On Friday August 10th,
after dropping my lovely wife off at work and quick stop to top off the gas
tank, (No, you don’t have to worry; Pam got picked up from work Friday evening
by our youngest. J) With a full
tank and the trays loaded with a Book on CD in place, I hit the freeway and
started motoring south. About 8 hours
later, after hitting a couple of choke points along the route, and the
requisite traffic jams inherent to the L.A. driving experience, I was pulling
up in front of the Disneyland Hotel. A
half hour later, after checking into the hotel and a very nice room overlooking
Downtown Disney, I was in the check-in line for Destination D. One of these days I will learn to read all
the signs behind the check-in desk.
After giving with the gal in line for A-to whatever my name and not
finding it on the list, she ask if I was a Diamond level guest? With my yes, she point me the nice young lady
(Karen) sitting in front of a sign with a great big diamond on it. Doh!!!
Checked in for the next day’s event, and sufficiently merchandised, it
was off to the room to drop off my booty and on to DCA.
For those of you who
may not know, Disney California Adventure has been undergoing a major retrofit
for the last couple of years. I won’t go
into my deeper thoughts on the subject, but, suffice to say that, to me, DCA
has never really felt that much like a Disney Park. Yeah, there were a few things in there that I
liked, but we never spent a lot of time in that park. Well, this is the first trip ever, mostly
because of the short time I was there and my commitments elsewhere, which I
actually did not make it into Disneyland.
A real bummer, but, I will survive; I wanted to see the new additions to
DCA, and my beloved Corn Dog Castle was back in operations. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Red Wagon at
Disneyland too, but, a stop at the Corn Dog Castle has been a tradition since
DCA opened. It was one of the things
that drew us to DCA in the early day. So,
after renewing my annual pass at the ticket booth, it was off to the DCA
turnstile.
Approaching the
entrance to DCA, you’ll immediately notice the absence of the
C*A*L*I*F*O*R*N*I*A letters. Next, one
see the new turnstiles which have a similar design to those of Disney Hollywood
Studio in Florida, and a more 30’s feel to them. Also now missing is the Golden Gate Bridge
which I’d always felt looked a little out of place. As I walked into the park, I was fortunate to
have one the new Red Car Trolleys stopped at the end of its run near the gates
adding to the ambience of walking onto a 1930’s styled Los Angeles street, with
its stucco storefronts. As I came around
the corner, gone was Sunshine Plaza with its brass disaster of a sun, replaced
by a beautiful recreation of the Carthay Circle Theater – home to Walt Disney’s
1937 world premier of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This rendition of the Theater houses a new
Disney Dining experience called Club 1901 on the second floor with a Lounge on
the first. On what is now know as Buena
Vista Street, in front of the entrance to the Hollywood Backlot, sits the
newest sculptural addition to the Parks, the Storytellers statue. This is another statue of the Walt and
Mickey, with Walt appearing to the dress in an attire of his 1920’s arrival to
Los Angeles and Hollywood. But, unlike
the Partners Statue, raised and fenced in, in the hub over at Disneyland, the
Storytellers Statue is at ground level and accessible for guests to have their
pictures taken with it. All in all, my
impressions of Buena Vista Street are wonderful, with the shops along the
street well themed to that of the 1930’s.
A future trip will be need to give review to the new restaurant in the
Carthay Circle Theater, but, the reviews I have read are very good and give my
experiences with Disney’s other fine dining offering, I would expect nothing
less than excellence in 1901. Since it
was still well before dusk, and I was hungry, I bypassed Cars Land and headed
off to the Corn Dog Castle to satisfy that craving that had be building for the
entire drive down. I’ve had corndogs at
many places around the country and we have a Dog On A Stix here locally, but,
nothing is quite the same as a Disneyland corndog – dark, crunchy, and about 10
inches in length. Fresh and hot, dipped
in mustard, it is pure nirvana.
Corn dog fix
satisfied and dusk rapidly approaching, it was off to Cars Land. Standing at the entrance, I was immediately
reminded of the many trips we took from San Jose to Camarillo when I was a
kid. How many of you remember that the
101 we know today was but a future notion.
The highway ran through every little town between here and Los Angeles –
Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Salinas, King City… billboards advertising all the great
little roadside attractions and cafes along the route. But, looking down this Main Street, I was
immediately transport into the Radiator Springs of Cars. There’s Fillmore’s and Sarge’s, Flo’s and
Luigi’s, and at the end of the street, the Cadillac Range looms in the distance…
the tailfins of several years of 50’s caddies jutting out. And then as the darkness of night began to
envelop us, what I was really there the experience this evening. The speakers came alive with “Live Would Be A
Dream”, and slowly as the music played the lights and neon of Radiator Springs sprung
to life from one attraction to the next.
Again, I remembered with great fondness, those many trips south, most
often in the evening hours, and all the neon signs as we transited one small
town to the next. Remembering the movie
and being a child how came of age in the 60’s, I had been anxiously awaiting this
moment since I first learned of the building of Cars Land – I was not
disappointed. After the 400+ miles on
the road, and the fatigue that often accompanies elation, it was time to turn
in and prepare for the early morning events of Destination D. Arriving back at my room, I was in time for
the nightly fireworks display at Disneyland.
With the music piped into the room through the TV and a room on the 8th
floor of the Disneyland Hotel Adventure Tower – Downtown Disney side, the only
place better to watch the fireworks would be in front of Sleepy Beauty’s
Castle. It was an interesting
perspective to watch the show from a side angle. If you’ve experienced the fireworks in front
of the Castle, or even from the Esplanade between the parks, you would probably
think that the colorful bursts in the sky were coming from directly behind the
castle. Not So… the smaller bursts do
launch from the castle, but the large starbursts come from a backstage building
behind ToonTown. Just an interesting side note.
So, Cars Land, done…
corn dog, done… fireworks, done… time to head off to Neverland and a nights
rest for a busy day to come. One last
surprise for the evening, the lights on the nightstands have two switches, one
for the light and the other... well,
flip the switch and you hear “When You Wish Upon a Star,” I could be wrong on
the music but, as you listen to the music, especially if the other lights are
out, you notice the headboard begin to light up with fiber optic firework
bursts. There’s that special Disney
touch, and a really wonderful way to slip off to Neverland for the evening. Nighty Night Tink.
Next, Day 1 of
Destination D…
Your comments or questions
are always welcome. If you have a
correction or something you think I should look at in my research, please feel
free to contact me at mr.grumpyguy@gmail.com
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