Wendall -- every other Thursday
Disneyland provokes strong reactions in almost everyone –
they either love it or hate it.
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| View from the Blue Bayou Restaurant |
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| A reflection of Sleeping Beauty's castle. |
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| My hero, Carl Hiaasen, not a fan. |
And, as much as I was amused and horrified by
Carl Hiaasen’s book, Team Rodent, I’m still a baby boomer who grew up on
The Wonderful World of Disney, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Dumbo, Lady and the
Tramp, Alice in Wonderland, 101 Dalmations and beyond, so there’s still a
kid inside whose heart leaps up every time I get close enough to the Peter Pan
ride to hear the recurring strains of “You can fly.”
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| Getting ready to take off on the Peter Pan ride. | |
I love that ride so much, that I talked my publisher into
creating a cover for my book Fogged Off that is as close as I could get
to looking down on the London from those mechanical ships.
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| The closest I could get to that view of London inside the ride. |
We were lucky enough to visit Disneyland this weekend and it
sent me back to pictures of so many times James and I have been there during
our marriage and wondering what it is about the tea cups that I love so much.
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| Heading into Roger Rabbit. | |
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| About to take off on Dumbo. | |
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| Only James could look cool in a Mad Hatter hat. |
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| That damn sword just won't come out. |
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| Tea cups. |
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| Tea cups. |
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| Tea cups |
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| Tea cups, you get the picture. |
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| And again. |
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| Mouse-ear popcorn? Terrifying. |
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| Obligatory trip to see the Cheshire Cat. |
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| Every year. |
The thing I noticed most this trip was, despite
what must have been an equal number of “blue” and “red” supporters, any differences disappeared the moment anyone spotted Tigger, donned mouse
ears, headed into Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, or sported a silly hat.
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| A must. |
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| Try, but don't buy! | |
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| A different view of the fireworks. |
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| Rainbow! |
Plus, there was a rainbow over The Haunted Mansion.
So,
maybe there’s hope.
--Wendall
Posts
I haven't been since 1991 when I was there with my stepdaughter over Easter. We planned all the rides in order to avoid the crowds. That worked, but I think the poor kid was starving by the time we got to eat!
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, eating is always complicated. And the park is so much more crowded than it used to be, so it's harder to get on the rides. Still cheers me up, though.
DeleteI admit it would all freak me out. If a giant mouse came up to me and said hello, I'd punch it, run then check my medication. It's too weird. Stuff of nightmares.
ReplyDeleteHa!
DeleteMy son loves it, Wendall. Don't ask my opinion. Having said that, one summer during his college years when he was working near Orlando's Disney World, I agreed to go with him on one condition: we'd strictly adhered to a book by Stephen Birnbaum promising those who followed his instructions to the letter that they would see and ride everything the Park had to offer in one day. It was a dawn to dusk marathon...but we did it. Another bucket list item done. :)
ReplyDeleteLike I said, love it or hate it!
DeleteAs and Angelino, I went to Disneyland often as a kid--and even marched there with our marching band! So many wonderful memories (including the time when I was in college when a bunch of us ate pot brownies before entering the park. Now THAT was a trip and a half). Used to love to get the Monte Cristo sandwich at the Blue Bayou. Is it still good?
ReplyDeleteI had prime rib, so not sure about the Monte Cristo, but the food was actually better than I remembered in the past, so like everywhere else, they've had to up their game. . . xx
ReplyDelete