Mar 13, 2012 |
Yesterday was my last day at Disneyland. At least for a while. My annual pass expires in six days, and since I still don’t have one of those day-job-thing-a-ma-jig’s, I’m not renewing. Not yet.
So yesterday was my last day Disneyland. At least for a while.
Megan and I were finally able to go together. She drove. And I can happily say, I did not get us lost. She did. Or rather, her GPS did. We named the GPS Stella. Just ‘cuz we could. And while laughing about different voices a GPS could do, we missed an important direction along the lines of “In one mile, turn right.” Yep. We missed it. On the way to the Park. And Megan was driving. That made me rather happy (no offense, Meg!).
She says there’s a download application to have the GPS use different voices, and one of them is Yoda. So we started talking like GPS-Yoda: “Turn right, you will.” One of the features that kept us laughing is with the merging freeways, Stella would tell us, “Turn right, then stay left.” While the directions were appreciated, if you didn’t know how to interpret, it could have been pretty difficult. We imagined what would happen if we made a mistake and GPS-Yoda were guiding us. We could only imagine being told, “Stupid, you are!” So while we’re laughing at being told we’re stupid, we missed the whole “turn right” thing. Yup. That confirms it: Stupid, we are!
We hit some heavy fog on the way, which is rare for us. It was a little spooky, and lent itself to five minutes of telling ghost stories. Granted, the photo was taken as we’re moving down the freeway, but still… Creepy looking, isn’t it?
We made it into the Park, and this is where I sincerely apologize to Megan: she’s a die-hard roller coaster fan. I’m so not. With the altitude change and my lack of coordination, I get a little nauseous. So I don’t do rides like Space Mountain or the Matterhorn. She was relegated to the Kiddy Rides with me. And proudly announced it through the Parks: “The Kiddy Rides are just around the corner!” Yeah. Way to boost my ego, there, Meg!
I looked for the Engine Ears store so I could finally get my Mr. Potato Head, but they closed it down! No Mr. Potato Head anywhere. Talk about disappointment! But the rest of the day was a smash. We did the usual: Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, it’s a small world, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (I got a hideously great high score of 368,100; my best ever). We walked through some shops and attractions. I verified the heritage and family crest of my surname and almost bought a Narnian sword (okay, not really because it was almost $200… but a girl can dream!).
We ate some great Chicken Fusilli with garlic breadsticks. We talked about everything from our book series to Jimmy Hoffa to Man Stores to how young is too young for Disneyland?
I showed her one of my favorite spots: The Bench:
Here’s a close-up of the Plaque:
And then at the end of the day, I took this picture of us together. Awesome camera. But I’m still not very photogenic, especially after a day of intense walking.
Leaving the Park was harder than I thought it would be. I knew it would be hard, but I put it out of my head. Then we headed to the exit. And walked through. And it clicked: I’m not coming back any time soon. It was really bittersweet.
And so now I have a new goal: Find a job so I can renew my Pass. ASAP. And sell my writings. Sooner or later, one of these goals is gonna become a reality.
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
Oct 10, 2011 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
On Saturday, I took my daughter and her friend, Nathan, to Disneyland. Since we live in Southern California, we’re lucky enough to have annual passes so we try to get there at least once every two months.
This trip I spent some time alone, wandering through the Parks. Instead of riding the bigger roller-coasters, I slowed my pace, enjoying the shops and attractions. On Main Street USA next to the timeless favorite Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, I found myself pulled into the Disney Gallery, currently showcasing the art of Mary Blair. It was, in typical Disney fashion, quite magical.
This was a place with no young children calling and pulling their parents along. No loud noises. No big crowds. It was simply a journey into the mind and beauty of one of Walt’s favorite animators, responsible for the themes behind Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Cinderella. She was also the designer/inspiration for that iconic ride, it’s a small world.
Throughout the rest of my day, it was a pleasant surprise to see those little touches throughout the Park. Of course, we had to ride the ride together just after twilight. I’m not sure why we usually do it then, since it’s an indoor ride. For me, I think, it’s because the line is shorter and you have the added thrill of exiting the ride into the lit-up world of Fantasyland. It’s never the same. There are so many details that can be so easily lost in the larger picture. So there we were, Hannah, Nathan, and myself, floating smoothly and singing along to the soundtrack that’s as integral to Disney as Walt himself. I found myself ignoring the big picture in order to selectively view those dolls and settings created by Mary Blair. It was just as exciting when Nathan pointed out the doll for Cinderella, which he’d never noticed before, and when, after all these years, I realized that I’d known the entire soundtrack, including Italian scene lyrics, since I was a child (thanks, Disney long-playing records!).
The other thrill of the day, was finding a Hidden Mickey that I’d been searching for, for about two years. I’m not big on stopping traffic in order to look about. Disneyland works better, for me and others, when someone doesn’t suddenly cease walking and gaze about in foot traffic. With Hannah and Nathan over at Disney’s California Adventure, and no plan for the immediate time, I strolled again down Main Street USA, taking it the sights, sounds, and smells of a century ago. Slowly passing the areas I knew had Hidden Mickeys – those head-and-ears icons that are stylishly designed into the structure of the park. It can be quite a challenge to see them, as there often are people blocking the view. But not this time. I glanced up at a mock-door, and there they were. Two of them, in fact. One at the top, the other at the bottom. To make it even more special, it was on the door of the Casting Agency, with a painted quote by Walt: “It takes People to Make the Dream a Reality”. I immediately snapped a picture with my cell phone and sent it to Megan.
There were other new experiences as well. This is the third time all three of us have gone together, and each time we try to eat at somewhere new. My daughter’s favorite, Rancho del Zocalo Restaurante, was our first trip. She loves Mexican food! Our second trip, we stopped at my favorite, the French Market, sitting on the outside patio reminiscent of jazzy New Orleans and right next to the Haunted Mansion (always our first ride). But this trip, we chose to eat in California Adventure and found ourselves at the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill. Yes, another Mexican grill. But this one had different offerings, and they were just as uniquely delicious as Zocalo.
I rode Pinocchio’s Daring Adventure while Hannah and Nathan enjoyed “ElecTRONica”. Sure. It’s for young kids. But Pinocchio is my favorite Disney movie (he wears red, he’s Italian, it’s full of adventure and color… what’s not to love?!). So I took a ride. It was great. And not once did I feel awkward being alone (well, maybe just a little, but once I saw Jiminy Cricket, that feeling ended!).
They filled their afternoon with Tower of Terror, Space Mountain’s Ghost Galaxy, and the animation studios.
We ended the day as Nathan took us to D Street, a store in Downtown Disney District (which is a great place by itself, even if you don’t go into the Resort Parks). D Street is the place to purchase Disney Vinylmation: cute Mickey icons designed like, well, almost anything. It’s a new collection obsession that I have resisted for several years… until Nathan bought one each for me and Hannah. He collects the “blind box” ones where you can’t tell what you have until you open the box. That’s part of the fun, he says. Purchasing, keeping, and trading (I’d tried pin trading, but could never get into it… I like the few pins I have and don’t want to give them up…).
There’s all kinds of themed sets. I was hooked as soon as Nathan let me open a Star Wars blind box he’d purchased, only to discover it was a “chaser” that was more rare than the regulars, and necessary to the completion of his friend’s collection. Within five seconds, he was on the phone, arranging a trade.
Seeing our intrigue, he went into the store and purchased an “Animation Series 1” for Hannah, and a “Have a Laugh Series 1” for me. I thought it was cute and fun: I didn’t plan to get hooked. But apparently I am, because I’m already saving for my next Day at Disney.
After nearly 12 hours of walking, riding, shopping and seeing, it was time to head home. A short day by usual standards, but an exiting one.
All in all, it was a pretty great adventure: the familiar feeling of Disneyland, combined with the thrill of new experiences.
I can’t wait to go back. Each trip is an adventure.
