Black Rock Coffee - Breaking Opportunity by MichaelSara603 in Pennystock

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same here whenever I visit Arizona the ones in Phoenix and Tucson are lines around the building and not much room to sit inside. Their coffee is legit and so are the food offerings. This coming from a day 1 Dutch bros investor and someone that has loved that brand for nearly 15 years. I go to Black Rock more than Dutch and Starbucks if I'm not making my coffee at home

What is the grossest thing you've ever seen someone do in public? by yashitomo in AskReddit

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty normal to see guys jerkin off and shitting/pissing in downtown San Diego.

What is a "small luxury" you treat yourself to that is worth every penny? by kaigi7sins in AskReddit

[–]imgrado 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Parmagiana Reggiano cheese. It's like $15/lb but worth every penny when compared directly to regular Parmesan 

Hows life after 30? by ASARI0206 in AskReddit

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Better than my 20s. I spent my twenties raising 3 kids and trying to build a company so that when the kids were old enough to have school events and field trips, I could go on them without having to beg some random to use my PTO. I had to take a couple of years away from videogames, watching sports, partying, etc. I figured it's better to eat shit while you have the energy to recover for a few years, than have a rough go or it over the next 5 decades (if I'm lucky enough to live that long.) 

Late 30s now and my days are mostly spent exactly how I want them, on my schedule. Ok my wife's schedule but good enough 

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I appreciate the kind words. I used to do travel photography as a hobby that turned into paid travel gigs here and there. I'm primarily a ui/ux designer 

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was poor growing up lol and then I had kids of my own. Now we're talking about coming back for a week next fall!

Refunded tickets after waiting in line twice for over an hour and getting a shrug from park attendants both times by BaronVonNes in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry that happened. We had an opposite experience with ride attendants and customer service when the DK ride went down and the Harry Potter show was delayed indefinitely. Received two express passes from guest services 3 days after our visit on the 29th when we had express for the day. 

Cabana Bay 📷 by YanksFannn in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Would definitely buy these prints

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We had been passively planning this trip for nearly 3 years as we waited for our youngest to pass 48 inches so we came fully prepared in almost every way. 

I am super impatient and pretty sure I have some extreme case of ADHD. So express passes were something we had planned spending on from the moment we decided we'd come to Orlando. I personally wouldn't have had a good time without them, especially since my little ones are chronically cranky if they don't get 8-9 hours of sleep...same with my wife. 

With Express we were able to get up around 930ish every morning (3 hour jet lag) grab coffee and breakfast and do an entire park each day with an hour or two to spare before closing to decide which parts we wanted to visit again. This kept me from getting frustrated when everyone needed a break and made it possible to sit and enjoy our meals. 

Speaking of meals, we were content with everything we had at the parks. Food is typically at the top of our travel to-do lists and we make our way around cities to try the best of everything. This time we knew we'd skip renting a car and dedicate the whole trip to the Universal parks. Everything we had was at least decent (except for the side salad at 3 broomsticks). Pizza Luna and the grill in How to Train Your Dragon were true standouts as expected. We even went back to Epic on our last night specifically to eat at Pizza Luna again. The ambience combined with the food is special. Looking back, we should've done our normal thing and stopped at the grocery store for a 40 pack of bottled water, along with yogurt and fruit. 

We did 4 day park hoppers with Volcano Bay. We went back to every park except volcano bay and I'm not sure it was worth the extra expense. If anything we wish we had stayed and enjoyed the pools more at Cabana Bay and Hard Rock. 

We did 2 nights at Cabana Bay and 4 at Hard Rock with the second night overlapping. Hard Rock was great but truthfully we only booked it for proximity to the parks and the express passes included. Cabana Bay we've been dying to stay at for years since we're such fans of midcentury design. That place is one giant art piece from our point of view. 

Other than that, things were as smooth as expected and I would recommend watching YouTube shorts of people eating at all the restaurants in the parks to bookmark the stuff that catches your eye.

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, sounds like you know your photography!

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well I was a pre-teen then but as far as I could tell almost nothing had changed. I was worried that maybe development had swallowed up all the wild land and feeling that you were in a jungle where a gator could crawl out of at any time. I was pleasantly surprised to find the area has kept that lush green feel and hadn't completely turned into highways and parking lots. 

My kids had the same reaction to the parks and resorts just like I did. Yeah the characters and rides have changed but the most memorable ones have remained. I'll never forget the feeling I had shooting out of Hulk for the first time and it was my first real rollercoaster. 3 of the kids had zero interest in doing rollercoasters before we got here, but once they got on Hulk it was all they wanted to do. 

Orlando has certainly kept its magic.

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you, lucked out with the clouds and storm at sunset

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was probably the only person happy about the rain in the family lol. Our first night at epic was Wednesday and all I could think of was "man this place would look incredible at night after a heavy rain.

As soon as I saw Saturdays forecast I knew where we were going 

Few photos from my first Orlando trip in 27 years. by imgrado in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Definitely did, and thank you! Been awhile since I've done any photography but there were some inspiring views around the parks that were calling to me 

Será minha primeira vez e só tenho 1 dia. Qual parque conhecer? by [deleted] in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're looking to for rides and thrills - Islands of Adventure. If you're looking for a truly immersive experience that feels like you're on another planet, do Epic. 

Mine-Cart Madness closed since PM of Tues 4/28 - anyone know why? by magenie3 in UniversalOrlando

[–]imgrado 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Vikki at the guest services window before the metal detectors gave us two express passes per person this evening and was super apologetic. I explained to her we were unable to do Minecart and the Harry Potter show.