travel tips

Disneyland Bucket List

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In September, my parents promised me an Annual Pass to Disneyland if I moved back to California before Christmas.

Disneyland Bucket List 8
I became one of “those”

The majority of 2015 has been me meeting up with my girlfriends (who also all happen to be former Disney Cast Members) once or twice a month for Fun Wheels and Disney adventures.

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Fun Wheels are indeed quite fun.

A few weeks ago, while chatting over Fun Wheels, we discovered there were a number of things at least one of us have never done in the Parks, and our Disneyland Bucket List was born. I’m pretty sure we were at least one Fun Wheel in, but the best ideas come about when you’ve been drinking. And so far we’ve been having a lot of fun knocking things off the bucket list:

Disneyland Bucket List1
Animation Academy (because drinking and drawing is safer than drinking and driving)

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Riding the Golden Zephyr

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Breakfast in the Park (that cinnamon roll french toast will be served in heaven)

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Attending an Annual Passholder exclusive advanced movie screening (Inside Out! Go see it!)

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Riding in the driver’s seat on Radiator Springs Racers (and being in the park early enough to snag a RSR Fastpass before they sold out.)

We have several things planned for the summer, but we need some more things to add to our list. What have you always wanted to do at Disneyland? (or Disney’s California Adventure. Or Downtown Disney…)

Good Riddance to 2014.

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1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?
I drove across the country. In my car. By myself (mostly). I’m still pretty shocked I did that.

CTinHB
My Connecticut car in Huntington Beach.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
On December 30 2013, R’s dad threatened me and told me I was no longer welcome in their family. On January 1 2014, I knew I would need to leave CT for my own safety (and sanity). I told myself I would have it figured out by October, and on October 14th I was offered a job in California. So, while I didn’t exactly make an official resolution, I set a goal on New Year’s day and followed through with it.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes! My aunt (she’s a year older than me), Miellyn (although we didn’t really get close until this summer), and my BFF is currently pregnant (due in a few weeks!)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Sadly, yes. My aunt passed away the day I was asked to come to California for a job interview. I couldn’t tell R or my job why I needed to travel to CA, so I feel like even in her death my aunt was protecting me. So lame, I know, but just interesting how the timing worked out.

Also, my dear friend’s brother passed away a few days before Christmas.

5. Where did you travel?
Well, I drove across the country, so I went through several states and knocked a few things off the old bucket list (Grand Canyon, Four Corners). I also went to Orlando in February, Atlanta in March, PAX East (Boston) in April, and California in September for my cousin’s wedding (and October for the interview)

FeetMap
My route (more or less)

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you didn’t have in 2014?
Honestly, 2014 was so painful and stressful, I’m just happy to be heading out of it. I’d like another tattoo, does that count? I’m also planning an international trip for the fall…stay tuned!

7. What days from 2014 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
September 21: The day I took (and passed!) the AFAA Group Ex test
October 14: The day I was offered the job and broke up with R.
November 13: The day I left Norwalk CT for good
November 29: The day I arrived back in California

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I still can’t believe I got a job in California while living in Connecticut and keeping it a secret from virtually everyone.

Also, getting my AFFA Group Ex certificacte, which was my backup plan to get me out of Connecticut.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Is it ok to say R? I believe everything happens for a reason, but I’m still having a hard time figuring out what the point was for me to need to be on the East Coast for so long when I just ended up back here.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had chronic tendinitis in my ankle, which is common in group exercise instructors. I had panic attacks for most of the year thanks to R’s folks. But other than that nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I moved all of my shit from CT to CA and that was pretty great but also expensive.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Melissa. She invited me to stay with her several times this year, fed me tea and wine, prayed for me, listened to me, comforted me.

Cheryl. My mentor at my last job who taught me everything I needed to get the new job. She gave me life advice and work advice and kept my looking-for-a-new-job secret, even from her husband.

Sarah Sq., Sarah Sh., Sarah M for listening to me and not judging me and being patient while I figured things out. And Brooke for the same reasons but also for the buddy pass to get me to and from the interview.

Miellyn. She’s a friend I met indirectly through R, but has been one of the greatest friends I could ask for. I spent my birthday with her and stayed with her for three days at the beginning of my trip. In all honesty, if the entire reason I needed to spend 5 years wasting away on the east coast was to meet her, then it was worth it.

And of course my parents who planned a trip to CT to help me move out before I even knew I would be moving out and also helped to fund the move.

13. Whose behavior didn’t merit celebration?
R’s parents. But mostly his father. And R himself for letting his dad say some really horrible things to me.

14. Where did most your money go?
Most of my money went to the big moving adventure – from the movers themselves to the gas stations and the hotels and all of the adventures on the road.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The first thing I was really excited about was Disneyworld/Wizarding World of Harry Potter in February, followed by PAX in April, and then finally getting to move back home in October/November

16. What songs will always remind you of 2014?
Hm. I’m not really sure actually. Can Serial count as a song? My original plan was to listen to one episode a day during my drive, but I ended up listening to the first four episodes between NYC and Baltimore. Also, how creepy/weird/awesome was it to drive through Baltimore while listening to Serial?

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) definitely happier
b) about the same, actually (hooray for teaching fitness classes)
c) right now? Poorer because I haven’t gotten a paycheck since I quit my job in October. And also I’ve maxed out my credit cards in the move. But in a few weeks I’ll be back in the black.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Honestly, I wish I took more photos on my cross country trip. And spent more time sightseeing through some of the cities I was passing through. My original plan was to have ice cream in every state, but once I was on the road I just wanted to get to my next destination ASAP.

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One of my favorite photos of the trip. Eventually I’ll write about it.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Crying. I know that the timing for the move was just perfect, but I spent nearly every day in tears until October 14.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
We went to the beach on Christmas Eve and watched the sunset. It was 70 degrees.

HBChristmasEve

Christmas Day we had a lazy morning at my parents’ house, and then went to see Into the Woods with my cousins at Downtown Disney. We snuck in wine and cheese. It was great.

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We’re rebels. 

21. Did you fall in love with 2014?
NO.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I never missed an episode of Game of Thrones, Agents of SHIELD, and DWTS.

23. What was the best book you read?
Reading in general got put on the backburner once I started the big move. I’ve been trying to read Dance with Dragons for more than a year, but I keep getting stuck in boring chapters (I’m looking at you, Danerys). I loved Gone Girl, Hyperbole and a Half, and Timebound.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I didn’t really discover any new music, but in Nashville, my brother and I recorded a record together in a little music booth. It was fun

25. What did you want and get?
I wanted to move back to California.

26. What did you want and not get?
I wanted R to stand up to his parents on my behalf.

27. What was your favorite film of 2014?
I didn’t see a lot of movies this year, but I did see Mockingjay in a fun little movie theater in Austin, and that was pretty cool.

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 33. R took me down to see the Angels play in Baltimore. The next day we went to Miellyn and Shaun’s house for dinner (the best Thai food I’ve had in my life), beer, and tabletop games. It was perfect.

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29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
See number 26. But that didn’t happen, so I got to move home, which was perfectly satisfying.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2014?
I wore a lot of gym clothes because I was teaching a lot of fitness classes. And Nadia Tarr / Butter dresses. They’re the closest I can get to wearing pajamas in public and I love them.

31. What kept you sane?
Honestly? I have no idea. I remember counting down the weeks until October and just focusing on how short that was.

Also, a lot of wine.

32. What political issue stirred you the most?
To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on in the world right now. I sort of lost touch with reality once the big move was put in motion. Also, I don’t like to talk about politics.

33. Who did you miss?
Miellyn and Shaun. Melissa. My students at the gym. And NYC. I know that’s not a “who”, but NYC is pure magic.

34. Who was the best new person you met?
I don’t think I met a lot of new people this year – but I have a handful of people I got closer to and reconnected with.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.
Not really a lesson, but the last day at my job, a dear coworker and friend said this:

BetterVersionOfYourself

36. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
“It’s a comfort to know / When you’re singing the hit the road blues / That anywhere else you could possibly go /after New York would be a pleasure cruise” -Santa Fe (Rent, Jonathan Larson)

Also, not a song lyric, but this passage is quite fitting:

WhyDoYouGoAway

Happy Birthday Disneyland!

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In honor of Disneyland’s birthday today, I thought I’d share something I wrote back when I worked there.

It was the summer of 2005: Disneyland’s golden anniversary, and, though I didn’t know it at the time, my last summer working at the Park. Our Operations Manager challenged the Fantasyland Attraction Leaders (or, “Leads” in Disney-speak) to find one guest over the summer and make their trip memorable. We were given vouchers for food and merchandise; money wasn’t an object. The only rule was we were to find one guest – only one guest – and go above and beyond for them (meaning, this wasn’t to be an everyday thing).

In August, we were asked to report back with what we did for the guest, and what their reaction was. Below is the email I sent to my manager. This was then shared with the team, forwarded around the resort, and eventually made its way to Florida. The VP of Disney Parks wrote me a personal letter thanking me for what I did. The weird thing is, I don’t feel like I did anything special, because Josh changed us.

Disneyland truly is a magical place. In the seven years I worked there, my fellow Cast Members turned in to a family and guests turned into friends. I kept in touch with Josh’s family after I left Disney, and visited them in Maryland a few years ago. Sadly, Tony (Josh’s father) passed away last year, but he left a lasting impression on my heart. This is my most favorite memory of working for the parks, and a big reminder why I stayed with the company for so many years. Hope you enjoy.

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To: Jim Doyle, Operations Manager
Subject: My Homework

Every now and then you meet someone that touches your heart. Rarely does this occur at the place you work. However, I am fortunate enough to work somewhere that magic is a daily occurrence. Every day, a child meets his favorite character, someone flies over Neverland, and an adult lives the dreams of their childhood. Magic isn’t just something that happens here, its what we are famous for!

In what seemed like a never-ending summer where we were all hot, tired and slightly over-worked, my cast had lost a little bit of their own magic. Working together everyday for the last year and a half, we had become a family, and like families, we had our problems. We had daily disagreements and disputes, and many of us had grown apart. Then Josh came.

I met Josh 2 years ago, but my team had met Josh just last year. He came every day for 21 days straight, and he always sat in the front row, right on the aisle, to watch the Snow White Musical. At first, he was just that kid with the Guest Assistance Card but to some of us he became more. As we chatted with his parents before the show we learned a little more about him.

Josh was Autistic, so dealing with theme park crowds was an overwhelming panic to him. He learned to speak from watching Disney cartoons, and rarely spoke to anyone outside of his immediate family. He considered Disneyland his true home, although he seldom rode the attractions. He planned his day around the Snow White show.

At first, Josh never acknowledged us, but by the end of his trip, he was laughing with our cast members, and would walk up to you and say nothing more than I like you, before walking away. Josh had started to grow on us, but just as we were starting to break the ice, he was back on a plane to Maryland.

As the year went on, things like school, family, holiday seasons and vacations nearly erased Josh from our memory. As the summer season started and July 17th quickly approached, our minds were completely focused on our Golden Anniversary. Everyone’s hectic schedules pushed the limits of our Fantasyland Theatre family, and when the decision was made to cancel the Snow White show, cast morale hit an all time low.

A few days later, I received a letter from Josh’s parents. Josh and his family were returning the following week! He had been talking about us for the past year and couldn’t wait to see us. The letter went on to say that he had been so inspired by his experience the previous summer, he had auditioned for and was cast in a musical at a junior theater in Maryland, something his parents never thought possible.

As the days of Josh and his parents return visited approached, I scrambled to find a way to welcome him back. I bought a card that said “We’ve Missed You. Welcome home!” and golden Mickey Ears with each of their names embroidered on the back. However, getting my cast involved was like pulling teeth. Most of them didn’t remember who Josh was, and those who did were reluctant to get involved.

On the first day of their return visit, we presented the family with their ears and the card for Josh. Tony, Josh’s father, cried when he proudly placed the ears on his head. “I’ve been coming here since 1976 and this is my first pair of ears!”

Over the next twelve days, Josh became not only a friend of my Cast, but a member of our family. Even the toughest Cast Members would laugh with him, and they taught him how to give high fives. Josh became a household name, not only to the Fantasyland Theatre, but to the resort as well. Leads from other areas would call me to say “I met Josh today. He gave me a high five!”

As the days of Josh’s trip grew shorter, my Cast eagerly asked what we could do for him for his last day. We were able to arrange another Meet and Greet with the Snow White cast, and I had a picture from a former Meet and Greet framed. When I brought in the frame mat for them to sign, my crew fought over who could sign first, who could sign where, and who had the most clever phrase.

On Josh’s last day, we had a surprise party waiting for him in the bleacher area of the Theatre. We presented him with the frame, a Dopey doll (his favorite dwarf), and Seven Dwarf bath toys (since he told me his favorite part of the show was when the Dwarves were told to wash up and Dopey pretended to eat the soap). As we all sat around eating cake, I looked around at my fellow Cast Members. They were all playing with Josh and laughing with each other. They had truly come together over this little boy. The whole time I wanted to bring a little magic to Josh, but somehow, he brought magic to us.

Its moments like these that remind me why I work here. This summer, a dozen or so cast members simply came to work and yet became the world to one little boy.

JoshCast
I usually wore a tie when I was FLT Lead, but this day I was training for a new role since FLT was closing. Hence the Fantasyland Attractions Costume. Also, bonus appearance by Brooke who came up from Small World to celebrate with us.

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Josh’s Farewell Party! 

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Ignore our messy break area. 

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I hope I don’t get in trouble for posting this photo. 

Florida Part 1 – Wizarding World of Harry Potter

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In honor of Diagon Alley opening this week, I thought I’d finally get around to writing about the trip we took to Orlando in February. R had to go to Tampa for a meeting early in the week, so we both took off the back half of the week and I met him in Orlando. I have a lot I’d like to write about, but for now I’ll just stick to the day we went to Islands of Adventure (and more importantly – Wizarding World of Harry Potter).

We stayed on Disney property (because 1. we got a great deal and 2. it’s more fun) so I thought getting to Universal would be the biggest challenge of our trip. It wasn’t. (Turns out our biggest challenge was returning R’s rental car but that’s a story for Part 2). The staff at our hotel was amazing – not surprising for Disney – and signed us up for a shuttle. It was $20 round trip each, and the shuttle picked us up right at our hotel.

We were offered several shuttle times that picked up just about every hour. The girl at the front desk told us it would take 90 minutes, so we decided to take the 7am shuttle to ensure we were at the park by the 9am opening. The shuttle took 20 minutes so we were extremely early.

We took our time walking down City Walk. We saw a duck sitting at a bar, and we decided he probably had a rough night.

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Hard to tell, but the duck is actually sitting at the bar.

We hung out with the duck for a while. It was relaxing watching the boats on the river. And also we were 90 minutes early and had nothing else to do. It rained the night before, so most of the benches were wet.

Around 8am, we were approached by a Universal employee who asked what we were doing. We explained we received poor information from our hotel, and the shuttle dropped us off too early. He asked if we had an early entry ticket. We did not. He told us not to tell that to any one else, and escorted us in to the park a full hour early. Completely unexpected and absolutely appreciated.

The only part of the park opened was WWoHP, which was fortunate for us because that’s where we headed first. I’m not going to lie, I did tear up a little the first time I saw Hogwarts through the trees.

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Who knew there were palm trees at Hogwarts?

The first ride we went on was Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. The wait was posted as 11 minutes, but there was no one else in line. We think the 11 minutes was the time it took to walk through the queue.

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Speaking of the queue, it’s amazing. You walk through Hogwarts Castle, and it’s beautiful and perfect and you really feel like you’re in the movie. Because there was no one else in line, we went twice in a row. While the ride is technologically speaking one of the best rides I’ve ever seen, twice in a row is a bit much on an empty stomach.

From there we went on the Flight of the Hippogriff, which is basically Gadget’s Go Coaster. I’m glad we went on it, but once was enough and we did not go on it again.

We grabbed a quick snack (Two croissants for less than $2!) and then we went on the Dragon Challenge. This was themed to be like the Triwizard Tournament, and it was our favorite ride of the day.

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Again, there were no lines, and we rode in the front of both tracks – themed to be the Hungarian Horntail (blue dragon) and the Chinese Fireball (red dragon). Actually, when we rode on the Chinese Fireball, we were the only people on the entire train.

By the time the park opened, we’d already done almost everything in WWoHP.

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Ollivander’s Wand Shop didn’t open for early entry, so we went there when the park opened and were in the second group that went in for the 10-minute show. It was basically the scene from the movie where Harry gets his wand, but he picks a child from the audience. The kid Ollivander chose had a bad attitude (aka he was being a teenager). Ollivander scolded him and said “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood, so I’ll ask you again before I pick someone else.”  Later in the day, the line wrapped around the building, so I’m glad we got it out of the way when we did. The show was cute, but it is kindof boring if you’re not a child or traveling with a child.

After Ollivander’s, we bought a bottle of Pumpkin Juice and ventured out to the rest of the park. I did not like Pumpkin juice. It tasted like apple butter, but more liquidy and not very pumpkin-y.

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The rest of the park was fun, but not nearly as well themed as WWoHP. Actually, this comic sums it up perfectly.

The weather was overcast for most of the day, and temperatures were in the mid-60s. For two New Englanders escaping the Polar Vortex, it was a sweltering. For Floridians, this was probably too chilly. Also, it was mid-week in February. The park was mostly empty and we hardly waited in lines for any of the attractions – including the lines for the front row.

We decided to have lunch at Mythos, which has been rated as one of the top theme park restaurants. We were not disappointed. When the check came, we were shocked that it was less than $30 for the both of us (including tip). Are we just used to NYC prices? Or is Universal Orlando against price gouging their customers? Earlier we paid less than $2 for two croissants and even the Butterbeers were only $4. (Side note: we did not find food prices at Disney to be as reasonable, so it’s probably a Universal thing.)

After we went on every ride in the park (including all of the Dr Seuss rides and excluding the water ride), we went back to WWoHP. The lines were a bit longer, but no more than 10 minutes (again, including the front row of the Triwizard coasters). We rode the Dragon Challenge several times, and decided the Hungarian Horntail was the better of the two tracks.

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In London I had my Butterbeer on the steps of 4 Privet Drive, and in Florida I enjoyed a butter beer at the Three Broomsticks. My little HP Geek heart exploded.

A few years ago, I went to the Harry Potter studios outside of London, so Butterbeer is not new for me. The studio tour does not offer frozen option, so I was excited to try it here in Florida. I prefer it served this way.

By 4pm, we did everything we wanted to do (in some cases multiple times), so we decided to leave the park early and head to Downtown Disney for dinner. I couldn’t have been happier with our day, and I’m a little nervous to go back. I’m not sure any other visit I’ll ever have will be as magical as this trip – unexpected early entry, no lines, front row for everything, great company. Pure magic. Including this:

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Top: Universal Studios FL 2014. Bottom: Universal Studios CA 2013. This was not planned.

 

 

 

And they’re off! A guide to Belmont Stakes Day

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Yeah, that didn’t happen. Photo via Belmont Stakes.

Visiting the Belmont Stakes has long been a bucket list item for me. R and I have talked about going before, but we tend to wait until it’s too late. This year, I took matters in to my own hands and bought tickets for his birthday. Fortunately, I bought the tickets when they went on sale in March, because after the Preakness, it was nearly impossible to get tickets.

Ticket prices were reasonable this year – $10 General Admission, with Grandstand seats starting at $20. I bought seats in the upper level of the Clubhouse, which were still reasonable at $50. For the last race of the day, we went down to the General Admission benches along the track, and it was a complete mess. I really appreciated our seats, and would definitely go the Clubhouse route again next time.

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Our seats were in the last row of section 3BU and I was really happy with them. Photo via the NYRA. 

I’d been to a couple of steeplechases as a kid, but I’d never been to a proper horse race. The Belmont Stakes website is a little vague on what to wear or what the experience is like (what exactly is “appropriate attire” and “no abbreviated wear”?), and most of the blogs out there are dedicated to the Kentucky Derby. I asked a friend of mine who went to Belmont Stakes Day last year, and her response was “I would not recommend women going by themselves” which still did not tell me what to wear.

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This is going to be long…

I plan to go into detail about the day, mostly as a journal for myself, but also if anyone else is interested about the experience.

If you just want quick details, here are my tips for Belmont Stakes Day:

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For the pinners. Photo of the last race of the day.

  • Buy Grandstand/Clubhouse seats in advance. If you wait until after the Preakness, there might be another Triple Crown bid and you will have a hard time finding tickets.
  • Drive if you can; public transportation is a nightmare.
  • Wear a sundress and comfortable shoes. Hats aren’t as popular as they are at the Kentucky Derby (I’m assuming – attending the Derby is also on my bucket list), but you’ll want a sun hat if you don’t have a reserved seat. General Admission areas are all in the sun with limited shade.
  • Get the Belmont Jewel.
  • Bet on the horses!
  • Bring your own binoculars if you have them. You have to turn in your ID to rent them at the Park, and you might get carded later at the bar or betting windows.
  • Don’t forget sunscreen!
  • Follow the rules of the banned/permitted items (they’re strict at bag check). Sadly, Belmont Park does not allow cameras with detachable lenses, so I had to leave my nice camera at home. It was almost a relief, though, because I didn’t have to fuss with my equipment all day.

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How we got there

LIRR has a train that goes directly to Belmont Park, and there are several Subway/Bus options to get there as well. We did talk about going the public transportation route, but in the end we thought driving would be the best option for us. Because it was a Triple Crown Bid, and attendance was expected to be high, we got to the park right when the gates opened at 8:15, and had a decent spot in the $10 parking lot – right in front of the shuttle stop.

My parents took the LIRR out to the Park, the train was standing room only, took almost an hour to get through bag check, and they nearly missed the first race of the day. The line to leave at the end of the day was more than two hours long, so we ended up giving them a ride back to their hotel.

If you have access to a car, I highly recommend driving to Belmont Park, as it ended up being the better choice.

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A gorgeous day at the races! 

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What I Wore

I decided I would wear one of my Butter dresses, since I basically live in those during the summer. I chose to wear this navy blue wrap dress, even though I wear it to almost every wedding I’m invited to. It’s comfortable, slimming, and I get lots of compliments on it. It’s fancy enough for a formal event, yet feels casual because the material is so soft. Since I didn’t know what “appropriate attire” was for Belmont Stakes Day, this was a safe bet. (And I got a lot of compliments on it, so it worked out!)

R wore a seersucker shirt, a straw fedora, and a bow tie. He fit in perfectly. My dad wore a purple shirt and green tie (California Chrome’s colors), and he looked nice, too.

BelmontStakesDay19
Photo by my dad!

I know the Kentucky Derby is known for its fancy hats, but I wasn’t sure about Belmont. I decided on a feather headband (the seller was horrible, so beware if you buy the same one). It was a nice mid-way point between a fancy hat and wearing no hat. There were some women with big fancy hats, some women who wore no hats, and some women wore beachy sun hats. General Admission viewing areas along the track do not have shade, so you’ll at least want a sun hat if you don’t have reserved seats in the Grandstands.

Most women wore brightly colored sundresses, or khaki pants with a fancy top. My mom wore black pants with a fancy yellow blouse with a matching hat, and she looked nice. I saw a few women (and men) dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts, and they looked out-of-place. So, really, no matter what you decide to wear is probably fine.

I also saw a lot of women in high heels. Maybe I’m old but they looked incredibly uncomfortable. We had a reserved seat, but General Admission area benches are first come. We did quite a bit of walking/standing so I recommend wearing flat shoes like summery sandals or low wedges.

One of my favorite things about this day were the guests who dressed to represent California Chrome for his Triple Crown bid.

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I realize it’s a horrible photo, but my favorite was the third photo. there was a group of five girls all in purple dresses decorated to look like California Chrome’s silks. 

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Even I joined the fun and represented California Chrome. purple and green manicure, racehorse & horseshoe bracelets from Alex and Ani, chromie bracelet from Mystigail, California Chrome necklace from Etsy.

Unfortunately, none of our good luck charms brought luck for California Chrome.

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Food & Drink

Food and Drink choices at Belmont Park are similar to food options you’d find at any typical sporting event: hot dogs, sausage & peppers, cheese steak, fried dough, etc. Obviously, for a fee you can attend the fancier buffets and luncheons, but for those of us on a tighter budget, the food options were limited. We had reserved seats in the Clubhouse, but did not have any of the fancy lunch reservations. On the third floor, there was a food stand with “catering boxes” which contained a sandwich, chips, and a beverage for $20. We decided to head to the backyard area to get cheaper eats, but it was hot, crowded, long lines, and after fighting our way  to the food area, we had wished we had just forked over the $20 simply for the convenience factor. We ended up missing the 4th race due to waiting in the food lines, but were able to watch a replay on the paddock screen on our way back to our seats.

One thing I was most looking forward to (other than the races) was the Belmont Jewel, the official drink of the Belmont Stakes. It was $15 for 16 ounces of bourbon and juice (and ice), and came with a souvenir glass. Considering we are just outside of NYC, I found this to be reasonable. Also? It was delicious.

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Sweet nectar of the NY horse racing gods. 

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The Races

There were 13 races for Belmont Stakes Day, with the actual Belmont Stakes as Race 11. R was most excited to bet on the races, and I joined in. I’ve never bet on a horse before, and I have pretty much zero idea how to read the odds.  I’d like to give a huge thanks to the staff of Belmont Park, who were extremely patient with me and explained the different ways to bet. I’m not one to take huge risks, so I decided to bet for the horses to “Show”, which means I bet the horse I chose would come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. I also decided to choose what horse to bet on based on their names, because that was more fun than trying to figure out the odds.

The first horse I bet on was Wabbajack, which was fun to say. R and I joked that maybe his fans are called Wabbajackeys and the wondered if the guy who rides Wabbajack calls himself a Wabbajockey. (This was before we had Belmont Jewels, sadly.)

I was a little worried when just before the race the announcer said “We are waiting on Wabbajack”, but I was jumping out of my seat when my horse finished first!

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Hard to tell, but this is my winning ticket on Wabbajack. Proud to say I’m now a Wabbajackey. I decided it’s a thing.

I decided to continue my method for the remainder of the day.

(Sweet Reason, Sweet Whiskey, and Tiz So Sweet)

For the third race, I had three horses I wanted to Show, and R convinced me to do a Trifecta. “It’s the same thing!” he said. “It’s the same price!” he said. It was the same price, yes, but it is not the same as betting on three horses to Show. A Trifecta meant I was betting on all three horses to get 1st, 2nd, AND 3rd place. Two of my horses showed. The third did not. Had I bet on the horses to Show? I would’ve won. Because I bet the Trifecta, I lost. R still hasn’t heard the end of this.

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My winning tickets. I won money on every race except for Race 3 (I blame R), Race 5 (didn’t bet – stuck getting food), Race 11 (Belmont Stakes). 

R got a betting card which allowed him to bet at machines instead of talking with a cashier. This ended up being a good idea because the further along in the day, the busier the betting windows. Sometimes the lines were so long, I ended up giving R money to put my bet on his card. I originally thought that you couldn’t get a receipt if you bet at the machine, which is why I didn’t want the card in the first place. This was not the case, and now that I see how easy it was, I’ll get a betting card next year.

I absolutely recommend betting on the horses. The minimum bet is $1 and the races are much more exciting when you’re cheering on a horse with a fun name.

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California Chrome

Of course, we all know that California Chrome ended his Triple Crown bid with a dead heat for 4th place. While this was quite unfortunate for everyone (except for maybe Tonalist), just being there for this day was an experience in itself.

I loosely follow the Triple Crown races every year, but since I knew I was going to the Belmont Stakes this year, I followed the Kentucky Derby and Preakness more closely. Once I realized I’d be witnessing a Triple Crown Bid in person, I got really excited.

A perk of this year was Belmont’s Triple Crown bonus activities. California Chrome and Triple Chrome posters were being distributed around the Park, Breathe Right had a promotion, and there was an autograph session with the jockeys for Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed. I am assuming they do not do these things every year.

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Ron Turcotte (Secretariat), Jean Cruguet (Seattle Slew), and Steve Cauthen (Affirmed) sign autographs

Belmont Park had been buzzing all day, but as soon as California Chrome hit the track, the stands came alive. The energy was so big and loud and strong, I could feel it my bones. My heart was pounding and a man standing next to me was shaking. There aren’t words strong enough to describe the excitement in the building.

I was the will-he-or-won’t he. Will he be on a list with Secretariat, or Smarty Jones? Will he make history or succumb to the fate of the twelve other Triple Crown bids since Affirmed. You could not check TMZ or Reality Steve for spoilers. It was pure unknowing excitement.

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I could have lived in the excitement of this moment forever.

The horses ran right in front of us at the start of the race – I’m surprised I even got this photo considering I was shaking at this point.

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The final moments of the will-he-or-won’t-he excitement.

I couldn’t hear the announcer for the entire race, but as soon as the horses came around the final turn, the crowd realized we were not going to witness a Triple Crown. It was as if the entire arena was deflated. BUT. It was a great race, and an amazing moment to experience.

I heard the official attendance count was 102,199. That’s a LOT of people. Especially considering (and I can’t remember where I saw this so I can’t find the link) last year’s attendance was around 45,000.

While, as I mentioned, the energy was amazing and wonderful, I would like to see Belmont Stakes on a non-Triple Crown Bid year. My mom and I tried to go to the Paddock before the second race, but we couldn’t get close. In fact, we nearly missed the race because the line for the escalator was so long. Not to mention I waited more than 25 minutes for the restroom, and then the whole mess trying to get lunch during the 4th and 5th races.

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Pass The Coffee. The closest I got to a racehorse all weekend.

All that being said, I truly enjoyed the adventure. For my first Belmont Stakes Day, I got to witness a Triple Crown bid with a horse from my home state. I met legendary Triple Crown Jockeys. I left $25 richer. I witnessed Palace Malice become the first horse in more than 50 years to win the Met Mile after winning the Belmont Stakes the previous year.

Sure, it was a bummer that California Chrome didn’t win. But I checked something off my bucket list, and had a lot of fun in the process.

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Race watchin’.

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Penultimate race of the day. 

Who’s joining me next year?