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21 Sep 13, 02:33 PM |
#1
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I am not a shopaholic
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Surprise Second Helpings August 2013 Day 5 Part 2 : Bradenton and Baseball
Part 1 , Busch Gardens , is HERE
We set off on our quest for food, convinced that there will be something suitable nearby as we had seen so many signs but in our uncanny way we somehow manage to take a turning which will see us soon on the way to Bradenton. Not a single suitable eaterie in sight and the petrol was running low so we have to make a quick re-fuel stop. And this is where we have quite possibly the most surreal moment of the entire holiday. We pull up to the pumps but it’s a bit of a squeeze so whilst I had intended to get out and get something from the boot, I am a bit wedged in. Never mind. The culprit is a big flatbed truck next to us and the young guy filling it up is chatting away on his mobile, all the while putting the gas in – odd, didn’t think you were supposed to do that Anyway , Andy has to get back in the car to find his wallet and as he does so the passenger in the truck opens her door and just leaves it open while she has a blazing row with the guy – she looks completely mashed and doesn’t give a hoot that we are stuck – Andy now cant get back out, he cant move the car backwards or forwards so we are well and truly stuck. Then the Mum gets out, snatches the phone off the guy and starts ranting while he LIGHTS A CIGARETTE while still filling up OMG – we are trapped in our car while all this is going on – we are either going to die in a fireball or, if Andy winds down the window to ask them close the door, we think they will probably bring out a shotgun. It’s just bedlam with them all yelling and then suddenly, calm as you like, they all get back in , drop the cig on the floor and drive away. I looked high and low for the candid camera/you’ve been framed crew but couldn’t spot them. Was that just for real > Yup, it surely was. Only in America Grateful to have not been incinerated , we move on in our quest for food. By now the boys have resorted to licking the car windows in the hope of nutritional revivement. We just happened to see the sign for the Ellenton Outlets and convinced there will be food aplenty – our fate is sealed so off we go, over the Sunshine Skyway and into Bradenton. Naturally we then pass numerous places like Applebees, MacDs, etc etc on route but convince ourselves the outlets will be the best choice. I can’t say we were all that chirpy when we arrived but the outlets look really nice – big, and seemingly very quiet. The manatees in clothing were a bit creepy though Just not right ! A power walk to the food court which reveals it is under construction so choice is rather limited but eventually Connor settles on pizza ($9)while the rest of us have a Chinese of some description ($22 for 3 of us) It was all really very tasty and under $40 for the lot of us including our drinks. I know, Andy had mash with his Chinese, don’t ask , he was hungry We have a wander around, its nicely laid out. Some purchases are made in Lacoste (bags for me) and we time our exit about 5 minutes too late as around 4pm the heavens open So we sit it out until 4.30 and then when it eases off , dash to the car. We make our way back to St Petes, circuit free this time and getting straight to the Hilton Bayfront which looks very nice We have a high room which looks fine And overlooks this cool water feature across the way That’s the hotel’s pool which was to the left of the room on an angle
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2022 Dom Republic /2019 New Orleans, Jekyll, Hilton Head, Charleston, Savannah, Palm Coast, Clearwater/2019 DLP /2018 Dubai /Miami,New Orleans, Orlando, Largo/2017 Dallas,New Orleans,Little Rock,Eureka Springs,Memphis,Nashville,Orlando/Mar 2017 Orlando, Clearwater, Largo /2016 NYC,Washington, Orlando /2015 Windsor Palms / 2014 Our Wedding Trip - Portofino Bay & Yacht Club / 2013 FantasyWorld Resort/ 2012 East & West Coast. Double Disney. Edited at 03:29 PM. |
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21 Sep 13, 02:33 PM |
#2
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Thread Starter
I am not a shopaholic
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We have a super chatty receptionist who feels free to tell us her life history including her time in Dublin –which of course we must know well, living as we do in Northamptonshire !
She kindly gives us free wifi but don’t tell the boys as we made them leave the ipads in the villa as we couldn’t be bothered to pay for wifi here , sigh. We sign up for the free shuttle bus at 6.20 and have an hour or so in the room to all shower and chill out for a bit. Quite a few guests are waiting for the shuttle but we get there fine and it’s a great atmosphere. We pick up the tickets from will call no problem and soak up some atmosphere in the stadium – I don’t know the pics are so blurry , sorry ! We get some cow bells before taking our seats and watch them setting it all up ready for the game The boys were unimpressed with Mum’s cowbell ringing technique ps - these are now very handy at home for summoning to the dinner table ! We had been directed to these seats but were apparently in the wrong block ( 207 instead of 205) so about 30 minutes later had to move – the plus side was our new seats in 205 were at the end of a row and were PADDED – nice. The downside- the TV crew ended up where we had originally been sat and gave everyone in that row some freebies The game was great , took me ages to work it all out but great fun The crowd was apparently 24,000, a lot of whom were holidaying Brits if the seats around us were anything to go by Alex Rodriguez (ARod) was booed mercilessly every time he set out and had a nightmare game for the Yankees. The first time the Rays hit a home run, the stadium went wild, it was incredible , such a great atmosphere and the games/activities in all the commercial breaks were fun too especially the mascot races and Dance Cam and the people in the stadium doing their best to be seen on TV. During the game there was an old guy a few rows in front of us who kept standing up and shouting “left,right, left right” everytime a Yankees player had to walk off the pitch .He was really funny. Another guy was big on exercising his constitutional rights having been apparently told that his T Shirt RedSox And Yankees Suck Was not family friendly and he had to turn it inside out – well, a few beers and several innings later and he wasn’t having any of that , no sir, he was exercising his right to free speech and wanting to know where on the ticket it excluded him from wearing his T Shirt . Of course, out of 24,000 spectators, he would be just two rows down from us wouldn’t he We had some hotdogs, nachos , sodas and Andy had a few beers – I think all that lot cost us the best part of $100 so by no means cheap but a wonderful atmosphere – we were really sad when at the end of 11 innings it was time to leave We had genuinely expected to leave after a few innings but we were totally hooked – what a great evening’s entertainment Outside there were large queues for the hotel shuttle and taxis so ,having been told earlier to just “follow the crowd” we decided to walk. You know what's coming right ? The “crowd” soon seemed to disperse from around us – we were staying on 1st Street. As we passed under 7th Street it was becoming clear we had gone the wrong way and as we reached 9th Street , we had a full on row ( well , it was more of a hissing contest so as not to draw too much attention to ourselves) as to whose fault it was with Andy suggesting I go up to the chaps in the petrol station to ask the way – ahem, I don’t think so, we don’t stand out much as it is do we – pitch black, hardly anyone around , just us 4 tourists. Memories of our trip to Tenderloin in SF flooded back so it was a quick turnaround and speedmarch and before we knew it we were back at the stadium. Feeling rather irritated by the needless 30 minutes walking and not fancying another 30 minutes we managed to flag down a cab - the driver was super chatty but unfortunately for Andy as an ex smoker, he was also chainsmoking the whole way so we spluttered out of the cab about 15 minutes later. Under different circumstances we wouldn’t have got in but we were grateful to just be transported back to the hotel. It was around 1045 now so really quite late given we had spent the morning yomping round Busch so we were all really tired. We jumped into beds to discover they were supersoft – like trampolines so when one person moved or rolled over, the other person was catapulted skywards. Of course Connor and Jamie couldn’t wait to make tedious use of this to wind each other up :angry: and Andy , being a somewhat larger chap didn’t intentionally do it but it was like the silent night advert , that one with the one with the duck and the hippo ? The mattress moved around so much it was like being on a waterbed, it made me feel queasy. So what with that and the return of the super snorer ( nothing to do with Bud lites at all) it would be fair to say a “mixed” night was had by all………
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2022 Dom Republic /2019 New Orleans, Jekyll, Hilton Head, Charleston, Savannah, Palm Coast, Clearwater/2019 DLP /2018 Dubai /Miami,New Orleans, Orlando, Largo/2017 Dallas,New Orleans,Little Rock,Eureka Springs,Memphis,Nashville,Orlando/Mar 2017 Orlando, Clearwater, Largo /2016 NYC,Washington, Orlando /2015 Windsor Palms / 2014 Our Wedding Trip - Portofino Bay & Yacht Club / 2013 FantasyWorld Resort/ 2012 East & West Coast. Double Disney. Edited at 02:44 PM. |
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21 Sep 13, 03:06 PM |
#3
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Imagineer
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Oh my word, I would have been sh@@@@@g myself in that car at the petrol station! And sorry, but I've just been laughing at the thought of the bed trampolining and snoring antics, so will give that Hilton a very wide berth! Ray's game sounds fab.
Good to see that all the outlets now seem to think that you're now an OAP at 50, keep teasing DH about this and saying next year we will have to go on a Tuesday to get his OAP discount, mwhahaha. |
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21 Sep 13, 03:55 PM |
#4
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VIP Dibber
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Fantastic second part to the day. We got engrossed in the Rays game when we went too - expecting to leave before the end but staying into extra innings to see the end of the game. Must have been a day or two after you were there.
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Anne Oct 1993 Grovesnor Resort Aug 1994 Kissimee Villa / Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa Oct 1996 Half Moon Beach Club, Sarasota / Buena Vista Palace Sept. 2002 Sequoia Lodge DLP, June 2003 Sequoia Lodge DLP, June 2006 Hotel Cheyenne DLP Oct / Nov 2007 Animal Kingdom Lodge August 2010 Old Key West / Royal Pacific Resort August 2013 Hard Rock Hotel / Old Key West Trip Report August 2016 Hard Rock Hotel / Saratoga Springs Trip Report - Complete! September 2017 New York Pre-Trip |
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21 Sep 13, 06:18 PM |
#5
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VIP Dibber
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I've never been to a Rays game myself, but DH tends to have a boys night with one of our friends, while us girls have a cocktail or two instead. Perhaps I should go next time.
Don't like the sound of the walking back to the hotel though - it sounded very scary. Don't blame you for putting up with the chain smoker if it meant you got home safely.
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NYC and Boston - Sept 2014 Toronto and Niagara Falls - May 2015 Road Trip to California - July/August 2017 Vancouver and the Rockies - July/August 2018 Five Days in Washington DC - October 2019 Norwegian Fjords Cruise - August 2023 Universal Orlando - October 2023 Cruising the Caribbean - March 2024 - in progress |
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21 Sep 13, 06:30 PM |
#6
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Imagineer
Join Date: Sep 08
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Loved seeing the second half of your day! I'm really so sad the we couldn't go to the rays this year. We just loved the whole evening - and I'm really not a fan of sports at all usually.
The hotel looks lovely, what a shame about the crazy beds. I bet Andy wasn't feeling too great in the cab! |
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21 Sep 13, 06:46 PM |
#7
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Guest
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I would of been terrified in the petrol station but food looks fab at the outlets mash potatoes ? Lol sound a like a fab day by the end
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21 Sep 13, 08:26 PM |
#8
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Imagineer
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Eventful day Amanda
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Carole Hampton Lakes - October 2007, The Hamlets, Westhaven - July/August 2009, The Sanctuary, Westhaven - July/August 2012, Dibb Villa Highgate Park & 1 night at HRH - July 2015 2017 6 nights NY, 11 nights in Florida Dibb villa, Westhaven, Xmas 2018 Villa 1 night RPR 2019 7 nights in New York, 2020 Dibb Villa booked in Highlands, 3 nights in Cape Coral |
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22 Sep 13, 05:22 AM |
#9
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Very Serious Dibber
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We have seen minor league games and will have to go to a rays game now! Love that you are using the cow bell to call the family to meals, great use for it!
How's the wedding planning doing? |
22 Sep 13, 07:46 AM |
#10
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Thread Starter
I am not a shopaholic
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Hi Ruth, yes the beds were too soft for us. It was a lovely room but thank goodness just the one night. The Rays experience was outstanding, I can see why it's such a big family game now. Lol, yes the 50 plus offers could be quite appealing for us sooner than we know it too and the garage experience, just totally surreal . Hi Anne, it is easy to get sucked in isn't it. Andy went to get drinks half way through and the boys were really upset as they thought we were leaving ! The walk back was scary, we very quickly became alone and totally stood out as lost tourists. We had the navigational inquest the next morning Hi Michala, not long for you now. We would definitely try and fit in a game now wherever we may go. Poor Andy , he is one of those reformed ex smokers so he really did have a horrible time. Personally I thought it was divine retribution for the walking fiasco just before hand, but then as we recall from last year. , I AM Ming the Merciless We were both terrified and stunned as it played out inches from us . The food was nice, even the mash and it was a good day, just a few weird bits in between wasn't it just Carole The cow bells are so neat. I read about them on someone else's trippy. Jamie loved it, Connor was having nothing to do with it, not "cool" at all. The wedding, ahem, yes ,tricky that one. The planning is slow , or should that be not happening. Too many people chipping in their views ... I think we should just wear the rings and leave the rest seriously we do need to make some decisions as once we get the rings, we both know we will be itching to wear them so we need a plan!
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2022 Dom Republic /2019 New Orleans, Jekyll, Hilton Head, Charleston, Savannah, Palm Coast, Clearwater/2019 DLP /2018 Dubai /Miami,New Orleans, Orlando, Largo/2017 Dallas,New Orleans,Little Rock,Eureka Springs,Memphis,Nashville,Orlando/Mar 2017 Orlando, Clearwater, Largo /2016 NYC,Washington, Orlando /2015 Windsor Palms / 2014 Our Wedding Trip - Portofino Bay & Yacht Club / 2013 FantasyWorld Resort/ 2012 East & West Coast. Double Disney. |
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