Disneyland
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Susan and I just returned from the greatest Thanksgiving weekend we've ever
had. Los Angeles is the most amazing city in the world - if there's one thing
that defines it it's FUN. There's so much to do and see, and it definitely has a
distinct culture and feel. One of the most surprising things for me were the smells. The air quality was not full of pollution, and that infamous smog was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the intoxicating breath of the sea was present everywhere we went. I commented on it several times during our stay. The other thing that I loved about Los Angeles were the colors. Incredibly fanciful lighting displays dot every corner on every street. Even the most unsafe areas of town looked inviting with brilliant neon lights of every color. Our trip began with a flawless flight which included seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time. The pilot tipped the plane's wings so we could get an even better look, and what an amazing sight it was. The sun was just beginning to set and this cast an incredible array of colors all across the canyon. We met Susan's best friend Betsy and her husband Scott at the airport, then drove to Marina del Ray and met RRCers Robb and Sarah Alvey for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. The restaurant was great, dinner was fantastic, the conversations were effortless and funny, and we couldn't have had a better time. One thing that impressed me about this restaurant was the outdoor dining area. There was a large open flaming pit that served as a table for eight! A group of diners sat around a large brick pit with a roaring fire and enjoyed their dinner. The marina served as a backdrop - throw in a soft breeze that made the palm trees sway and it was a perfect evening. Later we went to Balboa Island, but first I had to run down to the beach and stare at the ocean waves. I wrote a message for Susan in the sand, then we walked along the pier, stopping at Ruby's diner which was closed, but Robb managed to get me a menu for my diner collection. The pier next to the ferry was great. There's a ferris wheel, a dark ride and some bumper cars. Robb and I speculated where the old Traver coaster that used to be here might have been located. We took the short ferry to the island and walked along the beach front. This is an absolutely incredible place! Every single house is stunning. They are rather narrow and bunched together, and they are the most immaculately kept, beautifully landscaped houses you've ever seen. And EVERY house has an open view to the public. No curtains are drawn and they all have floor to ceiling windows which allows pedestrians to view the interior of their homes. You could watch people just going about their regular lives, completely oblivious to the low lifes gawking at them on the sidewalk. The sidewalks were only about ten feet from their front windows so it was literally like pressing your nose against the glass. The architecture, landscaping and interior design of these homes was the most amazing I've ever seen. Hanging in front of many homes were those commonplace nylon flags, which Sarah found extremely irritating and which I found hilarious to watch her react so strongly. It could not have been a more perfect night. The next morning, Thanksgiving Day, we went to Disneyland. I had been to Disneyland once, when I was six years old. I had only vague memories, none of which I expected to relive. Boy, was I in for a surprise. Disneyland's entrance is a hassle, but it had the same effect on me as it did when I was kid - aren't we there yet? It took at least twenty minutes from entering the lot to entering the park. Once inside we went immediately to the preview center for Disneys California Adventures, the new Disney park scheduled to open in 2001. It *looks* beautiful! The park will only be located on forty acres however, so there aren't alot of rides. The roller-coaster looks nice, until you hear it being advertised as the first wooden looping coaster, which it is not. It will be made of steel, but built to LOOK like a woodie. That's bogus, dude!
Next we went to New Orleans Square for a trip through the Haunted Mansion. This mansion looks much cooler than the one I remember at Disney World. It's an old color of green and blends in well with the surroundings. It is also here that I realize Disneyland is much prettier than Disney World. Disney World has a much more artificial feel whereas Disneyland has a more intimate, traditional feel. The trees and vegetation are much more mature and dominate the view here, and the pedestrian areas and walkways are smaller and have a more varied gradation. The Haunted Mansion is great. The dining room scene was Susan's favorite of the trip. I was amazed at how long this attraction lasts! I really liked the combination of walk and ride-through. Our longest wait of the day was Splash Mountain. As crowded as the park was our wait was just over an hour, which I didn't think was bad. Like the Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain lasts for a good long time and the final drop is great! This is the best log flume I've ever ridden - certainly not the wettest, but definitely the best.
The ride. WHAT A RIDE!!! Oh my God, it was completely exhilarating - every turn had a surprise. I've never felt sensations like that, both visual and physical. Susan and I were screaming and clapping through the entire journey, and by the time it was over my heart was racing for the next fifteen minutes. I'm so glad we entered this attraction ignorant of the details. Sometimes knowing too much in advance can spoil the fun! We stopped for a bite to eat at the Bengal Barbeque. This place smells fantastic and the food is fabulous! I had smoked asparagus skewers wrapped in bacon and they were incredible. Disneyland has some great places to eat and the prices were not out of line considering the quality of the food. Next we went to the Matterhorn. I felt very deprived when I did not get to ride this at age six, so I was looking forward to it! While waiting in line I noticed the submarines sitting dormant in the lake. Such a waste, especially considering this was a highly popular ride among the public. I had low expectations for the Matterhorn. As a kid I thought it looked thrilling, but all of the video I have seen makes it look like a very slow ride. It's not! The Matterhorn is great! It rides like a mine train - no steep drops, but lots of fast turns and good speed right up to the end. I loved weaving in and out of the mountain and even the little splash down at the end of the ride. I was so taken with The Matterhorn I bought a pin for my collection.
I really didn't know what to expect, but this was like something out of the 50's - MY KIND OF PLACE. So old fashioned looking, with good country cooking. The restaurant is HUGE, it seats over 1,000, but it looks so charming, and the efficiency of the staff is amazing, particularly on such a food-oriented holiday! I followed Robb's lead all evening and ordered the traditional chicken dinner, which comes with chicken noodle soup, salad, three huge pieces of all white chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, a vegetable and pie for dessert. I can't even describe how good the food is there! Chicken skins has a whole new meaning for me now! And the biscuits. Oh my God, there were five of us and we went through two huge plates of probably 20-30 biscuits each. Susan admitted to eating ten of them! They're simply the best I've ever had. Adam Revesz would go crazy here. We also had boysenberry punch, which is so good Robb and Sarah had it served at their wedding! I'll never forget that evening. Thank you Robb and Sarah! We also went crazy over GhostRider. Um.....I can't talk about this right now or I'll go off. We were back at Disneyland before 9:30. The parade had just ended and the crowds dropped dramatically. Most of the rides were walk on for the rest of the evening, which is something I would have never expected on this day! We decided to quickly do Star Tours. Disneyland had many "bests" for me on this day, and Star Tours is the best motion simulator ride I've ever done. Susan said she liked Back To The Future just a little bit better, but we both thought Star Tours was awesome. As Robb said, "it's motion sim done the right way." Fred thought we should do "Honey, I shrunk the audience." I had seen the movie and liked it, but for some reason expected little from this attraction. I was SO SO wrong. "Honey, I Shrunk" was almost as much of a surprise as Indiana Jones! I've never seen a 3-D attraction like this before, and I loved it! First of all, the comedy was hilarious, right down to the cheesy "awards show" music. I jumped at everything, the effects made me scream and laugh and clap, and Susan was just as taken with it as I was. "Honey, I Shrunk" is my sleeper hit attraction at Disneyland, and it put my warm feelings about this park right over the top. At this time, something incredible happened which took me by complete surprise. All day, Robb and Sarah had purposely kept us out of a particular area of the park. I didn't even realize they were doing this since there was so much to see and do. By now, though, it was dark and they suggested we walk through Cinderella's castle, which was beautifully lit in a light purplish glow. We walked through the castle and passed by the carousel, which is where I thought we were headed. We passed by Dumbo and the Tea Cups, both of I which I really wanted to ride. We rounded the corner and Susan said "Oh my God!"
I lost it. I remembered it all. All those memories from the last time I was here when I was six years old came flooding back. And I suddenly started crying. I'm embarressed to admit it. I was completely overcome with the memories of a six year old. I stared at the scene in front of me and I just couldn't help it, I felt like a kid again. I cried through the whole ride, too. Robb and Sarah and Fred and Susan were nice about it. And even though I'm really embarressed, I'm glad it happened. I'm glad to know that I can still look at something with the happy memories of a child. I think "It's a Small World" is just the cutest thing I have ever seen in my entire life, and I hope all of you get to have a moment where your childhood comes flooding back in a moment of magic. Next we did Pirates of the Caribbean. This was my favorite ride when I was a kid. The attraction is almost exactly the same! It's every bit as delightful as I remember, and Susan thought it was great, too. She started laughing right when she saw the pirate's head talking at the entrance to the cave. This is such a cool ride, and it's great to know that rides likes this hold up so well over time. This is every bit as good as it was thirty years ago. I also was impressed by the Blue Bayou Restaurant which has been incorporated into the entrance of the ride. This is a *great* addition, and it really helps to set the mood for the ride. Jungle Cruise hasn't changed physically either! It still has the same scenes as years ago. What has changed is the tone of the ride, due to the addition of narrators. For me this is a big disappointment. When I first rode it you simply cruised through the jungle and listened to the music and sound effects of the animals and such. Now the emphasis is taken away from the visual and instead placed on the "witty" banter of the narrators. It doesn't work. Why take a ride that essentially isn't supposed to be funny and try to make it funny? Not one person laughed at anything the narrator said. The jokes were lame and sounded so canned and scripted that it just ruined the ride experience. I know this is something that is practiced on other rides as well, such as Jaws, but I think it's a mistake. Jungle Cruise is not a showcase for stand up comedians. We decided to do Indiana Jones one more time. This time the queue was much shorter, so we didn't get the opportunity to take in all the details of the queue. I'm so glad our first ride included that wait! Anyway, the ride itself was nearly as thrilling as the first time - that jeep really flies around those curves and I loved feeling the heat of fireballs! We made one last attempt to ride Rocket Rods, but the queue was 45 minutes and we were *exhausted.* Sixteen hours of Disneyland will give you Cedar Point feet for sure! So we left Fred at the queue and bid Disneyland a fond farewell.
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