Day 8: The Kennedy Space Center and Some Pizza

  Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States
Saturday, July 16, 2005

01 - Clouds I

I was up at 9:00 and was finished getting ready by 9:30.  That's fast for me.  We had decided to go to the Kennedy Space Center today since we didn't want to go to a theme park on a Saturday, and we wanted to leave at a reasonable hour.  Michael was up at 9:30 and mom and dad walked Oreo at 10:15.  While they walked the dog I had a small coffee cake for breakfast, and we were in the car and on our way to Cape Canaveral by 10:45.

08 - Driving to the Space Coast III

On the way to Cocoa Beach I listened to Cher and My Chemical Romance on my MP3 player.  Yes, I went from Cher to My Chemical Romance.  I have very varied tastes in music.  The ride took about an hour and ten minutes which wasn't too bad.  Once we got into Cape Canaveral the sky was just absolutely gorgeous!  I had never seen clouds so low, puffy, and perfectly white before.  The clouds here are really high up so it was just weird to see.  The area itself was absolutely gorgeous.  The water was crystal clear and the palm trees were bright green.  You could tell that the entire city was a protected nature reserve.  There were also lots of signs and billboards letting us know that we were on the Space Coast.

11 - Kennedy Space Center I

When we pulled up to the entrance of the Kennedy Space Center everything was very patriotic, and there were signs all over about the launch of the Discovery.  We wanted to go on the day of the actual launch but it had been changed so many times that we didn't want to pay extra to see it, and deal with the crowds, when the launch may not even happen.  The parking lot was pretty crowded so we found a spot in the back and made our way up to the entrance.  Dad and Mike went ahead to buy tickets while my mom and I ran into the bathroom.  We met up with them at the ticket gate five minutes later, and dad bought four Maximum Access badges.  The Maximum Access tickets would allow us to take a bus tour of the facilities that are farther away and can not be accessed unless you take the tour, and would get us in to see the different IMAX films.

15 - Kennedy Space Center V

After entering the complex we went into a room entirely devoted to security, and security was TIGHT!  They made us open our bags, camera bags, makeup bags, pockets, etc.  They also had metal detectors and hand-held scans, and they were making some people take off their shoes.  With everything going on these days I couldn't blame them for the added security.  The next bus tour was leaving in ten minutes so we ran over to the area in which the buses left from and got on line.  Before each group could get on the bus they took a picture of them with an astronaut-themed background.  After getting our picture taken we boarded a waiting bus, went about three quarters of the way towards the back, and took our seats.  We waited for about ten minutes before the bus was full and then we were on our way.  There were a few televisions throughout the bus showing a video about the Space Program and telling us about what we would see on the tour.  It was interesting but I don't think anyone was paying much attention.  We drove through restricted areas and offices, and everyone was busy taking pictures.

16 - Kennedy Space Center VI

There were tons and tons of tour groups at the Kennedy Space Center that day, and all of them were priviledged Brazilian kids who are infamous around Orlando.  These were a bunch of kids who had no respect, class, or maturity.  There were two girls sitting in front of us with really long hair and they kept flipping their hair over the back of their seats before looking back to see if their hair hit us and smirk at each other.  And yes, each time their hair did hit us.  After five minutes I couldn't take it anymore so I leaned over the seat and told them to stop. They were taken aback and just looked at me with blank stares, but they didn't do it again after that.  Mission accomplished.

18 - Kennedy Space Center VIII

The first stop on the tour was the viewing facility for the space launches.  The tour worked in a way in which you could get off at each stop and look around for as long as you wanted, and then just get on any waiting bus to get to the next stop.  It wasn't a set-in-stone tour with a guide or anything.  We got off at the viewing facility and went into a building that housed a replica of the Discovery and information on it's impending launch.  There was also information on the technical aspects of past launches.

25 - Kennedy Space Center XV

When we were done looking around we went up to the actual viewing tower.  It was about five stories high and it was really, really hot out so dad and Mike walked while mom and I took the elevator.  What can I say, we're lazy.  We all met at the top and the view was amazing.  We could see the launch pad that was used to send the first spaceship to the moon to the left of us, the Discovery on its own launch pad to the right of us, and the surrounding nature preserve and the ocean inbetween.  Very, very nice.

29 - Kennedy Space Center XIX

We then went back downstairs and in the middle of the staircase was one of the engines used in space shuttles.  The thing was HUGE and most space shuttles have about twenty of these, which really shows you the sheer power of space launches.  Done with the viewing tower, we went over to the line for the buses and waited for the next one to arrive.  Two buses came within ten minutes and we got on the second one.  We were then on our way to the NASA History Museum.

31 - Kennedy Space Center XXI

We got a seat on the bus and within minutes we were on our way to the museum all about the Kennedy Space Center.  It was only a ten minute ride and on the way we watched a video on the Space Race while being told about the nature and wildlife in the surrounding areas by our driver.  When we got to the museum, we hopped off the bus and were ushered into a large hanger.  Some of the teens from the tour group had been on our bus but thankfully they were stopped at the entrance to the building and had to wait for the next show.  That's right, you had to see a show before your could enter the museum.  I think every building in Florida has a pre-show!  We stayed in the back of the huge room and leaned against the wall before the lights were dimmed and the three screens in the front of the room came to life.  It was a presentation on the Space Race and how Kennedy and the United States made history with their creation of the Space Program.  It was a very interesting and moving video, but it was a little too long.

32 - Kennedy Space Center XXII

We then went into another room and were all ushered into rows.  It was standing room only, but each row was tiered so you could see over the people in front of you.  They had the actual mission control desks used when the first Americans were sent into space which was amazing to see.  The lights were then dimmed and we saw video from the actual space launch.  As time counted down each desk would light up, showing you exactly when each person involved did their job.  When the shuttle actually took off the entire room shook and it was so loud... it really was like we were right there when it happened!  It was absolutely amazing and my favorite part of the day.  I even got a little teary when everything went well and everyone on the screen was celebrating!

33 - Kennedy Space Center XXIII

The show was about twenty minutes long, and when it was over we entered the actual museum.  Hanging from the ceiling was an actual space shuttle and it was huge.  I mean HUGE!!!  It took up the length of the entire building.  There werealso  all different displays in the room, including replicas of ships and shuttles, and information about the different Apollo missions.  We then saw a presentation on Neil Armstrong and the United State's experience with sending men to the moon.  It was a really good presentation with props, special effects and video.  At one point there was a big spaceship that landed on the stage which was covered in red dust.  They made it look just how it really did when the shuttle landed on the moon.

42 - Kennedy Space Center XXXII

When the presentation was over we got back on the bus and went back to the main Kennedy Space Center facilities.  We looked for the picture we had taken with the space-themed background before we boarded the first bus, but we couldn't find it.  We knew we weren't going to buy it so we didn't bother going out of our way to find it.  We were really hungry by this point so we went over to the food court.  We wanted to just have a snack but we wound up spending $40.  Everything was so expensive!  Dad and Mike got sandwiches while mom and I shared a salad and a frozen Milky Way ice cream bar.  The food was good but way overpriced.

45 - Kennedy Space Center XXXV

Done with our quick lunch, we went over to the IMAX Theater and got in line to see the show.  It was packed in there!  After twenty minutes of waiting around we were let into the theater and got our seats.  The show was in 3D so we got our glasses and waited for the movie to begin.  It was such a pain getting seats.  Everyone was pushing and shoving, and half of the people in there didn't speak English, or they were pretending not to be able to do so, and they wouldn't move all the way down the row.  I don't know how many people I had to climb over.  When we finally got to our seats my chair was broken and would swing back and forth, so we again had to move.  It was a pain but what can you do?

46 - Kennedy Space Center XXXVI

The movie eventually started and it was about the International Space Station and the many men and women who dedicate their lives to making it better.  The movie was very interesting but way too long.  It was about an hour and a half and they just kept reiterating the same points.  The 3D wasn't too good, either... it made me dizzy in a few spots.  Oh well.  When the movie was over we took a quick walk through the Rocket Garden and saw all of the rockets.  It was really hot out, though, and I think we were all getting tired so we just walked through quickly before walking through a replica of a space shuttle.  It was really small and there wasn't much there to see so I was kind of disappointed.

47 - Kennedy Space Center XXXVII

When we were done walking through the space shuttle we drove over to the Astronaut Hall Of Fame which was a ten minute drive away.  We were looking forward to this part of the Kennedy Space Center since this was where all of the simulators and interactive exhibits were.  We pulled into the parking lot, got a spot, and walked into the building.  It was pretty empty in there but we gave the girl our tickets and entered through the turnstiles.  The tickets were included with our Maximum Access Badges so we didn't need to pay the $10 to get in there.  The first thing we saw were pictures and books showing how space travel was viewed in the early 1900's.  Everything was very far-fetched and based on science-fiction rather than actual science, and aliens were almost always present.

48 - Kennedy Space Center XXXVIII

There were a series of large rooms with memorabilia from famous space flights, information about the Apollo missions, biographies on famous astronauts, and replicas of different shuttles used in the space program.  I took a lot of pictures in the different rooms.  After walking through the several rooms of information and memorabilia, we entered the room with all of the interactive exhibits.  However, I was kind of disappointed.  There really wasn't much there.  There was a simulator for two people where you get to experience 3.2 G's but there was an hour and a half wait for it.  There were only about ten people in line but each ride took fifteen minutes and we didn't feel it was worth the wait.  There were a few zero-gravity simulators but they were for kids, and the games that they did have were few and far between.  We made the most of it, though, and did what we could.

50 - Kennedy Space Center XL

After doing all that there was to do, we left the exhibitions area and went into the gift shop.  They had a lot of cool stuff but nothing that I really wanted.  We continued our tradition, though, and mom got an ankle bracelet while I got a key chain.  We then made our way back out to the car after an hour at the Hall Of Fame.  I was a bit disappointed in the Hall of Fame, and the whole Kennedy Space Center experience in general.  I usually love anything involving Space exploration, I think it's so interesting, but besides seeing the Discovery on its launch pad everything we saw can be seen at the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History in the city.  Oh well, it was definitely something worth seeing and I'm glad we did. It was probably just the heat and crowds that got to me.

54 - Astronaut Hall of Fame IV

On our way home we called a Domino's that we had found the number of before we left, and ordered using their 5-5-5 deal (three pies for $5 each) and made our way over to International Drive to pick them up.  It only took us about forty minutes to get back to the area and I listened to my MP3 player and took pictures to pass the time.  When we got to International Drive we looked for Domino's and it took us a while to find it.  We eventually found it, though, in a small shopping center right across from Old Town.  We parked and went in to pick the pies up but they weren't done yet.  We decided to take a walk a few stores down to the "Manhattan's Best Coffee" shop to see what kind of stuff they had.  It was a bakery that had Italian Cheesecake so Mike was psyched.  The guy working in the store had a really strong British accent so mom asked him what part of Manhattan he was from.  He actually answered seriously and told us about how he came to Orlando from the UK and was living with family.  We kind of figured that.  We got Mike a piece of Cheesecake and then went back over to Domino's.

79 - Astronaut Hall of Fame XXIX

When we got back to Domino's there was someone in line in front of us also picking up pizza so we waited a few minutes.  When we went up to the counter the guy working there was staring at me, and he just stood there staring at me.  He was around twenty and Hawaiian (they had their hometowns on the name tags, for some reason) and very, very cute.  Mom started laughing because he didn't even ask us what we were there for or anything, he just stood there.  It was kind of weird so I just left to stand with Mike outside.  It was definitely interesting.  Five minutes later the kid had finally snapped out of it and given us our pizza, and we were on our way.  We were back at the house by 7:30 and I brought the pizza in and set the table while mom and dad walked Oreo, and Mike did what he does best by doing absolutely nothing.  We were sitting at the table waiting for mom and dad to come back so we could eat, but Mike just couldn't control himself and he started eating.  Haha!

89 - Driving From Cocoa Beach Back to Orlando VIII

Mom and dad were back within ten minutes and we all ate dinner.  The food was really good, especially the pie with bacon.  When we were done eating I helped mom clean up a little bit and then I went upstairs to relax.  Yes, very healthy... eat a bunch of greasy pizza and then just go lay in bed.  I was so tired!  At 8:30 dad came up to my room and said that he and mom wanted to go shopping.  I was perfectly happy just laying in bed, reading and listening to my MP3 player, but I figured we were on vacation and I might as well go out.  Can you see the "Melissa and Mike are party-pooper's" trend continuing here?  We wanted to go to the Florida Mall but it closed at 9:00 so we decided to head over to Walmart.  They closed the Walmart near us in Brooklyn and hey, who doesn't love a bargain?  So we hopped in the car and headed down to Walmart.  The Walmart in Orlando was actually pretty far and it took us about a half hour to get there since it was all the way down Rt. 192.  I listened to some classic rock on my MP3 player (Meatloaf, The Eagles, Queen, Supertramp, Eddie Money... I love that music!) on the way there, and took in the sites along the way.  We eventually got to Walmart, parked, and went inside.  Mom had said that they had a lot of Disney stuff in this Walmart since she and dad had gone earlier in the week.  They had a few cute things, but not really that much.

92 - Pizza I

Mom and I split up from dad and Mike.  They went to look at the books since Michael wanted to get "The Da Vinci Code" (he loved it by the way, and read the whole thing within two days in the condo... I just read it last week and enjoyed it, too), while mom and I looked at the Disney stuff and jewelry.  Mom wound up buying my Aunt Stacy a new blue-faced watch.  I bought a watch with a pink and orange face, a nice t-shirt with Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald that says "Remember, It All Started With a Mouse," a Tinker Bell "I Don't Do Mornings" nightgown, a small Little Mermaid snow globe, a pair of Mickey ears and a small car with Mike and Sulley from "Monsters Inc." for Alison, as well as a few entertainment and fashion magazines.

On our way back to the condo I was listening to my MP3 player when I decided to get into the spirit of things and put on the Mickey ears I had bought for Alison.  So I was looking out the window at people in the passing cars, and when we stopped at a light a guy pulled up next to us who looked just like Willie Nelson.  He had a long beard and a really, really big cowboy hat on.  I laughed and really sarcastically thought to myself, "Wow, nice cowboy hat."  And that's when I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror and remembered that yes, I was wearing Mickey ears.

We got back to the condo at around 10:00 and all hung out.  I watched a Christmas episode of "The King of Queens" and the 11:00 episode of Mad TV on Fox.  I went up to my room at midnight and changed into my pajamas before reading my magazines in bed.  Before I knew it I was drifting off to sleep at right around 1:00 in the morning.