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South Of The Border
South Of The Border (It should be called Border of Disorder..lol) Good morning from sunny Florida!! Yaay! I am SO happy to be here right now. Where is here? Orlando, FL baby! We are staying at The Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando until tomorrow (May 8 -- Happy Birth Mom and Happy Mother's Day) and then checking into Universal Orlando's Royal Pacific Resort until May 14! 😊 After a looooooooooooong drive from North Carolina to Orlando we were VERY excited to check into the luxurious, yet WAY relaxed, Portofino. Just driving down Universal Blvd still gives me butterflies! The whole area is just so massive and beautiful and most importantly -- FUN! We made a right turn down Portofino's winding drive and was greeted by the impressive layout of the resort. A replica of the REAL Portofino in Italy. They did a WONDERFUL job. Since it is spring, everything was in bloom and the temperature a delightful 63 degrees (at 11:00pm at night). There was "that smell" in the air. The kind of smell you could only experience in Orlando. It is a mix of flowers, oranges and warm tropical air. It is hard to explain, but you just KNOW you are in Florida when you smell it.
Before
Ape South Of The Border
Umm...errr....Screw Ball? Hmmm...? LOL I get to our Portofino check-in (and yet another surprise) I will first start off with our departure from North Carolina. We checked out of the Holiday Inn Express around 11:15am (we had a lot of work to do -- we woke up at 6:00am). We then headed to JR'S -- A weird, wacky, and WAY HUGE gift shop! This place is double the size of, say, a super Walmart and it is filled with 99% junk! I love it! LOL! I shouldn't say "junk", but its the kind of stuff you wouldn't NORMALLY think to buy...for example....a small stuffed doll that looks like a drunken (or drugged) Willy Nelson dressed in a patriotic suit (pants almost off) waving a flag singing America The Beautiful -- seriously -- no, SERIOUSLY! LOL! I wish I took my camera in! 😞 You just don't see things like that every where. Ape and I were going nuts. We love stuff like this. We found a cool Route 66 neon sign that I bought for our "juke joint" style kitchen at home. I also bought a couple of odds & ends for my family. We were there for over an hour. Don't be turned
off by the billboards you see on the highway. They DON'T JUST SELL tobacco products....they sell EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!! They are just known for their tobacco products.
After JR's our next stop was the world famous, and utterly TACKY, South Of The Boarder. Every time we make a stop here I find it more and more....well, GROSS! LOL! But that is the DRAW of it. The tackiness, the weirdness....the gross factor. Where else in America can you find something that markets itself to families with kids and yet has a leather shop, very (veeeeeeeery) shady casino, and all night bar on sight? I feel like I need a shower after I drive away and yet I always feel the NEED to at least stop and take a picture (I am sure I have over 50 pictures of that figure holding the South Of The Border sign). It is something to be studied. Why would two "nice" gals be drawn to this filthy place time after time? Hmmmm......maybe I'll have an answer the NEXT time I stop there! ;-)
The drive through South Carolina and Georgia was uneventful. It was nice and sunny, relaxing and great weather (about 73). I love
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Is this Lee? Hmm... :-) Hey, there is an Ape behind Lee! the peacefulness of I-95 south through the Carolinas and Georgia. Some people get board, but Ape and I love the silly billboards and marshlands we drive by. Plus, we know the final destination is -- FLORIDA.
Once we crossed the Florida state line we perked up! Almost instantly you start seeing those old fashioned fruit stand signs (you know the ones that read -- pet an alligator for free or die trying -- or pecans by the lb -- whatever..lol). You also start seeing signs for Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach, and Universal Studios. Before you know it you see the big spotlights of Universal Orlando flashing across the night sky and the lights of International Drive. I become electrified. April and I get like to kids. We LOVE it here!!!
When we pulled into the Portofino we were greeted by the nicest man. He helped us load our baggage to a cart and bring to our room. I am taken aback by the beauty of the Portofino. It has been almost 2 years since April and I have been here and it is gorgeous. At check-in we are told that we are upgraded to a CLUB LEVEL room
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April acting innocent! A'hem....lol. -- WOO-HOO-- I am loving this PLATINUM MEMBERSHIP thingy I have with Loews. I always get great upgrades and free snacks! LOL! We got an awesome travel agent rate as it is, so this was just a great surprise! The Club Level is located on its own private floor. It includes free breakfast, lunch and dinner snacks, and unlimited drinks. It also includes access to their fitness center and free wireless internet access -- pretty cool.
Our room is gorgeous! Just like I remembered. The room overlooks the pool area which is nice. The first thing I wanted to do was leap on the bed and rest, but the "tourist" in me took pictures and videos of the room. Even though we have been here many times before we still feel that senses of excitement. It is so cool receiving a tray of milk and cookies for free when you check-in. Who doesn't like FREE stuff? :-)
Anyway, I better get back to work. It is 10:24 am and we are going to work until 12pm and then go out -- maybe to a theme park or exploring. We shall see!
Til then...
Happy Travels!
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Our beautiful Portofino hotel room! Des & Ape
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