Day Going Slow

We did not get up early on Monday, and we did not rush off to Disney. We spent a relaxing morning together and did not head to Downtown Disney until 10ish. We did rise again around 6:30 with coffee made in our room. This is our compromise wake-up time between East and West Coast times. The coffee, this is a Hyatt in Orange County, is a liberal and a rainforest-supporting brand pod with a little green stamp on it. Love the taste of liberal in the morning!

We pre-ordered our items at Starbucks, and I dressed and picked them up. We enjoyed them, cleaned up, enjoyed some time together, and then headed out. We were going to use the Orange County bus system, but the shuttle had a 15-minute wait, and somehow we still had passes for it. We took the mid-morning bus with folks who had started later to Disney and were buried under a load of kids, strollers, and various water and food items. Deborah smiled and remembered those days with the kids in Florida.

We got off the bus and walked towards Downtown Disney for lunch and some shopping. We also took pictures of folks in front of the various signs and displays. We were relaxed and not in a hurry. We soon found the huge Disney store, which had everything except for the 70th anniversary Starbucks cups and the bottle openers we had seen in the park. Deborah found some gifts, and we both had a cold chicken salad and Diet Coke, which came to over $70. Yes, we were still in Anaheim!

Deborah found something at the Star Wars shop and resisted the Legos. It was 84°F (29°C), and our feet and legs reminded us that the rest we purported to be having on Monday was not quite restful. Yesterday was our easiest day, with my iPhone recording just under 12,000 steps. We headed to the shuttle and, after a short wait, caught the shuttle back. The loading and unloading of families differed, as the children were either sleeping or sleepy. The driver said, “Enjoy your nap,” as we unloaded.

We napped and rested a while. I acquired more postcards at the hotel store as they are the most varied and cheapest ones I have found so far in the Orange County area. However, I finally saw Disney postcards, but they were small copies of art and cost $15 each! I did not acquire any.

We were ready to try the bus, but the shuttle was available, so we took it instead. We then walked out of Disney and headed to the Garden Walk Anaheim outdoor mall. There, we learned that the House of Blues is open Thursday to Sunday — it was closed. There is also an AMC movie theater, and we chose the Cheesecake Factory, as Deborah had not eaten there before. I startled Deborah by picking seats at the bar, my usual, and we then ordered Happy Hour drinks and potstickers as Deborah’s meal. I opted for the “skinny” menu’s beef medallions. We also tried the Key Lime Cheesecake. Deborah was surprised by the vast array of cheesecake options for the first time.

We bought tickets for the 7:15 showing at AMC for the new John Wick movie (going backwards in the story and landing between films three and four in the series), Ballerina. While we liked it, Deborah thought that the movie lost its momentum towards the end, with repetitive fight scenes that did not advance the plot. I agreed with Deborah, there was seemingly endless playing with flame throwers to impress the audience, but after a few uses, some story elements could have been added. But a fun movie, and it was nice to see the World of John Wick brought back.

We found the mall nearly empty, and with it, the complex ups and downs seemed like they would erupt at any moment, with John Wick of the Ballerina appearing. But we made it out safe. We found an OC Bus and managed to make the tickets work. The bus driver was unhelpful and even unfriendly.

We were home and in bed, our latest at 11ish. Sleep came fast.

Thanks for reading. Sorry, I forgot to take any helpful pictures on Monday.