field trip.

so - what do you do when you have a day off, and you don't want to listen to the downstairs neighbor's girlfriend get drunk...at 9:30 in the freaking morning?

why, you take a field trip. to Downtown Disney. for begniets. (no coffee, i'd stopped @ Starbucks for a Pumpkin Spice Frappacino beforehand. yum-o)

oh, and you take pictures like a flipping tourist.

and that's fun, kids!

does everyone have a buddy? i assume all permission slips have been turned in, so, let's go.

yes, the faboo Rainforest Cafe with mediocre food. but the interior is really cool and it's a fun place to take kids. as long as you can keep 'em away from the gift shop. eee-yikes.one of the many fountains all over the place. this once has a water cannon that went off, shooting water high in the air. the kids were loving it, while the moms were freaking because, heaven help us, the kids were getting wet. come on, lady...it's 9:30 am and it's already 80 degrees. that's wrong.

one of the hanging baskets...the closest thing i have to fall colors.

this is the Uva bar, right outside my favorite restaurant here...Catal. and it's wrong that this bar was closed this early in the a.m.
i am SO kidding.

Catal...a lovely place to dine...only problem is, because it IS in Downtown Disney, you feel weird being all dressed up, with the people sitting next to you in shorts & tennies. not that there's anything wrong with that...just weird.

the "side entrance" to the Grand Californian Hotel. gah! i want to stay here sooooo bad. not that the rooms are all that, but because of the landscaping and the theaming and...sigh. i promise, once Thanksgiving rolls 'round, i will come back and take photos of the inside of this hotel. then you'll get what i mean. **sigh**

another shot of part of the hotel. some of the rooms overlook the Downtown Disney thoroughfare, which i would SO be all over. talk about people watching. years ago, my best friend and his wife were down and stayed there; their room looked towards California Adventure park. in this park they have a giant Ferris wheel, that was lit and the lights rotated in patterns. we were out on the balcony watching the lights (it would've been incredibly romantic except that i saw him once in his chonies back in 2000. it killed any feelings i had for him other than as a friend. one i hope i never have to see in his underwear again. ever.) when it occurred to us that we really were rednecks...we were distracted by shiny objects.

longest story ever, wasn't it? let's move on.

waterfalls and fountains a-plenty. just not a good place to be if the sound of water makes you wanna pee. believe me, the Power of Suggestion is strong in this one, and i know the location of every freaking bathroom in Downtown Disney.

and my last photo...exclusively for Melissa. our Most Holy Place. not open, unfortunately.

i intended to take more...i wanted to show you the word "California" in front of California Adventure..at fall, they make the 'a's into candy corn. my favorite babies - candy freaking corn. my problem? at the end of Downtown Disney is the security checkpoint before you buy tickets and go through the main entrances for both parks. the line was ridiculous and sorry, but not even for you, Gentle Reader, was i about to brave those lines.

maybe next time.

so. that ends my tour of one of my favorite places on earth. i'm almost wishing i still had my Disneyland annual pass to go inside...just to take you on another field trip.

but then i remember how much moolah they want for those babies and the feeling passes.

next stop - it's up to you! any suggestions for another photoblog field trip?