04' GTI 1.8T vs. 11' Tiguan SE 4Motion

While I am meticulous about maintenance it’s no mystery that I haven’t had the best of luck the last few years with my car. After having a series of issues thanks to a bad mechanic that lead to a very costly repair I have been on the fence about keeping my car. On a recent routine trip to a new awesome mechanic it was brought to my attention that there were a few areas of concern. 5 things were looming and would need to be addressed in the up-coming months. Those were a bubble in one of my tires, worn & loose strut mounts, a worn catalytic converter, brakes on all four wheels, and some rust starting to show on the front left fender.

After a quick calculation and calling around for prices I had a decision to make, invest $2500 to make my car whole again or evaluate replacement options. According to KBB, Edmunds, and NADA my car was worth somewhere between $2000 and $4000 so investing another $2500 didn’t make a lot of sense.

Having decided that I would replace my car I wrote a list of the pro’s and con’s with my current vehicle. Pro’s: Fast, fun, sporty, easy to drive, fuel efficient. Con’s: low to the ground, small cabin space, 2-doors, no sunroof, 2-wheel drive. These are just a few examples of what I listed. This allowed me to decide that on my new car there were a few must haves. I wanted a larger 4-wheel drive vehicle that would maintain a decent MPG but would allow me more cabin space. I wanted it to have 4 doors and come with a sunroof.

Having loved the feel of my car I evaluated getting a new version of the GTI but I just felt the cost was too high for a car that lacked a few things that were important to me. VW wasn’t letting me walk quite yet thou. They had an alternative that seemed to meet all my needs. That perfect fit is the VW Tiguan.

Not ready to spend a ton of money on a new vehicle I put my retired father to work locating the perfect used Tiguan. He found a possible option in Quincy, MA just a few miles from where I had bought my current car. Along with my parents we made the hour long trip only to be disappointed that this dealer had misrepresented the vehicle. He claimed it had a clear car fax and that it had never been in an accident but the obvious indicators that it has not only been in an accident but a bad one dashed any hope that it would be the next car for me.

Since we had driven all that way I suggested stopping by the local dealer and seeing what they might have. Not much I would learn and the sales guy was definitely you’re typical snake oil salesman. He showed me one 2011 Tiguan S and went through a pretty impressive walk around of the car showcasing its construction and safety before we headed inside to talk numbers. We went back and forth about 4 times before it was obvious that a deal wasn’t going to happen.

After leaving there we started the long ride home and alone the way stopped at 2 more locations. What I learned was that the Tiguan S wasn’t going to be the car for me. I wanted a Tiguan SE 4-Motion. The price difference was minimal to upgrade to the full awd option and most of the SE models come with a full panoramic sun roof.

2011 VW Tiguan SE 4Motion

At the last dealership I found the perfect car. A Certified 2011 Midnight Blue Tiguan SE 4Motion with Navigation and the Panoramic Sunroof. Of course with all perfect options the price was less than perfect. I was hopeful however that a deal could be made. Sadly it wasn’t meant to be and we left. After a few days I got a call to see if I had any question or if I had given their offer and thought. I was honest with the sales guy that we were 2k away from where I wanted to be and if he would meet in the middle we could make the deal happen.

Unable to make any promises he took my offer to the bosses and when he called back he was able to come $500 bucks closer but would repair a few things that I had pointed out with the car that needed to be done and throw in a few extra’s. Given that those repairs/extras were well over the remaining $500 difference I agreed and left him a deposit.

Today I picked up the car. I will need to return in a few day’s for my registration and an inspection but I couldn’t be happier to have closed the deal and gotten the car I wanted. My parents were equally as please to see me in a larger and safer vehicle.

Lemon's, Lime's & Orange's

I had been thinking about getting a lemon tree for a while but never bought one because I was concerned that for the roughly $150 bucks was a lot to pay for a decent sized one online and also they are shipping concerns during the winter months that it might not make it. Since it was the late fall that I was thinking about it I opted to pass and forgot all about it.

While in Orlando checking out a gift shop I noticed that they were selling small lemon, lime and orange trees. There were very small for the $7 bucks each I decided I would pick up one of each and see how they would do. It took some effort to get them home in once piece without crushing them but they made it unscathed.

I planted them per their instructions and made sure to use soil specifically designed for citrus trees. I will keep you updated on how it goes and if I can manage to pollinate them myself and get them to bare fruit.

Orlando Vacation: Day 6 - Ripley's Believe It or Not!

We decided to check out Robert Leroy Ripley’s collection of the strange and unusual on a whim since it was a rainy day and what else did we have to do. Even before entering we noticed that the building/odditorium, as they call it, looked like it was falling into a sinkhole with its significant lean.  Its a cool way to draw attention to the building and its contents. Its particularly fitting since there have been a number of sink hole issues in Florida lately.

After paying our admission we made our way through he turnstiles where we found Wall-E one of my favorite animated characters. I couldn’t resist taking my picture with this garbage collecting hero of the 2008 Disney/Pixar movie. This guy isn't a mock up from the movie but a very cool depiction by a talented artist.

Once in the exhibit hall we found ourselves first looking at a hologram of Robert Ripley sitting behind his original desk where he produced a series of drawings for his newspaper column. In addition to being a cartoon illustrator he was known for collecting all kinds of weird, unusual, and rare items from all around the globe. We learned that Ripley first displayed some of his collection to the public in 1933 at Chicago’s World Fair. Over 2 million people visited that first exhibition and with its success he led a cross country exhibit before the first permanent Odditorium opened in Saint Augustine Florida. Today the collection is vast and is spread between 32 such museums/odditoriums around the world.

This particular odditorium open since 1992 has a collection of 600 exhibits in 16 themed galleries housed in 10,000 square feet of showroom.

Some of the notable or interesting items we saw included a variety of Africa artifacts such as a necklace made from dog’s teeth which was a form of currency in New Guinea. Other unusual African items included the African skin mask made with skin flayed from slaves which according to legend allowed surviving relatives to inherit the virtues of the person whom it resembled. There is also a selection of skulls that have been intricately carved and serve as “war trophies.” Some of my favorite items are the shrunken heads made by the Jivaro Indians of Ecuador who would shrink the heads of their killed enemy’s as war trophies.

In addition to the more primitive African curiosities they also had more modern examples of collectibles such as a pair of signed panties from Madonna. They also have a significant collection of taxidermy of unusual and deformed animals like the two headed calf and mike the chicken from Fruita who survived decapitation for 18 months.

 

Some of the most unusual items are from darker medieval times in history. Many of these items were tools to punish people like the shame brank to humiliate a person or the confessional used to extort confessions from people using sharp spikes. They seemed to have a little of everything from this period all meant to torture or kill.

 

They also have a collection of less odd items more of the curiosities then the weird.  Some of my favorites were the miniature items some made from gum wrappers and others just so small that you can barely tell what they are without a magnifying glass. Imagine playing cards with a miniature deck or trying to eat using these mini spoons made of gold. One of the more impressive items is the Old King Cole book. It is the smallest printed book in the world and there was only a total of 85 printed in Scotland.

They also had a collection of oversized things such as the enormous Goodyear tire which was so big I got my picture taken inside it. Then there was the lifesize model of Mr Wadlow who stood almost 9 feet tall. He was also known as the Alton Giant. He is the tallest person in history and stood at an incredible height of 8’11.1”. He died at the age of 22 from an infection.

More highlights include a 25-foot mural of Jimi Hendrix made from over 8,500 playing cards and the model shark jaw with teeth from a Megladon.

 

Nearing the end we bumped into some of the world’s most unique people and visitors from Tussaud’s collection of wax statues like the lizard man and the Mexican Vampire woman. The final part is the vertigo tunnel just before the gift shop. It’s a challenge just to keep your balance in this tunnel.

 

Orlando Vacation: Day 6 - Free Day

Given that it was supposed to rain all day I was pleasantly surprised to get up and discover the sun pouring through our room’s windows. When I looked out I could see the clouds in the distance and knew we wouldn’t have long before the rain soaked our day.

Dan and I got ourselves ready and left Chris in the room while we went and played a round of mini golf at one of the three on the resort grounds. According to the sign it is Florida’s only Official Championship Putt-putt Golf course. I would highly doubt it since it seemed pretty poorly maintained and that I have been to many a mini golf over the many years I have been visiting Florida. Either way it was fun and I clobbered Dan. I attribute my win to my Grandmother who was always very competitive and taught us how to putt and challenged us every visit we made. Even as she got older she still putted better than all of us. My two hole-in-ones certainly didn’t hurt either and left Dan clearly annoyed. Perhaps I should have let him win since it was his birthday after all.

After our mini golf we returned to the room and decided that we would head to the movies today to see Zac Efron in the Neighbors since the weather was not good and it would be miserable to walk around a theme park in the rain. Everyone agreed and we headed over to the Regal Point Orlando. The theatre and all of Point Orlando was like a ghost town. I expected to find the theatre packed but we were one of only a few small groups enjoying a movie.

After the movie ended it was still raining so we decided to check out the outlet mall again. I wanted to pick up a few more of those Johnston and Murphy shirts. We didn’t stay at the mall very long and began wandering around the city of Orlando. As we were driving I saw the since for Ripley’s Believe it or Not and asked if everyone wanted to check it out. Everyone seemed interested.

Even before entering we noticed that the building/odditorium as they call it looks like it is falling into a sinkhole with its significant lean. That was just the start of the strange and unusual things we would find inside.

Read my Ripley’s Belive it Or Not Blog Entry

After enjoying the strange and unusual we again found ourselves wandering around Orlando stopping at a variety of different Souvenir shops before deciding to grab a bite to eat for dinner. First we stopped at Dick’s Last Resort where the place was more than 75% empty and were seated at one of their many communal style tables. Given the lack of patronage currently in the restaurant we spread out a little since it was kind of cramped and were immediately told we had to move back since they were going to seat more people next to us.

I commented that there are plenty of empty seats to fill before putting someone on top of us. I know Dick’s has a reputation for being crass and rude but the rudely put response from the server that he didn’t care and that we needed to move back or he wouldn’t serve us was more than I was going to tolerate. As a group we decide that we would leave and try a different restaurant more accommodating to our need for a little more space. As we got up another waitress asked us where we were going. I responded that we were leaving and again the obnoxious comments came forth. “What are you too good for us? Are we not high class enough for you prima donna’s she barked.” I simply replied “You hit the nail on the head there sweetheart” and we walked out to more of their chastising. I understand the concept of Dick’s Last Resort however at the end of the day the needs of their customers should be meet and when they aren’t and a customer decides to leave they shouldn’t be chastised relentlessly.

After our less than appetizing experience at Dicks we moved on and found a different restaurant where we got burgers and fries and had a great time. After dinner and the rain still pouring down we headed back to the resort to relax and get some much needed rest. After all we had plans for our last full day at Universal Studios.

Orlando Vacation: Day 5 - Safari Wilderness Ranch

In a change of direction and as a special treat we decided to get out of Orlando to enjoy a different kind of activity. Safari Wilderness Ranch allows its visitors and opportunity to see some of the more unusual animals found around the world to be viewed and in some situations feed.

It had been reviewed in the Fort Myer’s newspaper in February and while I was visiting my parents my Mom indicated a desire to check this place out. As she said it’s unlikely that they will go on a real safari in Africa as I had done several years ago and this place seems to offer that type of experience. 

We reviewed Yelp and Trip Advisor and just about every past visitor raved about the experience and so I suggested that if they were still in Florida when I visited Orlando in May that they should come up and join me for the day at Safari Wilderness Ranch.

As we got closer to my vacation it was clear that my parents would indeed still be in Florida and would be able to join us. I made a reservation based on the 10-day forecast and a plan was made. They would need to wake up pretty early to make the roughly 3 hour ride up to meet us. Our ride would only be about 30 minutes from our resort to the Ranch.

In an example of perfect timing when we got off the highway so did my parents and we arrived simultaneously. After a quick check in at their new barn we waited for the first group to finish feeding the Ring Tailed Lemur’s so that we too could enjoy the experience. Feeding the ring tailed lemur’s was an add on experience that I didn’t want to miss.

After a quick orientation from our guide and instructions not to get too close to the animals but rather let them come to you. Also never touch them. They can touch you but you can’t touch them and second don’t hold the grapes so close to you that they climb on you.

With all of that covered we entered the multi-gate enclosure. Once inside our guide gave each of us a few grapes and instructed us to pull them apart and feed them small pieces. With each piece the lemurs seemed to grow even more happy to see us and feed eagerly from our hands. They climbed their polls and the shrubbery all in an attempt to get more.  It was a fun experience and we managed to get a few great photos of us feeding these friendly animals.

Next we boarded a modified Short Bus. It had its roof and windows removed as well as the door and instead had a canopy to keep us out of the sun. Again we were instructed on a few rules designed for our safety and that of the animals and once done we were ready to go.

We proceeded to the first gate where we meet a heard of llama’s and a few very aggressive Ostriches who were eager to be feed by the guide. She went on to explain the other animals in this section of the park. Sadly there were so many I am afraid I couldn’t repeat them if I tried.

Next we moved on to another section of the park where we got to see Zebra, a Wild Warthog, a big rodent looking creature, a brown tailed lemur and some. Then we moved on again to visit the Asian Water Buffalo where we got to feed them by hand. It was a unique experience which we all enjoyed. I would recommend to anyone picking up some of the food at the barn to take part in this portion of the tour.

 

 

 

 

After that we moved on to see the camels both dromedary (1 hump) and Bactrian (2 humps). We learned that they are in a narrow but very long pen and that they work uniquely as border patrol between the sections of the park.

We visited a few more sections with more animals I can’t remember their names but the website lists the following types that you can see as eland, red lechwe, sitatunga, springbok, waterbuck, Grant’s zebra, greater kudu, Watusi cattle, barasingha, axis deer, fallow deer, water buffalo, scimitar-horned oryx, nilgai, and blackbuck antelope.

After a great time on safari we asked for suggestions for local good eats. I felt a little like Anthony Bourdain in Parts Unknown when we pulled up to the Red Top. It was a backwater bayou style place with the smoker out front in full use. We entered and it was like the music stopped. Clearly we didn’t fit in but they smiled and welcomed us to their establishment. We found a table in the corner and our friendly waitress made a few suggestions and we all settled on the Pulled Pork Sandwich with French fries and homemade Mac and Cheese. While the facility was a bit unnerving the food more than made up for the lack of hygiene.

After saying good bye to my parents we headed back to the resort for an afternoon lounging by the pool and floating down the lazy river. After a few hours of relaxing sun and aimlessly wandering around the weather turned a little and we ditched the pool thanks to the thunderstorms. Instead of sitting around we opted to head out and visit the Outlet Mall.

When we arrived the parking lot was grid lock. We managed to find a spot and made our way into the maze of a mall. We found a bunch of great outlet shots for some of my favorite retailers like Lululemon, Johnston and Murphy, Nike, North Face, Ralph Lauren Polo, etc. I managed to pick up 5 new shirts, 2 jackets, & a pair of new Air Nike’s and all for $250. The find of the day was the $295 North Face Jacket for only $34.00. The second find was the $168 Lululemon for $40.

After working up an appetite walking the mall we decided it was time for dinner. We grabbed dinner at the Bone Fish Grill where we had an exceptional meal. It fast became our favorite spot in Orlando to grab a bite to eat. By the time we finished eating and made it back to the resort we were all spent and turned in early.