Myrtle Beach, South Carolina…Beautiful Oceanfront Sunrises and Seashells

By Jodee Weiland

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is a beautiful place to visit and watch the sunrise each day.  Once the sun rises, the day is filled with beautiful views of the oceanfront from morning to night.

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Day or night though, I don’t know what it is about the oceanfront, but it calms me to listen to waves as they roll into the shoreline.  The steady beat of nature’s voice as the waves hit the shore inevitably lulls me into a state of inner peacefulness as I watch the waves continuously hit the shore over and over again.  Who needs more of a reason than this to want to visit Myrtle Beach? Not me!

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But there is more to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, than this.  For one thing the access to fresh seafood is wonderful.  All up and down the oceanfront and nearby, visitors can find a multitude of restaurants offering everything from seafood entrees to seafood buffets.  I’m not really a fan of buffets, but I do love a good restaurant that serves fresh seafood entrees done well.  The choices are unlimited from Pawleys Island to Murrells Inlet to the oceanfront Myrtle Beach boardwalk and beyond, the Grand Strand as they call it.  Just look through all the readily available visitor guides and start choosing what appeals to you.

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One of our favorites in Myrtle Beach was the 2nd Avenue Pier House Restaurant.  We had the best crab cakes here as an appetizer.  Our server told us they used no fillers in their house made crab cakes, just fresh crabmeat served pan seared with remoulade.  They were fabulous.  They also had crab cakes as a main course or a sandwich on the menu, so it was up to you just how you would have them.  For our main course, we enjoyed their blackened grouper with creole crayfish cream and their broiled scallops in lemon butter topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and parsley.  These were just a few of the wonderful dishes we had there.  After dinner, you could go out on the pier and view the ocean up close.  It really was an enjoyable way to end your meal.

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Of course beyond the seafood, you have the obvious, sitting on the beach and relaxing as well as shelling, swimming, dolphin cruises, and all the other oceanfront activities one would expect.  For those interested, there are entertainment venues like “The Carolina Opry” and more. Then there is also plenty of shopping venues and various family oriented attractions, but there is one attraction easily recognized by any Myrtle Beach visitor.  That attraction is on the Myrtle Beach boardwalk and can be seen from long distances up and down the oceanfront, especially at night.  It’s the 200 foot high SkyWheel, lighting up the sky at night and has tourists lining up for the ride with a view.  It definitely makes a statement because it is not just any ferris wheel ride.  If you visit, you will find out why.

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But for me, it’s all about relaxing, enjoying the oceanfront, eating wonderful seafood, and well…enjoying life!  So if you ever travel out to South Carolina and you get the chance to visit Myrtle Beach, take the time to explore a little and find out all the wonderful things you can do and see while there.  There is so much more than I can describe in this short post.  But it’s a great place to visit and if you’re like me, just listening to the sounds of ocean and watching the waves roll in will be enough of a reason to visit.  So if you do visit for whatever reason, enjoy!

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France…What an Amazing View of the City!

By Jodee Weiland

I had dreamed of visiting Paris, France, since I was a little girl and first read about this magnificent city with the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and so much more.

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But it wasn’t until much later in my life when I was able to actually visit this wonderful city and it definitely lived up to my every expectation and more.

https://learnfromyesterday.comOne of the most fascinating experiences for me during this trip was riding up to the top of the Eiffel Tower and viewing the entire city from there.  The Eiffel Tower was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 and was meant to be a temporary addition to the Paris skyline.  Designed by Gustave Eiffel, it was the tallest building in the world until 1931 when New York’s Empire State Building was finished.

https://learnfromyesterday.comVisitors today can choose to walk or the take the elevator to the first level, then on to the second level, and finally to the third level, where up to 800 people at a time can view the entire city from the very top.  The Eiffel Tower is usually one of the most recognized landmarks in Paris.  People from around the world travel to Paris, and very few will leave without seeing this remarkable tower.  It can be seen from all over the city, and at night it is visible as well, since it is beautifully lit up on the Paris skyline.

https://learnfromyesterday.comhttps://learnfromyesterday.comFrom this magnificent view one can spot so many of the Paris landmarks and sights.  It is said that visitors can see for 45 miles and more on a clear day.  You can see the Champs-Elysees, the most well-known tree-lined avenue in Paris.  It was created by a master landscape-gardener, Andre Le Notre, around 1667.  It is one of twelve avenues forming a star and leading to the Arc de Triomphe at the center.  You can also see the Seine River with its famous bridges and boat rides, the Musee d’Orsay, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and more.

https://learnfromyesterday.comhttps://learnfromyesterday.comhttps://learnfromyesterday.comLooking down on Paris from the top of the Eiffel Tower, you will see the Place de la Concorde, the most historic and magnificent square in Paris.  After the Reign of Terror finally came to an end in 1794, the Place de la Concorde was the name given to this square where during the French Revolution Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and many others were beheaded.  There you can, also, see the 3200 year old obelisk from Luxor, a gift to King Louis-Phillipe from the viceroy of Egypt a few decades later.

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The view from the very top of the Eiffel Tower encompasses all of this and more.  Before you attempt to visit all of Paris’s famous museums and historical sights, be sure to take the ride up to the top of this landmark, so you can get a total view of the city from above.  This city has so much to see and do, but seeing the city like this brings all of its wonderful views into sharp focus and makes the adventure that much more exciting and memorable.  If you go to Paris, make wonderful memories for yourself by enjoying it first from above, then explore and enjoy!

Disney World’s Hollywood Studios…Lights, Camera, Action!

By Jodee Weiland

When it comes to Disney World’s Hollywood Studios, you need only to stroll down Hollywood Boulevard to know you are about to be magically transported to the world of Hollywood and the movie magic created on the big screen every day.

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Remember Hollywood Studios is all about “lights, camera, action,” and you are the star in this adventure.  As you enter the park, you feel like you have just stepped back into the Hollywood of the 1940’s.  Stroll further down Hollywood Boulevard toward the gigantic Sorcerer Mickey’s Hat until you come to Hollywood Plaza.

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Behind the hat is the Studio’s Chinese Theater, a replica of Hollywood’s own famous Chinese Theater, and this is where you will find The Great Movie Ride.  This ride is a great way to start your visit to Hollywood Studios because it takes you on a ride that reviews some of the greatest movies ever made in Hollywood in a way only Disney could “imagineer” and stage.  Even as you stand in line waiting to get on the ride, you will watch film clips of great movies from the past to the present.

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Although this park is smaller than EPCOT, it is packed full with wonderful adventures into the world of movies and making movies.  One of our favorites includes the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular where audience members are chosen to participate in the film making process as extras.  As you watch this thirty minute live show featuring stunts that will amaze you and learn about the behind the scene techniques of creating the fantasy we see in the movies, you will find yourself so entertained, you will probably go back to see the show again.

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On the Backlot Studio Tour, a thirty-five minute walking/tram tour, you will again get a chance to experience and learn about the magic behind making movies.  Again some audience members will be asked to participate along the way, definitely fun for those who get to do so.  Along these same lines, stop by to see the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, a thirty-three minute show that entertains and demonstrates big-time vehicle stunts used in movie making.  Be sure to catch all the behind the scenes attractions.  They entertain you, while you learn about how the movies make everything look so real!

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As for fun-filled rides that put you in another place and another time, try Star Tours – The Adventure Continues, a 3-D adventure with Star Wars characters, R2-D2 and C-3PO.  Toy Story Midway Mania is definitely another one of our favorite rides.  With the characters of Toy Story, guests ride in pairs and compete with each other for the highest score in this 4-D midway-style game-playing adventure.  You’ll find yourself going back again and again.  For the more adventurous, there are rides like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock ‘n Roller Coaster Starring AerosmithThe American Idol Experience allows guests to audition and perform on stage and compete just like on TV, or you can watch and vote for your favorite performer.  For others, watch Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage, a thirty minute live, musical Broadway style show.  There is all of this and more to do while visiting the Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

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When visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we always make reservations to eat at The Hollywood Brown Derby, so we can have the famous Brown Derby Cobb salad, a favorite of ours.  But if that isn’t for you, there are plenty of great places to choose from to eat, everything from the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant to Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, and more.  Whatever you decide, be sure to plan on seeing Fantasmic, the spectacular nighttime show with lasers, lights, dancing fountains, and special effects.  It lasts twenty-five minutes and has limited space, so plan ahead.  Seating for the first show starts ninety minutes prior.  There is so much more to see and do at Hollywood Studios than I could possibly cover in this post, but if you go remember what I have said before.  Disney’s Hollywood Studios is all about “lights, camera, action,” and you are the star in this adventure.  Disney welcomes everyone, no matter who you are, and truly it is the place where “dreams come true,” so relax, have fun, and enjoy!

Destinations in Florida - Florida Travel Specialists