My salvaged Knotts and Asian Culture Birthday trip [it needed more Disney]

[tamasurvivor]

Well, here are some pictures and video from this weekend.

I decided to go off to California in place of staying in the Valley for Comicon which was also this weekend. Well this trip as most of you can see from my threads has been in the works for a month or more. I registered for Disney's celebrate promotion and was all set to leave and go off to California and had reservations already made at the Best Western Stovalls so we could leave on Thursday night and get to Disneyland by Park opening.

well... some things got into the way...

and... the tension and anticipation for the trip builds... but...

Thursday comes and I have a half day from work, I come home to find out the apartment complex is threatening to evict us, I get a 5 day notice on the door and find out from people that a bunch of dramatic and crazy stuff has happened while I was at work for those 4 hours. Well I go into a frenzy, I stress out, I realize that I gotta still go out somehow to California to celebrate my birthday as the reservation went to late to cancel after wednesday afternoon otherwise I would have cancelled the trip altogether.

I then realize that due to the extreme and extenuating circumstances my sister wont be able to go along, we wont be going to Disneyland, and I wont have a way to California from Phoenix as my friend said her car was not able to be used.

So I felt like Cinderella before the royal ball, worried about how I am going to get out to California to avoid being billed for a room I didnt occupy, and dreadfully missing Disneyland and coming to the realization that we will not be making it to Disneyland to celebrate my 22nd Birthday. So I worry about everything, piling up on stress, and then get myself caught up in a frenzy as the clock strikes midnight...

[keep in mind this is all true BTW]

So as the clock strikes midnight my friend finds out she can use her car and the trip could still be a go; however she had some problems with getting her new phones service on and things would have to wait until the next morning. Well things at home get even more stressful and the events include having to take the dog to the animal shelter and a deep cleaning of the apartment, not to mention huge expense in deodorization for any pet odors... so I meet up with my friend about 2pm Phoenix time and we finally leave for California.

Keeping in mind the events of everything since Thursday afternoon have assured I didnt get much sleep; I was pretty tired but thankful to be leaving for the trip and salvaging whatever is left of my trip. Still going to Disneyland was going to be the highlight of everything and eating at ESPN zone for lunch was going to be our big thing but oh well, things change and plans change I guess.

So feeling letdown from most of the traumatic morning we are driving in the car and I am cooling down, realizing that its not the end of the world; I mean it musnt be since we are going to California anyways.

So with Juli and I in the car we make a stop at Quartzsite to get a 5 hour energy drink and some gas. But if you dont know, quartzsite is a ghost town during the summer but since its the winter its alive and booming with RV's and other people selling trinkets and stuff in their RV Parks.



still most of the buildings are very very old and deteriorating... oh and the people drive hella slow







Then we go traveling back in time... We lose 1 hour crossing the Arizona/California border... so we filmed some videos of it and as soon as the videos are uploaded to youtube I will post them on here... its fun to time travel when going to California but not so much fun when you btime travel back and lose an hour coming back. I can finally say I have traveled time... LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=GT27xpAYXhc

So we get to the hotel and decide that since Disneyland was kinda ruined due to extenuating circumstances we might as well check into the hotel and go to Arcade Inifinity.



for those of you who dont know, Arcade Inifinity has most Bemani games and a lot of exclusive japanese games like Beatmania IIDX, Para Para Paradise, Pop'n Music, DDR Extreme, DDR Supernova 2, Dance Maniax, Crackin DJ, Beatmania III the final, and some other assortment of rare games. Here I am playing Pop'n Music 16 Party.




So naturally being the gamers we are, Juli and I had to go out there... plus the Arcade is located in the Diamond plaza in Rowland Heights so there was a lot of Asian restaurants, Boba Cafes, and stores selling asian merchandise. So naturally being the otaku we are, we had to go out and browse around before the arcade.

As it was Dinner time and we had a long drive, we went to Little Tokyo Shabu Shabu which was amazing. This turned my Birthday around and turned that frown upside down... not to mention we got the Shabu Shabu feast for 2 and had an awesome and fun meal.



My favorite was the Sukiyaki where you cooked your stuff in the Sukiyaki and then dipped it into the raw egg and ate it... such good stuff! Sukiyaki FTW!



Then in addition to our Suiyaki we had some Shabu Shabu which was amazing.



Juli wanted to browse the list of Sake's



And we had some Sake to celebrate my 22nd, not that I wanted Sake but the bottle was so beautiful and it was sparking sake.



so after we had fun dipping out meats and veggies into the boiling stocks and enjoyed everything we were anticipating the desserts as if the meal wasnt good enough it included a dessert which was amazing and had Green Tea Ice Cream on the side.



After the Sake and Dessert we felt full and a little buzzed... you can kinda tell on our faces.



Overall it was my first time doing Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki and I would have to say that its my new favorite guilty pleasure. Sukiyaki is so good and its so much fun to have an asian fondue style dinner.

So after everything was completed we go to the hotel for some sleep as we were still up for doing Knotts Berry Farm on Saturday as it was planned and I did want to hit up the farm.




more to come about Knotts on saturday... and oh yeah... it rained for some of the day and a few rides broke down on us... I guess people are right when they say Knotts clkoses everything they can down at the sight of rain... that must explain why Xcelerator wasnt running either.... anyhow the Knotts portion will be posted Next!

[tamasurvivor]

Now for part 2... Knotts Berry Farm

This will include some videos as well as some pictures that we took while at Knotts. I tried posting it right after the first part and had some problems with all of it getting deleted and then getting frustrated so I gave up and just decided to do it in the morning when there is less stress and all is well

So Juli and I wake up in the early morning and go out to food 4 less to pick up some cans for our donation and also to get the discount on admission. We also hit up a McDonalds and omg... I have never had worse service in getting breakfast at McDonalds... We got so bad with it that we had to nickname our Sausage McMuffin the Ordealwich

So after getting everything out of the way we go to the main gate and get ready to start our day at Knotts.



So after heading into the main gate its obvious the first thing to hit is Ghostrider. Now I love Wooden coasters and everything but this one was so wild and rickety. I love the feeling and bumpiness but this coaster was back breaker city and seriously I could feel my spine tingling afterwards from being jolted around so much... but You do have to admit, when this coaster was built it was built with the best of airtime in mind and it actually gets faster in speed the lower you get into everything which is actually pretty awesome. So Juli having a fear of coasters gets in line with me but opts to wait at the exit while I ride.



I noticed on thing the park was fairly dead but one thing I wish was operating and open Xcelerator, what gives, was it the rain? was it the fact that Xcelerator is more costly to operate or was the capacity not enough to operate it. Oh well so having the park mostly to ourselves we decided to hit Boomerang which Juli waited outside for and opted not to ride.





While we are on the subject of rides we wont do, here is one I wont touch with a 10 foot pole... Supreme Scream... I did this thing once and it goes so high and drops so fast, and did I mention it goes so high. So Juli and I got a good look at it and decided neither of us will go on it.



But one thing we did agree on doing was Jaguar and Juli said it shouldnt be too bad since it was recommended after we did Pony Express. Now the thing about Pony Express its so short but its so fun though I would only ride it on short capacity days where there is no line like the day we went because I honestly do not see myself waiting forever to ride something so short and unthrilling. So we get to Jaguar and enjoy the sights of walking through the temple but I notice that the area in fiesta village that held the quarantine maze was so small and tiny... its amazing how Knotts could fit a maze into some area so tiny and the maze could feel like something large... even though the maze was short it felt like it went on forever but the small area there where quarantine was was kinda tiny... a shocker.





and since this is Juli's second coaster in the park I decided it was time to get a video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=4I2TpqT46oINext up for us was the sidewinder... lots of fun and lots of awesome spinning but my only grip is the low capacity for it. running only one train for 16 people at a time is kinda slow on capacity and this one had a longer line. And on a dead day like it was I could imagine what the wait times would get to in the summer.



Not to mention the on ride video posters in line are so tacky.... seriously give it some theme and leave it a little less generic but either way its cool about the whole on ride video thing but still who would buy it at the price Knotts wants for them.





So i think this one ranks in as the third coaster Juli did at Knotts. One thing I love about Knotts is the coasters there range in intensity and theres a good mix of stuff for every thrill level.



Having said that, I wanted to go on Silver Bullet but while Juli initially didnt want to she decided to go on it as well and actually enjoyed it. Plus she was proud of finally riding her first real roller coaster. this was a big step for her as she doesnt ride things like California Screamin or anything with large drops and especially anything with loops but she got on it and said it was awesome. I think it must have been the feeling of flight or the fact a steel coaster like that is smooth. so after we all ride it we sit and look at it from off the ride and then I take a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=f5VjvTGWqL8

So after all this coaster riding and getting the major coasters out of the way before noon we stop to take a break and get something that you cant ever not have when you go to Knotts... Knotts Berry Punch... this stuff is good and seriously the one thing you can never miss. So we went to the Calico Saloon and got some.







Then after getting some berry punch it started raining... Now one thing I did notice, when it rains at Knotts, they shut down most of the stuff in the park. Not to mention it was raining and the place was dead... heres a good picture of the place all dead.




but one thing I really wish Cedar fair would do... move those vending machines a little more to the left so we could see the sign better. I dont care if its only Doll Factory in October or storage for Haunt props most of the year, its still an exterior building on the outside... move those vending machines a little to the left.



then we got ready to go ride Bigfoot rapids since it was already raining. You get wet on there obviously and so while its raining you might as well since you are going to get wet by the natural water up above.



An here is a video we took... now keep in mind we are imitating this girl who went to Haunt with us and got all upset about getting wet... I told Juli the story about it and she could not stop laughing, so it was good for a laugh... especially the whole pouty face and then her boyfriend being like... dont worry baby I will buy you ice cream or candy or something when she was all upset about getting wet.... but hey... he said he would shield her from the water... LOL!! So yeah we have lots of fun on Bigfoot rapids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=KlDjczCKYAwSo after doing bigfoot we hit the cemetary in the rain and walk through some of Ghost Town. here are some random pictures of the cemetary that we took.











and here are some more random shots through Ghost Town we took.







So after roaming through Ghost Town we decide to ride the Calico Mine Train which is a Knotts Classic, well the ride was just like it always was but with one problem... near the end of the tunnel our train stops and gets stuck... either it ran out of gas or it just stopped but it got stuck.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=LLp7vXMPUKsThen we hit up the Calico Railroad which is another classic attraction. The train robbers are awesome like always and the ride is still a fun ride around the backside of the park on a classic steam train.





But whats this... if you look closely one of the train robbers is holding Panda Express... LOL! I didnt know Panda Express was western?



and how about some steel to go with that Canyon mural





Next up we hit the boardwalk some more and go to ride wipeout in the rain... now wipeout in the rain kinda makes it into a hurricane because you are in the rain and spinning all around... but either way it was fun.

On the way to hit up wipeout we find this store and sign which is kinda wild and good for a laugh.



Now it was time to ride Wipeout and again since the park was dead it was a walk on. As always its a typical spinning ride and it has that pull of gravity... LOL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=gjjhb0ERi8oAfter all that spinning and coaster riding, we are off to the California Marketplace to go have Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner Restaurant for lunch which is an attraction in itself.







The food was so good... so good that I forgot to get out my camera and take pictures of it before eating it... so a word of warning some of these pictures of the food are of half eaten stuff but oh well... I got the chicken dinner which was huge on portions and for the price about on par with what you would get inside the park, not to mention it allowed me to have chicken for Breakfast on sunday.

here is the salad and biscuits



and the chicken noodle soup which is creamy and awesome.



and of course the chicken Dinner [not pictured the amazing Boysenberry Apple pie that went alongside for dessert]



after an amazing lunch at Mrs. Knotts we decided to walk around and do some shopping. I found this shirt which is awesome.... just good for a laugh... LOL!



Then we hit the Koi pond to look at the ducks, Koi, and turtles...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=UXWdSSOEHnA









Then we walked along Ghost Town for a while and just loved the ambience and the stores selling stuff. Juli bought a knife from the Knife shop which kinda shocked me as it would seem odd to buy Knives at Knotts but to each their own. Juli liked this little Koala hand puppet and she called it the rave koala.



Then we went to see Sad Eye Joe and on the way back we got a picture of the leg hanging out the window.



and no stop to Ghost Town is complete without going to the General Store and browsing the rows of Jams, Jellies, and Preserves right near all the other Knotts Products.



Now this was odd... Knotts makes a Jalapeno Jelly... I dont prefer jalapenos and like other peppers better but thats kinda odd they ca make a pepper flavored jelly.



Then it was picture time with the indian outside the general store.





and then a random shot of the Diorama I took while we were shopping in Ghost Town.



Next up was Ghostrider one more time



although... this time there was some problems with capacity as only one train was running and the entire top que was full but oh well... it was fun although I had thought the ride broke down as we were stuck on the lift chain for 3 minutes so I took out my camera and then all of a sudden the ride started moving again.... oh well, all I can say is that its a wild ride as you can see from the jerkiness of the camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=vukCJPeUOqs
Then Juli and I ride Montezooma which she was a little intimidated by at first but after she didnt mind it. Then we did La Revolucion. Now keep in mind this one is one of my favorites as those pendulum rides are always fun, though Juli didnt like the 120 degree section that much.



So naturally it was getting dark and we had to go do Silver Bullet again... lots of fun







The covered wagon



And before leaving the park after getting some candy in Ghost town, we see the Native american dancers performing.





Overall we then decide that its time to throw in the towel and call it a day since we have been there since park opening and just were tired. We were debating on stopping at Arcade Inifity and getting more asian food but we decided to do it on sunday morning.

So on the way out of the main entrance we take a few pictures.





I love them Big and large... LOL! Chickens that is... LOL!



So yeah that was our day at Knotts... overall it was fun, worth the price and pretty awesome... though I was still bummed from missing out on Disneyland but oh well things happen and this was a fun day overall.

Boysenberry turnovers anyone... I so picked one up and finished it for breakfast yesterday... such good stuff



So pretty much the rest of the night Juli and I just go back to the hotel and talk about hot guys in our lives and drama and vent some more and then some more drama, and then gossip about stuff... then we order a pizza and start watching the hotel TV... now for someone like myself who does not watch TV at all this was an eye opener... would you believe VH1 is no longer a music channel an is now overrun with reality shows... there was this reality show marathon and this one show we saw called Tool Academy... those guys are hot on that show but total jerks... Like seriously... oh and that Sober House show was wild when it came to celebrities all going wild in rehab... wild stuff but it was nice to be able to relax at the hotel and not just use the hotel as a place to crash after a long day of Disneyland.

But feeling bummed from Disneyland I did the next best thing... Downtown Disney... I will post that in a second part... still it might not be Disneyland but we got the merchandise part of it done and still had a make believe Disneyland trip ph and more Arcade Inifinity and more Asian food including a large ramen bowl... but as for the make believe Disneyland trip its seriously better than nothing to get a taste of the dessert than not even have a bite... LOL!

but yeah when I say large ramen bowl... I mean large... lol



anyhow more to come in part 3... Downtown Disney [make believe Disneyland trip] and more Asian Food!

[tamasurvivor]

ok part 3... Sunday morning at Downtown Disney and more Arcade Inifnity

So for Sunday we wake up and check out of the hotel; however we were still kinda bummed about missing Disneyland so we did the next best thing... we pretended we were at Disneyland and went to Downtown Disney to walk around and shop and see some cool stuff.



So Juli has this thing for Legos and so we obviously went to the Lego store at Downtown Disney but because I have a thing for pins and pin collecting we went off to to the pin store by the Monorail and looked at the pins... I even bought a few like the limited edition haunted mansion pin and the glow in the dark space mountain pin.




You cant see the pins very well because my camera doesnt take th e best pics but these are the 2 I got.



Juli bought me one of the mystery pin packs of star wars characters. I opened it up later and found out I got Mickey Mouse as a Jedi and Stitch as Emperor Palpatine... wanna trade... LOL! Pin collecting is like my thing when going anywhere Disney related so I had to feed my inpulses.



So our next stop was the Lego store. Juli loves Legos and loved Lego Star Wars so this was perfect for her.





Skyscrapers, Biplanes, and Giant objects all made out of Legos



and a Taj Mahal made out of Legos though the price was kinda high... $199.00 for the Taj Mahal



Some lego men and figurines... what is a Lego collection without the little Lego men.



This Giraffe was huge... LOL... Its kinda strange but I didnt know if you put both pictures together you get the full giraffe... well close enough




And for all you Star Wars lovers out there... here is a Death Star... only for the low price of $399.00 actually maybe it was $499.00... it was one or the other... all I know was I about died when I looked at the price tag



and some Darth Vader



Then we find R2-D2... and Juli has to give the droid a hug... who doesnt like cute little droids that are in the complete saga





Then we found some more Lego displays and more Lego awesomeness







Juli was looking all over for an R2-D2 lego figurine but the only one that came with it was the Ankin Skywalker Star Fighter and she hates Anakin Skywalker so she instead picked up some tiny stormtroopers and a miniature set from the classic Star Wars... but she gave it a hug for R2-D2 being in it.



Next up was an walk around Downtown Disney and it was a shock to see Build a whore aka Club Libby Lu still open not to mention Juli also shares the same distaste for Anne Geddes and the store. So it was off to World of Disney to look at Disney Park merchandise and salvage some Disney aspect to my Birthday weekend.



and we found these cute little plush toys of the little green men that would dance and vibrate... so much fun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=LyWkDuVOr1o

And then here was other Disney Merchandise we were looking at... this totally made my day as we got to do something remotely Disney and while it might not have been one of the parks, it was close enough to make the weekend worthwhile







Juli found these awesome rave toys... gotta love the rave... lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=M9nM_izQ1yg

Next was a quick stroll through the Grand Californian Hotel and then off to take a few pictures.



I love Bears... LOL!



and then after a quick snack and some relaxing walk we decided to walk back to the car







And while I really hate Rainforest Cafe you cant complain about the Macaws outside the restaurant... so awesome





Still we were there for under the 3 hours and it was nice to have a little taste of Disney despite being not being able to go and celebrate my Birthday there. So off in the car we went and went for a quick drive up Beach Blvd and on the long winding road called Hacienda Blvd on the way back to Arcade Infinity and those asian restaurants for lunch.





So before going to Arcade Infinity we go to some asian place called "The Boat" which is like a noodle restaurant but its mostly Thai food... still they had this huge bowl of Noodle Soup that was amazing and with pork in it.

So we ordered some speciality drinks obviously non alcoholic this time since we both had to drive back to Phoenix but Juli ordered this green drink which was like some green syurp and soda water... It looked like it might have had melon flavor in it.



Then I ordered a Lychee Smoothie with Lychee Jelly and Boba at the Bottom... Boba drinks are always amazing anyways... Gotta love Boba... I really wish we had more Boba Cafes out here in Phoenix because it seems SoCal has a lot of Boba Cafes everywhere.



Behold the power of Lychee with Boba



Then Juli decides to sharpen up her chopsticks and get everything ready for her curry to come out



Meanwhile I am munching on my fried tofu as an appetizer and I love tofu... that stuff is amazing... Though Juli hates tofu and is like OMG! When it comes to it... seriously though I could eat tofu anyday



Then this big bowl of ramen came out and omg it was so filling. I did not know that ramen would ever be filling but this was... and it was huge.





Now this gives you an idea of how big it was... MEGA RAMEN POWER to the Xtreme... LOL!!



after lunch we head up to Arcade Inifinity for some final games of Pop'n Music before going back to Phoenix



Here I am playing the song Flowers on normal... this song was featured in DDR Supernova and is done by Terra... but I had fun with the Pop'n chart though I have to say that I did not want to attempt it on Hyper as I struggle with anything harder than a 30 on Arcade Pop'n Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=MG7D5tSCF4Q

But here I am playing Sig Sig on Hyper... this is a classic song from IIDX 12 Happy Sky and done by Kors K which is a bemani artist who has a lot of stuff on Beatmania IIDX... so obviously I had to play it. Though I didnt do so bad as it was only a 30 on hyper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=http:...?v=4_Jy3ZkQNRo

The only thing about Pop'n Music... most of everything is written in japanese with very little english so navigating menus and everything takes some getting used to at times but if you are an avid popper like myself who plays Pop'n all the time it isnt a problem that and playing Beatmania IIDX is similar as its basically a mega sized IIDX game with 9 buttons instead of 7 piano type keys IIDX has. Heres some more pics of the Pop'n machine



Mimi has always been my favorite Pop'n character... although Nyami is also one of my favorites next to Roku and MZD





So after that last song, we head out to go back to Phoenix as its already after 3pm and would take some time to drive back.

leaving the awesomeness of SoCal we take some pictures from the freeway before the sun sets and we drive off into the dark desert sky







So afterall everything was fine, my frown was turned upside down and this wound up being a really awesome and epic weekend... plus Asian food was awesome and getting to play Pop'n 16 was amazing as our Gameworks only has Pop'n 15... although we do have one of the few Rythm Tengoku, Taiko No Tatsujin, and Shakkato Tambourine machines but still... its Pop'n 16... LOL!

[duckiedianne]

haha! I love Life Plaza in Rowland Heights. man....the hours that have been spent at the various restaurants and boba places there! did you have fried tofu or stinky fried tofu?

[DisneyIPresume]

So what do you do when California sets there clocks ahead one hour in the spring and California and Arizona are on the same time?

[MsSarah]

I really enjoyed the trip report! The videos were a nice touch.

[tamasurvivor]

So what do you do when California sets there clocks ahead one hour in the spring and California and Arizona are on the same time?

we dont do anything...

its just not special when we drive through and are on the same time zone! Still everything evens out because we went forward in time when returning home. But in all seriousness I really wish that we got rid of daylight savings time... we leave the clocks the same here in Arizona and things work out fine, granted it still stays dark some parts of the year up until 7am to about 7:30am in the winter months but it just means that the sun goes down about 5:30 to 6pm instead of about 4:30 to 5 like it did when I lived in SoCal.

we just thought the time change was special as it allowed us to maximize some time. even if it was only an hour.

[tamasurvivor]

I really enjoyed the trip report! The videos were a nice touch.

Thank you... it took a bit of time to get everything on youtube but while the videos were not the best quality due to my crappy camera I like the sight and sound version better... and I figure if i am uploading the videos to youtube anyways might as well put the videos on here too

haha! I love Life Plaza in Rowland Heights. man....the hours that have been spent at the various restaurants and boba places there! did you have fried tofu or stinky fried tofu?

Well those restaurants were so good and so much to choose from... what turned into a short trip to go feed our Bemani addiction [our love for music and rhythm games made by Konami] turned into going out and trying new food and other stuff... I kept hearing about Sukiyaki from people who have told me all about it but finally trying it for myself was actually awesome... and no stop in Cali is complete without getting Boba in something, whether its green tea lattes, Thai Iced Tea, Lychee smoothies, or any other drinks. But it was regular fried tofu... I didnt anticipate the bowl of ramen being so big so I ordered an appetizer but wound up not being able to finish either. Still I should have taken the rest of the tofu with me to munch on while we were driving back to Phoenix.

[aashee]

Nice trip report. I'm glad you had a great time even without disneyland. Thanks for the great shots of Ghost town!

[tamasurvivor]

Nice trip report. I'm glad you had a great time even without disneyland. Thanks for the great shots of Ghost town!

I am still kinda bummed about not getting to use my Free Birthday admission but I told myself Disneyland is more of a multiday thing anyways so as long as I go again either sometime before, close to, or during October of this year it will all be ok... plus its not like Disneyland is going anywhere either... that and in 2010 World of Color will debut and maybe a new Parade or something... 2009 seems to be a very transitional year for Disneyland anyways... it just seems in limbo with things

Oh and of course you have to visit Ghost Town on any Knotts trip... Its a given to see all the original stuff from Knotts and even do a little bit of browsing in all the shops around there. Plus the picture taking is the best part... especially with the cemetary and peek ins.

[Wunder]

It sucks that things didn't go as planned and you couldn't use your free admission pass, but it looks like you had tons of fun anyway!

Thanks for sharing your trip report with us. :]

[brand42]

Hey,

First off, let your friend know that she can order an R2 keychain directly from Lego

Here's the link R2-D2 Keyring | Star Wars? Accessories | LEGO Shop

Your food photos are making me extremely hungry right now!

[tamasurvivor]

Hey,

First off, let your friend know that she can order an R2 keychain directly from Lego

Here's the link R2-D2 Keyring | Star Wars? Accessories | LEGO Shop

Your food photos are making me extremely hungry right now!

well she did find that out but she didnt want the keychain... she wanted the little figurine without the keychain attached to it and what Juli wants Juli gets [unless all further resources are used and resistance in futile]...

the nice people in the Lego store helped her with ordering a keychain but in the end she opted not to order one as she didnt need yet another charm to add to her keyring. I kept telling her to getn one though.

and yes... the food on this trip was so good! I really am debating on including that Shabu Shabu place into our next trip for Halloween Haunt... for $40.00 for Dinner on one of the nights when we get into Cali it might be doable depending on when we get in and what we are shooting for on those days... not to mention as wild and exotic as it sounds, Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu are lots of fun and were actually one of the highlights of this weekend

but I learned one important lesson... Plans are all nice to make but be prepared for them to change and when they do change you might discover something else you enjoy... I learned this the hard way but in the end I wound up trying some new foods, a new style of restaurant thats just about as fun as Teppanyaki Grills, and relived some memories of a place I used to go to [even though Knotts has gone downhill] that offers a fun but different experience than Disney... I couldnt have asked for a better weekend.

Though I hate to write about all the negative in the beginning but really its just truthful and set the mood for explaining how my weekend and Birthday went from horrible that morning to making it into one of the best I had in a while... and here I was 3 months ago thinking of a night at the bar or a restaurant... still would have been fun but this was just loads of fun! And somehow I still wound up pin shopping and feeding that pin addiction... so I did satisfy the Disney side of things as far as merchandise goes; maybe not trading but still feeding the pin addiction which I would have done in the parks anyways so its not a loss at all... LOL! OMG! Best weekend ever

[redrocker]

i used to work at knotts and i do believe xcellerator shuts down in the rain due to possible hydroplaning (same for monazumas revenge) and exposed brake rails in the rain
where exactly did the mine train stop??? i used to work that ride and it normally stops in the caverns scene and when it rains..sometimes the rails are dry and squeaky and it gets stuck..its actually no big deal. there is no gas its a huge battery in the engine
and finally wilderness dance hall doesnt store haunt stuff during the rest of the year....private parties and picnics happen in there.

[tamasurvivor]

i used to work at knotts and i do believe xcellerator shuts down in the rain due to possible hydroplaning (same for monazumas revenge) and exposed brake rails in the rain
where exactly did the mine train stop??? i used to work that ride and it normally stops in the caverns scene and when it rains..sometimes the rails are dry and squeaky and it gets stuck..its actually no big deal. there is no gas its a huge battery in the engine
and finally wilderness dance hall doesnt store haunt stuff during the rest of the year....private parties and picnics happen in there.

wow thanks for the info... and clearing those questions up

I always thought the wilderness Dance Hall held haunt props or something because it never seems to be open form the guests perspective but it wouldn make sense to be used to banquets and parties.... I know where Kingdom of the Dinosaurs used to be people on here have mentioned Haunt props are stored in there

And yes the Mine train stopped exactly after the Stalagtites and the Stalagmites... right in the big open dig before you go outside

And it would make sense about Xcelerator since I assumed it had something to do with the friction and the rain on the track... still sucks I couldnt conquer my anxiety from the first time I ever did it and ride it again but oh well... theres always another time to do it... maybe I will find some time during Haunt since my sister already said we are doing 2 days of it and one day will be spent doing the rides during the day before all the haunt stuff happens.