My entire Walt Disney World College Program was one new experience after another. I had never been to Florida before, so my life was one new opportunity after another. These things all seem like "home" to me now, but back then it was so grand and new and beautiful! One of these places I grew to love, and still hold dear, is Disney's Boardwalk. Vinny and I would go there quite often, just to enjoy the atmosphere, lights, sounds, and walking around in an area of relaxation. Today we are going to take a look back at my first visit, on October 22, 1997.
That morning I had a required seminar. If I can find my scrapbook I'll delve more into those. Basically we all get dressed in our business attire, head over to Building 26 (??) in Vista Way, and have a seat at big round tables for a couple hours while we learn things about working for a Fortune 500 company, team work, personality traits, etc.. I always enjoyed them, and they are part of what helped me overcome some shyness, although I still tried to avoid actually having to speak out loud in front of the entire group.
After the seminar, Marcy, Sarah and I returned to the Magic Kingdom. (This is the day after the night out at California Grill.) I remember it felt like forever in this store. It was on your left as you enter the Magic Kingdom. Sarah found this really cool artwork and wanted to buy some. $300 later we were done with one piece of new art! Marcy and I walked across the way to the opposite side so we could visit the Magic Kingdom Welcome Center. We picked up some free 25th Anniversary posters. One hung on my apartment bedroom wall, and I still have one framed in my room at home!
Finally, it was time to go visit the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk is located right next to Epcot, and very close to the then Disney-MGM Studios. If you wanted to walk between the two parks it is very easy, and you just cut through the Boardwalk and walk along the water. *I highly recommend it - it feels faster and more scenic than waiting for a bus!
We decided to eat at the ESPN Club. I mean clearly we are three jocks and the ESPN Club was calling to us... Yeah, uh huh. Funny enough, I loved it and have been there countless times. I went all the time when I lived there after college, and I visit on every vacation!
The ESPN Club is awesome! We were seated in the lower part of the main dining area. One wall is a giant window, looking out to the rest of the Boardwalk and the water. I love a view with water! The walls are lined with memorabilia - photos, sports jerseys, autographs. The menu has a little bit of everything... everything for the meat eater. However!! This one visit I was delighted with what I found on the menu that is sadly long gone. A triple-decker grilled cheese sandwich! Heck yeah, that's what I'm talking about!! If you order a side of fries they come in a huge cone that looks like a mini-mega phone, complete with 3 saucers for dipping! Nowadays I like to get nachos since that is basically all I will eat on the menu. You can get Boo-Yeah Chili, which always makes me giggle. And enormous hot dogs! The vibe is always fun. On some nights you'll actually get to see athletes on the main stage being interviewed, and can even ask them a question if you know enough about sports to talk and not make an ass out of yourself. I've never asked a question. If you check out the photo to the right you can see the entrance, and the lines to get in. This is not rare. You can arrive during the day at walk right in, but once it is evening, and especially on a game night, be prepared to wait!
We decided to eat at the ESPN Club. I mean clearly we are three jocks and the ESPN Club was calling to us... Yeah, uh huh. Funny enough, I loved it and have been there countless times. I went all the time when I lived there after college, and I visit on every vacation!
The ESPN Club is awesome! We were seated in the lower part of the main dining area. One wall is a giant window, looking out to the rest of the Boardwalk and the water. I love a view with water! The walls are lined with memorabilia - photos, sports jerseys, autographs. The menu has a little bit of everything... everything for the meat eater. However!! This one visit I was delighted with what I found on the menu that is sadly long gone. A triple-decker grilled cheese sandwich! Heck yeah, that's what I'm talking about!! If you order a side of fries they come in a huge cone that looks like a mini-mega phone, complete with 3 saucers for dipping! Nowadays I like to get nachos since that is basically all I will eat on the menu. You can get Boo-Yeah Chili, which always makes me giggle. And enormous hot dogs! The vibe is always fun. On some nights you'll actually get to see athletes on the main stage being interviewed, and can even ask them a question if you know enough about sports to talk and not make an ass out of yourself. I've never asked a question. If you check out the photo to the right you can see the entrance, and the lines to get in. This is not rare. You can arrive during the day at walk right in, but once it is evening, and especially on a game night, be prepared to wait!
After we finished our dinner we walked around the entire Boardwalk, taking in the twinkly lights, visiting random photo ops and shopping.
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| If a warm night in a rocking chair outside doesn't scream life in Florida, I don't know what does! |
Eventually we were back at Vista Way with another typical evening. What would that mean? Probably the Weather Channel was on. And we sat around looking at and putting away newly developed photos. I could be rich had I not bought so much film and then developed it and bought photo albums for them. But then what fun would these blogs be without photos??
See ya real soon! °o°
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