Eating Our Way Through Disney World

We recently went to Walt Disney World with my family. We went there five years and 3 months ago, also with my family, and had fun. This time I was less focused on the rides and wanted to experience WDW differently. Every time I have ever gone to Disneyland or Disney World, I have been jealous of people who don't have to wait a million years on a waiting list for a good restaurant. Furthermore, I wanted to eat at some unique places. 

With the help of this blog, I made several excellent choices.

Restaurant Marrakesh

Located in Morocco at EPCOT, Restaurant Marrakesh was our first food stop because I thought Josh would find it interesting not just for the bellydancer:

In EPCOT, all of the countries are staffed by actual natives (so you don't get some white college kid trying to do a half-assed British accent), and I liked this restaurant because the people who worked there were clearly interested in the music and watching the bellydancer. It was pretty empty (I think because you have to navigate down this winding road which reminded me of an Indiana Jones movie), but I'd like to think that my thought to make a reservation was what got us a bellydancer-adjacent table:

The waiter put his hat on Josh's head, but on our table you can see one of the many Duck hats Josh wore during our trip

Bistro de Paris

Also in Epcot, but located in France, Bistro de Paris is the much more upscale version of the restaurant located downstairs, Chefs de France. In fact, I cannot believe that anyone would take a child here, but while we were waiting for a table there were several kids lolling around, rolling on the floor, and generally getting in the way (the waiting area for Bistro de Paris is tiny). Anywhere that has a dress code (which Bistro de Paris does, by the way), is way too fancy for children under 14. 

the view of the promenade from our table

The reason I chose this restaurant is because it is supposedly the best place in which to watch the fireworks at Epcot, but only if you get a window table. In order to get a fireworks-view table during the fireworks was a bit of an ordeal (or would have been had it been more than just Josh and myself). First, I made a reservation for an hour before the fireworks start. Then we came hours before our reservation to declare our desire for a fireworks view. They said they couldn't guarantee it, but that they would keep it in mind (which really means nothing, but calmed my nerves). We then showed up 15 minutes early and again declared our desire for a fireworks view. Here is the key: we told the hostess that we were willing to wait. And we did wait. For 30 minutes. But it was worth it!

Maybe they have that metal bar so that people don't get too excited about eating here and then hurl themselves out the windows rather than walking down the stairs because they are so overcome with euphoria. Believable, oui?

While we were waiting for so long, another woman came up who had a reservation at 8:15 (first mistake) for four (second mistake) and demanded (third mistake) a fireworks view table. She told her angry story about how she came earlier during the day in order to declare her table desire (much like we had), but had been turned away (same), and was so annoyed that here she was and she was being told she would have to wait despite all her preparation. The hostess asked whether she would be willing to wait (like we were), and the woman left to angrily confer with her group (fourth mistake-- just say yes and then change your mind later!)

We were then seated and had this awesome waiter from somewhere in France that I can't remember, and we had extremely good food (mashed potatoes with truffle oil that were more like pureed, steak with crusted mushrooms. nom nom nom). The angry woman from before was seated maybe 10 or 15 minutes later with her group and they got a partial fireworks view (which means on the side of the restaurant with the windows but a few tables away) and I would like to think that our politeness was what eventually led to the best experience I have ever had at Epcot.

For dessert-- raspberry mousse with chocolate inside. It was the best dessert I have ever had in my entire life, and I am a lady who likes her desserts!

Narcossee's 

I wanted to have a nice night with my parents, so I looked for the best place in which to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks and that is Narcossee's at the Grand Floridian Resort. Again, we arrived early for our reservation and requested a window seat, which we got practically right away. We started with a cheese plate, my mom and I had steaks, and I ended with a strawberry shortcake that was extremely yummy.

 

Here was our view:

They played the music that plays during the fireworks inside the restaurant and turn the lights down. I loved it.

Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater

The final special restaurant we went to was one with a drive-in theater theme. Everyone eats in cars set up with tables and clips of sci-fi movies play on a big screen.

The screen:

The place is pretty dark, but you can kind of see the other cars and then the kitchen set up in the back like a snack bar. 

 

And, of course, I had frozen lemonade every chance I could:

This was the best eating trip ever. Josh said he lost weight during the trip from all the sweating and walking, but I definitely gained weight from all the eating. (BTW it was worth it)

Viva Las Vegas

To celebrate our birthdays, anniversary, and for a much-needed break, the ShepAlders went to Vegas over 4th of July weekend! 

It was pretty much a weekend of food, sun (it got up to 111 degrees!), shopping, and walking.

And lions (this one can be seen at the MGM Grand)

We also went to see some shows, like O and Viva Elvis

We went to buffets at Mandalay Bay (where we stayed), MGM Grand (where we stayed the last time we were in Vegas), and Aria (where we saw Viva Elvis). 

We came back later and bought some souvenirs and took some pictures

When I was having a spa day, Josh went out on an adventure of his own to....

You can pretty much guarantee that if he is in proximity to an In n Out Burger, Josh will be there at least once. Me? I prefer a massage and the steam room.

We chose Mandalay Bay:

Because of the pool(s):

Can you spot me in the crowd?

We also sat in the sun a bit but I didn't get even slightly tan.

I did, however, get a lot of reading done

Here are some other things we saw:

 

 Whenever I go to Vegas, I always have fun. But I'm always happy to come home afterward!

Reno and Medford

This past week, Josh and I took a road trip to Reno, where I had never been, and Medford to see our friends The Westons (who had suggested the road trip to Reno in the first place). We went to Reno mainly to attend the temple, since we have gotten oddly fanatical about attending new temples, but we also needed the trip to relax after an especially grueling school term.

 I had to take this picture from a weird angle because so many roads were closed off for Hot August Nights

I'm not sure we're ever going to come back to Reno, but we had a great time while we were there. We stayed in one of the nicest/biggest/most convenient hotel rooms we've ever stayed in together, in this hotel:

The Atlantis

which had this in the corner, next to the window:

and this in the bathroom:

The TV, not the mess

Josh even served my Diet Coke to me like this:

Though it was only because the DC had been in the back of the car for 3 days and was undrinkably warm, not because I demanded it (I swear!)

Josh treated me to a 90-minute massage in the spa, and I would absolutely recommend that to anyone who happens to stay at The Atlantis, because the spa was beautiful and had a lot of different amenities, like the Brine Inhalation Light Therapy Lounge (which I didn't use, though I did sit in the steam room). The hotel has package deals so that, if you book a spa appointment at the same time as a room, you get a good deal at the spa. Totally worth it. I've been to many spas in my time, and I'm pretty certain this one was the best I've seen.

After the temple, we went to dinner. Josh and his mom are big fans of the show "Dinners, Drive-ins, and Dives" on The Food Network. Before we travel anywhere, Josh checks to see whether there are good restaurants that have been on that show in the area. This time we went to the Gold-N-Silver Inn, where I had the lemonade porkchops (which were so tender they practically just fell apart) and Josh had the tri-tip sandwich.

I also got this:

It was supposedly vanilla, but tasted like maple syrup

Josh discovered that there is a drive-in in nearby Sparks, NV, and insisted we go there on one of the two nights we were there. He has fond memories of attending the now-defunct drive-in in his hometown of Hermiston, and I've never before been to a drive-in, so it was an adventure. We saw "Dinner for Schmucks."

Our view of the screen

I absolutely recommend the drive-in. It was only $4 per person for a double feature (we had already seen the second movie, so we left during intermission), and you can take in whatever snacks you would like. Plus, I could recline my seat.

On our drive back to Beaverton, we stopped off in Medford to see Chris and Haylie, who moved there in May. We forgot to take pictures, but we ate here and it was delicioso! As we were leaving, Josh said, "I really should have taken a picture of that pizza!" (because for some reason he likes to document the food we eat). Then we went to the temple, where the session was apparently full of people from Haylie and Chris's ward. We had a great time, and we were the first ones to visit in Medford, and we are completely gloaty and prideful about it! :)

I think this trip was definitely in my top 5 of trips Josh and I have taken together because: 1) I didn't feel like I was stepping into a wet bear skin coat when I went outside (I'm looking at you Washington, DC in August), 2) My feet didn't feel like they were broken and yet I still had to walk around on them (Disneyworld), and 3) We didn't stay so long that I started getting antsy and then got into a fight with a man who cut in line at the airport and then Josh told me to shut up because he thought we might get stabbed (Jamaica). So, it was a success!

Also, we discovered probably the awesomest podcasts for car trips ever. We learned that Jefferson re-wrote the Bible (for his own use), how Legos are made, whether it's better to buy organic or local, and many other fascinating things.

Things We Did in Eugene

I got a bit of a break from school, so we went down to Eugene to hang out with my family/sit by the pool. Unfortunately, for the first two days, it was overcast and cold, so we had to find other ways to keep ourselves occupied.

My dad just got an iPad for his birthday, so to christen it for him, Josh set his wallpaper to our awesome beard picture:

It took almost an entire day before he even looked at it and noticed what we had done. This is just one in a list of things we have done to my dad's electronics since he doesn't know how to fix them. My dad's ring tone is still "I Like To Move It, Move It" (from "Madagascar") because Josh set it to that as a joke.

My brother went on a cruise with his friends, but before he left we watched a bunch of movies together. He has three dogs who absolutely love him, and who also love to snuggle. Every time Austin would sit down, his dogs would hop up on his lap:

There are three dogs there-- Jack (my favorite), in the middle is Bella, and Bean 

After Austin left, his dogs were sad and tried to snuggle with Josh instead:

After two days, the sun finally broke through the clouds, so we got to do a lot of this:

Plus, we got to do some swimming, of which I did not get a picture. I'm a little freaked out about going to Hawaii because I have skin that basically hasn't seen the sun since I started grad school three years ago.

On our last night, we got to hang out with our friends. Josh made us play Wits and Wagers. It was lovely to be able to see Laney, who is in the midst of moving from Seattle to Oakland, Maret, who is studying for the Bar Exam, and Logan, who is in Architecture school at UO. We don't get to see any of them nearly enough!

Logan, Maret, Laney, me, and Josh's huge head

We did have kind of a terrifying moment driving back to Beaverton because somewhere before Salem we were stuck behind someone who was driving in both lanes! For more than a mile! Josh drove on the shoulder to get around the person, but we both agreed that we would rather be in front of that person than behind. It is also pretty cool to drive up I-5 on July 4th because people were still setting off fireworks. 

All in all, it was a good trip.

April in SoCal

I know I mentioned we went to Disneyland, but I never posted about our entire trip to Southern California that we took in April when I had a week break between school terms. My brother lives in Dana Point, right near the beach, so we went to visit him. My brother has some health problems, so when we got there he was actually in the hospital. But my sister and her family were there at the end of their visit, so we were able to go to the beach with them.

Us at the beach

Josh with our niece Alice

Josh played with Laura's kids-- he would pull up Alice when the waves came in while Brad and Carl would run back and forth-- while I got to sit and talk with my sister. It was the only day with good weather the entire time we were there.

The next day we had planned to go to Disneyland with my brother, but he was still not feeling well, so we went alone for the day. Disneyland in April is awesome. Our main goal was to see "Captain Eo," which Josh had never seen. 

In front of Sleeping Beauty's castle

Notice how uncrowded it is in the background? It was beautiful. The only times we ever actually had to wait was for Peter Pan (where, I kid you not, some dude was feeling up his pregnant wife/girlfriend) and Space Mountain (only for our last ride).

When he heard they were bringing Captain Eo back as a tribute to Michael Jackson, he was excited because he had never seen it, but sad because we had just been to Disneyland with my family in October and his family last March, and we had no plans to go back again. But then my brother had surgery and we wanted to go see him, so we figured we could also go see "Captain Eo." Aren't I the greatest wife ever?

It was a great time to go because only a few of the attractions were closed, including the Rivers of America. It was cool to see the tracks and things that are normally underwater. Interestingly, though Josh and I have been to Disneyland several times, we've never been to Tom Sawyer's Island or on the ships. We have also never been on Dumbo, Autopia, or the carousel. 

Josh loves taking pictures of "behind the scenes"

This was completely random, but Scott MacIntyre from American Idol was sitting across from us on the Jungle Cruise. I didn't even notice him until Josh pointed him out. All through his season on American Idol, I referred to him as my tv boyfriend because he was so fun to watch. You could tell that he was really excited to be there. Because he is mostly blind, his girlfriend pointed his hand at the animals and described what was going on. It was very sweet.

My absolute favorite ride is Indiana Jones. It's full of excitement, intrigue, and an introductory film strip that Josh and I have memorized. 

Josh and the snake statues outside the ride

Josh watching out for spikes inside the ride

One of my favorite things about Disneyland is that there aren't just rides, but an entire experience. I know that's silly to say, but being at Disneyland is like being on a different planet. Here is Josh in front of the Star Wars "travel destination" posters: 

Of course, we rode Space Mountain a zillion times:

Oh, and there was also this thing that happened.

We also got to hang out with my brother and watch some movies. On our last day, Austin and Josh went to an Adam Carolla live podcast. Josh said it was hilarious, but I'm glad I didn't have to go.

I have tons of pictures from other trips we have taken over this past year, and I'm going to try to post about them. In the future we're planning trips to Vancouver, BC (to visit the new temple), Medford and Reno (to visit the Westons and also visit those temples), and Hawaii (for a wedding, but also to visit the temples). We have gotten to a point now where we plan trips based solely on which temples we want to see, which is pretty nerdy.