Orlando, FL - 3/29/10- 4/1/10

Occupational obligations lead me to Orlando, FL for meetings the last Monday of March. Traveling from a small Illinois town is never fun. There are no such things as direct flights. My only option when flying south is stopping in Atlanta, GA. I hate the Atlanta Airport. My flights are rarely on time, almost never at the correct gate, and the amount of people per square foot leaves little to the imagination for a claustrophobic like myself. Laying over in Atlanta leaves you with minimal options for food; fast food, fast food, and fast food. With less than an hour to find my gate, eat, and grab a bathroom break, I chose the shortest line (Checker's) and grabbed a burger. To their credit, the burger tasted fresh and went down smooth with an ice cold coca-cola. All coke products bottled or fountain taste better in Atlanta (the home of coca-cola).

Upon arrival in Orlando, I utilized a tip I picked up in my 5 years of business travel. When leaving the terminal, check out the security for the flight back home. This way you will have a good idea what kind of time you will need to allow yourself in order to clear security with time time get to your gate. As one can imagine, security in Orlando looks similar to the lines in the Magic Kingdom; long, reeking of body odor, and donning mouse ears.

The reason for my travel to Orlando was for 3 days of meetings. The meetings were held at The Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort, which conveniently happened to be the same hotel/resort in which I was staying. The resort was located within walking distance of Epcot and Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Atlanta Braves have their Spring Training facilities located at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. If you are tired of theme parks and looking for something to do, check out a Spring Training game. It's a great opportunity to get up close to your favorite ballplayers for a photo or an autograph. Prices are not nearly as steep as regular season tickets. Nightly, fireworks are shot off over Epcot Center and are viewable from the outdoor resort bars. Having a nice cigar, a frozen concoction, and a good seat for fireworks is a great way to end your day. Meat lovers also need to check out Shula's Steakhouse while staying at or near the Dolphin Resort. While the prices are what I would consider to be astronomical, I was amazed to discover that the 24 Oz. Porterhouse steak I ordered was the best steak I ever . Tremendous service, family style side dishes, and a comfortable atmosphere provide for a wonderful dinner experience. While there are more bars and restaurants at the Dolphin than I can mention, I recommend wandering around the resort and having a drink or grabbing a bite at as many as possible. Every spot offers unique dishes and tasty beverages.



Returning home I gave myself 3 hours to check in at the airport, get through security (I picked the line with the fewest Mickey Ears), and grab a lunch. By getting to the airport early, I was able to request an emergency exit seat on my return flight. Being 6'4" I need all the leg room I can get. As my plane was taxiing into the terminal back in IL, my phone rang. It was a ticket vendor informing me he had a pair of NCAA championship tickets that he was overnighting to my house. Now I had to wait to find out if my beloved MSU Spartans would get by Butler on Saturday night....

Link to Walt Disney Dolphin Resort
http://www.swandolphin.com/home.html