Photo on Explore March 13, 2008 at #365.
This photo was taken at dusk from the Dolphin Resort. Spaceship Earth is in the distance behind the water taxi activity at the Beach Club Resort.

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While attending a conference in Denver, Colorado, we had a chance to spend some time at the 16th Street Mall. It's located downtown and has a lot of cool restaurants and stores. We had a great time in Denver!

The 16th Street Mall is a pedestrian and transit mall in Denver, Colorado. The mall, 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) long, runs along 16th Street in downtown Denver, from Wewatta Street (at Union Station) to the intersection of 16th Avenue and Broadway (at Civic Center Station).

The 16th Street Mall opened in 1982, originally from Market Street to Broadway, and was designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. While I.M. Pei is often credited for the distinctive rattlesnake pattern found in the mall's granite pavers, Pei credits the design to his partner Henry N. Cobb.

The Mall was extended from Market Street to Wynkoop Street in 2001 and to Union Station in 2002 to coincide with the completion of the Central Platte Valley (CPV) light rail spur. Before 1982, 16th Street was still a shopping and business destination that was home to four major department stores and many office buildings.

Currently, the 16th Street Mall serves as a nexus for the major businesses downtown as well as the various tourist attractions that are nearby.
(wikipedia)

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Disney's Monorail Red passes through the Grand Floridian Resort. It's being used as an Express Monorail, traveling counter-clockwise, and stopping only at the Magic Kingdom and The Transportation and Ticket Center. The Resort Monorails, traveling clock-wise, make additional stops at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian, and Contemporary resorts.

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The main stairway in the lobby of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. We've never stayed there, but we always find time to visit. The lobby is beautiful!

Reached Explore January 18th, 2011 at #439. Thanks everyone!

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed luxury hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The property opened on June 28, 1988 as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997. The resort contains 867 rooms among six buildings at an average of 400 square feet (37 m²) per room. A standard room can sleep up to five people. The resort is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

The Grand Floridian is categorized as a deluxe resort, one of four types of accommodations at the Florida site. According to The Walt Disney Company, it is considered Walt Disney World's flagship and most luxurious resort. The resort has received designation in the Florida Green Lodging Program.

The hotel was inspired by the Victorian era beach resorts built along Florida's east coast during the late 19th century and early 20th century; its exterior is modeled after the Hotel del Coronado in Coronado, California, with red gabled roofs and white walls. Additional design inspiration was taken from the Belleview-Biltmore Hotel in Belleair, Florida. The resort's outer lodge buildings — Sago Cay, Sugarloaf Key, Conch Key, Boca Chica and Big Pine Key—are named for islands in the Florida Keys. The hotel's main building features a five story lobby, a cage elevator, stained glass domes, and Italian marble floors. The lobby is similar to the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver.

Initially Walt Disney wanted a Polynesian resort (reflecting Adventureland), the Contemporary Resort to echo Tomorrowland, and other resorts that mirrored the 'lands' of the Magic Kingdom. Main Street and The Grand Floridian act as analogous reflections. The resort was designed by the Disney company and executed by the architectural firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo.

Along with Disney's Polynesian Resort, the Grand Floridian sits on the shores of the man-made Seven Seas Lagoon near the Magic Kingdom. The hotel occupies land that had been earmarked for an Asian themed resort during the initial development of Walt Disney World Resort in the late 1960s. As of June 2007, smoking is permitted only in designated outdoor smoking locations. In 1992, a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) convention center opened adjacent to the hotel, which contains a business center.

The hotel has completed some major renovations over the last couple years. In 2007, all the guestrooms were redecorated and flat panel televisions were added. The lobby has gone under a major transformation since its beginning. Italian marble was put in to replace dated beige and pink tiles. There are even some mosaics of Disney characters near common places such as the main entrance, monorail station, and elevators. Also, new carpet was installed in May of 2010.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Floridian

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The courtyard and walkway behind Disney's Beach Club Resort at Walt Disney World.

Disney's Beach Club Resort is a New England-style Disney Deluxe Resort, shaded by broad oak trees and lapped by the gentle waters of 25-acre Crescent Lake.

The lake is the site of lively family activity—its surface dotted with rented watercraft and catch-and-release fishers. Stormalong Bay—a water wonderland located within the Resort—features waterfalls, a lazy circular river, a waterslide, an elevated tanning deck and Hurricane Hanna's Grill, a poolside counter-service restaurant and bar.
disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/beach-club-resort/

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