We've been to Atlantis a few times over the years and it is amazing to see how it has grown. This time, we actually got lost for a few minutes just looking for the casino!
Luck was on our side, though, not because we won at the casino, but because we found a really nice Starbucks downstairs. After being on the water for a couple of days, we were starting to develop symptoms of Starbucks withdrawal!
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7, the predecessor to the excellent a6300.
Poe's pretty much has the best burgers, beers and atmosphere on the planet. I've been to Poe's dozens of times and I don't think I've ever seen an unhappy soul there. Ironic, then, that it is named after one of the scariest damn soldier-poets ever born!
This tiled replica of a "Gold Bug" at the entrance pays homage to the Raven master's work by the same name. It is rumored that the "Gold Bug" was buried somewhere on Sullivan's Island when Poe was stationed there as a young soldier. Maybe it was a treasure or maybe it was a plague destined to wipe out all of mankind. Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha!
This photograph was captured with the always-awesome Sony a6300.
Update: /u/limiate tells me that it's actually buried on Gold Bug Island (which is the tiny island first tiny island on the other side of the Ben Sawyer Bridge when you are heading to Mount Pleasant from Sullivan's Island). I guess the name should have tipped me off!
The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade does a great job of serving a lot of people and still maintaining that warm, pub-like atmosphere that you'd expect from a pub in a small snowy village. The beers are quite good and the food almost makes you forget that you're at an amusement park.
But you're there for the decor, like all of these walkways to nowhere up above. The decor doesn't disappoint!
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
I've posted several photographs from above the Linn Cove Viaduct in the past but this is the first from below it.
If you park in the visitor's lot just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can take a short hike through the woods and see the viaduct from an entirely different perspective.
There's a real beauty to the massive structure as the shiny concrete reflects the forest all around it. Once you've taken in the viaduct, you can continue along several other trails that pick their way through the mountains.
We went on a cruise earlier this year and had a room with a balcony centered on the stern of the ship. Sitting on the terrace overlooking our wake was extremely relaxing. It was cool to watch the colors of the water change as we worked our way deeper into the Caribbean.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
The world showcases at Epcot do a great job of transporting you to another world if you just squint a little and suspend your disbelief a tiny bit. These lanterns serve as a neighborhood lighting while you are in China. I was looking at one of my unpublished, long-range zoom photographs of one of the other world showcase countries the other day and realized there was an office at the top of the tallest building in that particular "country." It must have a tremendous view of the area. It has me wondering which other upper-floor world showcase rooms also serve as security or executive offices throughout the park. If the third floor of this red building is an office, I think it would make one of the coolest offices ever.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
Tampa is a fun city and it really lights up at night! This photograph reminds me of the lightcycle races in Tron. Here's to Saturday nights!
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
I'm ready for a trip back to Wild Dunes. Even if it's just a weekend, I'll take it!
I spot five pools in this photograph, not including the beach... perfect!
When I was a kid, the only thing that would have been in this photograph was the old restaurant, called Edgar's, and an even older, open air beach pavilion full of windsurfboards and two-person Sunfish sailboats.
Hurricane Hugo devastated Isle of Palms but they rebuilt it like the Six Million Dollar Man. From the ashes of Hugo, all of this grew.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
I have only one complaint about Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade Village at Universal Orlando: Muggles. I'm pretty sure real wizards don't wear baseball hats and fanny packs. Everything else was perfect and blew away my lofty expectations! If you even remotely enjoyed the Harry Potter books, you can't go wrong with a visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
This is another photo in my Paradise Island series. These boats are tied up at the Paradise Island Ferry Terminal, which is really just a little jetty below the bridge where cargo barges filled with plastic patio chairs shuttle people from Paradise Island to downtown Nassau. Despite the lack of frills, the local crew do put on a good show for you as you are under way, including pointing out the original docks that James Bond strutted across in Thunderball. According to the crew, Sean Connery still lives in the Bahamas to this day. This bit of trivia is quickly followed with, "Don't forget to tip your crew members on the way off the boat!"
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.