Wonder-full Florida: Readers choose out top seven marvels [Miami Herald]

Yes we done growed up and moved, check us out at the new Find Paradise blog.

Mike Ditka Resorts?

It seems two Mike Ditka Resorts are opening in Orlando, FL (well one is a resort and the other seems to be a condo-tel). Visiting each each resort website (Lighthouse Key, Runaway Beach Club) offers the usual information, amenities, accommodations. The big thing I’m noticing is that a majority of the pictures seem to be using the magic of computer animation. Also each website has the following near the bottom of each page “The use of Mike Ditka’s name is not to imply that he has ownership interest in the hotel and is used in pursuant to a licensing arrangement.”, so out of all the people in the world, the owners of these resort licensed Mike Ditka’s name? I’m sure he’s a great person and all, and a great coach, but…Mike Ditka? That’ll drive the folks to sunny Florida.

Yes we done growed up and moved, check us out at the new Find Paradise blog.

There should be a Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine in every town

My wife, brother and I headed down to the northern part of Ft Lauderdale last weekend for a comic book convention I was attending. Since we know little about the area and had free Wi-Fi at the hotel we were staying at, we poked around Google to find a half-way decent place to find dinner. We were surprised to find that Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine, the Cuban restaurant we so frequented in our youth (my brother and I were born and raised in Hollywood, FL, south of Ft. Lauderdale) had an outpost a few miles nearby on Oakland Park Blvd.
We walked into the restaurant pretty late (the convention exhibition hall closed around 8 at night), and were greeted by a near empty restaurant. Normally in that situation my wife and I would tuck tail and run, because usually an empty restaurant means a crappy restaurant. But since we had prior experience with it’s sister restaurant near our old house, and since there was a brand spanking new Bentley parked out front we approached the host stand expecting a decent meal.
The restaurant itself was nicely furnished, nothing too amazing, with roughly 20 tables. The tables themselves were sort of diner style, with the “Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine” logo prominently lacquered to each table top. After seating, we were quickly approached by a waitress who eerily reminded me of my mother. We ordered drinks and a couple appetizers and while patiently waiting for our drinks we perused the menu.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Safari gets a change

Rumor is that the narration on the popular Animal Kingdom ride has been changed slightly to remove bits from the fictional warden and British doctor’s chatter. Now it seems the “drivers” will be allowed to flex their acting muscle a bit more. Which personally I don’t mind, I always thought the “plot” for the Kilimanjaro Safari’s weren’t really needed. We’re driving around looking at animals for god sake, why do we need a faux adventure/rescue plot?

Disney safari tale alters a tad [Orlando Sentinel]

Tampa Hard Rock to get a lot bigger

The Seminole controlled Hard Rock in Tampa, Florida has announced a $120-million expansion to include a larger gaming floor, VIP area, steak house and a parking garage.

…the expansion isn’t just about more space for cars, people and video bingo games. The casino needs new amenities to compete with high-end restaurants and other entertainment options, says Fontana.
Steak knives used by celebrity guests will hang on the walls of the Council Oak Steaks & Seafood Restaurant. Through windows, customers will view the butcher shop and chefs in the kitchen.
A new floor above the casino will include a VIP lounge, a living room setting for Hard Rock’s biggest gamblers. The chef will prepare menu selections or take special requests.
A 390-seat buffet-style restaurant on the same level will feature cooks at free-standing stations preparing baked goods, sushi and Mongolian barbecue.
The casino’s centerpiece will be a $2-million Plexiglas “WonderWall” illuminated with music videos and images from eight projectors.

The Seminole Hard Rock undergoes a $120-million expansion. [St. Petersburg Times]