Home Sweet Home

We spent the morning trying to cram in the last few things on my brother's to-do list before he had to catch a bus back to the airport. We were all feeling a bit deflated after his departure, but my mom is not one to sulk (especially when she's paid for a Disney vacation), so she had me put on my shoes to join her on a mini-adventure. Dad stayed in the room to nap, of course. So we took a bus back to the Magic Kingdom, and from there we alternated walking and taking monorails to the deluxe resorts right beside the park. We started at the Contemporary, which is where we always stayed when I was little (back when there were only three hotels on the whole property). I have very fond memories of waking up to the sound of the the character breakfast in the atrium (at what is now called "Chef Mickey's"), or just standing outside the door to my room, watching the monorail come in and out of the lobby. You can see one just leaving the building as I snapped this picture!

It was bittersweet to be back and see how much has changed. The first floor used to be an arcade with a mini movie theater where I would go watch old Disney cartoons (my favorite was The Three Caballeros) or play video games with my Dad. Now it's a swanky restaurant. All the open space on the fourth floor is now crammed full of gift shops...kind of a bummer. But I guess it's good for Disney that they're raking in all that money. And no matter what else changes, the Contemporary always has that gorgeous view, that crazy geometrical architecture, and its distinctively clean, ultra-modern smell. Maybe someday I'll get to wake up there again...