After receiving my last paycheck, packing my bags, and saying a difficult goodbye to everyone I was close to, I left. It is very, very hard to leave a place where you are happy and loved.
Tip: Buy tickets in advance! Tickets are cheaper on Wednesdays than on other days.
The first city I decided to visit according to my plan was Orlando for one simple reason: the Harry Potter park!
Arriving at the Greyhound bus terminal and checking my hotel location on Google Maps again (because I booked in advance, the room cost me $28 per night), I headed into the city.
Tip: Greyhound bus terminals have outlets, Wi-Fi, restrooms, water fountains, luggage storage, and benches. They are open 24/7, so if you have nowhere to go before your next trip or nowhere to go at all, you know where you can stay.
In general, a traveler always has a choice: take a taxi, saving time but spending money; or spend time searching for and waiting for buses, but getting there for $1.25-2.50. No matter how attractive the taxi option looks, I recommend using buses, as you will see a lot of unusual and amazing things.
After reaching the hotel and washing up, I went to look for a supermarket. A nasty surprise awaited me here: it turns out there are no Walmarts in big cities. Some say it kills other grocery chains, others say Walmart takes up too much space; in short, I was left without my favorite snacks and ate at Wendy's. Fortunately, I had a supply of bananas and apples in my bag from South Carolina.
Disney or Universal Studios? For me, the answer was obvious! Arguments? Disneyland costs $200+, while a ticket to both Universal parks is $145. In Disneyland, the rides are for kids and not scary; at Universal, you will scream like crazy. It took a long time to get to Disneyland, while Universal was right nearby, a 20-30 minute walk. And yes, Disneyland didn't have the 2 Harry Potter parks (Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade), a Marvel theme park, and huge, cool roller coasters.
Tip: The vast majority of hotels in Orlando provide shuttle buses to Universal Studios, Disneyland, and the Orlando Aquatic Center completely free of charge. This usually happens at 9, 10, and 11 a.m.
If you could store happiness in jars, I would have made a huge supply that day. King's Cross Station, Diagon Alley, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Quidditch supplies, Ollivanders wands, scarves, sweaters and ties of all houses, a huge chocolate frog and a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, the dragon on the roof of Gringotts Bank breathing fire every 15 minutes, the Hogwarts Express (which I rode 3 or 4 times), Hogsmeade, butterbeer, a mediocre lunch at the Three Broomsticks, the Hog's Head pub, owl post, incredible rides simulating dragons, amazing and realistic sets inside Hogwarts, endless souvenirs, atmospheric surroundings and decorations, and Hogwarts itself, after all! If you understand what I mean, you can easily imagine my state of mind at that time.
You can ride any attraction as many times as you want; all that is required is to wait in line. I was lucky; there was a little rain that day, so there weren't many people, and I was able to ride, take pictures, and walk around the park to my heart's content. I wish the same to everyone who comes to this magical city!
In the park, I accidentally met 4 people from Kazan who also came here 7 years ago through the Work and Travel program! And in the evening at the hotel, I met two girls from Novgorod, whom I would later meet in Washington!
After chatting and making friends with the receptionist, I found out that his brother lives in Miami. I immediately told him about my future plans and my desire to go to that city and asked if I could stay with his brother. To which I received a positive answer and an offer to drive me to the bus station. Did I ever mention that I'm lucky?)
