Happy Birthday to Me!
It’s my favorite time of year. The days are longer, the weather is nicer, the flowers are blooming, Easter is around the corner, and so is my birthday!
I wasn’t too sure what to do on my birthday, April 16, in the weeks leading up to it. As it crept closer and closer, I soon realized I just wanted to spend the day with friends. I decided brunch with mimosas in the morning, and a visit to Disneyland (it’s RIGHT HERE) in the afternoon would be a great idea.
I decided to eat at a place I had never eaten at before, because I had read their Yelp reviews that they had bottomless mimosas. Three out of four of us arrived at nearly the same time at the restaurant, and I thought my remaining friend, Rachel, had slept through her alarm and would be late. I hadn’t received any text that she was on her way or anything. Upon arrival, I told the hostess that we were missing one, but she was on her way. She directed us to the back of the restaurant where Rachel was already seated with birthday decorations abundant on the table. Such a wonderful, unexpected surprise to come to!
How long had she been waiting for? How did she plan this? Did she call the restaurant ahead of time? I didn’t make any reservations because I knew it wouldn’t be busy on a Tuesday morning!
After taking an appropriate amount of pictures and Instagram Boomerangs, we placed our orders and talked of our plans for the day. I received my first mimosa, and then my food. I ordered pancakes with strawberries, whipped cream, and bacon on the side. Then, I finished my food… and still had my first mimosa (which was nearly finished).
The waitress did not check up on us once, nor did she offer a refill on my bottomless mimosa. The table next to us, which had arrived after us, had received refill and refill on their mimosas. It seemed we were being ignored, even with our loud birthday decorations.
We finally got the attention of a different waiter and got another mimosa. Birthday saved! He even came back and gave me a delicious chocolate cake slice! Super nice of him!
We then took the party to Disneyland. We parked and I immediately rushed to the bathroom— the Disneyland Hotel bathrooms were my saving grace on that fine Tuesday afternoon.
I know I visit Disneyland all the time, but first thing’s always first: ride Indiana Jones Adventure. It’s my favorite ride in the resort. The line was too long so we decided to get FastPasses and ride Pirates of the Caribbean. I love this ride because of the attention to detail and immersive experience. Plus, it’s a classic! I did feel a little sleepy while on the ride, though. Maybe it was the alcohol I had earlier that day (responsibly) plus the dark environment.
Afterwards, I realized how late the time the time was and decided we should take pictures before the sun went away. And pictures did we take. Here are some of my favorites. Only one made the cut to my Instagram page, though.
Shout out to Rachel for being an amazing photographer! And a special shout out to Portrait Mode on iPhones! The fourth photo is edited slightly, but the golden light shining on my face is all natural. That’s the power of Aries season.
The photography session took us all over the park— from New Orleans Square, to Frontierland, to the entrance to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (opening May 31 at Disneyland with a reservation!!), to Fantasyland, and Tomorrowland. That's quite a walk. As you can imagine, we were tired after that. We were also getting pretty hungry. This confused me because I thought we had just had a full breakfast only a few hours earlier.
We sat at Coke Corner on Main Street, U.S.A., trying to figure out what to do next. Have an early dinner? Have a snack? Ride more attractions? We ended up making reservations at Disney’s PCH Grill at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. It’s a place I’ve never eaten at before and was eager to try.
Before heading over to Paradise Pier Hotel, we headed over to Critter Country to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It’s just such a cute ride. Plus, all the characters at the end of the ride were clearly celebrating my (and Pooh’s) birthday!
By the time we walked back to Adventureland, it was almost time to ride Indiana Jones Adventure. We rode the Jungle Cruise in the meantime. Another great classic. We also climbed Tarzan’s Treehouse. Not a classic, but Tarzan is a family favorite and household name.
Then, it was time to return to Indy. It was nearly a walk-on thanks to our FastPasses. As usual, it was such a fun ride. I love everything about it: from its immersive experience, the jokes, the advanced technology throughout the ride, the concepts, the archeological references, and more. One of my favorite parts, as it is hard to choose just one, is the very end where your car seemingly backs up to avoid getting struck by the giant boulder that’s increasingly getting closer and closer towards you. SPOILER ALERT: it’s the walls that move, not you! Such a great illusion! I love looking behind me and at the floor (if I’m sitting on the end) to see the illusion unfold. It always makes my eyes widen and mouth gape.
The only criticism I have is the man sitting to my right had his cell phone on and was texting throughout the ride. Are you kidding me? This ride is incredibly bumpy, dark and the ride vehicle turns at every moment. How did you decide to text someone right at this second? It can’t wait less than 5 minutes? The ride isn’t that long. If it’s an emergency, I could understand, but please try to be considerate of others. After he texted his friend, he left the phone ON. TURN IT OFF WHEN YOU ARE DONE USING IT. I tried to physically block it by putting up my hand the right side of my face. Nothing could bring me down on this day.
I must say, this has happened before while I’ve been on this ride. The ride is dark, I get it. I’m still scared of the dark. This ride is scary; I buried myself onto my mom’s lap the first time I rode this, never once looking up. Still, that doesn’t mean you can have your phone on, with full brightness, too. Just try to be considerate of others. It’s very distracting and takes away from others’ experiences. But I digress.
Extra love for Tarzan’s Treehouse in Adventureland because Tarzan is my favorite animated Disney movie.
Right after getting off of Indiana Jones, we headed straight for Paradise Pier Hotel. I was so excited to be finally trying out their dinner buffet! It’s an Italian food buffet, too! Italian is my favorite!
Upon arrival, the restaurant and hotel seemed very quiet and calm. There weren’t that many people seated inside, maybe only two other families. We were introduced to the pizza, pasta, and salad bar, the children’s food section (for picky eaters), and the dessert. It was all so beautiful. Thank goodness I was starving so I could sample everything.
I forgot to take up-close pictures of the buffet line. Please forgive me. Enjoy pictures of the dessert toppings for the soft serve ice cream and children’s buffet area instead.
I first went to the make-your-own pasta bar, where a chef created a wonderful spaghetti bolognese for me. I then sampled basically every pasta and salad I could. I wish I could’ve tried the mozzarella sticks and corn from the kids’ section, but I was stuffed. It’s okay, there’s always a next time. I highly highly recommend this place. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was very calm and soothing, and it was not crowded at all. It is not a character dining (only for breakfast), but that just means it’s cheaper than, say, Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel.
The servers were phenomenal. They were attentive and super friendly. They brought out a birthday cupcake for me and sang to me in the tune of Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. A delightful surprise! I couldn’t help but clap and dance in my seat with them!
Once dinner ended and we walked around the hotel for a bit, we walked around Downtown Disney. Okay, yes, maybe we did visit World of Disney, my work location. I just wanted to see if any of my friends were working so I could say hi (and maybe they could wish me a happy birthday? I love the attention, leave me alone). I also got a caramel apple from Marcelline’s Confectionary. I chose a classic caramel apple instead of one of the fancier candy apples this time. You just can’t beat a classic. Don’t worry, I didn’t eat it right then; I saved it for tomorrow.
After an eventful day full of brunch, mimosas, pasta, Indiana Jones, Disneyland, cupcakes, and caramel apples, I was exhausted. It was time to wrap up and spend the rest of my birthday resetting my batteries in bed.
Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! This year is going to be a good one, I can tell! Even though nobody likes you when you’re 23, I definitely felt the love from friends and family all across the country. I truly appreciate everyone’s love and friendship. Until next blog, friends!
