Elisa's Daily Scoop
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Tanya's Daily Scoop
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TRAVELIN' COUSINS BLOG HAS BEEN RANKED #7 IN
BRAND BALLOT'S TOP 100 MOM BLOGS FOR 2018!!
BRAND BALLOT'S TOP 100 MOM BLOGS FOR 2018!!
Non Ticketed Passengers At Gate Now Possible in 2 Major City Airports
Friday is finally here!!! Happy Friday Guys!!
Wow - for some reason, this week felt long. I will say - the snow was SUPER AMAZING yesterday. It started around 1-ish, here on Long Island and accumulated quite quickly! It was the thick, fluffy kind too!! The kind of snow that you can pack really well to make a super snowball (not that I made any!). But, just walking in it and hearing the "crunch" sound under my feet made my day! Of course, the roads were not the greatest, especially around the time I had to go and get Gianna from school. I didn't care - just drove slowing, enjoying the snow falling all around. I love how everything looks "black & white" during a snow storm!! 
Photo taken yesterday during the snow storm. No filter or bl & wh setting (c) travelincousins.com
Even Punkin was all ready for the snow in her very sophisticated red winter coat!!
Punkin in her winter coat (c) travelincousins.com
Am I the only one totally getting stoked for Winter and the Christmas season?!? I'm working on filling in my calendar today with a few more definite dates for fun activities for the upcoming Christmas season! I'll give you the low-down this weekend.
As for tomorrow, stay tuned for some shopping fun as I tell you about our latest internet spree for winter boots!! Remember the good old days... If you are a bit older and remember back before the tragic events of 9/11 changed a great many rules of U.S. travel. In the "olden days," which we can still see in movies pre-9/11, non-ticketed individuals were able to both walk their departing loved ones to their gate as well as greet those incoming at the gate as well. Life changed after that fateful September day and for the past nearly 20 years, non-ticketed people have been forbidden from going past security. That appears to be changing now - at least at two major US city airports. According to AFAR Magazine's article Another U.S. Airport Now Allows Non-Ticketed Visitors Through Security, "Last August, Pittsburgh International Airport became the first in the country post-9/11 to allow the public to access shops and restaurants beyond security without possessing an airline ticket." And now, a second airport has followed suit. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) has become the second U.S. airport in a little more than a year to allow non-ticketed visitors to go through security. Of course, going beyond security is not as simple as just taking a leisurely walk, it does involve a bit of pre-planning and pre-approval. For those wishing to do so, "the program is limited to 50 visitors per day, and the option for visitors to go past security only applies to domestic terminals. Those interested must apply online before 1:30 p.m. PST the day before they want to visit the airport," the article continues. Additionally, visitors must be approved by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and will be notified of their approval status by midnight the day before they have requested to enter. Still and all, it's a pretty good option in spite of the advanced planning. From a commerce standpoint, it also makes sense as well. According to Port of Seattle commissioner Ryan Calkins, “Some of the airport’s best features are [beyond security]: great restaurants, local musicians performing in the concourses, and some of the best views of the planes coming and going against the backdrop of Mount Rainier and the Olympics." We will have to wait and see how many other airports continue this trend, which I hope proves successful, as it was always a treat to bid welcome and farewell when personally traveling or others in my life. Friday again... With it being Foodie Friday, I have a new article for your reading pleasure. Freshly Made by Two Bronx Female Entrepreneurs 
Smoothie made with blueberries, mango, banana and green apple (c) travelincousins.com
Yummy Healthy Vegan Wrap from Freshly Made in the Bronx - Travelin' Cousins Vegan Approved foodie destination (c) travelincousins.com
CLICK HERE to read on Travelin' Cousins site.
CLICK HERE to read on ThisIsTheBronx.org Have a great Friday folks!! -Travelin' Elisa xoxo 
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Back in SoCal and recapping Shanghai Disney
Hello out there!
Wow is it great to have a good signal/wifi once again! This of course is amongst a list (I'll be posting this list fairly soon) of other things that I kinda think that we as Americans are all taking for granted and probably not appreciating. Yes in case you haven't noticed, I am back in the USA and back in smoky SoCal. And boy oh boy do I have a great deal of catching up to do. I still can't quite figure out why our server (Weebly) was blocked by the Great Fire Wall?! Luckily I was able to shoot Elisa a text every now and again, along with a pic or video of one of the many things that we were filling our days with while in China... If you are just joining us for the first time - China is where I just returned from. It was a trip that we will never forget (not that I ever forget any of my trips), but the difference with this one was in the fact that we were part of a group tour and making new friends along the way... 
Posing in Beijing (c)travelincousins.com
At the Great Wall (c)travelincousins.com
Wild ride (c)travelincousins.com
Three Kingdoms (c)travelincousins.com
Suzhou Pixar Fest (c)travelincousins.com
West Lake in Hangzhou (c)travelincousins.com
Walking around West Lake (c)travelincousins.com
Longjing Tea Plantation in Hangzhou (c)travelincousins.com
Longjing Tea Plantation in Hangzhou (c)travelincousins.com
Fun in the bus (c)travelincousins.com
Hat crew (c)travelincousins.com
Maglev train (c)travelincousins.com
Picture fun in Shanghai (c)travelincousins.com
Shanghai (c)travelincousins.com
The Bund (c)travelincousins.com
Great times were had, lasting memories made and friendships were bonded. It was such an amazing experience that talks of China 2.0 were discussed even before the trip had come to an end!
I've got my work cut out for me with playing catch up here on the Daily Scoop. So please have patience as I sort through my photos and daily notes. For now let's talk about yesterday - which is what the Daily Scoop is all about. And yesterday was all about Shanghai Disney! 
If you've watched the video clips from yesterday, you'll know that going to the Disney yesterday was a total surprise and last minute decision!
I must say and you must realize that I am certainly not the type who makes last minute decisions or works on any type of spontaneity. So this visit and experience was something totally new and different for me. And so was the park... Sure I've been to the original Disneyland and Disney World countless times, so why would Shanghai Disney be any different? Oh but it was!!! And being that it was a bit of a drizzly day - of course it was, since I finally spent the time to straighten my hair, the park was practically bare. There were no crowds and no lines which of course added to the amazing time that we had. In addition, the park was already decorated in theme for Christmas! 
Under Minnie's ears (c)travelincousins.com
Show your tickets (c)travelincousins.com
Strike a pose (c)travelincousins.com
Disney! (c)travelincousins.com
Here are some interesting facts that we discovered about Shanghai Disney:
This Shanghai location definitely incorporates the concept that actually drove the development. It was the idea that it would be “Authentically Disney and Distinctly Chinese.” And that certainly holds true and can be seen throughout the park. This Disney park is not like all the others. Shanghai Disney is set apart and truly represents the people of China. 
Ready for some fun! (c)travelincousins.com
Walt Disney (c)travelincousins.com
Disney Post (c)travelincousins.com
Being that there are a number of differences, there were a number of rides that we also quite different and oh so super fun!
Happy as a clam (c)travelincousins.com
Ready for fun! (c)travelincousins.com
Such as the Pirates of the Caribbean having extra flair.
Check out the video below!! 
OMG we can't wait! (c)travelincousins.com
After the ride (c)travelincousins.com
English and Chinese (c)travelincousins.com
Alice and her maze (c)travelincousins.com
Tron was also exhilarating and nothing short of a blast!
Tron (c)travelincousins.com
Ready for action (c)travelincousins.com
Weeeee (c)travelincousins.com
PLUS the super exciting part is that a Tron lightcycle attraction has already been confirmed for Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, to open before the 50th anniversary in 2021!
And we are scheduled to go back to Orlando for our parks visit in either the Fall of 2020 or the Winter of 2021. I wonder how long it's going to take for the lines not to be super long? 
Heading to take flight with Peter Pan (c)travelincousins.com
We had to go on the classic Peter Pan, which even had it's own little differences.
An overview (c)travelincousins.com
Another overview (c)travelincousins.com
Getting rainy (c)travelincousins.com
And even tour the interior of the Enchanted Castle!
In the castle (c)travelincousins.com
Attempting to keep my hair dry (c)travelincousins.com
The ground is all wet (c)travelincousins.com
We had a fabulous time and we knew that both Dave C. and Dominic would be extremely jealous - so perhaps we need to go back?! China 2.0 ;)
Almost time to leave the park (c)travelincousins.com
It was fun! (c)travelincousins.com
Eventually night would fall and it would be time to head back to the airport to catch our flight - or maybe I should call it time machine, since we got home earlier than we left! LOL
Waiting for our shuttle (c)travelincousins.com
At the airport in Shanghai (c)travelincousins.com
The map (c)travelincousins.com
Going took 14 hours and coming back took 11 hours. I slept most of the way. We arrived, it was a breeze to get through customs with our Mobile Passport, we grabbed our luggage, then Dave B. picked us up. Welcoming me back with a lovely and fragrant bouquet!
Welcomed back to SoCal with a beautiful bouquet from Dave (c)travelincousins.com
We would then head home, but our first stop was definitely going to be for something (not Chinese) to eat. Veggie Grill was the choice of the night and boy was it good!
I'm be back to play some more catch up tomorrow, -Travelin' Tanya 
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