Sun Life Stadium - Miami Dolphins vs. Buccaneers

Last week a friend of mine took my son and me down to Miami to see the Dolphins play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don't expect that anybody cares about my favorite teams but I thought the experience was worth sharing.

Sun Life Stadium is located just south of Miami right off the Florida Turnpike.  It was built and named after Joe Robbie who founded the Dolphins in 1966.  After his death the stadium was renamed Pro Player and again Sun Life Stadium by the current owner Stephen M. Ross.  The stadium is not very old but there are talks to replace it for something more modern. I noticed it was exceptionally well-staffed and maintained but it could use some upgrades.

We sat on the Club Level which gave us three seats on the 35 yard line, access to bars and restaurants, and lots of room to move around.  It was very comfortable and the employees were very professional and polished.  Service was good and food was excellent but don't look for bargains here.  A beer costs $7.00 and a jersey from the gift shop goes for $155.00. Seats are actually reasonable going from $45.00 to $700.00.  You can buy tickets on line or, if you have money to spend, call for Club Seating and really treat yourself to a fun time.

We enjoyed the day and they do everything to make it fun for all.  Parking is painless and getting to where you need to go is easy.  This is a big stadium. The parking areas hold over 24,00 vehicles and the stadium holds over 76,000. Sun Life Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium hosting Florida Marlins baseball and world-class concerts like the Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna, and more.

Even though Miami lost the game it was the experience of a lifetime. The showmanship and excitement was fantastic.  Nothing went wrong and we will remember it forever.

Walt Disney World Parks Before We Knew Them .........

I wanted to do something different so I found some old photos of Disney under construction.  The one above was a promotional flyer from 1969 when the Preview Center was opened on Buena Vista Drive.  The Preview Center is still there. It is now an AAU headquarters building.

 

                                                   

          Cinderella's Castle

Below is the inside of the Contemporary Hotel.  If you've ever been there you recognize the monorail track just below the windows.

                                                   Expedition Everest - Animal Kingdom

Spaceship Earth - Epcot

EPCOT

Tower of Terror - Disney Hollywood Studios

Jungle Cruise - Magic Kingdom

Typhoon Lagoon

(All photos courtesy of Google and Walt Disney World properties)

The Brevard Zoo - Melbourne

The Brevard Zoo is on Wickham Road in Viera just off I-95 east of Orlando.  As one of Florida's smaller zoos it host animals from Florida, Africa, South America, and Australia.  The zoo opened in the early 90's with the involvement of community and business leaders.  A. Duda & Sons donated the land and the Brevard Zoo was born.  Since then it has undergone various expansions, reconstructions, and today is one of the nicest zoological parks I have ever visited.

Animals from 4 continents live on seperate reserves in natural surroundings where they live comfortable but can still be seen by visitors.  There is a large bird aviary that you cn walk through and have a hands on experience with hundreds of species of tropical birds.  Take a train ride around the park and see the gibbon island or the masssive rhinos.  You can feed the giraffes and attend some of the wildlife experiences where you can lern about and touch some animals while the zoo staff educates you with animal facts and ecological knowledge.

Visit the concession stand for some very good food at not terrible prices.  If you want some added kick in your day take a kayak tour through the park or jump on the Zip Line where you rope your way over the swamps filled with alligators! Fun stuff!

There are also impressive fish and crocodile displays that show the ecological vastness of the tropics. The younger visitors can also hand out at Paws on Play where they can splash in shallow pools while the family can sit and have food and drinks from the concession stand.

Prices for adults are $15, seniors are $14,  2-12 are $11, and under 2 are Free. They also have group rates and membership packages for those who like to visit often. Hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with last admission at 4:30 (although I don't know why you'd want to go in that late).  One nice perk about the Brevard Zoo is that since it's a tropical setting much of the park is under a canopy of trees.  Even when it's hot in the summer you don't have the sun beating on you the whole time you are there.

Come visit our zoo.  It's a great fun day for the family and I know you'll be glad you did.

P.F. Chang's - Mall at Millenia

So I' taking my daughter to the Mall at Millenia which isn't far from International Drive in Orlando to have dinner and she decides to try P.F. Chang's.  Didn't really know about except it has a good reputation and they sell a lot of frozen items at the grocery store so we decided to give it a try.

The atmosphere is typically Asian but really nice.  Very dark but I like dark restaurants so no problem.  We started with a shrimp appetizer and we each had sweat & sour pork with fried rice and sweet & sour chicken with chicken fried rice.  The food was delicious and the service was equally as good.

                       
          Dynamite Shrimp

             Sweet & Sour Pork with Pork Fried Rice





P.F Chang's has three full service bars, one by the street, one upstairs outside and one inside. The can serve a lot of drinks! They have tables and half booths with full booths for larger parties and the dining room is very comfortable.  We enjoyed dinner there very much. Prices are typical for Chinese cuisine.  Dinners ranged from about $11 to $25.  We added more to our bill by ordering fried rice ($8) because we didn't want the white rice that comes with the dinner.  They also have a good dessert menu although we didn't get anything because we couldn't finish what was on our plates.  They also have a $39.95 four course dinner that includes soup, appetizer, entree, and dessert.  Seems a little high but if you like course dinners this may be for you.

I wanted to post the menu here but it is too long.  Visit www.PFChangs.com to view the menu and see for yourself. If you like Chinese food or are a fan of P.F. Chang's you'll enjoy this dining experience.  More of a date restaurant than a family restaurant, it really is more for occasions than routine eating out but it is a great experience either way. I give them an "A". Food, service, cleanliness, and atmosphere are all definitely up there. This is a dinner to enjoy.