting attitude - it was a cool vibe. After that we visited the Giant Robot store (that I've always wanted to see) so I could buy some cool T-shirts. That night we had dinner at a great tapas restaurant with Dae's friend Selina (whom I've met on past LA visits), his friends Steve & Sonja, plus our pal Jerry, my official career-changing, Spidey-animating hero. It was so much fun talking, drinking, and just enjoying the evening, and it was a fantastic finale to my trip! View photos: Los Angeles October 2006
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| Six Flags Fiesta Texas | |
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8.13.2006
3:44 PM | Link |
 Yesterday I spent all day at Six Flags Fiesta Texas in San Antonio! My pal Melinda had a two-for-one coupon, so she invited me to go, and we had a great time. I had only been there once before, so it was great to see the park again and ride lots of stuff, including some new rides. The big event of the day was the Superman Krypton Coaster (which I chickened out on a few years ago) - I was scared, but I managed to stay brave and it was a blast! This coaster tops all of my previous records for height and speed (check out some stats and photos), has six inversions, and it's floorless! The floorless aspect isn't really scary, but it's kind of cool that your feet are dangling even though you're seated. I totally lost my voice screaming, but it was worth it! The new Scooby Doo ride is pretty cool too, since you get to shoot at ghosts and get a score. The day went buy really quickly, and we stayed for the fireworks and laser show, where they project all kinds of things on the wall of the quarry canon - pretty creative! It was a long fun day yesterday, so I've definitely been relaxing today. View photos: Six Flags Fiesta Texas
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| Thousands strong at A-Kon | |
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6.11.2006
10:41 PM | Link |
 I'm home from my weekend at A-Kon 17 in Dallas, and it was fun and crazy! There were around 12,000 attendees this year, which seems to be reaching the limit of the hotel/convention space, and definitely has an effect on the efficiency of things. The major events like concerts were always around an hour late, since it took so long to cram everyone in the main auditorium! But I don't want to be a complainer - I still had a great time! Here are my highlights:
View photos: A-Kon 17
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| Star-studded vacation | |
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4.24.2006
8:44 PM | Link |
 Last weekend I had a truly fantastic mini-vacation in Los Angeles with my pal Dae! We started things off right with the usual trip to Disneyland, where the park was full of Spring Break madness. It was probably the most crowded I've seen, but we worked the Fastpass system and kept the right attitude, so we ended up having an awesome time and still riding 18 attractions! I had my first frozen banana, which was delicious, and finally got to ride the Jungle Cruise in total night-time darkness, which is a very cool experience.The next day we did some more Disney-geek activities. First, we ate at the Tam O'Shanter Inn, a Scottish-themed restaurant that's been around since 1922, because Walt Disney and his animators used to eat there often. The atmosphere and food was great, and there were some original Disney sketches on the wall, including some artwork by John Hench. They gave us a free dessert since we were first-timers, too! After lunch we made the ultimate Disney geek pilgrimage to Forest Lawn to see Walt's grave. The grounds were beautiful, and it was neat to see Walt's "hidden garden", plus lots of other celebrities (like George Burns and Nat King Cole) in Freedom Mausoleum. After that, we took the amazing Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour, which is really fun, since you get to walk around the actual backlot, rather than sit on a tram all day. We stumbled on some actual filming going on, too! The plan for the night was "drinks and Pink's", so we hit the Lava Lounge, a really cool small club where we saw a couple great bands, then had chili dogs at the famous Pink's, which had a 45-minute wait at 1:00 AM (all part of the experience)! The last day (after sleeping in), we had awesome In-N-Out burgers, then drove to Pasadena to tour the Gamble House, which was an incredible example of Arts & Crafts architecture. We walked around in Pasadena a little, had a beer, then went home to change for our Hollywood dinner! On the way, we stopped in Secret Stash, a pretty famous comic book shop owned by Kevin Smith, and then it was on to dinner at Spago, Wolfgang Puck's first and most famous restaurant! About five minutes after waiting in the bar, Larry King and his wife walked right past us, and then we spotted Keanu Reeves, too! We asked our waitress about the Chef's Taster Menu, but they were too busy to offer it. But since we asked, they decided to give us three mini-appetizers for free (all incredible)! I had a great piece of salmon and nice wine, Dae had some fantastic duck, and we both had awesome desserts, too (I had my first chocolate souffle, which was indescribably good). The whole trip was really fun - I always like visiting LA, but this was an especially cool visit! To add to my star spottings, Quentin Tarantino was on my plane back to Austin, too (apparently shooting something here). Can you believe it? View photos: Disneyland View photos: Warner Bros. tour View photos: More Los Angeles
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| Return to Ohio | |
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4.19.2006
12:39 PM | Link |
 I've been in Ohio for the past few days for my Grandma's funeral. My parents and I were really lucky with our last-minute travel arrangements, and it was nice to be together (as always), and the funeral was a really positive experience, since everyone loved Grandma so much. The best thing about the trip for me was getting re-acquainted with my Dad's side of the family again. I used to go to Ohio once a year with my parents, so as a child I was really close to all my cousins and aunts and uncles, but since I've grown older I've only kept up with them with Christmas cards and news from Mom & Dad. So, it was wonderful to see everyone again! It was great to meet all of my cousin's kids for the first time - it was really fun to talk with Emma & Ashton (Tom Bill & Jill's kids) and teach them some Japanese words, too. Even though it was a reverent occasion, I was really thankful for the chance to be together with everyone in the family. View photos: Ohio visit
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| Return to Vegas | |
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3.28.2006
9:42 PM | Link |
 Since my parents and I had such a great time in Las Vegas the last time we visited in 2004, we decided to spend another few days there last weekend! This time we stayed at Bellagio, which was really amazing (our bathroom was absolutely huge!). I love gambling at Bellagio, since the atmosphere is elegant but comfortable, and the free drinks are larger and tastier than the other casinos. Once again, my parents and I got hooked on Monopoly themed slot machines - I can't even describe how fun they are (the graphics and bonus games are just miles cooler than anything else)! We saw a different show every night, starting with the latest Cirque du Soleil production Ka, then Barry Manilow's show, and then Mamma Mia. They were all tons of fun (reviews on the way soon, of course)! We also visited the Shark Reef exhibit at Mandalay Bay, which was pretty cool. I really enjoyed riding the Las Vegas Monorail for the first time, too - it was extra interesting for me since the technology originally came from Walt Disney World! View photos: Las Vegas 2006
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| Three days at Disneyland | |
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10.17.2005
10:51 PM | Link |
 My latest Disney adventure was totally amazing! It was fun to have my pal Melinda along, since she's a fellow Disney maniac, and Dae was a fantastic host, full of energy and able to survive 14-hour days of theme park madness. The parks were much busier than I expected, since usually October has fairly light crowds - I guess the 50th anniversary is keeping people in the park! Even though it was crowded, we still managed to ride just about every single thing that moves in both Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, as well as enjoy the live music, shopping, and tons of food. Seeing the new parade and fireworks were a priority, so we snagged a front row spot an hour before parade (which means I got lots of personal waves from the performers!), as well as a prime fireworks viewing spot an hour and a half beforehand! Everything was worth the wait - I think the new fireworks were my favorite experience. All of us really enjoyed having lunch with the Disney princesses, too. We got some personal photo time with Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, and Ariel, and they were all knock-outs! As a big bonus, California Screamin' re-opened while we were there (after being closed for several weeks) - our timing was perfect. Even though this trip was only three months after my previous one, everything was still fresh - I guess I really can't get enough Disneyland. View photos: Pals & princesses View photos: Around the parks
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| Japan 2005: Days 8-9 | |
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8.29.2005
6:48 PM | Link |
 After waking up and having a nice breakfast of fresh fruit, Kumiko had to run off to school - her holiday was over. Matt and I rode the bikes to their garden again for some quick watering. It was still fun to ride, although it was a little scarier this time. Since we went a little later in the morning, there was additional traffic to surprise me - I still really enjoyed the ride, though!After a quick rest and a change of clothes, Matt and I rode the train to Kobe to explore the city and take pictures. Kobe was really nice, with lots of people going about their business and tall buildings to look at with cool pedestrian walkways. The weather was fantastic, so I really enjoyed just walking through the city. I wanted to do some shopping for a few more things on my wish list, so we wandered through a big department store, and eventually down a nice shopping street that turned out to be a success! First we found a nice Japanese wind chime like I was looking for (and Matt handled asking the clerk if we could buy the display model!), and then we went to two fun CD shops (to buy some songs I had written down after watching the videos). The first store was kind of difficult, since everything is alphabetized differently in Japanese (I pretty much understand how it works, but this store was still confusing). They had some good prices on some used CDs, though, and later when we went to a much bigger, modern CD store, I was able to find nearly everything I wanted! We stopped at a nice little place for lunch, and I had zaru soba (cold soba noodles) and Matt had udon, and then we were ready for some serious walking. Matt needed to take photos in a particular Kobe neighborhood to enter a photography contest, so off we went. On the way we found a really wonderful temple that just popped up out of nowhere. It had a great inner courtyard with a pond and waterfall, and I was amazed at how a temple can provide such a peaceful place in the middle of a busy city. We made it to our destination, and this part of Kobe was all steep narrow streets with lots of tourist shops and restaurants - it kind of reminded me of San Francisco. There was a kind of wedding expo going on, so we saw lots of places advertising photos, venues, and so on. There wasn't too much to inspire Matt's photography, but we had a good time together and enjoyed the exercise! We were both pretty sleepy on the train home, and we had a nice rest before heading out to dinner. I hadn't had tonkatsu (fried pork cutlet) yet on this trip, so Kumiko found a good tonkatsu restaurant for our dinner. Matt and I met her at Umeda (after her school day), and Bubu was there, too. After we got to the restaurant and got settled, Bubu had a gift for me! I received three excellent handkerchiefs with beautiful patterns on them - they were really nice, and I couldn't thank her enough. Dinner was really delicious (and filling), and Matt and I had a great time reading the English menu, which contained some of the funniest translations ever, including "The pork cutlet whose leaf of cheese was pinched." After dinner we said goodbye to Bubu and went back to Matt & Kumiko's apartment where I did all of my final packing (which was interesting after all that shopping!),watched cartoons and drank whisky. I said goodbye to Kumiko before I went to bed, since she had to be off to school again early in the morning. On my last morning in Japan for this trip, Matt made me a great egg and Spam breakfast, which we ate while watching more music videos. Later we walked to Kumiko's parents place so I could say goodbye, and Kumiko's mom had a nice lunch (udon and an unagi dish) waiting for me. She also had a gift for me - a fantastic table runner (which looks wonderful in my house)! After eating, Matt and I walked back home to get all of my things, and soon Kumiko's parents arrived to drive us to the bus station. It was sad to say goodbye to Otousan and Okaasan, and especially to Matt, who had been such an amazing and generous host and guide! I waved goodbye to everyone from the bus, and only 20 hours later, I was home in Austin, as excited as ever about Japanese language and culture. View photos: Day 8
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| Japan 2005: Day 7 | |
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8.28.2005
8:33 AM | Link |
 After last night's dinner, it was time for a nice lazy morning (at least for me), so I relaxed on the couch for most of the morning, drinking coffee and watching music videos. The music videos in Japan are so entertaining to me - I love all the music, and the production quality of the videos is so great! I wrote down a few artists and songs to go shopping for later, and Matt & Kumiko went off on the bikes to water the garden again. When they got home, Matt cooked up a couple of dishes for the future (including a really yummy goya, egg, and tofu dish that we had for late breakfast), and Kumiko started preparing for her return to school (real life was creeping around the corner).Soon we left for a short train ride to Ikeda for the day's activity - hiking up Satsukiyama, a small mountain with a great view of the city. It was a really sunny day with almost no clouds, but the heat felt good and we had water to drink! The walk through the Ikeda neighborhoods was fun, and we saw a nice playground with a giant slide filled with energetic kids. We started making the hike, each set of stairs followed by another set, but soon we were at the top and enjoying the view. I thought it was cool to be in the same place where Matt had taken some of my favorite photos - it was amazing to see how he could capture things with such an artful eye! We found a little bench area and rested awhile, listening to someone practicing shakuhachi (Japanese flute) - he was really terrible, but definitely determined to get better! There were lots of grasshoppers to watch, too. On the way back to the train station, we saw Ikeda Castle, which is pretty underwhelming since it's so small. We left Kumiko so she could run errands, and Matt and I went back to the apartment to relax. That evening we met Kumiko and her nice friend Bubu (a nickname) at Umeda station so we could go to the Hankyu beer garden, on top of one of the buildings in downtown Osaka. For one price it was all you can eat (and drink!) until closing time, and there were plenty of folks already there enjoying themselves and the view of the city - we watched the moon rising behind the Hep Five ferris wheel, which I rode on my first trip to Japan five years ago. Soon we were joined by Keichi, fun and full of energy, and we all ate and drink and talked about jobs (I was fascinated that she used to work with Power Rangers live shows). After a little more beer, we were all taking pictures of ourselves making goofy faces and poses, which was so much fun! Soon we had another guest, Keichi's friend Akiko, and I had a great time talking to all these people - speaking just a little bit of Japanese got a great reaction out of everyone, so I was enjoying the attention! At 9:00 PM, the beer garden was closing, so Matt was nice enough to suggest my secret desire - to go sing karaoke! We walked to a really lively karaoke place, packed with people and full of life. For those who don't know, karaoke in Japan really isn't a bar experience as it is in America, but instead groups of friends gather in a personal room to sing (as well as order food and drinks). Soon we had our room (and were joined by yet another friend, Ueda) and started flipping through the telephone book-sized catalogs of songs (literally thousands to choose from!), and Matt kicked it off with an awesome rendition of Sister Christian (which he sang on his last big night in Austin before moving to Japan). Everyone sang great songs, including lots of American pop hits, as well as some Japanese songs, of course. The group knew that I was an anime fan, so they found the Gatchaman theme song, which was a ton of fun. The big moment was when Kumiko found the Kikaida theme song, which I have memorized in Japanese (at least the first verse), and I kind of went crazy when it came on, jumped up in front of everyone, and sang it out! I'm sure I was pretty hilarious, but the gals seemed to enjoy it, so it was a dream come true. An hour and a half later our time was up, so we finished with a Beatles medley and said goodbye. It was an incredibly fun evening! View photos: Day 7 Matt has really started kicking on his journal! Read it now!
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| Japan 2005: Day 6 | |
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8.27.2005
1:56 PM | Link |
 We woke up early to get ready for our day in Nara, and Kumiko's dad met us to drive us to a different train station that made it easier to get to where we needed to go. I hadn't seen Otousan (father) since Matt & Kumiko's wedding in Hawaii, so it was great to see him again! Kumiko said he was looking forward to our big dinner that evening, and he made some jokes in the car, calling me "Speaker" (rather than "Mike" for microphone). At the station we bought some breakfast for the trip - more yummy sandwiches. I got ebikatsu, which is a kind battered shrimp patty, and we ate them on the train. We arrived in Nara and left the station, and in just a few minutes I was seeing real live deer all over the place! I knew that Nara had some kind of deer park, but I never expected there to be so many walking right among all the people! Nara is the ancient capital of Japan, and the emperor kept pet deer - these deer are the descendants of that herd, so they are completely tame and used to people. You can walk right up to a big buck and pet him and even feel his antlers! There are plenty of stands selling "deer crackers" for you to buy and feed them, right out of your hand, which I did later in the day.We made the short walk to Todaji, the temple housing the Daibutsu (giant Buddha), passing through huge gates and seeing many more deer. The temple itself is truly amazing - it's actually the largest wooden structure in the world! We all lit incense sticks before entering, and then soon we walked up the steps and were looking at the Daibutsu, which is really magnificent. It really is a giant, which is difficult to show in photos, but one of the columns in the temple has a hole cut into it which is the same size as the Buddha's nostril, and children can crawl through it, which gives you some perspective. There are several other large statues in the temple, and you can walk all the way around and marvel at the giant pillars and amazing craftsmanship. Of course, there are some souvenir stands inside, too, which sell charms and things, and we all bought something. After a relaxing time sitting on the temple steps, we started to walk back to the station. I decided I had to get some deer crackers, and as soon as I bought them the deer came running! I could barely get the paper off the crackers before I was surrounded by deer, and soon some of them were taking little nips at my butt just to get my attention (nothing serious, but shocking)! I just kept walking as fast as I could and handing them crackers, and suddenly I was out of food and the deer calmed down quickly. After feeding the deer, it was time to feed ourselves, so we walked to a nearby Mos Burger for lunch. Mos Burger is probably the best fast food chain in the world - everything tastes fresh and yummy! (By the way, "mos" sounds funny, but it just stands for Mountains, Ocean, Sky.) I had the spicy cheeseburger, and it was so delicious! I was also amused by the signs everywhere with their slogan, "Hamburger is my life" - it was a great lunch. Soon we were back at Matt & Kumiko's apartment, resting to prepare for the dinner of a lifetime. That evening we made the short walk to Kumiko's parents' wonderful apartment to enjoy a huge meal, expertly prepared by Okaasan (mother)! Every dish was amazing, and there were so many of them (I didn't even get pictures of them all)! We had broccoli shrimp salad, salmon with peppers, beef wrapped in lettuce, fried daikon radish (whoops, actually rinkon - lotus root!) with pork (these might have been my favorite), a seaweed salad, spinach, and sushi! Of course, there was beer with dinner, plus Nihonshu (what we call sake), and then Otousan broke out the expensive bottle of whisky! I presented my gifts to them, and they enjoyed looking at some pictures of Texas in the photo books. It was so nice to eat and drink and speak Japanese (though I made several mistakes, which I blame on the booze!), and Otousan was having a great time posing for the camera and fooling me with magic tricks. We also looked at family photos, and I liked seeing Kumiko and Kazuomi as kids. After all that food and fun, it was time to go home - I'm sure it took me at least three seconds to fall asleep. View photos: Day 6
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| Japan 2005: Days 4-5 | |
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8.25.2005
11:21 PM | Link |
 The next morning, soon after we woke up we heard Megumi and Nozomi running around the house, sometimes sneaking upstairs to look in our room. We had a fantastic breakfast of sandwich makings (sandwiches seem to be a common breakfast in Japan), yogurt with honey, and later some delicious watermelon! I got to spend more time with my new young friends, too. When Megumi heard me sing some of the Japanese children's song Tulip, she went to the piano to play it - she was really skilled, and played a few other difficult songs, too. I got to make more paper boats, and then Nozomi asked me to draw with her. She made a sketch on one side of the paper, and I made my own version on the other side. This moment was definitely one of the highlights of my trip, just enjoying drawing with a happy child and speaking simple Japanese! We said goodbye to the Onishis, and it was sad to leave little Nozomi on the porch making pouty faces.While we were in Tokushima, we found out that one of Kumiko's friends had a baby just a few days ago, so we went to a department store to buy a gift. After that we visited a kind of Tokushima visitors center, with a giant gift shop of Awa Odori items, and we rode the Bizan rope way, which is a suspended cable ride up Tokushima's largest mountain. At the top the view was wonderful, and we were amazed by all of the tombo (dragonflies) flying around. After a quick drink in the snack bar, we left Bizan and went to the hospital to meet the new baby, who was adorable. There were other visitors there, and it was strange to be in a room with lots of Japanese mothers talking about baby care (including breast massage)! One of the visitors was nice enough to give us a ride to a ramen place, so we could eat Tokushima ramen (which is different because of the soup broth and the beef that's used) - it was delicious! Soon we were on the bus back to Osaka, and our travels were over. The next morning, Matt & Kumiko needed to water their garden (in an area they rent from the city), and I wanted to go see the farming in action. This meant I had to ride Kumiko's bike, which was a little scary (since I'm not used to riding on streets with cars and pedestrians), but tons of fun! It was so cool to be able to cover so much ground in only a ten-minute ride, and we got to pass sights like a fun water park filled with kids. At the garden, Matt picked tons of okra and watered everything, while I caught my breath and took pictures (of course). We rode home to have breakfast, and Kumiko bought some great treats from the bakery, including pastries of Pikachu and Anpanman! After breakfast, Matt and I went to Umeda station for some serious shopping - I bought toys, CDs, books, and all kinds of things for myself and my pals back home. We had a small beef-bowl lunch (though it was actually pork) to end our shopping day. That evening we met up with Kumiko's friend Tabata, and she went with us to go airplane watching! Itami airport is walking distance from Matt & Kumiko's apartment, and there's a spot where you can gather right next to the fence by a major runway. When the huge planes come in to land, they fly right over your head, and the wind and sound is so exciting! There were other people there watching, including photographers, and we had fun screaming for each 747! Later we went to Gyu Kaku (a favorite restaurant from my last trip) for yakiniku, which is thinly-sliced beef that you cook yourself on a grill right in the middle of the table. At the start of the meal, I got to play janken-pon (rock, paper, scissors) with the waiter, and I won a free dessert! All of the food was wonderful, and the conversation with Tabata was great, because she knew about lots of the same anime and manga that I enjoy. It was fun to speak some Japanese and talk to a fellow otaku! We said good bye to Tabata and went home for a little TV and whiskey, ready for our day in Nara in the morning. View photos: Days 4-5
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| Japan 2005: Day 3 | |
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8.24.2005
9:22 PM | Link |
 I woke up in Kazuomi's house in Kyoto listening to the sounds of cicadas and trains passing, just like summer in Japan should sound. Chiaki made us all a nice breakfast of eggs, ham, bread, and a small salad, and I realized that I can't cut food with hashi (chopsticks) very well! Everyone walked to the station, including Daichi, and we said good bye and rode back to Osaka for some quick shopping before we had to catch the bus to Tokushima. I had fun looking at video games in Yodobashi department store, plus all of the fantastic toys in Kiddie Land. After we bought some onigiri (Matt picked out some great ones for me) for lunch, we hopped on the bus. I sat next to a girl who did math homework for the entire trip! There were lots of nice views during the drive, including passing through Naruto, home of whirlpools. The huge suspension bridges to get to Shikoku were amazing, too!At Tokushima station, we met Keiko, who is the sister of one of Kumiko's high school friends. She and her husband drove us to their parents' home, where we were staying the night. During the drive it was fun to talk to Keiko, because she was so amazed that I knew some Japanese (it turns out that everyone is amazed if you know a little Japanese, but that's OK because it made me feel special!). At the Onishi's home, I met the mother (father was at work), plus Keiko's children - Megumi (8 years old) and Nozomi (4 years old). Both girls were so cute and full of fun, jumping around and making cat sounds (Nyan nyan in Japan!). While we waited for an unexpected meal to be finished, we walked around the nearby fields and farm land, which was really beautiful. I provided some entertainment by talking about the "fields of gohan" (gohan means cooked rice, so I should have said kome!), and had fun hopping on one foot with Nozomi. Back at the house, I gave gifts to the mother, and the tissue paper wrapping became instant toys for the girls. I showed them how to make paper hune (boats) which I learned as a little boy from Curious George Rides a Bike, and that seemed to be a big hit. The meal was amazing, including shabu-shabu salad, fish, gyoza, and homemade bread! After dinner we went to Awa Odori, our reason for visiting Tokushima! As we got to the performance area bleachers, I was shocked to find out that Kumiko got us front-row seats! The festival was unbelievable - I've often read about how much Matt enjoys it, and now I know why. Awa Odori is definitely one of the most uplifting and wonderful things you can experience in Japan! Teams of performers parade down the street, made of groups of women in beautiful costumes dancing in geta (wooden shoes), energetic men swinging lanterns, and groups of musicians playing drums, flutes, and shamisen. Everyone uses the same traditional tune and dance steps (along with an infectious chant), but the different teams add their own touches to shine above the rest. Lots of the teams had groups of children, all cute as could be and trying their best to wow the crowd. It was just moving to see everyone so happy and proud of their culture! After the performance, we all joined in the dance for a bit (after watching for two hours you simply have to!), and then walked around the city. Everywhere you looked it was absolutely packed with people enjoying life, drinking beer and looking spectacular in yukata. Eventually we had to go home, where we met father Onishi and sat around talking and snacking (and I soon realized that it's hard to concentrate on Japanese when you're tired). While I waited for my turn in the shower, I talked with Keiko and mother Onishi some more, mostly about music and language. After I finally figured out the katakana for shampoo, I finished my shower and sat on the balcony with Matt & Kumiko. It was so dark in the country that we saw many shooting stars, marking the end of another beautiful day. View photos: Day 3 For Matt & Kumiko's thoughts on the trip, be sure to read Moon Station Foxtrot and Kumiko's blog (mostly in Japanese)!
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| Japan 2005: Days 1 & 2 | |
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8.23.2005
9:27 PM | Link |
 The first day of my trip was a Friday, and of course, it was filled with mostly traveling. After flying to Los Angeles, I had to kill five hours in the international terminal, so I watched a couple episodes of Star Trek on my Palm and watched the boarding of a really busy flight to Tokyo. The boarding for the Osaka flight was much easier, and the long flight passed by pretty quickly, thanks to free beer and the Disney Channel in Japanese! Matt was waiting for me at the airport, and we rode the bus together, chatting our way to Osaka station, where we caught a train to Sone, the station by Matt & Kumiko's apartment. We stopped to buy some drinks for later on the walk back to his place, where we were greeted by Kumiko and an awesome welcoming dinner! We had curry, salad, edemame, and a yummy peach dessert! I gave them some goofy presents (toys) that I had brought, and we had fun playing with them and watching TV before bedtime.The next morning I woke up excited about being in Japan, and packed some things and wrapped gifts for our upcoming two days of travel. We had an excellent French toast breakfast, along with grapes & yogurt plus a salad - I was spoiled already! We decided to spend the day in Kyoto, mostly at the train station, which is a huge architectural marvel full of fun things to do. First we shopped at the Tezuka store (I'm drinking coffee from a new Astro Boy mug as I type), and then we went to a cool exhibit of Anpanman art that was showing (Anpanman is a cute cartoon character who has been around forever, and everyone knows and loves him). The exhibit was packed, but the art was really fun! Next we went to fulfill a dream of mine - to eat a big fancy parfait in Japan (since I always see them in anime!). We checked out the selection and finally decided - I had the strawberry and Matt had the blueberry. Delicious! Just outside the station was a rather large temple, which we walked around and inside. It was so nice to sit on the steps with our shoes off and relax - that's the best part about temples that suddenly appear in the middle of a busy city. Back at the station, we boarded a train to Yagi, a small town outside of Kyoto, to see my first hanabi (fireworks) festival! When we got to Yagi, we met up with Kumiko's brother Kazuomi, his wife Chiaki, and their cute son Daichi. It was so much fun to walk through the festival crowds, full of girls wearing yukata (summer kimono), and smelling all the great food. We found a spot by the river, then Matt and I went back to the stalls for some food and beer. I ate yakisoba while we watched a boat place hundreds of floating lanterns in the river, and it was lots of fun to play with Daichi! Just about anything could entertain him - after eating some shaved ice he started singing "Budou aji" (grape flavor) over and over again. The fireworks were amazing, with tons of huge displays that just kept coming for nearly two hours! Afterwards the walk back to the station was tremendously crowded, but it was still fun to be among a festive crowd. Somehow the decision was made that we would all go to a sento (public bath) - this was definitely not my idea! I was terrified about being naked in front of strangers, but also kind of excited about experiencing another staple of Japanese culture! The sento was packed with folks at nearly midnight, all just enjoying each other's company and getting clean. The boys said goodbye to the girls, and then it was time for the locker room, where I just did what I had to do! Next were little bathing stations with soap and shampoo, and after that there were several "pools" to choose from (hot, cold, whirlpool), as well as a cool outdoor bath with rocks and waterfalls. It was actually really nice, and I'm so glad (and proud) I did it! Kazuomi was really nice about keeping me calm, too. Later that evening, I gave gifts to the family (plus finger-puppets for Daichi), then quickly fell asleep, happy to have experienced so much right away! View photos: Days 1 & 2
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| Back from Japan | |
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8.22.2005
9:35 PM | Link |
 Welcome back to your regular daily WEBmikey postings! I got back from Japan late last night, and I've spent all day unpacking, playing with new toys, watching video I shot on the trip, and sorting through the over 1,000 photos I took! I've never had that many pictures to go through before - it's really fun, but definitely takes time. This trip was really, really amazing and full of tons of unique experiences! It was great to be able to speak Japanese well enough to communicate a little, and even just being able to read signs and things made this trip come to life a little more than in the past. Matt & Kumiko totally outdid themselves by planning all of our adventures, cooking for me, and putting up with my thousands of questions! (I can never thank them enough!) While I was on the trip, I took notes each day to remember all of the little details, and I'm going to use them to write another Japan Journal (similar to my 2000 trip and 2003 trip). I'll try to post a full Japan day almost every day until I finish, along with Flickr sets to go along. To kick things off, here's a set covering the entire trip of all the photos of my pals (it's a long set, but I started with over 250 pictures, and this was as small as I could get it!). View photos: Japan pals
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| More tanoshii experiences, almost owari | |
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8.19.2005
8:24 PM | Link |
My amazing time in Japan is ending quickly, but this trip has been full of so many memorable experiences! Here's a few more highlights that you can expect me to describe in more detail in the near future:
Labels: trips |
| Disneyland in July, Part 5 | |
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8.02.2005
7:33 PM | Link |
 Yes, I'm still going on and on about this latest Disneyland trip, but this is the finale, I promise! Also, it's not even about Disneyland itself, but about the fantastic meal that Dae and I had at Napa Rose, the incredible restaurant inside Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. After our first day at the park, we made the short walk to the restaurant in time for our 8:00 PM reservation, and had a quick drink at the bar first. After we were seated, we took a look at the menu, and we both agreed to go absolutely nuts! We ordered the Vintner's Table, which is a four-course meal that includes a different wine with each course. It was a totally amazing experience, and we ate (and drank) every last bit - I couldn't believe how great the wine pairings were! I asked for a copy of the menu, just so I could type this up (you can also follow along with my food photos):
View photos: Disneyland details
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| Disneyland in July, Part 4 | |
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7.31.2005
1:14 PM | Link |
 How about a few more Disneyland experiences? Tomorrowland is looking much better with it's new paint job (though I really hope they get rid of the big bronze rocks at the entrance), and Dae and I really enjoyed the two new ride experiences there! The newly-rebuilt Space Mountain is simply amazing! I wasn't sure what to expect, since I knew it was going to be the same track layout, but my gosh, this is a serious improvement! Roller coasters have come a long way since the original Space Mountain in 1977, and the ride is smoother than ever - it really makes you feel like you're flying rather than rolling. The new effects in the launch and re-entry tunnels are spectacular - my face was frozen in total shock at what I was seeing. The loading area is really cool, and the new soundtrack (which sounds awesome on the new ride vehicle speakers) by the composer for The Incredibles really adds to the show. Can you tell I liked the ride? We also rode the new Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, which is a near copy of the Florida version, but with some enhancements that really make it more fun. The guns are connected by cords rather than being attached to the vehicle, so you have a huge range of motion, and the targets give you a great indication of when you've made a hit. The final effect of Buzz blasting Zurg is really amazing, too - I don't know how they did it! They take your photo on the ride and let you email it, so here's Dae and I having fun (click the photo for the complete image). Of course, Dae beat me by just a little! Today's photos focus on Sleeping Beauty Castle and some of the 50th anniversary logos - and I still have one more set of photos for you soon! View photos: Castle and 50th logos
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| Disneyland in July, Part 3 | |
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7.29.2005
6:56 PM | Link |
 Time for some more Disneyland details! I was really excited about seeing the changes and improvements that have been made to some of the classic attractions recently, and I definitely wasn't disappointed! The first one I saw was the new Madame Leota effect in the Haunted Mansion, and it was totally jaw-dropping. I knew that her crystal ball head was going to be floating above the table, but I didn't realize how far above the table - the range of motion was really incredible! The next improvement was in Pirates of the Caribbean, specifically to the battle between the fort and the Wicked Wench ship. Previously the canon ball splashes in the water were pretty wimpy, but now they've replaced them with powerful underwater air cannons that create a giant splash - sometimes it looked like about 15 feet tall! It's really impressive, and makes the scene much more exciting. Finally, I thought the changes to the Jungle Cruise were well done, too. I was looking forward to seeing the pirana attack, which was really good, but I was even more impressed by the apes ransacking the camp scene! Now those bad monkeys have dumped explosives into the river, and they shoot at the boat with guns! There's some great timing, too, with a big water explosion at the rear of the boat just as it passes by. It's wonderful to see changes that really enhance the experience while keeping the original feel of the attraction - I think Walt would approve. Today's photo set covers lots more of the park, and includes some of the Columbia that I mentioned earlier this week. View photos: More Disneyland
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| Disneyland in July, Part 2 | |
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7.27.2005
9:49 PM | Link |
 Here's a couple of totally new things I got to see at Disneyland this time! Since I usually visit the park during the off-season, I never get to hear the Disney All American College Band. Each year Disney brings in some of the best musicians from college bands across the country, and they perform at the park during the summer. Dae and I got to hear them twice - once during a big band swing set at the Plaza Gardens, and again marching down Main Street. They were absolutely fantastic and full of energy, and their arrangements of Disney tunes were top-notch (their director was totally crazy, but tons of fun). While Dae and I were waiting in line for the Matterhorn Bobsleds, we timed it just right to see the Matterhorn climbers, including Mickey, who made it to the top of the mountain to plant a 50th anniversary flag! I've always loved old footage of the Matterhorn climbers, so it was really exciting to see them hanging from their ropes and making their way up. Mickey's performance was so cool and funny, especially with Minnie and Goofy nearby to cheer him on! There are a few shots of both of these cool experiences in today's photo set, which generally covers Main Street and Fantasyland! Stay tuned for more Disneyland details soon. View photos: Main Street & Fantasyland
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| Disneyland in July, Part 1 | |
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7.25.2005
10:56 PM | Link |
 Last weekend I took a quick two-day trip to visit my pal Dae, and we spent two spectacular days at Disneyland! It was a really fantastic trip, since I was extra excited to see the park all polished up for the 50th anniversary celebration. We also enjoyed an incredible meal at Napa Rose, Disney's Zagat-rated four-star restaurant in the Grand Californian Hotel, and saw the Angels beat the Yankees in an awesome baseball game! I went completely crazy with my new camera, and I took over 500 photos - Dae took a few hundred as well, so I have way too many pictures to share all at once! There's also lots of details I want to write about, so I'm going to cover everything over the next several days (probably every other day). To make Mom happy, I'm starting with all the photos that Dae and I took of each other! View photos: Dae and MikeyOne of my fun experiences was riding the Sailing Ship Columbia (a replica of the first American ship to circumnavigate the globe, which took three years!). In all of my time at Disneyland, I had never taken a trip on the Columbia before, and I really enjoyed it. You can go below deck to see what the crew's quarters were like, and during the journey the crew fires one of the canons (which was loud and exciting!). I also thought the music was really nice to listen to while watching the flag waving in the sun. It made me think that this attraction is something that could never get built today - I can't imagine today's executives saying "What we really need in Disneyland is a replica of a 1787 sailing ship!" But back in Walt's day, if he decided he wanted it, he built it. That's why Disneyland is so special, and that's why it's important to keep these attractions around - there will never be another Walt, and no one could have built Disneyland in the same magical way. |
| A-Kon was a blast! | |
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6.05.2005
9:36 PM | Link |
 I'm back from A-Kon 2005, my first anime convention, and it was a totally fun, geek-tacular experience! There was so much going on all the time that it was hard to choose what to do, but Chris and I both found things that we were really interested in and managed to see a lot. The Adams Mark hotel was completely booked for the convention, so it was wall-to-wall fans and plenty of craziness. Here's a few awesome highlights: View photos: A-Kon 2005
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| Mickeys and memorials | |
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4.26.2005
7:22 PM | Link |
 Sorry for the short break in WEBmikey posts recently - I was on a quick vacation with my parents in Washington DC! I've been taking Mom & Dad on a few fun trips a year, and since they hadn't been to DC in over 12 years, we thought it would be a nice city to visit together. We managed to take in just about every tourist location on the map (minus the art galleries), which included several things I hadn't seen before, such as the Capitol (my first time on the tour), the National Archives, and the World War II Memorial. We also were lucky to be in the city while the 75 InspEARations exhibit was on display - 75 different Mickey Mouse statues to celebrate Mickey's recent 75th birthday! I felt like I had a great sense of history on this trip, thinking about the actual places where I was standing and the amazing events that took place there. It was really cool to see the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, too! It was also nice visiting the Air & Space Museum with Dad, since he was able to identify nearly every plane there, plus tell me stories about so many of them he had actually flown in. Mom got to see things like the Hope Diamond and the First Ladies' dresses, and I got to see the original Apple computer, so there was something for everyone to enjoy. I loved riding the Metro, too - it was so much fun figuring out where to go and how to change trains and so on. It was definitely a wonderful four-day experience! View photos: Washington DC 2005 Mickeys View photos: Washington DC 2005 Air & Space View photos: Washington DC 2005 Capitol View photos: Washington DC 2005 Memorials Watch video: Washington DC Vacation
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| Hangin' downtown | |
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10.27.2004
8:53 PM | Link |
 My last day in Los Angeles was spent downtown, where Dae and I visited the fairly new Walt Disney Concert Hall, one of the most beautiful bizarre buildings I've ever seen! Walt's widow Lillian donated 50 million bucks to the city to start the building, and other Disney family members upped the total to over 100 million, so it definitely deserves the name. The outside is full of sweeping metal surfaces, so huge that when they capture the sunlight you can feel the heat from several feet away! The inside is amazing, too - it's just confusing enough to invite exploring. Across the street we went to MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art) and saw a couple of fantastic (and strange) exhibits, then had lunch at Philippe's, which is supposed to be the oldest restaurant in LA, as well as the original home of the French Dip sandwich (and it was yummy!). Dae's such a pal to allow me to visit so often - I can't wait to do it again. View photos: Walt Disney Concert Hall
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| 14 magical hours | |
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10.26.2004
6:12 PM | Link |
 The next day of my Los Angeles trip was spent at Disneyland - a full 14 hours! Believe it or not, I actually got tired near the end of the day. Dae's pal Selina went with us, and her sister Mae (an annual passholder) met us there for part of the day, too. We started by doing everything in Fantasyland, then hopped to Disney's California Adventure to hit the best rides, including the Tower of Terror! It was my first time to ride the Anaheim version (I've been on the Orlando ride several times), and I really enjoyed it - that's some serious elevator mayhem. Back at Disneyland, the Haunted Mansion was decked out in its Nightmare Before Christmas version (Oogie Boogie was really cool, and Zero was so cute running around on the ballroom table!), so we rode it twice, plus just about every other attraction that was open. I also finally got to ride the Omnibus on Main Street, and it was fantastic! We had a late dinner at Blue Bayou, and the fake Mint Juleps were the only thing keeping me awake. I think playing DDR in Tomorrowland wore me out! View photos: Disneyland October 2004
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| Voting and video | |
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10.25.2004
10:16 PM | Link |
 Today I was a good citizen and cast my vote! I had to go to a different place for early voting since I now live in a different county, but it was easy to find and super-easy to vote. Kind of underwhelming, in fact. Oh well, at least I've done my duty!Tonight I spent some time going through all my photos of my Los Angeles trip, plus all the great photos that Dae took (which he burned to CD for me before I left). I also watched the video I shot - I think it's some of my favorite Disneyland footage so far! I've decided to post the trip details and photos over the next few days (see the first one below), but in case you want an overview featuring my goofy grinning face, check out Dae's photos of me in various fun places! View photos: Mikey in Los Angeles 2004
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| Visit to Universal Studios | |
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10:12 PM | Link |
 The last time I visited Universal Studios was in 2000, I think, so I was really excited to see the park again. Dae and I got to ride everything there, including the best rides twice! The Jurassic Park ride is still my favorite - the way the gates open and the huge dinosaur lifts his long neck above the mist is perfectly timed. The sheer size of the animatronics definitely makes it the best at the park! The new Revenge of the Mummy ride was very cool, too, but the figures and effects were definitely less amazing than I expected - the roller coaster, however, was spectacular (even the backwards section)! Van Helsing Fortress Dracula was detailed and scary - we knew there would be guys jumping out at us, so we ran for our lives in a few sections. Shrek 4D was really funny, and it was nice to see characters wandering around like Spongebob Squarepants and Dr. Doom! The classic tram ride was lots of fun, as always, and yes - I hid my face during the Jaws attack! View photos: Universal Studios 2004
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| A magical time at Walt Disney World | |
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9.26.2004
1:39 PM | Link |
 I'm back from my big trip to Walt Disney World with my parents, and we had an absolutely incredible time! It seemed like all of my Disney wishing paid off, because we hardly saw a single drop of rain, and our visit was over before Hurricane Jeanne arrived. We also had wonderful timing with everything - the Monorail was always there waiting for us, and we were able to get into every show we wanted to see. All in all, we counted around 40 attractions that we experienced in five days! Now that I'm home I'm feeling a little "Disney homesick", since I had so much fun there - it's always tough to get back to the real world. But, I've got tons of pictures and memories to enjoy! Here's a brief look at each day, along with a photo album for you to view.
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| WDW 2004: Day 1 | |
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1:38 PM | Link |
 On our first day we took it easy, just enjoying the Grand Floridian and riding the Monorail past the parks and stopping to check out the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts. We ate at 1900 Park Fare for dinner, where we got to meet Cinderella, Prince Charming, and Suzy & Perla (Cindy's mice). The food wasn't very good, but every other meal for the rest of the trip was great! After dinner we took a fireworks cruise - we had two nice guides who drove our private boat around Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake, then we stopped in front of the castle at the Magic Kingdom to watch the spectacular Wishes fireworks show! (By the way, to read the other days of my trip, check out the September archive.) View photos: WDW 2004 Day 1
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| WDW 2004: Day 2 | |
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1:36 PM | Link |
 The next day we spent the morning at Animal Kingdom, starting with a great safari trip, viewed the gorillas, and then we enjoyed the wonderful Festival of the Lion King show. After lunch at Pizzafari we saw the giant bats and tigers, and then watched Tarzan Rocks - it was my first time at this show, and I was really impressed with the live band and stunt skaters! Mom & Dad survived riding Dinosaur, and then we went back to the Grand Floridan for a break (we took a break everyday, which was a perfect time for a margarita and a quick nap!). We ate dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom, and Minnie loved our matching shirts. Spectromagic was a great parade and a nice end to the day. View photos: WDW 2004 Day 2
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| WDW 2004: Day 3 | |
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1:35 PM | Link |
 We started our day in Epcot, and Mom & Dad had the ride of their lives on Test Track! We experienced Spaceship Earth, the Universe of Energy, and the Imagination and Land pavilions all before lunch, which was at the Garden Grill (with Mickey, Pluto, Chip & Dale). After our break time, we went to MGM Studios and played Millionaire, then had a great dinner at the Brown Derby before seeing a fantastic performance of Fantasmic! View photos: WDW 2004 Day 3 |