Road Trip To Lego Store

 Since the pandemic started, I have not been traveling out of Brevard county much. I have started to head further away with a few trips toward the Orlando Area including the Orlando Wetlands and Lake Nona area for a tennis tournament last spring. Yesterday, I got the bright idea to take a trip to Disney Springs, specifically the Lego Store. Google Maps said it was 72.2 miles from my house and would take about 77 minutes. Road Trip!

First, I want to say that Orlando traffic can be horrendous. There is tons of construction going on causing all kind of delays. This was a test run (one of many) for driving to Vermont. I need to be prepared for much heavier traffic than my county of Brevard. Orlando is it.

Second, I want to apologize for the quality of the photos which I took with my phone. I had brought my camera but left it in the car since I did not want to look like a tourist. If you have ever been to Disney Springs, EVERYONE looks like a tourist. Lesson learned for the next trip.

I have to mention the parking garage, which is free for Disney Springs. They have signs on entering the garage with the number of spots on each floor. Then when you pick a flow, they have the number of spots open in each aisle. Each spot has a light above it that is red when occupied and green when open. You can easily look down the aisle and see all the open spots quickly. As a math guy, I just liked all the numbers. I was in the Lime Garage.

I knew where the Lego store was relative to certain things but not relative to the Lime parking garage. I easily found it though. My first shot was of some the big Lego sets. I had told a couple from New Jersey at the bar I would end up at that I could fly and see the Eiffel Tower cheaper than buying the Lego set.

I should have known they were having a Star Wars display for May the 4th. It was May the fourth and lots of people were there. I saw some cool sets but I probably will buy them online. It was fun to look though.

The Incredible Hulk was at least 8 feet tall. You can see him glaring at me. Oh, wait, that is the exit door shining in.

Outside, they had some large Legos assembled including a dragon...

Of course they had some life size Star War characters...

After leaving the Lego Store, my goal was to fins Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar. I knew the direction and found a large map help me to find my way. I need to get a handheld map next visit. There it is, off in the distance. I should mention that Jock Lindsey was the pilot in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He owned the plane which Indiana Jones escaped in, the one with the Boa, a pet of Jocks.

They have both an inside bar and an outside bar. The temperature was beautiful with low humidity so I choose the outside bar. The bartender was on a break but the Manager helped me try some beers. That is Phil on the left. They let me taste a few and I went with a Rogue beer. The taps...

From my bar seat I could see plenty of water and other establishments.

I think the attached boat was from the Indy movie also.

My second beer was the Modelo Especial, a nice flavored pilsner. The bartender, was it Tess?, added a lime for me. She was great to chat with and I talked to the people on both sides of me.

There were two guys from the Cleveland area in Florida to visit a time share. They were great to talk to and I had to tell some jokes. They ordered the Snakebite sliders and the Air Pirate's Cargo Loaded Pretzel. It was :

Prosciutto, Sliced Brats, Artisan Salami, Smoked Cheddar, Black Diamond Cheddar, Caraway Pickles, Spicy Mustard, and Beer Cheese Fondue

I ordered the wings:

Club Obi Wan Chicken Wings: served with Lime Sour Cream tossed in your choice of Shanghai BBQ, Birds Eye Chili or St. Augustine Datil Pepper Sauce

I choose the Datil Pepper sauce; here is a photo... 

The wings were great and the other food I saw looked good, I will give this place a 3.0 (Great). This was a new restaurant for me.

There were a couple next to me who said they were from New Jersey. His name was Billie and I already forgot her name. They were suppose to be flying out but extended their vacation another day. I was telling them I was from Melbourne and the girl thought I met Australia. I said it was just over a hour away. He told me a good joke. He said New Jersey has the most chemical waste dumps in the country and that California has the most lawyers. He said New Jersey had the first choice...

One of the Ohio guys said he would not be visiting Melbourne. I asked why and he said he has an ex-wife that lives there. It's small world. Hey, that Disney thing seeped into my thoughts.

 From the back dining area there was a great view of the lake and the House of Blues where my niece Lori use to work. The big building behind the House of Blues is where the Cirque de Soleil perform.

There are lots of places to eat and drink at Disney Springs. I took a picture of the Paddlefish (located on a steamboat) and the T-Rex restaurant. 

Other than I left the place at 5:30 and hit horrendous (a reiteration of fact) traffic on the way out of Disney and onto 417, it was a pleasant experience. If anyone wants to go over for a mid week lunch, let me know. I am saving up for the Eiffel Tower....