Posts tagged Mexico

Good morning 2012. Here’s my AWESOME life so far. #NewYearsDay

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While watching the ball drop in Times Square last night, I got to thinking about the time Shannon and I went to see that happen in person years ago.  This got me thinking about the remarkable life I’ve somehow lead over the past [insert obscure number to make my age seem insignificant] years.

So this morning I present: “the story so far.”

Shannon & I watched the ball drop in Time Square in New York City back in 2005.

Other notable things we’ve done in New York:

  • Went to the top of the World Trade Center.  (That’s where the photo above was taken.)
  • Saw the Rockettes perform at Radio City Music Hall on Christmas Day.
  • Got engaged on the top of the Empire State Building.
  • Saw a couple of Broadway shows.
  • Visited Central Park, the zoo, and a few museums.

We’ve driven cross country from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
850A0050
We do a lot of driving:

  • We’ve driven as far north as New York (from Florida.)
  • We’ve driven as far south as Key West (to the Southernmost Point.)

We once rode the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror by ourselves.
Tower of Terror
Theme parks we’ve found our way to:

  • Magic Kingdom
  • EPCOT
  • Animal Kingdom
  • The Hollywood (aka Disney/MGM) Studios
  • Disneyland
  • California Adventure
  • Universal Studios Florida
  • Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Islands of Adventure
  • Busch Gardens Tampa

We’ve been to the Alamo in Texas.
850A0044

We’ve had beignets and coffee in the French Quarter in New Orleans
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I’ve been to the Daytona 500 with my pal Joey Snackpants.
Daytona 500 - Feb 17 2008

We’ve been twenty feet under the ocean in the Bahamas.
2011 Trip to The Bahamas

We saw the damn Hoover Dam in Arizona and Nevada.
The Hoover Dam

We’ve dropped in on Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (and confirmed that it is almost just like most parts of Orlando, Florida.)
Myrtle Beach, SC

We’ve gone white water rafting on the Arkansas River in Colorado.
White Water Rafting - Arkansas River
Other amazing things we’ve done in Colorado:

  • Went white water rafting again the next year… in class five rapids.
  • Drove to the top of Mount Evans (the highest paved road in the U.S.)
  • Went tubing in Clear Creek near Golden, CO.
We went to Fantasy Fest in Key West, Florida

PA250041

We ate crab cakes on the harbor in Baltimore, Maryland.
Baltimore, Maryland

We’ve been surrounded by alligators on an airboat in the Everglades.
Billie Swamp Safari Florida

We’ve been to the top of the Washington Monument in D.C.
Washington, DC

Other Washington D.C. adventures include:

  • Did a tour of the White House during Christmas.
  • Walked ALL of the Smithsonian Museums.
  • Visited all the major monuments including the Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt.

We have been to the top of the sombrero at South of The Border (South Carolina.)
South of the Border, SC

We’ve visited the Chichén Itzá pyramid and ruins in Mexico.
Chichén Itzá Mexico

More Mexico zaniness that ensued:

  • We went diving at Cenote Ik Kil Mexico (a giant sinkhole in the ground.) 
  • We ate tacos and drank beer and tequila.
  • I went to a 24 hour Walmart with some friends.  (Trust me; this counts as an adventure in Mexico.)

We’ve been to the Grand Canyon.
The Grand Canyon in Arizona

We’ve been to Las Vegas a number of times.
Larry Flint's Hustler Club
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I can tell you this much:

  • We once saw the Spice Girls perform at Mandalay Bay.
  • We saw Holly Madison’s real fake boobies in Peepshow at Planet Hollywood.
  • We saw the Beatles Cirque de Soleil show “Love.”
We’ve watched the Cubs play at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.

2011-08-09 19.05.38b
More important Chicago adventures included:

  • Going to the top of the Willis (Sears) Tower.
  • Eating pizza (at Gino’s East.)
  • Visiting that Art Institute and other local museums.

We’ve been to Indianapolis, Indiana a couple of times.
2011-08-07 16.31.44

I’ve visited Los Angeles, California a couple of times now.
Anyone else remember Dragnet?
Some highlights:

  • Joey Snackpants and I crashed the Occupy Los Angeles protest and grabbed food in Chinatown.
  • Shannon and I drove down the Pacific Coast Highway and saw the sights.
Other places of note that we’ve been to…
  • Phoenix, Arizona.  It was really boring both times I’ve been.  Sorry.
  • San Diego, California.  We didn’t have much time there, but it seemed nice enough!
  • Biloxi, Mississippi.  Shannon won money in the casinos there.  She still hasn’t let me forget that.
  • Miami, Florida.  More times than we can count.  Food, fun, concerts and more.
  • St. Louis, Missouri.  I went there one business trip and saw the Cardinals play in series game while there.

My wife’s @HardRock Cafe Teddy Bear collection (with pics!)

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Last Monday I wrote a post about the spoils from my travels over the past few years: my Starbucks mug collection.  Today, though, is the collection in our house over ten years in the making… Shannon’s Hard Rock Cafe Teddy Bear collection.

Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta

Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City

Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore

Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi

Cancun, Mexico
Cancun

Chicago, Illinois
Chicago

Denver, Colorado
Denver

Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (NOTE: This location is now closed.)
Fort Lauderdale

Hollywood, California
Hollywood

Houston, Texas
Houston

Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis

Key West, Florida
Key West

La Jolla, California (NOTE: This location is now closed.)
La Jolla

Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas

Miami, Florida
Miami

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach

New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans

Orlando, Florida
Orlando

Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix

San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio

San Diego, California
San Diego

Tampa, Florida
Tampa

BONUS BEAR! This is an angel bear we bought from the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando before starting our cross country drive in 2007.
angel bear

Flickr Friday: Sometimes name brands don’t translate very well.

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Cancun, Mexico

The lovely ladies seem confused in Cancun, Mexico.

I occasionally update new photos (and old ones that I scan) on my Flickr account.  In doing so, I get to revisit a lot of photos I’ve taken while travelling.  Each Friday, I plan on posting a photo that I think is interesting. Maybe you’ll think so, too.
:)

You can see the complete set here.

My Boring Ass Life Last Year: 2010 In Review

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I read a lot of books, went a lot of places, and did a lot of things.  Life, in my humble opinion, is meant to be lived like a video game.  Each level should be more exciting than the last – so I’m looking forward to what crazy shit I pull off in 2011.  InvaderCON is already going to be amazing.  The Florida Anime Experience is already on deck to be epic (keep watching; we’re still making stuff “official”).  Shannon and I are already discussing where to go for our annual anniversary trip in November.

My geek life will hopefully cart me off to some pretty amazing locales for some blog-worthy experiences.

This will be my ninth year writing about my life online for the world to read about me.  If you’re still with me, thanks for taking the time to read about my boring ass life.  I write to stay sane and to maek sure my grammmar skills stai intact. Hopefully the writing is entertaining enough to keep all five (ten?) of you still reading.

Have a wonderful and eventful 2011!

Flickr Friday: Can you see the pyramid from here?

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Chichén Itzá Mexico

Shannon checking out Chichén Itzá in Mexico.

I occasionally update new photos (and old ones that I scan) on my Flickr account.  In doing so, I get to revisit a lot of photos I’ve taken while travelling.  Each Friday, I plan on posting a photo that I think is interesting. Maybe you’ll think so, too.
:)

You can see the complete set here.

Cancun Day Six: Time to Go Home

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Our final day in Cancun was bittersweet.  It was hard to say goodbye to the blue beaches and AWESOME tacos, but many of us were ready to return home to our own beds and safe drinking water.  That morning, though, we went down to the beach one more time.  Here are some of my other favorite photos I took during the trip…

A great view of the resort’s beach at sunset (taken from the water)
Cancun, Mexico

The view from our room
is in Cancun with Angie, Chris & Shannon. LOOK AT THE BEACH!

Did I mention how blue the water was?
Canun, Mexico

A bunch of crazy drunks after that night at Carlos & Charlie’s
Cancun, Mexico

My balls being eaten by the alligator outside of the Rainforest Cafe
Cancun, Mexico

Bimbo(s)?
Canun, Mexico

A hot señorita on the beach (drinking Starbucks)
is checking out my wife... drinking @Starbucks... on an amazing beach view.

Cancun Day Five, Part 2: Cenote Ik Kil

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Cancun, Mexico

From Wikipedia:

A cenote is a sinkhole with exposed rocky edges containing groundwater. It is typically found in the Yucatán Peninsula and some nearby Caribbean islands. The term is derived from a word used by the low-land Yucatec Maya to refer to any location where groundwater is accessible.

After leaving Chichén Itzá, the tour bus took us to a local cenote called Cenote Ik Kil.  The weekend before, it was the site of a Red Bull diving competition and the location is breathtaking to behold.  Though we didn’t have a ninety foot platform to dive off of, the stairs still took us up a good thirty or so feet high to jump into the water.  Here’s a video of Chris, Angie(!), Scott, Troy and I taking the plunge:

The water has oxygen pumped into it making it a clear blue.  You can see the fish (and there are plenty of them) swimming around as you wade in the cool water.  The pool itself goes down over a hundred feed.  Oddly enough (as you can see in the photo above) most people didn’t get in the water.  Me?  I couldn’t stay out of it.  Here’s me performing that graceful diving form known as “the cannonball”:
Cancun, Mexico

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