After living in Orlando for nearly ten years I decided to move back to my hometown in Queens, New York. Living in Orlando became boring and after all the trips back and forth to Disney by visiting relatives, the redundancy became too much to bear. So, I packed my bags and it was New York or bust. I truly never felt as though I was able to enjoy all that Orlando had to offer. Recently, I was afforded the opportunity to return to Orlando as a tourist and a wonderful time it was. Some friends and I planned a trip to the land of Mickey in April 2009.

Our Jet Blue flight was everything that it usually is on time, comfortable, relaxing and smooth. I did the unthinkable and took pictures of the clouds and a magnificent site it was. The skies were blue and the flying above the clouds made me feel as though I was in Heaven. What a dreamy start to my vacation. I was excited to revisit my former stomping grounds and could not sleep like I normally do when I fly. I really wanted to see the other side of Orlando. One that was not filled with work, stress and family running to see you all year long to escape the cold winters. I was stoked!

Once we reached our destination, we got our luggage and headed for the car rentals. Once our cars were secured we headed to our resort. We stayed in the Wyndham Resorts on I-D rive (International Drive) and settled into the luxury of our huge condo-like living quarters, equipped with a full kitchen, living and dining rooms, two bedrooms, a Jacuzzi tub, flat screens, Internet access (I always need that for a nominal price) and access to about ten swimming pools. My balcony was set at the back of the resort right in the path of the sunset/sunrise and the moon. I went picture crazy. I wanted to sleep out on my enclosed balcony. The weather was a serious 85-90 degree warm and I was in my glory.

As many times as I had frequented I-Drive I didn’t realize how many things there were to do. We visited the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and saw things that you truly would not believe. It is not the same watching the show on TV. Ripley’s is a must see and for $20.00 it was well worth every penny. We visited the surrounding seafood restaurants and chowed down on all the crab legs/seafood we could eat at the all you can eat (for $35.00) Crab House buffet.