This is a re-print of an original post to the ThompsonFamilyWeb site about a trip we took to Walt Disney World in November of 1997. It is completely unaltered from my original post.
Introduction
This past Thanksgiving, 1997, I went with my family to Disney World. We had a wonderful time and I would like to use this space to write a bit about our thoughts and experiences on this trip. Many who will read this have been to WDW many more times than we, and I'm sure that many of our experiences and observations will not be anything new. Yet I will try to focus most of my attention on the unique (I hope) aspects of our trip. If I fail in my attempt to express something new and fresh, I hope at least to illicite fond memories from you, my patient reader. At any rate, my writing will certainly illicite fond memories for me, and to tell the truth, that's good enough reason for me to write this.
The players are myself, John, 40 (now, more on that) a computer database consultant, my wife Andrea (Andie, 41) an advertising copywriter, Natalie (Nat, 4 ½), a remarkably bright and sweet little girl and Charlotte (Charlie, 6 months) a, well, a baby. We live in Westchester county, a suburb of New York City in a house built when George Washington was 16.
This trip came about in a somewhat roundabout way. It started right after we celebrated Andie's 40th birthday in Cape Cod, MA. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in Cape Cod. After we got back Andie asked me "Where do you want to go for your 40th?" Now, my birthday is November 27th, a date that, occasionally, falls on Thanksgiving. As it would happen, my 40th would be one of those occasions. I didn't have to think for very long before I said "I want to go out west and go skiing". Fast forward a few months. Andie informs me that another child, our second, is on it's way. Soon afterward, upon realizing how old the baby would be on my birthday, it dawned on me that skiing would be out of the question. Now then, where could we go that would be fun, make me forget about hitting a milestone birthday and would be "baby friendly"? Where else but Walt Disney World?
This would be the second trip for me and the third for Andie. We had made a trip to WDW about 6 years earlier, before we got married. Andie had been once when she was in college. She had also gone once on a business trip, but didn't visit any of the parks. (She *did*, however, see "The Lion King" before it opened in a special screening as she was working on a Burger King commercial with a Lion King tie-in). Also, in truth, I visited Epcot once while in Tampa on business as well.
Before I continue, I would like to write a few words about something dear to my heart. T-shirts. I love 'em. Whenever I go anywhere I try to get at least one T-shirt. But not just any T-shirt. It has to say something about the place I visited and it has to be cool. What is the coolest in my opinion? Something that mentions the area you visited but isn't a tourist shirt (I *do* get tourist shirts, mind you, they just aren't my favorites). As an example, one of my favorites is from a private airport in Cape Cod where I went on a biplane ride. Very cool. But it *has* to be someplace I actually visited, and yet I will refuse to wear the T-shirt while actually *at* the place mentioned on the shirt. Now, I especially love Disney T-shirts, but it's hard to find ones that are rare or unusual. I do try, however. And I love wearing Disney T-shirts while at a Disney park but, as I mentioned, I won't wear a T-shirt *from* the place *at* the place. In other words, no Disneyland T-shirts at Disneyland. Disney World T-shirts at Disneyland? Very cool. A Disneyland Paris T-shirt at Tokyo Disneyland? Extremely cool (maybe someday). As you can see I'm somewhat obsessed about this. So I put a lot of thought into what T-shirts I should bring on the trip and when I would wear them. This is why, in each section, I will write which T-shirt I wore that day.
This past Thanksgiving, 1997, I went with my family to Disney World. We had a wonderful time and I would like to use this space to write a bit about our thoughts and experiences on this trip. Many who will read this have been to WDW many more times than we, and I'm sure that many of our experiences and observations will not be anything new. Yet I will try to focus most of my attention on the unique (I hope) aspects of our trip. If I fail in my attempt to express something new and fresh, I hope at least to illicite fond memories from you, my patient reader. At any rate, my writing will certainly illicite fond memories for me, and to tell the truth, that's good enough reason for me to write this.
The players are myself, John, 40 (now, more on that) a computer database consultant, my wife Andrea (Andie, 41) an advertising copywriter, Natalie (Nat, 4 ½), a remarkably bright and sweet little girl and Charlotte (Charlie, 6 months) a, well, a baby. We live in Westchester county, a suburb of New York City in a house built when George Washington was 16.
This trip came about in a somewhat roundabout way. It started right after we celebrated Andie's 40th birthday in Cape Cod, MA. It was a wonderful trip. We stayed at the Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, one of the oldest and most beautiful hotels in Cape Cod. After we got back Andie asked me "Where do you want to go for your 40th?" Now, my birthday is November 27th, a date that, occasionally, falls on Thanksgiving. As it would happen, my 40th would be one of those occasions. I didn't have to think for very long before I said "I want to go out west and go skiing". Fast forward a few months. Andie informs me that another child, our second, is on it's way. Soon afterward, upon realizing how old the baby would be on my birthday, it dawned on me that skiing would be out of the question. Now then, where could we go that would be fun, make me forget about hitting a milestone birthday and would be "baby friendly"? Where else but Walt Disney World?
This would be the second trip for me and the third for Andie. We had made a trip to WDW about 6 years earlier, before we got married. Andie had been once when she was in college. She had also gone once on a business trip, but didn't visit any of the parks. (She *did*, however, see "The Lion King" before it opened in a special screening as she was working on a Burger King commercial with a Lion King tie-in). Also, in truth, I visited Epcot once while in Tampa on business as well.
Before I continue, I would like to write a few words about something dear to my heart. T-shirts. I love 'em. Whenever I go anywhere I try to get at least one T-shirt. But not just any T-shirt. It has to say something about the place I visited and it has to be cool. What is the coolest in my opinion? Something that mentions the area you visited but isn't a tourist shirt (I *do* get tourist shirts, mind you, they just aren't my favorites). As an example, one of my favorites is from a private airport in Cape Cod where I went on a biplane ride. Very cool. But it *has* to be someplace I actually visited, and yet I will refuse to wear the T-shirt while actually *at* the place mentioned on the shirt. Now, I especially love Disney T-shirts, but it's hard to find ones that are rare or unusual. I do try, however. And I love wearing Disney T-shirts while at a Disney park but, as I mentioned, I won't wear a T-shirt *from* the place *at* the place. In other words, no Disneyland T-shirts at Disneyland. Disney World T-shirts at Disneyland? Very cool. A Disneyland Paris T-shirt at Tokyo Disneyland? Extremely cool (maybe someday). As you can see I'm somewhat obsessed about this. So I put a lot of thought into what T-shirts I should bring on the trip and when I would wear them. This is why, in each section, I will write which T-shirt I wore that day.
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