Editor's Report
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2001 Review - Part 3

Welcome (finally) to the last part of my three part series looking back at my favorite Disney and LaughingPlace.com moments of 2001. If you missed Part One or Part Two, they're still available. Now let's get right to part three. Oh - and If you manage to make it all the way through this, I'll let you in on a new LaughingPlace.com feature we've started previewing.

2001 - in no particular order:

Is That Your Final Answer? During our spring trip to Walt Disney World Rebekah and I experienced Who Wants To Be a Millionaire - Play It! We thought it was great and did it a second time. Both of us thought this had to go to the Disneyland Resort - it was a great attraction for the repeat audience the west coast gets. In September our wish came true. The real Millionaire may be hitting on hard times, but I think the theme park version is great. Like so many things Disney, it's the Cast Members that make the show - always witty and clever. I vowed I'd never try to get in the hot seat but on my last visit I did play along and actually finished in first place (but the show was over). I have to admit I was excited at the possibility of getting up there. Maybe I'll break that vow.
Links: Millionaire at WDW

My pal Lindy from Build-A-Bear

My Number One Pal: It was a loooong media event. By the time LuminAria ended I was ready to go home. But there was one more thing to do - see the new Build-A-Bear Workshop in Downtown Disney. Against my protests Rebekah dragged me down there and I went through the process of Building a Bear. By the time we got to the end I was giving my oath and I was hooked. We now own four bears and a few costumes with more to come. My favorite part? The Cast there are some of the best I've ever seen.
Links: Build-A-Bear at Downtown Disney

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Good Thing We're Only 14 Feet Away: During our Spring trip to Walt Disney World Rebekah and I stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. What a beautiful place - the interior is more impressive to me than even the Wilderness Lodge (the Grand Floridian is still my favorite). Of course the view, available from your room, if you're lucky, or numerous other places throughout the resort, is spectacular. The pool is simple, very large and comfortable and probably the only pool in Walt Disney World where you can see giraffe. To top it off, it has my new favorite place for breakfast - Boma and a great sit-down restaurant, Jiko. The resorts have always been one of my favorite things about WDW, and the Animal Kingdom Lodge just further solidifies that.
Links: The Animal Kingdom Lodge

The Great Communicator: I live in Huntington Beach. Driving to Simi Valley is practically like driving to another state. But one Sunday morning the time had finally come - it was time to go see the Walt Disney exhibit at the Reagan Library. About 90 minutes later we'd arrived in the hottest spot on Earth! But the exhibit was well worth the trip with my favorite parts being the real Mousekateer and Zorro costumes (boy were they small) and the Oscars from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But I have to admit my favorite part of the trip was the Reagan Library itself. Seeing all the presidential stuff and especially the models of the Oval Office and other parts of the White House was way cool! That's the kind of stuff I'm into. Maybe it's time I headed to the Nixon Library - a much shorter trip from Huntington Beach.