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Girl Power 2001 TR -  Day 1 of 6, Boardwalk Inn, Flying Fish Welcome to our trip report!  For those who don't know us, we are part of a family of four from a small town in Ohio.  The purpose of our 2001 trip was an all-girls getaway to our all-time favorite destination - WDW!  Hope you enjoy reading along. The P_layer_s: Joyce:  Age 35, AP holder, sixth time at WDW, Kelly:  Age 10, daughter of Joyce, fourth time at WDW Jo:  Age 8, niece of Joyce, first time at WDW. February 2, 2001 Finally, after months of waiting, the big day had arrived!  I had loaded our luggage in the trunk the night before - what a challenge to make it all fit! (Three women, six days, you do the math!) At 10:45 on the dot, I picked up a very excited Kelly at her school.  We then went to pick up Jo at her school about ten miles away.  We got there and I learned that my brother had already checked her out, but I couldn't find them anywhere!  After about 20 minutes of running around the school and checking all the parking lots, I finally found them exiting the principal's office where they had stopped to chat.  Whew!  Jo was all smiles as she waved goodbye to her dad and we set off for the airport.  The girls did some homework in the car on the way. Our 3:45 flight was on time and uneventful.  When we arrived at MCO baggage claim around 6:00 our Tiffany driver, Jack, was there waiting for us.  He quickly loaded us and all our bags into the car and whisked us off to WDW. Jack was very talkative and he told us all about his celebrity clients on the way. Before we knew it we were pulling up at the Boardwalk Inn.  The sun had set, and the lights at the Boardwalk were a beautiful sight to behold. I was so glad we decided to stay here!  While I checked in, the girls explored the lobby and got a good look at the detailed miniature roller coaster and carousel.  The lobby itself is elegant but not stuffy, with very detailed white woodwork including an ornately carved fireplace mantle.  The chandeliers are works of art incorporating both crystal and sculpture.  The walls are pale green and the floors are hardwood with area rugs in some places. We proceeded up the elevator and down a very loooooooooooong hallway to our room, #3226.  Along the way we passed a few reading nooks with sofas and chairs all decorated in cheery shades of blue and yellow.   We also went through a small atrium with a very impressive floral arrangement in the middle.  Our room itself was bright and cheerful.  A little feminine perhaps, but that suited us just fine.  We were still trying the lightswitches when the bellman arrived with our bags - talk about fast service!  Everybody staked out their dresser drawer and bed.  Jo wanted the daybed which was fortunate since she was the only one who could fit in it! I must tell you about our view from our balcony.  I wasn't expecting anything special, since we had booked standard view.  I was so pleasantly surprised!  We overlooked the rose gardens in front of the garden suites, and also had a nice view of the World Showcase skyline.  Across the courtyard was a quiet pool which was closed for maintenance, but that didn't affect the great view.  When I first stepped onto the balcony I was greeted by strains of music drifting over from the ToN parade.  What a way to start a vacation! After we unpacked, we enjoyed the room and balcony for a little while longer, then headed down to the Boardwalk for our PS at the Flying Fish Café.  This was just the beginning of the girls' enjoyment of the Boardwalk. Kelly spotted the ball toss game and desperately wanted to win a big Pikachu stuffed doll there.  She played every day of our trip, but unfortunately never won the darned thing!  They also checked out the face painting and hair wrapping booths and thought they were interesting, although we never got around to actually doing either.  Mostly, they just liked walking around, watching the Buskers, looking across the water, feeding the ducks, and browsing all the shops.  The arcade was nice too.  We spent some time every evening strolling the Boardwalk. It took a good half hour to get seated at the Flying Fish.  The restaurant was packed, which was not surprising for a Friday night.  We chose the Flying Fish for our first meal _base_d on all the excellent reviews we've read. This place did not disappoint! The restaurant itself is a real treat for the eyes. It is decorated in hues of rich purple and teal, with lots of gold, silver, and pewter accents. The fish-scale motif is cleverly carried out in many places from the tiles on the floor, to the pillars, to the brushed _meta_l doors leading to the shop next door. The vaulted ceiling is _embed_ded with tiny pinpoint lights which slowly change color, but you might not notice if you are busy checking out the whimsical flying fish chandeliers, the Coney Island mural, and amusement park ride sculptures on the walls and in the furnishings.  The kids had fun finding the items from the list of decorations on the back of the children's menu. One caveat though - this place is LOUD!  We could hardly talk across the table, and conversing with the waiter was even more difficult.  His French accent didn't help, but he was so delightful and attentive that all was forgiven and forgotten almost immediately!  This guy really knew how to amuse the kids - you could tell he was used to dealing with youngsters.  He also brought a couple of small water-filled toys which helped occupy the girls until their meals arrived. On to the food!  For an appetizer we ordered the Peeky Toe crab cakes. The cakes themselves are round like meatballs, chock full of tender delicious crab meat. They were served with a spicy sauce (horseradish in it, perhaps?) and some tangy cole slaw on the side. I liked the sauce but the girls didn't care for it, so I was stuck eating all the crab cakes myself. (the things we do for our kids