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Universal Orlando Resort – Loews Portofino Bay and CityWalk

For our recent visit to Universal Orlando Resort, we stayed at Loews Portofino - one of three premier resorts on property. It was already dark when we arrived, so this was our very first impression - a moonlit bay nestled on the Riviera. Breathtaking! Loews Portofino was inspired by the quaint Ligurian fishing village in… Continue reading Universal Orlando Resort – Loews Portofino Bay and CityWalk

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Universal Orlando Resort – Volcano Bay

If anyone advises you to steer clear of water parks in December, don't listen. Even after we arrived in Orlando, we still weren't sure we'd make it to Volcano Bay. There was lots of rain in the forecast and the temps for our days there were highs in the 70s and lows in the 40s.… Continue reading Universal Orlando Resort – Volcano Bay

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Universal Orlando Resort – Islands of Adventure

Remember how I mentioned I'd post my Islands of Adventure post tomorrow? Let's pretend the whole concept of time being a figment of our imagination applies to January as well. Ha! Over in Islands of Adventure, the areas are divided into mythical lands featuring superheroes, beasts, and magical creatures. It seemed to storm every time… Continue reading Universal Orlando Resort – Islands of Adventure

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Universal Orlando Resort – Universal Studios

I can't tell you how many times I sat down to write this series on Universal Orlando Resort. Where has the month of January gone?! In any event, we went to Universal Orlando Resort in the days between Christmas and New Year when the concept of time is but a figment of our imagination. We… Continue reading Universal Orlando Resort – Universal Studios

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Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Five: Ford’s Theatre, Boy Scouts Memorial, Washington Monument, Sakina Halal Grill

During our last day in DC, we visited some of the sights we only glanced at during our first four days. Ford's Theatre We backtracked to Ford's Theatre where we signed up for a talk with a National Park Service Ranger. He went into great detail about John Wilkes Booth's background and how that drove… Continue reading Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Five: Ford’s Theatre, Boy Scouts Memorial, Washington Monument, Sakina Halal Grill

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Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Four: Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Petersen House, Enchant DC

On Friday morning, we had advanced reservations for a tour of the Capitol. Both Stinky and Blinky toured the Alabama Capital in fourth grade, and now they would get to see the Nation's Capitol. We were pumped! Capitol The United States Capitol houses the Legislative Government: the Senate in the north wing, and the House… Continue reading Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Four: Capitol Building, Library of Congress, Supreme Court, Petersen House, Enchant DC

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Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Three: Museum of Natural History, Museum of the American Indian, Hard Rock Cafe

We gave ourselves permission to sleep in on Thanksgiving Day. The Smithsonian Museums were open, but the independently run tour companies and certain sites were not. This is why we pushed ourselves so hard with the Monuments By Moonlight tour the night before. Museum of Natural History We made it to the Museum of Natural… Continue reading Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Three: Museum of Natural History, Museum of the American Indian, Hard Rock Cafe

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Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Two: White House Visitor’s Center, African American Museum of History and Culture, Smithsonian Castle, National Air & Space Museum, United States Botanic Garden, Monuments By Moonlight

We hit the ground running on the morning of Day Two. We passed Old Ebbitt Grill - the oldest saloon in DC. Blinky could not resist posing with its larger-than-life Nutcrackers. White House We made a beeline for the South Lawn of the White House. The weather did little to deter tourists but we were… Continue reading Thanksgiving in Washington, DC Day Two: White House Visitor’s Center, African American Museum of History and Culture, Smithsonian Castle, National Air & Space Museum, United States Botanic Garden, Monuments By Moonlight