Every Harry Potter fan dreams of getting their first Ollivanders wand. I picked the above Birch wand for its natural look and good grip. I also picked up the Ginny Weasley character wand. It's a nice sleek wand with a grip that is both simple and ornate at the same time. Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.
Like most of my travel mistakes, this one is due to trying to do too much in too little time. Last year when I had a business trip in Disney World, I decided to try to do as much Disney and Universal in just 2 days. On Saturday, I did a whirlwind visit to Disney Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney World until I could bearly walk. I also did a lot of shopping, and had it sent the next day to my hotel's store for pickup. The problem was, you could only pick it up when the hotel's store was
An AT-AT at Disney's Hollywood Studios. May the Force be with you! Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
It's May the 4th Be With You! The unofficial Star Wars holiday. So I wanted to share some of my character interactions from the Star Wars Universe at Disney. First up is Captain Phasma and the First Order, which can be seen parading up and down the main street of Disney Hollywood Studios. In the Launch Bay you can see some great art and props from the movies while you wait to meet various characters. When I went it was Kylo Ren (who I said I was a fan of his Grandfather which he replied "Excellent") and below was Chewie, although
Years ago, I made my own custom Lightsaber at Disneyland. So when I went to Disney World (Disney's Hollywood Studios to be exact) I debated on if I'd get another one. But instead, I was entrapped by this fun area where you could build your own Droids! I spent much longer than I care to admit looking for matching legs for these two droids (before realizing there was a larger station behind me.) But I liked how they turned out. Purple accents and funny hats really makes it my own. And for geekiness, if you are wondering what types of
I've talked about triggering the ETD system before, as well as getting the SSSS on almost every trip I fly. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. In May 2016, after reading all those articles of massive lines at TSA checkpoints (which disappeared later on in the year) paid $100 to apply for Global Entry and TSA Pre-Check. I didn't quite know what to expect. After being on the SSSS list, I decided against going through the lengthy "Redress" process. So I worried that I might be auto-denied for Global Entry. I waited a few weeks and
Harry Potter Celebration in Orlando kicks off today. I've always wanted to go, but at least I got to visit Diagon Alley last year for a quick day trip! Although it took me ages to get this photo. Each time the dragon breathed fire I could never get my camera ready in time! Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.
I thought it would be a brilliant plan. After work, I'd run over to Epcot for their Food and Wine festival and get some dinner. Earlier that day I was able to get a discounted conference ticket ($75) for Epcot, a steep admission just to get dinner. I was also able to snag some last minute fast passes, one for Turtle Talk, another for Mission Space, and lastly one for the premium viewing spot for "IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth". It would be the first time going to Epcot (or Disney World for that matter) since I was 4 years old.
Travel After my dream trip in 2015 to Egypt, 2016 felt like a bit of a mild year in comparison. I didn't travel internationally, instead I had 2 quick business trips (Las Vegas and Orlando), a road trip to Santa Fe, and then a proper little vacation to San Francisco over Christmas. I'd never thought I'd... Visit the Winchester Mystery House. We were driving down the coast when my mom remembered she had visited it 50 years ago. I got really excited when I could prove to my parents that it was on the way back to San Francisco and
Fireworks at Disney World. Hope you have a Happy New Years Eve tomorrow! Every Friday Lili shares her favorite photography & the stories behind the photos.