March 2017

Sidewalks Can Be Interesting! – Part 1

Published on March 30, 2017 in Florida Locales by Doug Wilcoxon

You may notice that this isn’t a sidewalk and if it is, it’s a short one and it has rails running through it… that is a bad sign for a sidewalk. If your sidewalk has embedded rails don’t walk on it. Just down these tracks about a quarter mile is the SunRail Maitland Station. A sidewalk does not cross these tracks. It comes up to the tracks on the North Side and after crossing it picks up again on the South side. Nothing special about these sidewalks other than they don’t connect.

Was out for a walk today in Maitland, Florida maintaining an old habit from childhood, which is looking down at the ground while I walk. Probably not the best habit in an urban area full of cars. Me walking and looking at the ground and drivers driving and looking at their phone, not a great combination. Since I grew up in a more rural setting it wasn’t much of a problem and smartphones didn’t exist at that time (rotary was the tech of the day). Honestly, the habit is mostly a thing of the past, but today it got me involved with some sidewalks.

Leaving Jersey Mike’s after enjoying Jersey Shore’s Favorite prepared “Mike’s Way”‘ I was returning to work and noticed a section of sidewalk wasn’t the typical slab of concrete, but laid in pavers. All the pavers are square and of the typical variety being approximately 12 inches on each side. Pavers like you may see at the home improvement store. The idea and follow through took dedication from someone or some group to make the effort and place something different where a typical installation would suffice… to make the sidewalk unique.

And to “plus it” as Walt would say, accent blocks are sprinkled in to provide a bit of an artistic touch.

This is my favorite accent stone. Have always liked different depictions of the sun in various media and the detail in the concrete is well done.

Location Details at the my Orlando Map

It’s the small touches that make places unique in which they have their own character and personality. It’s in the real world and a nice break from the monotony of the typical ribbons of sidewalk. A nice find along a busy street.

Sidewalks Can be Interesting! – Part 2 will look at some residential sidewalks in Augusta, Georgia.

Brentwood, Tennessee – Texas Bar-B-Que Stop

Published on March 11, 2017 in Other 49 States by Doug Wilcoxon

Had a quick trip over the weekend to Nashville, Tennessee and visited a BBQ joint we found by coincidence a few years back. Its not in the most visible locale, or the largest, but its BBQ has been consistent over the years. Judge Bean’s Bar-B-Que identifies as a Texas BBQ joint, which was a good choice since two Texans were in my party.

I split “The Feast” with one of the Texans and neither of us was disappointed. Will point out that I wasn’t that crazy about the Texas toast, but who cares about toast on a BBQ platter since it’s just window dressing anyway. Not being too hungry I had a couple slices of Brisket, a Rib, one Diablo, Cowboy Beans, Mac & Cheese and some Pulled Pork. My tablemate finished off the remainder of the “The Feast”… reading over my food list apparently I was hungrier than I thought.

Overview of “The Feast”. Clockwise starting in the upper left, Brisket, Ribs, Pulled Pork, Texas Toast, Cowboy Beans, Baked Beans, Mac & Cheese, Diablos and Wings at the center. The beans and mac & cheese are sides. Two side come with the meal, but curiosity of the Cowboy Beans got the better of me. I prefered the cowboy beans over the BBQ Beans. The Cowboy Beans have much more heat and are more flavorful… almost to a chili like flavor. The Cowboy Beans have jalapenos in the mix, but I am guess also a large component of the spice is cumin… which is my favorite spice.

The Diablo is Judge Bean’s jalapeno pepper stuffed with shrimp and cheese and wrapped in bacon. I didn’t eat the shrimp, but did try the remainder of the Diablo. It was ok, but not the favorite side item of mine (that would be the Cowboy Beans). Also known as ABT’s, a good recipe and a great final picture is at this link.

A post-worthy shot of the three meats. Brisket, RIbs, and Pulled Pork.

The Diablo. You can just see the shrimp peeking out from the jalapeno.

Two hot wings. This is my favorite pic showing crispy wings and a slathering of sauce. The white is a reflection of the light in the sauce… a sauce I can almost see myself in.

The menu appears to be a bit different than the menu online. Don’t believe that really matters since the Bar-B-Que is good regardless. Did do a review of the photo gallery on the Judge Bean website and unless I am missing something somewhere it doesn’t appear that the photos have been updated since 2012. Again it doesn’t really effect the Bar-B-Que….still good. If you happen to visit, tell them Doug Travels Orlando says “Howdy”. They won’t know who you are talking about.

The brand new map for places other than Florida… here. A bit sparse as of this time.

Rivers of Light – Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park

Published on March 8, 2017 in Orlando/Stay on Property/Walt Disney World by Crystal Boston

The long awaited ‘Rivers of Light’ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park has finally made it’s debut!

Rivers of Light is located in the park’s Discovery River lagoon between Discovery Island and Expedition Everest. It features water fountains, mist screens, floating lanterns, fire effects, lasers, lights, fog, projection mapping as well as live performers and incorporates the park’s Tree of Life into the show too.

This new nighttime experience celebrates the beauty of all living things. With a brilliant fusion of water, sound and light, it’s a unique experience that will entertain the whole family!

Rivers of Light is staged in the middle of the Discovery River, with seating split in two sections: on the shores of Asia in front of Expedition Everest, and along the banks of DinoLand U.S.A. in front of Finding Nemo—The Musical. All of the seats in Asia – half of the show’s 5,000 seats – are reserved for Guests with FastPass+. The other half of the seats, on the DinoLand side, are for those booking the Rivers of Light dining packages (available at Tusker House or Tiffins) and for standby Guests. There are also very limited, partially obstructed viewing areas around the river. I have viewed from all 3 areas and I highly recommend the dining package viewing area if you plan to see this new experience!

As sunlight fades, the ‘stars’ begin to twinkle in the trees surrounding Discovery River. A vibrant awakening of flitting fireflies leading to a ceremonious procession across the water of floating lotus blossoms that morph into colorful dancing fountains and over-sized animal sculptures – tiger, turtle, elephant, and owl – that light up in various colors.

The show begins with four flickering, lotus flower lanterns floating on the lagoon. They’re soon joined by shamans. The shamans conjure the forces of fire and water to reveal the majesty of the natural world, mostly as video projections on a huge water screen projected at the back of the lagoon.

In the final moments, the largest lotus sprouts a blazing tower. This magnetic display culminates in a triumphant blend of song, light, color and earthly elements. We are all bound together by earth and spirit — past, present and future.

Rivers of Light joins other nighttime experiences recently added to Animal Kingdom, including the sunset Kilimanjaro Safaris, Discovery Island Carnivale, Harambe Wildlife Parti and the Tree of Life awakening. Be sure to watch the video posted above, my photos do not do this show proper justice!

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A trip to Tiffins Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom*

Published on March 8, 2017 in Walt Disney World by Doug Wilcoxon

Tiffins Coaster. For clarity we shall call this the “front of the coaster”.

Why the asterisk? The post title needs additional detail, but I didn’t want it to be too long and off putting in the header. The full title is “A trip to Tiffin’s Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which sits right at the entrance of the soon to be opening Pandora – The World of AVATAR… and we wished to visit before the crush of humanity makes it impossible to leisurely stroll directly to the restaurant entrance”. That being said, if you want to visit this restaurant (which I recommend), then you had better take advantage of the My Disney Experience app, or online reservations, or by phone (the old fashion way) and make your reservations early.

From the start, as we entered the restaurant I was drawn to the decor and overall general laid back atmosphere. This restaurant trip could be referred to as a “cold call” since no prior research of the restaurant was done by myself, and it is a pleasant surprise to be pleasantly surprised. I’m not saying that no planning was done, since the hardest working travel planner in the travel planning business, Crystal, booked our reservation for the monthly Disney Dining Excursion.

It’s hard to say what put me at ease as we entered the restaurant, but the look and warm glow of wood finishes is something that has always been a favorite of mine… then again it could have been the easily accessible restrooms just to the right of the hostess stand. Everybody has their thing. As we enter through the double doors of square glass panes and wood carvings the hostess station is directly in front. I advise any guest to make good use of their wait time, turn around and take a look at the carvings as you enter the building (after you check in of course). The wood carvings throughout are something to admire. The colors glowed of warm gold, browns and copper.

We dined in Tiffin’s Grand Gallery and of all the Walt Disney World restaurants we have enjoyed since starting the monthly Disney Dining Experience, this is my favorite room. Why?… two reasons. 1. The room decor is a pleasure to view throughout the meal. Each wall is unique. 2. The Grand Gallery is smaller and has a more laid back pace. The hustle and bustle you may experience at some of the large open dining rooms doesn’t seem to be prevalent at the Tiffin’s.

We had 3:15pm dining reservations and the obviously the crowd was thinning a bit, but we did wait at least 20 minutes beyond our confirmed dining reservation time. An interesting point brought up by this tripadvisor review concerns the dining package for reserved seating at Rivers of Light. This review contradicts my laid back statement… so you may wish to consider your dining times when making your reservation.

Being a bit surprised at the size of the dining area (not that I’m complaining), we questioned our server and he enlightened us to the layout of the restaurant. There are three dining rooms. The Grand Gallery, Safari Gallery, and the Nomad Lounge. Table seating in the Bar at Nomad Lounge does require a reservation except at the bar. See paragraph one, last sentence. There isn’t a feeling that you are being turned quickly and the pace of the wait staff is relaxed. The setting is conducive to easy conversation with your fellow diners.

Unless of course you don’t want conversation with your fellow diners then I would recommend Chef Mickeys. We love that place, there is a lot of activity at all times; a monorail overhead; special visits from the Mouse himself and guests; and you can leave the table at any time to get some food. For example, your table mate starts to speak, and you say “Excuse me I need to go get another plate of Filet of Beef and some dessert.” If that is said to you don’t take it personally now that you know the secret.

View of the totems from our table. Totems, must not have been happy with me as they were putting out fuzzy vibes towards my picture.

Why are we here? That is a deep question and my answer has always been… we are here to eat. Someone has to do it and it might as well be me. Unfortunately it isn’t an appetizer sort of day for us and we proceed directly to the Main Courses. The meal consists of a two Berkshire Pork Tenderloins ($39), Pan-seared Duck Breast ($39) and Grilled Swordfish ($42).