Episode 29 - Vacation Part 2: It's A Process

Darron and Jeff follow up on a conversation they had back in November 2022 about the nature of vacations. If you haven’t heard that episode you might want to go back and listen (or maybe relisten) for context. The occasion for the conversation is Jeff’s return from a month-long summer vacation journey up and down the east coast. They discuss the general contours of Jeff’s trip, the experience of parenting while traveling with young children, Disney World, seeing and appreciating the country you live in, the terrible beauty of modern civilization, instant gratification culture, and the value of seeing ourselves engaged in processes as opposed to experiencing outcomes.

Notes:

• 4:12 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 26 - Vacation: The Pedantics & Semantics from November 2022

• 8:40 - Sometimes vacations are the opposite of fun, for more see this definitely NSFW clip from National Lampoon’s Vacation

• 15:39 - Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3D thrill ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• 18:20 - The Beach Club Resort at Disney is an amazing hotel that not only has the best pool in Disney, but is a quick 5-minute walk from EPCOT’s International Gateway

• 19:53 - Get a baguette and a variety of other amazing baked goods at Les Halles Boulangerie & Patisserie

• 22:00 - Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT’s World Discovery section is a simply astounding reverse-launch coaster that opened in 2022

• 23:49 - Try the famous school bread at the Norway Pavilion’s Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe in EPCOT’s World Showcase

• 28:48 - Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, Connecticut is known for its steamed cheeseburgers, which is a somewhat idiosyncratic style featured in this small region of central Connecticut

• 31:00 - See “The History of the Interstate Highway System” (US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration)

• 33:00 - Listen to the 6-part podcast series “The Road That Killed A City” from journalist Jim Krueger which chronicles the construction of I-84 through Hartford and its impact on the local community

• 34:25 - South of the Border, Wall Drug, and the Corn Palace are famous examples of roadside attractions that have sprung up all along the highways of Americas, some of which have now become destinations in and of themselves, in order to capture the money of travelers passing through on their way to more notable destinations

• 36:38 - The Tuskegee Airmen National Historical Site in Tuskegee, Alabama celebrates and commemorates the group of African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II

• 37:28 - Bahia Honda State Park and Curry Hammock State Park in the Florida Keys

• 39:05 - See “Florida ocean temperature topped 100F, setting potential record” (Phys.org, 2023)

• 39:51 - See “Duke Heat Expert: ‘2023 May Be the Coolest Summer For the Rest of Our Lives’” (Duke Today, 2023)

• 20:13 - See “Past eight years confirmed to be the eight warmest on record” (World Meteorological Organization, 2023) and “Hottest September on record puts 2023 on track to be warmest year ever” (UN News, 2023)

• 40:57 - Sleeping Giant State Park in Hamden, Connecticut

• 47:46 - Listen to Beautiful Illusions Episode 28 - Alcohol: To Drink, Or Not To Drink? from July 2023

• 48:52 - Watch the Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory Pure Imagination Scene