Sea World

I’m noticing just now that I look quite stupid in all these pictures. What a shame.

Anyway, we drove to San Antonio on Friday night at around 8:00 p.m. because we hate traffic more than almost anything. We stopped at McDonalds to get some ice cream sundaes (good choice) and then drove traffic-free all the way down to our hotel in San Antonio. And our hotel? Was super nice. They gave us warm chocolate chip cookies when we checked in (which we had for breakfast the next morning) and we were sold. And our room had a balcony looking out over the pool (so did all the other rooms, but pshh, ours was the best). And a king size bed. Since we have only a queen, our major requirement for vacation is a king size bed. Nothing says love like sleeping four blissful feet away from your spouse.

When we were getting ready the next morning, Bart said “I kind of wish we were staying here again tonight, instead of going home after Sea World.” So I called the front desk and reserved the room for another night.
This turned out to be excellent because after a few hours at Sea World, we left to get some lunch and decided to go back to the hotel and take a nap. Hooray! (Also? When we left to return to Sea World, the maid came in and made the bed and set out fresh towels; I need a maid. Or to live in a hotel). I am all about the vacation mid-day nap. It made the evening back at Sea World even better.
And Sea World itself was very awesome. We went to four shows, and we rode all the rides except for one. I was worried it would be very busy since it was a Saturday (and a hot one, at that) and also only ten days before school started. And yet, it was not so bad. There were two reasons, I think, for this. One, it was tax-free shopping weekend. Which, when you think about it is rather silly that people get so excited because it’s only 8.25% off. On a regular day, you would not be overly jazzed by a rack with a sign that said “8.25% off!!!!!!!!!!” You would shake your head and think that the store was very very lame to assume you’d be thrilled by this sale. But, no. . .people turn out in droves. And also, every one at Sea World seemed to have their very small children with them. So the lines for the rides with a height limit were totally deserted. It was lovely. And we saw dolphins! And sharks! And Shamu. Brilliant.
We went to dinner at a tasty little sushi joint near our hotel; Bart watched “America’s Got Talent” on the big flat screen above the buffet.
The next morning, we drove home. No traffic. The best best best way to travel.
Bart commented on how grown-up it felt to get a hotel, buy park tickets, go out to eat many times in a row, and spend several hundred dollars in the course of 36 hours. Grown-up? Yes. Awesome? Double Yes.