Friday, January 30, 2009

Trip Report - January 26, 2009

It’s been six weeks since my last visit to the park, so much for “twice a month”! I did have a couple chances earlier this month, but it was rainy or windy, neither of which are much fun at Disneyland. However, Monday (1/26) was a beautiful day at the park, crisp and clear, everything was fresh and clean.

This flyer was being handed out in the parking lot. What happened to the cool parking lot flyers like the vintage ones I post? This thing is just an advertising leaflet! Wow an annual pass for $5.42 a month, do you think anyone will buy it?






Half the folks coming to the park on Monday were buying it and in line at the ticket booths! This is around 11:00am, have fun with that line.






The main gate was basically no waiting and the rest of the park was at “low crowd” levels. I have to tell you, the park is sooooo nice when it’s not crowded; some areas of the park are virtually empty.






Check out that sky! This was actually taken as I left at 12:21, that clock is very accurate.






Pretty.






The castle looking grand with that blue sky background. Doesn’t the castle look much better without all its Holiday layover junk?






Did you know they sell medieval swords at a little shop in the Fantasyland castle courtyard? These “replicas” look pretty convincing to me. The cast member told me they are indeed “functional” and if you buy one, it get’s shipped to your house. You mean I can’t buy one of these any carry it around Disneyland all day??? By the way, they seam reasonably priced at $170 for “Excalibur” model. For some odd reason, I want one.






Fun to photograph, but spinning rides aren’t for me.






Three fences is doing well, the vines that were so green a few months ago (link) seem to have died off. See the older style of fence in January 1957 at Gorilla’s Don’t Blog (link).







Upon spotting this construction wall I figured “great, they are finally fixing that crack in the monorail beam”.







Nope, the walls are for some work on the ground. The crack has actually gotten worse! Here a photo from last month (link) at that time they had already patched it twice. Now its triple patched, leaking water (from where I don’t know) and other cracks have developed. I hope this is just cosmetic, I did see monorail purple pass over it a few times.






Far out ceiling, I’ve read this was going to be the style for the “Tomorrowland 2055” that never was. I’m not sure if I like it or not.






Daveland had a wonderful post yesterday (link) about the PeopleMover. One of the comments (from Mike who has an upcoming blog we can not wait to see) was that “three planters in the center of the Tomorrowland corridor (are) in the Goodyear corporate shape”. That's funny because on Monday I took this picture with the intent of asking if these were original 1967 planters and benches, well I guess they are!






Speaking of the PeopleMover, the north show building exit has a few of the 1967 tiles missing. That must be recent as always check out this area. I hope they have the tiles, they might be hard to re-order. Ps. they aren’t in the planter below, yes I looked.






Majestic isn’t she? Check out Gorilla’s don’t Blog again for a post on what the waterfall used to look like (link).






A new lunch favorite. I always avoided these gumbo bowls from New Orleans square because I thought it only came with clam chowder or some fishy stuff, but there’s a Steak Gumbo version that is yummy as can be!






Those little doors upstairs on the Stage Door Café are real, I saw the maintenance guy come out thru the middle doors.






Did I mention it was a beautiful day?




There's always something fun happening in Frontierland, these girls seemed to be having a good time.







Does anyone even notice this nice touch of old Disneyland? I do….






Oh boy, these “Celebrate” things are, well…… Hmmm, nothing nice to say really. They’re “bright”? The fake flowers won’t die? Hopefully those iron shackles don’t damage the 120 year old antique gas light posts?







Only in the last year have a sat in these chairs, it’s actually very charming and you have a marvelous view of Main Street and the hub. Hey, didn’t this used to be the House of Bra’s?






The AP center at the Bank of Main Street is about to become the Disney Gallery. I think they are going to tear out the current interior. I tried to get some photos of the interior since it is mostly original to 1955; even the vault is still there. But it was too crowded and crazy in there, my photos came out horrible. I’ll try again next week; yes I’m going back on Tuesday!






From a post of a couple weeks ago (link) this is a 1955/56 brochure cover for the Tops Motel in Anaheim.






This is the Motel as it looks today. The “Classic Motel” is more of a weekly/monthly rate place now, not too many Disneyland tourists I bet. The coffee shop is long gone, looks like they sold part of the lot to make a gas station. The rooms building is remarkably the same, time marches on, or does it?