It’s no secret to those who know me well that I would be ready to move to New York City at the drop of a hat. John, on the other hand, is hesitant to move somewhere so busy and would much prefer to go somewhere that we can get more house for our dollar, like Charlotte, North Carolina. So currently, we are at a standstill, living in Orlando and doing as much traveling as possible while we figure out if we will move and where it will be to if we do.
Last Wednesday was the kind of day that made me remember how much I will miss Orlando if we do happen to move. John and I woke up, went to the gym, and ate breakfast together. After work, we met up with my brother at my grandfather’s house. We spent a few hours there talking and relaxing before we decided to head home. On the way home, I told John that we should go stop and look at Diagon Alley. I knew that we still probably would not be able to see much but I had been having a rough couple of days and I knew that Universal could help cheer me up. Despite it looking like it might rain, John and I headed over to the theme park.
I knew that there were a lot of special events going on that the public wouldn’t be invited to but I had no idea what we were in store for when we arrived. There was a small crowd gathering around the London portion of Diagon Alley and behind some law enforcement, there was a red carpet with every major news outlet waiting. After spotting Mario Lopez, I knew that I should stick around to see what was happening.
Minutes later, Bonnie Wright, who plays Ginny Weasley, arrived. Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George) followed soon after. These four have been in Orlando for the past week filming different things for publicity for Diagon Alley. They also are known to come to the park from time to time. While I was extremely excited to see all four of them, I wasn’t terribly surprised that they were there. What I was surprised about was Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) arriving (and I may have even participated in some fan girl yelling). Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfloy, was one of my favorites from the group because he definitely spent the most time with the fans and he showed no fear walking into a noisy crowd of Potter fanatics. Robert Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), Warwick Davis (Professor Flitwick), and Helena Bonham Carter (the badass Bellatrix Lestrange) joined the party, making this not just a Harry Potter fan’s dream but an awesome experience for anyone who likes good films. Helena Bonham Carter has an amazing presence about her and she is so graceful, lovely, and unique in everything that she does. Matthew Lewis is extremely good looking but I was most excited to see Helena!
After the red carpet event, John and I starting making our way towards the front of the park, only to stumble into a fun. concert for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. We got there about 20 minutes before it started and we were easily able to find great standing room towards the middle of the venue. About 10 minutes after we showed up, there was a rush of people filling up every nook and cranny of the outdoor venue so we came at the perfect time. Jimmy Fallon was just as sweet and hilarious as you would expect him to be and fun. was absolutely amazing live. I could listen to Nate Ruess sing all day.
While listening to Ruess and the crowd sing “We are Young” under a starry sky with roller coasters soaring high above my head, I realized that for the moment, I’m really happy that I still live in Orlando and that adventure and spontaneity can find you no matter where you live on this planet.
