It seemed to be a theme with this trip (it almost ended up being the title of the TR), but whenever we had to catch a bus, it seemed that where we had to go was the last one down. Pitfalls of staying in a value, I guess!
So after walking past every single bus line to get to the special Event Transportation buses, we waited for about 15 minutes or so for our bus. The ride over was very short, I think ESPN WWoS was right across the road from Pop.
The first thing we came across were people eating yogurt, which I thought was kind of odd, who just totes around tiny yogurt packs? We got to the walkway up, and I was greeted by a giant Oikos display, and it clicked. As we walked by, Baloo went "Yuuum, yogurt! I could go for some yogurt right about now." and kept walking.
"Don't you want yogurt?"
"Not that badly."
"Not badly enough to stop and get a sample?"
"Sample? Wait, they're not selling them??"
"I don't...think so?"
"...Hold the baby!"
Oh Baloo. I really don't know what to do with you sometimes.
So many people!
There are a lot of things that I expected WWoS to look like.
This was not it. It's BEAUTIFUL. I want to go back and see some sort of game or something there! I've always thought of sports arenas as utilitarian, and I love that Disney changed my perception of it. It sort of makes me think how people kind of go "Oh, but...Isn't Disney for KIDS?" and you try to convince them it's not. WWoS ended up sort of representing that to me, something being able to be so much more than what you think of it.
We were given direction on where to go first. We parked Stormy's stroller and entered the middle building. I collected mine and Stormy's (he was doing the Kids Race on Saturday!) packets with no issue, picked up my commemorative necklace that I'd pre-ordered (I don't know that I'd waste the money on it in the future. It was $20 and it's a silver pendent with the logo stamped on, with a second crown shaped charm that's pink with teenage-esque sparklies and the year). Don't get me wrong, I love wearing it (as I can't wear my medal around all the time!) but I think next time I'll check out what Etsy sellers have to offer.
We were able to sign up for the Runner Tracker here, and I wrestled with the computer for about 5 minutes, trying to sign Baloo up. After I thought it had gone through (we wouldn't know until race day, but it had. You can sign up ahead of time, on your own computer. We'll definitely do that next time), we left the first building.
We popped into the small building that housed the Dooney purses. I REALLY wanted one, but they had gotten rid of the wristlet size this year, and since that was going to be the only one I could afford, I came out sadly empty handed. I heard that they sold out within a couple hours after I left.
Finally, we were onto the main event, the expo!
So. Many. People.
Confession time. I'm an introvert. It might be hard to believe, I sort of thrive online. But in real life, I am as quiet as a mouse. It's basically a joke whenever I start a new job ANYWHERE that I don't talk, and barely anyone notices me. I worked as a hostess in college, and on my fifth or so day, I walked into the kitchen and a cook pointed at me and said "There! That one!" and the other replied with "Ooooh, her! Yeah, no, she don't talk at all, does she?"
I knew the expo would be crowded. When I walked in, our plan of action was to get in, get my shirt, check out the official merch, and get the heck out.
So there will be a lack of pictures...Again. I guess I just get so focused on trying to stay as small as possible that I forget there's a camera strapped to my wrist. The comfort zones I leave for Disney...
The first thing we encountered was a bean bag toss, where you could win a banana. We were going to walk by it, but Stormy spotted the bah-nas, and by goodnes, he would have one! He went into full meltdown mode while we waited behind the 5+ people ahead. And to get a banana, you had to actually get the bean bag in! All the people ahead of me tossed it in no problem, but I decided I'd be that first person who missed. My turn came aaannnnddd....I got it! Yay! Stormy got his Bah-na, crisis averted. Baloo had waited in line behind me (in case I missed) and handed me some temporary tattoos. "Guess who was the first sucker to miss and not get a banana? THIS GUY." Apparently the consolation prize was a temporary tattoo and a banana paper crown. I'm still not clear how those are cheaper than a mini banana.
The next booth was the shirts, I picked mine up, and made a beeline to the official race merch! I wanted one of those "I Did It!" shirts! I was very nervous about buying one. I'm not overly superstitious, but still....
I heard that they sold out like THAT, though, and when I saw the color purple the shirt was, I decided it would be coming home with me (I bought a large. It fit perfect until I washed it. Now it's a bit small. Ah well, live and learn). Stormy and Baloo each got a shirt. They say "My Favorite Disney Princess is my Mom/Wife" and are totally awesome! We got Stormy's a size up, so he can hopefully wear it for awhile.
I tried on and bought a pair of 'recovery' flip flops. Silly me forgot to pack my own, so this was sort of a stupid tax. They're comfy, but look a tiny bit like shower sandals.
I had to do a little looking around, of course.
In front of the back part of the New Balance display.
This is not a happy face, if it's not apparent. SOMEone thought he wasn't being given nearly enough freedom to run amongst strangers. Not naming names.
The New Balance name wall!
I had to have another runner take my picture, because by this point, Stormy had gone into meltdown 7 bajillion and Baloo had taken him into the hallway to play.
I checked out a couple other booths quickly, grabbed some posters (one from Redbook and one from Clif/Luna) and headed out with my stuff.
Near the exit, I met up with Baloo and Stormy, and we found this countdown clock.
62 hours sounds like a lot when you're staring at it. Turns out. It's not.
Also, I have NO idea who I'm looking at, seeing as how Baloo had the camera.
One more picture for the road (and hey look, I've changed shoes)
We packed up and headed back to the hotel. Stormy finally fell asleep (briefly) so we let him rest up a bit, and I decorated our window!
I think I'm going to do this any trip we go on, special occasion or not. It made coming 'home' each night so much more welcoming. (aaand we're gonna ignore that my name is in some of these. Shhhhh)
Pictures of my loot (This includes stuff I bought on race day too).
Back of the shirt.
Race shirts and other shirts
By the time Stormy had woken up, it was dark out (but not very late) and we got his bag together to head over to Downtown Disney!
Waiting for the bus. They're both wearing their new shirts, but you can't really tell.
There was a HUGE group ahead of us. It took 3 buses to transport their entire group to DTD, so we waited an extra long time. I'm not sure where exactly they were from, but they sounded like they were speaking some sort of Spanish/related language. I noticed it was an all female group, and the 5-10 girls ahead of us in line spent our wait cooing over Stormy. Somethings translate so well.
We made it to DTD and...MORE PEOPLE. I have never seen anything SO jam packed. I think everyone must have shown up on Thursday, and had the same idea we did, first day at the expo and DTD. There was just NO breathing room. I'm not complaining, I know that crowds happen (especially at an event that draws 25k runners + entourage) but I was so very overwhelmed and immediately got tired.
We browsed Tren-D, and the Christmas store, but it was so hard to even get in that we decided to grab dinner and go back to the hotel.
My first 'rude' moment happened on our way to get food. We were trying to move through the crowd and forward as best we could, but it was very slow going. All of a sudden I felt something come down HARD on the back of my ankle. I turned around to see a woman glaring at me and lowering the STROLLER she was pushing! She flipped her hair, turned and walked away! I truly hope at the very least hitting me was an accident, but she didn't say a word, and the angle it came down at (from above, on top of my ankle, not from the ground, at my heel) makes me think it was intentional. I limped for at least a half hour after.
To take my mind off the pain, we popped into the Arribas Bros shop.
Look at this thing!
$37,500! I could buy a loooot of Disney trips with that castle.
I could see the crowds in the
Lego store, so we didn't try (and I was worried Stormy might get ahold of the tiny Legos. He loooves loves loves blocks, but I didn't know what he'd do with Mini-blocks)
My favorite part about the Lego statues was that the people were shaped like Lego people! It cracked me up.
Still making our way to the food. To Infinity and Beyond!
We had decided on Cookes of Dublin for our DTD meal, which was in Pleasure Island.
(This was taken on the last day, when we went back to DTD during the day)
We thought we'd have a tough time deciding what to get, but turns out, it was the easiest decision ever!
We ordered what they weren't OUT OF.
Yep. This place had so many people that they had no tables left and had run out of a large portion of their menu.
I had wanted the Chicken and Field Mushroom pie, but settled with the Beef and Lamb pie "Ground Beef & Lamb, Fresh Carrots, and Potatoes" I remember the description they had also said it was in a red wine sauce. I ended up getting the last Beef and Lamb pie, so good timing!
Baloo got Georges Bank Atlantic Scallops (See? More seafood)
They had a whole array of delicious desserts. What were we allowed to pick for dessert?
A cookie or a fruit cup. So we got one of each.
The food was delicious. The pie was basically a pot pie, but the crust was much flakier, and the red wine sauce inside was super tasty. Baloo's scallops were basic deep fried scallops, but his fries were fantastic, and they had something called "Dalkey mustard".
I'm still not sure what it was, but it was amazing with the fries. We kept calling it Dalek mustard. Heh...
There was one major downfall to Cookes. Because we were only allowed to get the cookie or fruit cup, the cost of the meal was around $25, so it was a HUGE waste of a dining credit. That's the only complaint I really have about it. If you try it, I'd consider just paying out of pocket.
As I mentioned, there were no tables, so we sought out a place to sit.
This is what we found.
(this is again from our return trip to DTD)
Yep, we sat in a corner on the concrete. It wasn't actually that bad, the lights were lit above us, we were out of the way of alllllll the people and it was quite cozy and picnic like.
I would have rather had a table to put Stormy at...
We hopped inside Once Upon a Toy and I found this shirt.
So cute! I love stuff that has subtle nods to the princesses, instead of just slapping picture of said princess on a tee. It comes with a cost, though. The shirt (a child's size) was around $35! Yikes! It was all embroidered, so that helped. Obviously I didn't buy it, but if Stormy were a girl, the temptation would have been hard to resist!
Fed and tired, we made it back to the hotel (after what seemed like an eternity on the bus. We were on the bus were it was the end of the driver's shift, so we had to wait while he switched with the new driver).
Goodnight, Pop!
So ended Day 1! Next up, Day 2. Which park will we go to first??
)
my friend (I've known her since kindergarten, she's really like my sister) loves Disney more than I do and we've have this trip planned since she found out she was pregnant the second time. she wanted to go when her kids were a little bigger and we wanted to have something to look forward to since she lives in Nebraska and I'm in Missouri now. I'm so excited! I keep hoping AoA will be cheaper by then, but if it's not, you know we'll still be going! 
)
