First visit to London (Part 2)

Still tired from their brief Paris adventure, Ray and Traci got a late start – Ray started the day by running around Hyde Park after stopping at Buckingham palace to find a sign stating “No Guard Changing Today.” He was amused at finding a traffic signal just for horses between Green Park and Hyde Park. The first trip of the day was to the Victoria and Albert Museum - this free museum contains a vast collection of art from around the world. Specialized collections from Asia are found as well as European art, Ancient art and even a Chihuly Chandelier. Highlights include a “cast collection” – back in the days before photography and world travel, museums would make plaster casts of great works of art such as Michelangelo’s David statue – these casts then were shipped to other museums during the 19th century for foreigners to enjoy. The V&A museum has a most impressive collection.

After leaving the V&A museum, Ray and Traci walked to one of England’s most famous landmarks, Harrods. This enormous 1 million square foot store really has “More of Everything.” While bargains were sparse (here is a $25,732 toy car at the prevailing exchange rate), the store exists as a sharp contrast to the US where large department stores are dying, replaced by big box discounters. Harrod’s boasts several eateries, both eat in and take out – Ray purchased some delicious sushi while Traci went to the Indian food counter and got a yummy chicken & rice dish, total cost for both about 10 pounds.

Next stop was the British Museum (also free) – a huge collection of amazing artifacts from all over the world. On the steps of the museum, you feel like you are entering the Roman Civilization – once inside, visitors find a huge atrium covered by a glass room. Within the expansive structure are long corridors with interesting items, “acquired” from civilizations throughout time.

Stop one was at the Rosetta Stone, a stunning stone tablet which 19th century scholars realized was the key to translating Egyptian hieroglyphs. Next, Ray and Traci were intrigued at seeing a room filled with Roman art pilfered from the Parthenon, under the guise of “preservation.” Well, considering the Romans once conquered the land known now as England, perhaps payback is a bitch. Less easily dismissed is the huge collection of Egyptian art, caskets, tools, and jewelry found in the British Museum – clearly the Egyptians must not be pleased with all of the body snatching.

Ray and Traci had time to visit other fascinating exhibits about money thru the ages (when physical money ruled over digitally created “quantative easing”) as well as an amazing collection of time pieces. Seeing working 15th century clocks is quite humbling to inhabitants of the 21th century who are happy just to see machinery work beyond the manufacturer’s warranty. Nearing closing time, Ray and Traci had to pass on other exhibits and instead, headed to nearby Oxford Street. This area hosted many shops, eateries and boasted a ton of people in the late afternoon on a weekday. Ray and Traci hunted for souvenirs in the many shops. Growing both hungry and tried (especially after the long Paris adventure the day before), Ray and Traci walked down Piccacdilly toward their hotel and stopped at the same Japanese restaurant Toku they visited early in the trip – for about 30 pounds they enjoyed a great ramen dinner including shrimp tempura for Ray and yellowtail sushi for Traci. For dessert, Ray had some strawberry ice cream at a nearby shop.

On their last night in London, the travelers decided to take in some British theatre. Ray got two half priced tickets to a comedy paying at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus. London is well known for its theatre. In the summer, Shakespeare plays are often performed, sometimes with only natural daylight and no microphones as in the author’s day. Many shows such as Jersey Boys, Mamma Mia and Wicked are found in London as in the US. Ray and Traci saw 39 steps, which was unique in that only 4 actors played hundreds of characters in the show which was about a bored WW2 era Londoner who became involved in a secret plot against England. Ray didn’t follow much of the humor, but appreciated the cultural experience. Shows in general are much cheaper than in New York, and a TKTS half price office works the same way in Piccadilly Circus as it does in Times Square.

Wednesday marked the end of Ray and Traci’s European Adventure. Rain came and went overnight but left brilliant sunshine in the morning – the entire week in Europe had picture perfect tourist weather. Ray started the day by running a few laps around Green Park (next to Hyde Park) and making sure the “No Changing of the Guard Sign” was not shown at Buckingham Palace. Ray and Traci then packed up and before checking out ventured out to Old Bond Street which is a Rodeo Drive of sort for London with very exclusive brands found in boutiques. As expected in a depression, the street was nearly empty. Traci purchased some chocolate boxes at Charbonnel et Walker which was a bit more expensive than Hershey’s finest in the US.

The last stop was at Buckingham Palace where Ray and Traci tried again to see the changing of the guard. This time the event took place, but an incredible mob of people prevented viewing. Travel guides suggest going early and standing on the Victoria Memorial Fountain.

Ray and Traci arrived just about starting time (11:30) and basically heard the band march down with the troops into the place and the mounted soldiers pass the palace but not much else. Fortunately, videos are found on You Tube, and that will have to fill in the details.

Their European adventure ended uneventfully after checking out of the May Fair, hopping a cab to Paddington Station and taking the 20 minute Heathrow Express Train to their British Airway Flight. Ray and Traci left Europe with a much better appreciation of the art and history and a desire to continue their explorations. Ray also wondered what became of his camera, and particularly the flash memory card inside it.

Ray’s Favorites from the European Adventure
1. London Tower (especially the Beefeater guided tour)
2. Musee du Louvre
3. Notre Dame
4. Eiffel Tower

Traci’s Favorites
1. View of Eiffel Tower from Place du Trocadero
2. Parthenon frieze and sculptures at the British Museum
3. River boat tour along the Thames
4. Eating lunch on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral
5. Westminster Abbey

The City of Light at the Speed of Light

Ray and Traci decided to go against recommendations for a longer stay and made a 1 day whirlwind tour of Paris during their London holiday. They had to get up very early to catch the tube to the King’s Cross – St. Pancras station which is the London terminal for the Eurostar, the high speed train that carries passengers from London to Paris via the Chunnel. Ray and Traci had reservations for the early morning 6:55 train. Accommodations on the Eurostar were quite comfortable, similar to the Japanese Shinkansen (Bullet Trains) – with tourist select advance purchase tickets, a pretty decent breakfast with croissants, fruit, orange juice, cheese omelet and chicken sausage was included. The Eurostar arrived on time at Paris at 10:15 (2 hours, 20 minutes later – Paris clocks are 1 hour ahead of London). Travelers need to know that checking into the Eurostar is more involved than a typical train – baggage is screened, riders need to go to metal detectors, and passport control needs to be navigated. As at airports, last minute arrivers may miss their transportation. At minimum, passenger should arrive 30 minutes ahead of the train departure.

The Eurostar drops passengers off at Paris’ Gare du Nord. The first thing one notices is the dudes in berets walking around in fatigues brandishing assault weapons – France is really serious about security, even the “TSA checkers” who guide passengers thru metal detectors are packing Glock pistols. The next thing visitors discover is the plethora of pay bathrooms in Paris, even at train stations. Usually 1 euro is required to get past the gate of a bathroom to use the facilities. Travelers are advised to not leave home without euros!

Fortunately, the weather was wonderful for a brief Paris Adventure – cool and partly sunny. From the Gare du Nord, Ray and Traci hopped in a taxi for a 10 euro ride to Notre Dame, the famous cathedral in Paris. Words cannot do justice to the magnificent Notre Dame. Even on a Monday morning, large crowds milled around. While viewing the inside of the cathedral is free, visitors do have to pay to climb the steps to the higher levels offering views of Paris. During Ray and Traci’s visit, the lines were too long so they walked to their next stop, Sainte-Chapelle – another great church located in Paris. Unfortunately visitors do have to pay to get into this cathedral, and the lines were even longer than at Notre Dame so when you have only 10 hours to spend in Paris, you are going to skip a lot! From Sainte-Chapelle, Ray and Traci walked to their next destination, the Louvre.

The Louvre is the most incredible museum both Ray and Traci have ever seen, and they probably only walked around 25% of it. For a mere 9 Euros each, visitors are treated with the most comprehensive collection of art anywhere! While well known attractions like the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo highlight the collection, the wide range of art from all civilizations and all of recorded time is overwhelming.

Ray and Traci basically spent 2 hours in one of the Louvre buildings looking mainly at Egyptian and Roman artifacts. Visitors spending a week just at the Louvre probably leave feeling that they missed out on some great works.

The crowds at the Louvre are large, but the cavernous exhibit halls accommodate them even at high profile exhibits such as the Mona Lisa.

All of the museums Ray and Traci visited (England and Paris) had the majority of their sculptures and paintings unprotected from the crowds – while the fragile ones were encased, most were not which makes for some very fun picture opportunities.

After leaving the Louvre, Ray and Traci walked past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel which is a smaller version of the larger and famous Arc de Triomphe. Along the way, they noted the Paris traffic circles which surround many monuments – the traffic flows were insane with drivers trying to navigate the circles without a clear pattern.

Now walking down the Champs-Elysees, Ray remarked how amazing it was on a Monday afternoon to see so many people doing nothing – sitting around in parks, sipping coffee at many sidewalk cafes and crowding the sidewalks. Ray and Traci actually got separated during their trip down the Champs-Elysees, causing 15 minutes of near panic.

They ended up sharing a baguette sandwich and buying drinks at a sidewalk café before reaching the Arc de Triomphe.

Both Ray and Traci noted the decreased appetite both had during their European adventure – all of the walking should be stimulating an appetite. Traci thought the 8 hour time shift forward suppressed appetites since sleeping occurred in London during typical Seattle meal times. With long lines becoming a recurring theme, Ray and Traci decided to not purchase tickets to the top of the Arc and instead continue their walk to one of the world’s most celebrated landmarks, the Eiffel Tower.

Lines (or queues if you are British) were long. Tour groups get to buy tickets in advance and bypass the long lines. The word is internet ticket purchases to individuals will be possible in the near future – do it if you can. With 4 hours left in Paris, Ray and Traci decided to wait what turned out to be 90 minutes to get to the top of the tower (tickets were about 14 euros each). The views are great and getting pictures on top of one of the world’s landmarks is fun also. The tower is open at night, and Ray looks forward to some future nighttime visit to see the city of lights. From the Eiffel Tower, the travelers wandered around the immediate area and found a taxi stand. A Mercedes Benz taxi (A first for these travelers!) took them thru pretty busy Paris streets and dropped them off at Gare du Nord for the 9:10 pm return trip back to London. The Eurostar, again, served a good meal consisting of a chicken dinner (Ray and Traci didn't take the advice of the steward who recommended the fish pie). Unlike Japan where the Shinkansens are never late, the Eurostar ended up arriving in London 20 minutes late.

As in London, money is readily available from overpriced currency exchange shops as well as ATMs although tourist locales such as the Louvre and Eiffel Tower accept credit cards (the best option). The entire Paris visit (Louvre & Eiffel tickets, 2 taxi rides, and snacks and drinks along the way) cost 100 euros (1 euro = $1.32 at the time of the visit). This brief trip to Paris was quite exhausting and isn’t recommended but both Ray and Traci are happy they had a chance to visit Paris for a day and plan to return sometime in the future.

First visit to London (Part 1)

Ray and Traci decided to travel to Europe for their very first time. Because of the historical ties with the US and predominance of the English language in the UK, they chose London as the primary destination for this initial European adventure.

British Air flies two non-stops daily to London from Seattle making choice of airline easy. With the current economic crisis, economy class tickets were available as low as $178+taxes each way! Ray and Traci took the 747 flight (the second daily flight is a 777) and had a pleasant 8 hour 40 minute journey, leaving Seattle at dinnertime and arriving in London at lunchtime (London is 8 hours ahead of Seattle). The airline served a fair chicken teriyaki & rice dinner for Traci and a Beef & Potato dinner for Ray. The highlight of the journey was the “On Demand” AV system with a rich selection of both new and old movies / TV shows available for free!

After arriving at Heathrow, clearing passport control and customs was quite fast as overall traffic at the airport during mid-day seemed light. Ray and Traci used an American credit card to get Heathrow Express tickets (16 pounds each, 1 pound = 1.43 American dollars at the time of this trip) and hopped on a very fast train which travelled nonstop from the airport to central London’s Paddington train station in 20 minutes. After arriving at the station, Ray and Traci got into the taxi “queue” – in London, places where people line up and wait are called queues. Fortunately, there was little wait and their taxi driver took them to the May Fair Hotel near Buckingham Palace. Their taxi driver was a wealth of information: unlike most American cities, taxi drivers in London are extensively tested before getting a taxi permit. Also taxis are relatively cheap when you consider the $8/gallon “petro” prices and high London car taxes. Our driver disappointed Ray and Traci by telling them they missed Michelle Obama’s motorcade by 10 minutes (The Obamas, like most of the G20 World Leaders were meeting in London during this time). After a 15 minute, 8.8 pound taxi ride, Ray and Traci found their new home at the May Fair Hotel. Their hotel room was quite modern – the size was quite good, larger than you would expect in New York. The May Fair obviously expects many foreign travelers as dual 110V and 220V American/European outlets were available at the computer desk and the bathroom. London is notorious for high priced hotels, but with the bad world wide economy and the weak pound, internet 50% off (or more) deals were widely available! The marble bathroom was the nicest seen since their stay at the Tokyo Westin years ago. Two interesting British factoids about many London Hotels – 1) “Lifts” (elevators) number floors 0 for lobby, -1 for basement, -2 for subbasement, etc. and 2) Signs state “Way Out” not Exit.

After unpacking, Ray and Traci started their London adventure by buying an “Oyster Card” 28 pounds each (which permit riders to travel unlimited thru two zones of London by subway or bus, basically downtown, for one week). Next, the subway at Green Park Station (2 blocks from the hotel) took them one stop to Piccadilly Circus. They walked to the National Portrait Gallery to look at many pictures of famous Brits, although neither traveler could identify most of the people. They did recognize Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek Next Generation fame) and Judi Dench (M from James Bond movies). From the Portrait Gallery, Ray and Traci went to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery (of Art).

Trafalgar square is a most interesting place – full of people, some street performers entertaining audiences. Artists doing amazing works in chalk decorated the pavement. Ray and Traci entered the National Gallery to admire many works of art from the usual suspects (Picasso, Monet, Da Vinci, etc). The Portrait Museum and National Gallery are similar to America’s Smithsonians in that they are free to get in. After this cultural experience, Ray and Traci had dinner at the nearby Bella Italia – a very busy café with very rapid service. Ray had a spaghetti meal while Traci enjoyed linguini, total price about 20 pounds.

From Piccadilly Circus Subway Station, Ray and Traci took the “Tube” (locals call their subway the “Tube”) to the Waterloo station and the rapidly tiring travelers rode the London Eye – a giant Ferris wheel on the Thames River near Parliament and Big Ben. London doesn’t have a very distinctive skyline by New York, Chicago, or even Seattle standards, but you get a nice view of the river and a perspective of this city is at the top of the London Eye. You also get a great picture with Big Ben – by the way, Big Ben is not the name of the clock or the tower next to the parliament building, it is the name of the bell underneath the clock. Thoroughly exhausted, Ray and Traci retired to the May Fair for the evening.

On the second day, Ray and Traci started by taking a Tourist Bus Ride around downtown London. Their tour guide was quite entertaining and the bus driver was quite skilled but the close maneuvering around obstacles and traffic was unsettling. Ray and Traci got off the tour bus 3/4s way thru the entire 2 hour course at the London Tower. From the London Tower, the sightseeing continued on a ferry boat ride up the river to Westminster Abbey. With the assistance of a knowledgeable and witty tour guide, passengers were entertained and educated about London’s waterfront areas. Ray and Traci exited the Ferry and entered Westminster Abbey, the site of Princess Diana’s Funeral. Visitors to this church are immediately overwhelmed by the 600 year old building – Seattle couldn’t even build a domed sports stadium lasting more than 30 years! While Westminster Abbey lacks some of the glitz of New York’s St. Patrick Cathedral, the overwhelming size and age of the church is awe inspiring. For an offering of 12 pounds, visitors can tour one of the world’s oldest churches and learn about British History during the self guided audio tour. Located in crypts and coffins inside the church are famous bodies from British history – giving the two travelers the creeps. From Westminster Abbey, Ray and Traci walked back to their hotel picking up sandwiches for a very late lunch (Ray had a BLT (price about 3 pounds) from the ubiquitous Pret sandwich store and Traci had a less expensive Tuna sandwich from Sainsbury, a Rite-aid sized combination grocery/drug store located right across the street from their hotel. After a brief rest, Ray and Traci headed to Chinatown to meet Traci’s cousin, aunt & uncle for dinner. Loon Tao was the chosen restaurant at the heart of Chinatown – a meal of Sweet and Sour Pork, Fried Prawns and Cashew Nuts, Fried Squid, Fried Rice, Tofu and Broccoli pleased all, but Traci felt it was a bit bland. The entire meal cost about 57 pounds – in London many restaurants add an automatic 10% tip, others hope to get a tip but not as large as American restaurants expect. Tragedy struck the group as they tried to take a photo only to discover Ray’s camera was stolen by the diners next to them who mysteriously disappeared before ordering anything. While the Sony camera was 3 years old, lacked necessary hardware to even charge it, and had little value even on Ebay, the day’s photos were lost to these criminals. Pickpocketing is common in Europe and often they steal things with modest monetary value but cause high frustration to the victims. Crime victims Ray and Traci returned to their hotel without the day’s photos.

The third day, started out with typical London drizzle although like the previous two days, sunshine dominated most of the day. Ray started out with a run around London’s Hyde Park, similar (but 3x larger and much better according to their London cab driver) to New York’s Central park. Ray and Traci then took the tube to London’s Electric City (Tottenham Station) to buy a new Sony T series camera. Although even the Sony Store had very little inventory of the latest version ultrathin camera, Ray did find a local camera chain had the model he wanted. Happy to be photographers again, Ray and Traci travelled to St. Paul’s Cathedral – one of the most amazing buildings on earth. The current St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in the early 1700s, being the 4th or 5th church on the site – the first one was built around 606 AD. After making a customary 11 pound each offering, visitors are immediately overwhelmed by the size of the Cathedral, the site of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding. While not as prominent as in Westminster Abbey, coffins and memorials to former heroes are found at the church margins and in the basement. One of the treats to the St. Paul’s experience is the ability to climb hundreds of steps to the top of the dome – the highest level was closed for maintenance but the second highest level offered a great view of London. Ray and Traci then had a take out lunch (10 pounds) consisting of salads and drinks from a store called Marks & Spencer, across from St. Paul. Like many other visitors, Ray and Traci enjoyed lunch on the steps of the cathedral. From St. Paul’s, Ray and Traci walked across the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Modern Museum (free admission). Like the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Art) in New York, the Tate caters to those who believe that art is to be experienced, not judged. The exhibits included a clone of the MOMA’s plexiglass encased vacuum cleaner, a hanging wire with used soap bars impaled in it, and a windmill that appeared stolen from a local miniature golf course with the inscription “Moulin Rouge” on it. After this “experience”, Ray and Traci headed to Covent Garden Market – combination street fair and permanent outdoor market with all types of foods and goods available. Ray and Traci shared a waffle, which was somewhat disappointing compared to the ones they had in Japan.

Covent Garden was full of music performers, notably a Chinese man playing the world’s first wind instrument the Sheng (from 1000 BC). After a break back at the hotel, Ray and Traci traveled to Traci’s cousin’s “flat” where they met up with more family and had a nice dinner for 6 at Marechiaro, a pizza/Italian food restaurant. A feast (70 pounds) consisting of pizzas, pasta dishes, and salads was satisfying.

A few notes about London – you have to be very careful when crossing traffic where Walk/Don’t Walk signals are not visible. Cars do not stop for pedestrians except at very rare crosswalks marked with large yellow light domes on top of poles. You also must remember that busses and trucks often squeeze thru narrow streets by encroaching on sidewalks. In an international city like London, money exchange places are everywhere – and you shouldn’t use any of them – they charge huge 10-20% fees! The best exchange is using your credit cards for significant purchases and obtaining cash from ATMs (It seems most American ATM cards from major banks will work in Europe). London appears to be a very international city – crowded, with people of all races speaking all sorts of languages. Being a center for commerce, you see people much more dressed up than in cities such as Seattle. At busy subway stations such as Piccadilly Circus, many artists perform for the bustling crowds as in New York. While in NYC, subway riders often see fancy dancing routines with gymnastic tricks, most of the London performers stick to music. Talented violinists performing classical music are found along with guitar hero “musicians” that should stick to the video game in the privacy of their own home.

On day 4, the weather continued to cooperate with clouds in the morning which parted somewhat in the afternoon. Ray and Traci started at Buckingham Palace, the home of Queen Elizabeth II. After passing an ornate gate, visitors are overwhelmed by the size of the Queens Home. Ray and Traci patiently waited on the recommended location atop the Victoria Memorial for an event that never happened. Sunday morning tourists were quite unhappy when the horses, guards and band that normally put on a majestic ceremony didn’t show up as scheduled. Fortunately their hotel was only a 10 minute walk from QEII’s home. Disappointed, Ray and Traci boarded a subway which due to construction didn’t complete its normal route. After a ferry ride (and a 30 minute wait), they finally arrived at their destination – The London Tower.

Perhaps the most famous London tourist site, the tower actually lives up to its reputation. Once a monarch’s castle built 1078 AD, it served as a home, a prison for special inmates (kind of like a medieval Guantanamo Bay), and now a tourist delight. Visitors are guided by Beefeaters (even they are not sure where their name came from), and see areas of the castle where prisoners were housed, tortured and guillotined. The Brits seem to enjoy celebrating monarch Henry VIII for his “colorful” life, but after learning about his habit of beheading wives at the Tower, one has to wonder where the attraction for the 15th century “OJ” comes from.

The Beefeaters, including their own cleric and doctor, live in houses around the wall. Tourists also get to see the Queen’s crown jewels in a vault in one of the buildings at the site. Getting to tour a castle built nearly a millennium ago is quite remarkable and well worth the 17 pound entry fee. After a 3 hour visit to the tower, Ray and Traci walked across the Tower Bridge and took an operating subway back to their hotel near Buckingham Palace. Ray and Traci decided to try some Japanese food in London, chose a place called Restaurant Toku near Piccadilly Circus. The restaurant boasts healthy & organic Japanese food – Ray had a beef teriyaki set and Traci had a pork katsu curry. Ray found the 25 pound meal quite bland but he was hungry and left satisfied. Both travelers turned in early with their whirlwind Paris adventure on deck.

Ray's Top 10 at Disneyworld

Ray and Traci returned to Disney World as Ray attended a meeting held at the conference center at Disney’s Yacht Club. The Yacht Club (and its sister hotel, the Beach Club) are near the Dolphin/Swan Hotels closer to the Epcot end of the lagoon which is found between Epcot and the Disney Hollywood Studios Park. The parks were much busier than their previous early January visit as many schools were on Spring Break (it seemed that much of Lousiana’s population including their governor spent the week at Disneyworld!) – investing in a subscription to touringplans.com which is an “unofficial guide to Disney” is well worth the $8.95 especially if you have limited park time as it helps you formulate the most efficient way to navigate the long lines.
The Yacht club is a nice facility which commonly hosts large conferences as it is adjacent to Disney’s giant convention center. The traveler’s biggest complaint was the long corridors residents need to navigate to get from their room to the sparse elevators – and fire alarmed stairways don’t allow walking. Rooms were fairly spacious and well equipped – a nice water park with several pools and a water slide offered fun when guests didn’t venture into the parks.

Ray offers his top 10 list of Disney Attractions to not miss (from an adult’s perspective) – note that 2 popular attractions at Epcot (Cranium Command and Body Wars were closed during their visit)

1. Wishes Firework Show (nightly at the Magic Kingdom) – if you enjoy firework shows, see Wishes – the choreography is spectacular and you will see an amazing variety of pyrotechnics set to Disney tunes.

2. Kilimanjaro Safaris (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) – Ray’s favorite “ride.” Guest’s board jeep like vehicles and take a safari with “wild” animals in their “natural” habitat. Not exactly like visiting an animal preserve in Kenya, but a lot better than visiting any zoo.

3. Festival of the Lion King (Disney’s Animal Kingdom) – Ray’s favorite “show,” held daily at multiple times. Why travel to New York and spend lots of money on Broadway tickets? See the amazing costumes, hear living musical performance and see some neat “Cirque du Solei” type stunts in a 30 minute rendition of the Lion King. Don’t miss it!

4. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – a wonderful coaster, the best at Disney World – an indoor version of Disneyland’s California Adventure coaster Screaming, Ray’s all time favorite coater. The coaster shoots you forward from a complete stop, puts you thru complete loops yet has an amazingly smooth ride.

5. Soarin (Epcot) – Disney copied the popular California Adventure attraction and built it at Epcot. An incredible ride – people sit in a hang glider like contraption simulating a flight over scenic California – complete with sounds and smells of the Golden State.

6. American Idol (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – Fans of Idol, don’t miss this attraction. The producers have daily auditions at the park and 3 selected participants per show perform live on a set mirroring the TV show with the audience selecting their favorite performer. Each show winner participates in the final show of the day where the daily winner gets a priority invitation to audition for the real American Idol show. Obviously the quality of the performances differs from show to show but Idol’s popularity keeps the pool of contestants quite deep.

7. Fantasmic (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – a nighttime show which is not always open daily during off peak season. A sometimes scary combination of fireworks, stunt actors, parade of floats with Disney characters and video clips projected on a screen made of water fountains, this show is full of imagination and entertainment. Young children may be frightened!

8. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – supposedly a “different” ride each time, this simulated drop ride in a broken elevator is only one part of the whole experience. From the creepy entrance, to the videos of Twilight zone clips, this ride exemplifies why Disney is different than any other theme park with their attention to every detail.

9. Beauty and the Beast (Disney’s Hollywood Studios) – Ray enjoys the 30 minute “abridged” version of the Broadway shows – you get live musical performances with great costumes and choreography, and the 30 minute limit excludes lots of filler materal. This is a well done show which parallels the classic story.

10. Space Mountain (Magic Kingdome) – After many decades, still a favorite of Disney visitors. A great roller coaster.