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I finally rode DCA's Pal-A-Round, and was somewhat disappointed in it. The photo attached shows you why. Total steel netting across every window, including the doors! We were shocked when we were entering our (non-swinging) vehicle and seeing this immediately. You really had to have an awesome camera to fit the lens through the tiny square "holes" in that netting. And neither of us had that.....so.... We just sat there, basically did nothing, and said even less. The couple we were facing wasn't much of a thrill either. Bo-ring. P.S. I've loved observation towers, all of my life, no matter how scared I felt. I always rode them, and felt the better for doing so. Along with taking some neato pix from "the above." Bottom right car here, you can actually see the stuff everywhere. )o: Sept.09/19. One of my fave shots - me in The Pearl Tower~Shanghai, TPR 2012 China Tour. Another wonderful park tower in Sarkanniemi Park, Finland. TPR 2014 Scandi Tour.

Thanks. As for the showers, I found there was only one per sleeping car. It was in the lower section of the car. Around the middle, near the doors where you entered/exited. Plenty of towels there to use, too. I was tempted, but didn't use it. Thanks. And I didn't know that, about the "Union Station" name, although I've certainly seen (and arrived at) many of them on my past train travels in the U.S. Thanks for that info! Except no whales or seals, darnit. No matter. I'll eventually do the train again, and hope for the best. Yes, I collect hotel toiletries, condiment/seasoning packets, and the occasional pen, too. (o;

^ You're welcome. (re: Coaster at Playland-PNE)

Here's the BBQ we had, during our recent trip to Knott's Berry Farm and the Disneyland Resort. There actually weren't a lot of places, but I think we hit most of them, heh. Three of them, to be precise. Two in Knott's, and the other in Black Spire Outpost in you-know-where, DLR. Sept.06/19. The was The New BBQ, opened after Hangtime did. So we had to try this spot. We tried their St.Louis Ribs, with generous scoops of coleslaw and potato salad, and the all important Corn Bread Muffin. Tasty, not too messy. Juicy, too. Also showing our special Knott's Daily cup. Free refills today, other days $1. Sept.08/19. The other ribs were found here. Meal style. They almost forgot our Garlic Toast! Such a sin to forget such a... thin. (o; The chicken was a bit dry to me, the coleslaw was awesome (!), and the ear of corn was just enough. The rib itself was loaded with pork meat, stayed juicy right to the bone. We liked this rib serving the best, compared to what we had at Boardwalk BBQ. Sept.12/19. And in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, it's Docking Bay 7 Food And Cargo, for an early dinner. David had the (2) Kaadu Ribs, and I had the Tip-yip Salad. And we shared, as usual. (o; Both excellent. I especially enjoyed the dressing on this salad. And plenty of chicken in there, as well. The rib WAS a sticky one, but full of flavour and spice. We liked it, too.

Day 2 on AMTRAK to LA...And An E-Ticket Taxi Ride to Knott's Berry Farm Hotel! The second day of out train trip, was nice and casual. Although the dining car guy on the microphone was going on and on again, about everything we already knew, it was a good second day. A lot of familiar stuff we passed by. And took photos when we felt like it. The ocean doesn't really come into view, until you hit Santa Barbara Stn. which is well into the late afternoon. But it was a welcome break from all the forests, farms, and 'back alleys' we passed by. And in the end, we actually arrived 1/2 hour earlier than our scheduled arrival time at Union Station in LA! Cool! Got our luggage, and then took The Taxi Ride to Knott's Hotel..... There is a rather direct route to Knott's from LA Union Station. And that's heading south on I-5, take the Beach Blvd. Exit, then exit from Beach onto Grand Ave, then drive a bit further south to Crescent Ave, take a right, take another right and we'd be there! But - to back up here, the reason we did this is simple. If we waited for the connecting train to Fullerton Stn (closest to Knott's), we'd have waited nearly two hours at Union Station. And that connecting train , plus the taxi we'd have to take from there, would cost $60 or so. So we took that $60 and decided to take a taxi to the hotel, and hope it wouldn't cost a fortune. Well, the taxi driver was really nice, and was using his GPS to get us to the hotel. FAST! I couldn't take any photos, cause I was too scared to move, in the car. Weaving in and out of traffic on freeway sections, we really weren't sure if he knew the way, or not. He was really fast, and yet there were cars passing us as well and motorcycles going in between lanes! That was freeky to see. And we were just about to hit Grand Avenue, when his GPS went wierd, and shut down! So I chimed in where to look for Crescent Ave, turn right, etc. And when we got to the hotel, he thanked us for helping out the last bit of the trip. And then asked us if we were paying in cash, because he could give us "discounts". We said yes sure, and then he lowered the cab fare from $95 to $75! And when we asked about a tip he said not to bother! What a sweet guy he was. We should have tipped him anyway. And although it would have been around $100 if it all went right, I would still do it that way, as we got to the Hotel over 1-1/2 hours before we would have arrived, if we stayed and waited for the connecting train. Easy! Breakfast. Good stuff. More rows of greens. A couple of wind things. Not moving. Rows and rows of dead sunflowers. My fave lunch on Amtrak...big salad with a chicken breast diced and mixed in. David taking a shot of something. I remember riding around this... The California Men's Penal Colony = A penitentiary. Coastline! Ocean! Vandenberg Air Force Base. Nice and serene....and oil! Where space shuttles sometimes rest, on the West Coast. Santa Barbara Station. With a beautiful fig tree, now blocked by a (&*%@& train car. Back in Sept.2016 it wasn't there. Sure, there were cars, but you could still see all the tree. Dessert before we arrive in LA: Cheesecake. Sooooo good. After we arrive at Knott's Hotel, we find our room.

Now all I need, is the twin girls at the end of the hallway. Knott's Hotel. Heading towards our room (on the right, we're pretty sure). Late. But still Sept.5/19.

^ Damn, I wish they had at least one skillet place on the west coast, like in Knott's Berry Farm. They're too good to keep over in (just) your part of the parks world, lol. Actually, I am surprised that they don't have at least one, by now, in one of theme parks, over thisaways. Or IS there one over here, in California? Thought I'd check.

It wouldn't, and we did it a couple of weeks ago! Hot, hot, humid weather, though. For us, 90-95'F is not our usual 'normal' weather back home. But we survived it. And had a great visit there, as well as the Disneyland Resort, too. Including a few rides on this lovely beast in Knott's. Sept.08/19.

Here's the first view we saw of the Millennium Falcon, when we toured through Black Spire Outpost, on our first day in Disneyland a couple of weeks ago. Really breathtaking to see it, truth! We later rode Smuggler's Run (twice) and just enjoyed the whole atmosphere of the place. And Oga's Cantina? Well.... yeah! Sept.09/19.

^ It was really great to see the merchandise still there, and it was especially nice to see an entire wall and counters devoted to "Love" in Elias & Company (the main shop) in DCA. That's where I got my two t-shirts. Couldn't resist buying (at least) two of them, lol. The Rainbow Ears I got at The Mad Hatter in DL, beside the Great Moments w/Lincoln attraction, Main Street.

Anybody who's been to Tokyo Disney Resort AND enjoyed one (or more?) of it's many, many popcorn flavours, will enjoy this little trinket...maybe for a Holiday Gift to someone who also geeks out on popcorn, like you??? It is a snack case, shaped like one of those all familiar popcorn carts in both parks. This one carries the Caramel Popcorn, and is "dressed up" for the winter holidays! I love it, and hope to get one, eventually. They carry either m&m's or jelly beans in them at the parks, but are usually sold on eBay, w/o the snacks in them. (o;

Great Kings Island Haunt report! But - where are the sexy gentlemen???? And that first skeleton you saw, looks like he's doing the Macarena or something, lol! ...Or he's having a terrible time hearing things.

^ Unfortunately, we had to cancel the Fantasmic! meal/show pkg. We also missed the Electrical Parade, due to leaving early, because - we - were - exhausted! And didn't think of coming to the parks later on, in the day, etc. Oh well, next visit. But we did do the "World of Color" Dessert Party (great time with food, drinks, and chairs!) and of course had a wonderful meal at the Blue Bayou. City Hall (Customer Services) in DL helped us out cancelling stuff and getting us earlier pickup times, with the Knott's Shuttle we used back and forth to that hotel. And Oga's......mmmmm...... Oga's made me wish we had a reservation there every day we were at Disney, lol! Great place, awesome atmosphere (yay Rex!) very noisy, but fun noisy, and a LOT of adults enjoying their cocktails and just schmoozing around with everybody else at their table, etc. And we inadvertently overstayed our time there (45 min.maximum), but nobody suddenly ushered us out quickly. We just strolled out, arm in arm, just after 5pm. From a 3:45 call. p.s. We do not own or carry cell phones. Sept.12/19: Oga's and Rex! We dropped $50+ on four drinks, but they were very potent, pleasingly delicious.

Satellite of Love *** Lou Reed

^ I would loved to have seen him LIVE as the original LOLA in the Broadway musical "Kinky Boots". He won the TONY for Lead Actor in a Musical for that, in 2013. A powerhouse of a performer he is. "Kinky Boots" won Best Musical too. And Cyndi Lauper for Best Score. A total of 6 awards, all told.

Wow. More Wow. Just wonderful, all of it! The tech to show all of this just gets better and better when Disney does it. And I always love when they go into that deep blue on the buildings and all around. And everybody grabbing the mylar tinsel and confetti, LOL! Cheap souvenirs I approve of! Thanks for getting all of this to show us, Robb!

Disney posted some new artwork for the future Zootopia at ShDL. Having Zootopia Central Station now in the new artwork...possibly the new attraction's queue, starting in there? Meaning, probably not the Police car chase ride (like Indy Aventure in DL), somebody suggested before?

^ Thanks for the correction on my rivers. They used to have info.folders showing what you came upon during the train ride, and back. But they didn't have them on either the train going down to LA. or coming back to Seattle. Hmmmph. Budget cuts, I guess. I still had the ones I picked up in 2016, so in hindsight, I wish I'd brought them along. Next time. p.s. I suddenly got confused here. Is that first Green Bridge photo over the Willamette River.... or is the Willamette in the second Green Bridge photo? Just checking here, thanks. I will correct it, after being informed. ^^ The roomettes are fairly big, Bert. For one person it's luxury. For two, it's comfy. I posted the photo here I took of the roomette, during my 2016 trip to S.CA. For some reason, I didn't take any pix of it on this trip. And David and I figured out that the top bunk is definitely narrower than the bottom one, which is made up of the two chairs sliding together. If we were both sitting in the chairs, opposite each other, we had to decide who wanted to ride "backwards" and how to arrange our feet, facing each other. Since David agreed to the upper bunk, I let him sit forward most of the way there. And back. ^^^ It really is a neat way to see some of the U.S.A. instead of just flying over it all. If you got the time, and the patience for those boring times that happen while traveling. They didn't have the lounge car like before, so there were no fresh cocktails to have, and no wine tasting event happening on the train, like before. More budget cuts, hmmm? They had a snack bar below the main "dome car" and they sold beers, "baby" bottles of booze (Thanks "Priscilla, Queen of The Desert"), and mixers. And in limited supplies, which ran out before we got to LA. But I will still take the train again, especially if I return to S.California. Sept.2016. With those ROUTE INFO FLYERS in view above the little folding table, there. Sept.2019. When lowered, the top bunk is not as wide as the bottom bunk. Sept.2016. I missed this part of the train, too. The Pacific Parlour Car, and only available for sleeping car guests. It was very plush and fun, with freshly mixed cocktails to enjoy. And the Wine Tasting event in the afternoon, too!

That's all I can muster up, right now. So much DisneySea Goodness to ride, see, eat, be a part of.

^ I swear that Tokyo DisneySea is one of The Most Romantic Theme Parks you could ever go with your spouse/partner. It just reeks of romanticism, especially in the evening with all the lighting on when you're both just strolling around, hand in hand, drinking in all the atmosphere each Port has to offer. And eating a great flavored popcorn that TDLR has to offer. My 5 Yen.

^ That's cool. Three years ago, I bought Christmas tree ornaments, on display, in both Disneyland and Knott's. So that happens everywhere, obviously. But still, to find it in mid-September, still seems kind of wierd to me, lol.

Now available....at A&Ws in Western Canada. (I have no idea, if they've been offered in the rest of the known A&W World, or not.) Smoked Gouda Burgers - in Buddy, Mama and Uncle size!

And even though it's over....Congratulations & Much LOVE to BILLY PORTER for his Best Actor/Drama EMMY win, as Pray Tell in "POSE!" His speeches on and offstage were wonderful and inspiring, too! Much deserved, and just as compelling in Season 2, which just wrapped up on tv.

Just arrived today! My eBay TOMICA Tokyo DisneySea JTTCOTE* vehicle. It has the "18th" logo and theming on it, celebrating the 18th Birthday of TDS this month. Cool! * Journey To The Center Of The Earth. Really nice design on this. (o:

Bert you looked awesome! In a she-male kinda way, y'know? All the costumes looked great. Though I would hope that "Aztec" guy had shoes of some kind to wear. His choice to make, I guess. A great night there to be had, Bert, thanks for shring!