What is that mysterious ticking noise?

(New Orleans, LA)

The night after Miami, Josh’s parents took us out to eat a delicious seafood dinner at a marina that overlooks the intracoastal waterway. Amazing food, and lots of fun getting to know the fam. (photo below is me, Katie, Kristina, and Josh at dinner)



That night we went out with some of Josh’s friends, ending up at a bar/club called Respectables, where this I guess pretty popular DJ, called DJ Deekline, was spinning. Normally I don’t get too excited about DJs, but this one was awesome, and we all got really into the music. I got a lesson on the difference between breakbeats (Deekline’s musical genre), dub step (apparently the most popular type of music in south Florida), and techno. They all sound really similar if you don’t pay attention to certain things. Even now I don’t know if I could pick out the differences. Also, I learned that techno originated in Detroit – who knew? Anyway it was cool to get a taste of these newer types of music, and a great change of pace to dance to.

We were completely spoiled by all the fun and creature comforts we had in West Palm, but we did have one temptation strong enough to draw us away: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the newest addition the Universal Studios Islands of Adventure theme park. This was the one and only activity that Katie and I were willing to completely splurge on during this trip, and it was one hundred percent worth it. We got up at 6 a.m., drove to Orlando, and proceeded to unleash our shameless obsession for all things Hogwarts. We visited Hagrid’s cottage, went shopping at Ollivander’s, Zonko’s, and Honeydukes, checked out the hot guys visiting from Durmstrang, and ate dinner at The Three Brooksticks, of course topping it off with a couple of butterbeers:


The best part by far though, was the main attraction – a ride called The Forbidden Journey, that first, while you are still in line, takes you into the Hogwarts castle, where paintings talk to you and Harry, Ron, and Hermione (in the form of a pre-recorded hologram) cast a spell that makes it snow on you in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Then you actually get to the ride, which simulates you flying on a broomstick, playing Quidditch, getting chased by a dragon, and nearly falling victim to the wrath of the womping willow. If you let yourself believe the illusion, it feels so real. I was beside myself with joy. If the wait to get on the ride hadn’t been two hours long, I would have gone on it a hundred times.

Luckily Katie and I were not the only crazy Harry Potter nerds on the pilgrimage to Orlando – on the highway on our way out that evening, we ended up driving behind this car that was painted with the words “Orlando or Avada Kedavra!” We made friends.