Orlando - The Happiest Place on Earth

Before I go any further, I should tell you that I travel a lot for work. So when I'm going to exotic locales such as Detroit, it's because my boss told me I have to put on my producer hat.

The good news: work picks up the check for almost everything. Travel. Hotel. And food.

The bad news: I don't get to enjoy myself nearly as much as I should.

So for every three times I have to go to places like Detroit, Des Moines or Parsippany, NJ, I get one chance to go to a good place.

THE HAPPIEST FRIGGIN' PLACE ON EARTH.

Orlando is what I imagine heaven is like if you die as a young child. Minus the evilness that is Donald Duck. (side note: Watching a Donald Duck cartoon is like watching a train wreck in slow-motion. You can see the crash coming, and you know you can't stop it, but you can't stop looking at it because you know there's going to be dead bodies all over the track.)

I won't bore you with work details except these: 3 days, 2 tapes, The Kennedy Space Center, Epcot, The Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney.

Food in Orlando, IMO, is hit or miss. There are some really good places to eat, but lots of places that suffer from the Chuck E. Cheese Syndrome - you know, just because it's pizza doesn't mean it's edible.

We ate at four places I will, however, admit to. 

1) Nine Dragons, a Chinese restaurant in the World showcase at Epcot, was delightful. The atmosphere is so-so, pretty much like any restaurant inside a theme park, but the Sweet and Sour Pork was to die for. "Just like we got in NYC," my cameraman Keith said. I agreed. They don't make S&S like this in Denver.

2) Grill's, a seafood joint on Cape Canaveral, was decent. Keith had the Mahi-Mahi, and I had a bowl of Clam Chowder which was a bit too sweet for my liking. We had mild heat stroke from shooting 6 hours in 90 degree weather with 85 percent humidity. I might have been delirious, but I think I saw a dolphin go into the kitchen.

3) Wolfgang Puck's Cafe in Downtown Disney, good value and good food. When I was a child, I had the good fortune of visiting Disney World a lot and we ate at the upstairs Wolfgang Puck a lot. (We were poor kids. But my mom knew what was important. Traveling and food.) The upstairs food is to die for. The downstairs food is simpler, but good. I had a Chicken Aioli sandwich and the Butternut Squash Soup, both of which satisfied. Keith had a Cobb Salad, and didn't look too impressed. Oh well.

4) Bongo's in Downtown Disney shockingly didn't taste at all like a chain. I had the Vaca Frita. Delicious fried shredded beef with onions and a side of adobo rice. It was seriously busy with mostly adults, which was great. Kids and Disney are synonymous, but not here - sometimes you just have to get away from it.

That's me on the far left. Keith is on the far right. That's our camera.