more harry potterville?! yes.

so awesome husband and i revisited harry potterville on saturday morning.  sadly, the parks are still fucking busy around here, and i want all of you tourists to go the fuck home for a week so i can have my parks back.  we rode the forbidden journey again, which i was still slack jawed and goggle eyed for.  we rode dragon challenge again.  twice.  we stopped in honeyduke's and zonko's, but the lines for the shops were 40+ minutes long. 

so then i rode the hulk again, which is quickly becoming my second favorite roller coaster (first is still expedition: everest over at disney's animal kingdom, and probably will always be number one).  and then we did the cat in the hat, which was cute but a bit lame, to be honest.  so we hopped over to universal studios and did shrek 4d, which was like a super sensory overload and i don't think i can ride it again without more tarzipan or unless they have stationary seats.  it's a theater, like a movie theater, but the seats buck around a bit.  not really fun.  and then we hit up the simpsons ride.  but there were long waits for lots of rides, so we kept it simple and got home by 3pm.  much of the rest of the weekend was spent watching the venture brothers or being in bed, and apparently my sloth-like tendencies are out in force this week because i finally dragged myself out of bed at 10:30 and am ready to get back in bed three hours later, to snuggle down with a book and/or to watch harry potter.

instead i figured i'd work on a blog post and try to be 'responsible'.  ish.  in the interest of full disclosure, i feel the need to share that i am not wearing real pants, just a super old grungy pair of yoga pants.  and no shoes.  enjoy more photos of harry potterville, and i promish to pull up my big girl panties and have a proper post at some point this week, tarzipan be damned.

hogwarts castle

a closeup of hogwarts

inside honeydukes



cute glass jars with candies - they were reasonably priced from about $6 and up.  it's not just a sticker, either - it's imprinted on the glass.  i think the price is worth the jar itself!



chocolate frog.  i did not purchase one this time, since they're $10 and i'm a cheap bitch.

ton-tongue toffee

very cute peppermint toads

i really don't remember this from any of the books, but it looks DELICIOUS

a chocolate wand.  dark chocolate.  cute.

this is a HUGE chocolate frog in the front window of honeydukes.  it croaks from time to time. 

front window of zonko's shop

u-no-poo - the constipation sensation that's gripping the nation!  SHENANIGANS!

that's right.  i'm calling shenanigans on u-no-poo.  if you remember, fred and george weasley invent and market u-no-poo from their shop, weasley wizarding wheezes.  it was not ever carried in zonko's.  if you've read the books, you'll know that zonko's closes down after voldemort returns.  so i am terrifically justified in my calling of shenanigans on zonko's.  incidentally, the store is very small and maze-like, and also sells pygmy puffs, which are larger than i expected.  and also, pink.

the three broomsticks

vat of butterbeer.... yummmmm

 this time, the frozen butterbeer was working, so awesome husband and i ordered one of each.  the frozen butterbeer is DELICIOUS.  still like a butterscotch-y cream soda kind of taste, but the consistency of a slushy.  and it gives you an INSTANT brain freeze.  we have no idea why, but i am speculating here that it's because it tastes really yummy and you hold it in your mouth for a bit, and it's in contact with the roof of your mouth for too long - which is what causes a brain freeze.  i don't care, though.  it's delicious.

another shot of a bustling hogsmeade village

now i have one more photo to share.  it is not from harry potterville, but from universal studios - where they have halloween horror nights.  they put out lots of props and shit from horror movies.  i found this on one of the streets of new york.  awesome husband and i recognized it right away, but it's been on my facebook since saturday night now and no one has noticed it.  so i figured i'd post it here to see if anyone else recognizes it.

i know what this is... do you?

i'd love to say i have a prize for whoever identifies it first.  or some kind of giveaway for people who comment with the correct answer.  but i don't really have anything worth sharing.  except my tarzipan, and there are strict laws in place about stuff like that.  if you have an idea of something i can give you, that costs like nothing, and i can give to you over the internet... well, let me know with your comment and correct answer.  things like 'photos of your bewbz' or 'your real name' or 'your list of passwords' will not be considered.  obviously.  but get creative and i'll see what i can do.