Last week, Katie, Jessica and I ventured off to Orlando, Florida for a little “sisters” retreat.  I know what you’re thinking, “Ugh ERIN, is this just ANOTHER post that’s not REALLY about NYC that you’re going to try to turn INTO a post about NYC?”  Yes.  Yes it is.

We started off in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which I am allowed to mention because I went to the Quidditch World Cup last year, which takes place in NYC, and is a REAL LIFE college sport competition adapted from the magical game played on flying broomsticks from the books and movies.  This summer, also in NYC, Kat and I went to see the Harry Potter The Exhibit at Discovery Times Square where they displayed hundreds of props and costumes from the movies, including Dobby, who really creeps me out.  I also visited platform 9 3/4 at Kings’ Cross Station when I was in London last month.  So the Wizarding World of Harry Potter just rounded out my four-part emergence into Harry’s life, half of which I experienced whilst in New York City.

The next two days we spent in Disney – Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios.  In Hollywood Studios, we starred in a commercial (for realz) and went on the Backlot Tour which included a walk through a prop warehouse and got to see these gems of the NYC transportation world, featured in movies that took place in New York City.

The *most* New York thing about Hollywood Studios is the Streets of America display which is basically the streets of NYC in the form of building facades and props, including a newsstand called “Youse Guys Moychindice” and a subway station that will take you to the wrong place, since there is no more W train line and neither the D nor the PATH trains go to 18th Street.  Kinda cool for people who are obsessed with NYC (yes, I’m fully aware, but it’s healthy) or for people who might not ever get the chance to go to the real NYC.  It also really proves that even in the most magical place on Earth, people are *still* thinking about how great NYC is.

xx