Look Out Disneyland Here We Come

Daddy I'm Hungry, California Adventure

As the song goes, "You make the change.  You rearrange me till I'm sane." Pink Floyd.

I'll miss the Wave Fountian and California songs the most

Across the way from Disneyland, where we parked when I was a kid is a separate theme park initially named California Adventure.  I wrote about the park in Time Machine Travelogue on March 30th's post.  The new park was not an overwhelming success.  There were some grand ideas.  Soon after they opened things started closing.  Most of them were restaurants. You literally could not walk a hundred yards without finding an eating place.  Restaurants were tucked into every corner.  The first time we went to California Adventure we planned to eat at more economical sites.  Saving our big ticket meals for Downtown Disney.  I'm sure that the reasoning was to give as many guests as possible options.  If you were spending four days at one of the Disney Resort Hotels, you wouldn't eat every meal at California Adventure.  The park also had shorter hours not opening until 10:00 AM and closing at 9:00PM.  So the grab and go was mostly the type of restaurant.  Of the different areas of California Adventure, the Hollywood Studio is a good place to stare.  There was a spot we passed up the first time we went there and that was a mistake because it soon disappeared.  Hollywood and Dine, clever play on words eh. It was themed to be a commissary located on a Hollywood Studio's back lot.  However, it was just a food court.  You travel hundreds of miles and spend hundreds of dollars to eat at food court.  I don't think so.  Like all mall food courts it offered different food choices. They all had clever names though.  There was a burger joint called Wilshire Bowl.  If you want pizza, the Villa Carpi would be there for you.  Hungry for Chinese food?  Then, Don the Beachcombers would be your stop.  If you wanted a $8.00 tuna fish sandwich step up to Schwab's Pharmacy.  You never know you might be discovered by an agent and made a movie star.

A very good dog

Cross pollination corperaton style

We walked away and opted for Award Wieners, a gourmet hot dog stand and the french fries were great.  At the time it had very limited sidewalk seating, but an area that was part of the Muppets 3D attraction's queue was reassigned for table seating. Originally, they had Soap Opera Bistro.  It was like dinner theater with the backdrop of ABC daytime soap operas. Scenes and sets from familiar daytime shows were used by actor/ wait persons serving up food and involving the guests in the drama. Port Charles, All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital were the shows that were used.  It too closed and reassigned as a stage show. Now no food is served there.

Wolfgang where did you go

Many changes have happened in the Paradise Pier region of California Adventure.  The legendary Wolfgang Puck was a Southern California chef.  So with his name recognition a restaurant at California Adventure seemed like a great idea.  They built a lavish interior setting and the food I'm told was phenomenal.  We knew that we were returning with the sponsor, my mother, in December so we would wait.  Bad idea it was doomed to failure.  Most restaurants suffered this fate and soon Wolfgang was gone.  It went through a change and became Ariel's Grotto, a character dining experience.  We have been to this dining spot when my daughter was into Disney Princesses, especially Ariel.  They have a unique menu option.

All the characters are dressed in sailor attire

For a single price you receive a starter, main course, and dessert item, and you have different choices in each category.  You get to mix and match while characters like Mickey, Minnie, and Chip and Dale circulate mingling with guests for photos.  When you arrive, Ariel, seated in a clam shell, is there for personal photos.
At one time, there was an agreement between Disney and The McDonald's Corporation.  You remember all those toys given out in Happy Meals?  There was a couple of McDonald's french fries places in Disneyland.  Burger Invasion was a limited menu McDonald's at the west end of Paradise Pier.  It was closed when the mutual agreement was dissolved in 2007.  However, Paradise Pier was changing.  Pixar was taking over.  One of the best changes was the opening of Toy Story Midway Mania.  To make room for this addition two walk away food service spots needed to be closed.  Malibu-Ritos and Strips Dips "N" Chips were removed.  The chicken strips and fish and chips were moved to Bountiful Valley Farms.  My family enjoy the chicken strips and the fish and chips.

If you're hungry for this go to the Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland

Ooo fried food

Never ate here and now its gone

I wonder what they will replace it with

I always thought they were not from this Earth 

The have reassigned the area where Pizza Oom Mow Mow and Burger Invasion and replaced them with Paradise Garden and Grill and Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta.  I haven't had an opportunity to eat at them when we went to the parks for One More Disney Day on Leap Day this year.  The choice for us on the afternoon and evening we spent at DCA was the newly reopened Corn Dog Castle.  It was a great treat to take the edge off while you're waiting for one of The Wonderful World of Color water and laser show.  And it was fantastic and cold on the February Night.

Pizza pizza everywhere

Couldn't they just put in a different attraction

My wife's sister could believe over $30 for five corn dogs

My wife always takes first bite

 The food court concept did not disappear when Hollywood and Dine closed down.  The Pacific Wharf area was a food court al fresco.  There is no inside dining but there are plenty of outdoor seating.  Also in that area is a beer wagon and a margarita shack.  The margarita place was named Rita's Baja Blenders. The anchor restaurant is the Pacific Wharf Cafe`.  It is reminiscent of the restaurants of Monterey and San Fransisco.  The San Fransisco sour dough bread has been famous for over a 100 years.  The best bakery for it in the City is Boudin Bakery.  Thousands of people have carried home sour dough from Boudins all over the world.  Airports have seen the arrival of loaves of this bread around the United States and many countries of the World.  They, of course, have clam chowder served in a hollowed out bread bowl along with sandwiches and salads.  Also, they serve breakfast and have great breakfast pastries.

Take a couple of loaves back to your room or home

Something strange also occurred in this area.  They stayed with the with the food court concept, however the restaurants switched sides.  They serve food court styled dishes.  Luckily, I live in California and have many locally owned restaurants that serve much better food of these genres.  The Mexican food place is called Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill.  I have seen plates ordered by others and the food is appealing looking. I suppose you could grab a margarita or a beer and have a relaxing break.

Try the carne asada and chicken tamale

The other mainstay of every mall food court is Chinese food.  At one time they had a gourmet fortune cookie window connected with the restaurant.  However, I didn't see it anymore now that they have switched sides.  The Lucky Fortune Cookery is like many mall places.  We all have eaten at restaurants like Panda Express which this food resembles.  Traditional rice bowls contain rice and a choice of entrees.  Chicken, beef, or tofu is served with different sauces like Teriyaki, Mandarin orange, spicy Korean, and Thai curry.  However, with so many food choices I think I could find something better.

Pacific Rim Foods

With all the current retheming that is going at what used to be called California Adventure and now called Disney California Adventure is an area known as Condor Flats.  In that area, the is an excellent food choice, Taste Pilots Grill.  They have good old fashioned American cuisine.  Barbecued ribs, Angus hamburgers, and french fries and onion rings.  It also a short from the Grand Californian Hotel so it is a good first stop when you reenter the park after your swim.  The put in space-age self-serve electronic kiosks so that you could place your order.  I don't know if these will be removed now that the area will be reassigned.  One thing that has already flown away is the rocket busting through the front of the building.

Where good taste is rocket science

As we get ready for our annual Summer visit and the opening of Cars Land, we will get pictures ready to show the transformation to the new Walt Disney's era California.  Please comment if you want any special pictures or information.Try these links

Time Machine Travelogue Ten

This One May Make You Cry

Many have sacrificed for our freedom

The time machine started as just a small singularity.  The problem was increasing the size of the worm hole large enough to send something back in time.  As a first step you need to send a small mechanical device back in time.  Then it, it hates it when I call it it, sends singularity back at the speed of light to home.  Because of Einstein's Time Dilation the front of the worm hole is only a few seconds however the original point time is different.  This allows me to then go back in time to the point in time at the given coordinates.  So returning to Washington D. C. only meant leaving the robot behind.  So we are going visit some of the most moving sites in our nations history.  So grab a handkerchief or some tissue, you may cry.  I know I will.  Here comes our opening, and away we fly.

There are many memorials in Washington D.C.  No trip could be complete unless you visit these.  We got to see many of these sites and memorials.  As a child of the Sixties, seeing the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial was especially emotional and moving.  No matter what you thought about the war whether you were for it or against it, you need to see that black gash ripping through the landscape.  It tore our country apart.  Unlike today the war touched nearly every family.  Males 18 years old and older were subjected to the Draft.  The Draft impacted poor families, Black families, and Hispanic families the most.  Some men and 18 year olds escaped through deferments.  For a while college students got deferments.  Friends and families were interrupted by the War. We all had friends who were drafted or enlisted to allow them to choose there service.  We all read in the papers or  heard from friends that someone we knew, "Gave the last full measure of devotion."  The architect May Lin's design helped honor the Viet Nam Veterans and heal a nations wounds with her design.  There are ghosts in the wall.  As you step toward it, the reflection is like your loved one moving toward you.  It lists the names of those 58,000 plus Americans who lost their lives.  It starts out small and grows.  Many people make crayon rubbings of the names of their hero.  Also people leave articles behind which archived.  Medals, Service Ribbons, and even old and worn jungle boots.  Tears are also left behind but they evaporate and rejoin the Earth's water cycle.  You will be touched again just step outside when it rains and snows.

Baby Boomers faced Hell

It should have stopped before we reached 58,000 +

Ghost in the Wall

How many friends did you lose?

They were decorated even in death as the living
pass their medals on to those who are never coming home.

 The eighth grade students are not the most sensitive to the gravity of the deaths of people who died in war.  But they have because of history class the knowledge our Sixteenth President, Abraham Lincoln. They were refurbishing the Fords Theater  the site of the April 15, 1865 assassination of the President.  We did get to go to the house across the street were he was taken and survived his last time on Earth. This made a connection with our textbooks and reality of the actual events of history of our country.  Mix that with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial and you understand his importance.  The Memorial is huge as you walk up the steps seeing Abraham Lincoln seated there with some of his most famous quotes is inspirational.

President Lincoln was Assassinated here at the Ford's Theater

He was taken here for medical care.

Let us not forget that madmen cheat "We the People" out of our government. 
"A government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not 
perish from the Earth." A. Lincoln

This room saw the death of a President and a great man.

Many schools do field trips to the Lincoln Memorial

The greatness of mankind found in one man.

By the time you get to eighth grade, you should know that Abraham Lincoln was the President who preserved to Union. There was an attempt to divide the United States by some states in the South seceding to form their country, the Confederate States of America. Because of this action a Civil War broke out between the two different factions.   In order to preserve the Union, Abraham Lincoln called up the Union Army. The South who started the war picked as their leader of their forces a legendary general, Robert E. Lee. The Lee family had an estate across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.  The land surrounding this estate became Arlington National Cemetery. Many of our hero and soldiers are buried or interned here. You know you are on Holy Ground when you see the rows of grave markers.  Also there is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

They fought for you and me.

The former Lee estate

I hope they found peace.

How can you not be moved?

We children of the Sixties suffered through other tragedies. We had to endure the killing of our dreams. The first was when I was a freshmen in high school.  It was a nice day on November 22, 1963. Then during the early morning passing period, we got the news.  Our President John F, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. It was the first punch of the combination that sent us reeling.   It was profoundly sad. Later he was buried at Arlington national Cemetery. They placed an Eternal Flame on the grave site to memorialize the first President born in the Twentieth Century. Later his wife   Jacquelyn was also buried at the sight.  That definitely was a gut punch.

Jackie Kennedy inspired American women as First Lady.

I still remember that awful day.

A memory recalled in the fleeting dance of the Eternal Flame.

The second was the assassination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King.  I was in Seattle for spring break when it occurred.  They had a huge march to commemorate his life and achievements. Sometime had passed and the suddenness still hit us hard.  There were riots in many cities and if it wasn't  for this man and his remarks on the assassination Indianapolis might have erupted also.  The man was Robert F. Kennedy. However, on June 5, 1968 a devastating knock out punch destroyed our dreams. Robert F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin. I had met him. I heard him speak and saw him sweep his hair off his forehead. I got to shake his hand and look him in the eye. I was a college student and I was writing a term paper on the psychological effect of the draft. I got to ask him his stance on the Draft and got a quote from him on "the inequities of the present draft system and the hypocrisy of student deferments."  On that June night I stayed up to watch his victory speech for his win in the California Primary. It was a moment of joy. Then our dreams were literally shot down by a single zealot with a gun. Robert too is interned at Arlington in a site near his brother.

Robert Francis Kennedy's Memorial

A man who gave America's youth hope.

Reflect on the United States living up to its Credo.

You cannot go to Arlington Cemetery without going to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. These souls fought and died for our freedom and because of circumstance we were unable to identify them.

Known only to God

Just outside of Arlington is the Marine Corp Memorial. We all have seen the iconic picture of the Marines raising the American Flag on Mount Suribachi, the highest point on the Island of Iwo Jima during World War II.  The picture is recognized by every older American and most younger Americans.  At the Marine Corp Memorial, they have erected a statue of Joe Rosenthal's Pulitzer Prize for Photography picture.  Walking toward the statue you recognize the scene as you would a picture.  Then, your brain realizes that it three dimensional.  As you walk around, you are moved by the honor and victory of the moment and the men.  It is symbol of the Marine Corp, the Greatest Generation, and every American who served and waited for Victory.  I felt small and I felt great walking around the Statue.  Small because I have never reached their level of determination and sacrifice and great to know that I am an American and a descendant of a service member.

The mystic of the Greatest Generation.

Twenty-seven American military men received the Medal of Honor
in the Battle of Iwo Jima.  Twenty-two were Marines.

Every US Marine knows and does his duty with honor.

Semper Fi

Well, the box of tissue is gone so I am heading back home.  It seems like times have changed but there are still young service personnel in harms way.  Politics are still dividing our country.  However, when you see these memorials you realize that we all share so much.  We cannot change the past but we can change the future.  
The robot has dragged the singularity and is holding it open for our return.  See you next time.  Who knows where we will go next time.

Look Out Disneyland We Have 50th Anniverary Pins Two

Let's Visit the Golden Rides

I offered to send him this picture after he stepped in front

The Golden Rides at Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration were a reminder that there is continuity for all of us who ever visited the park.  Rides have come and gone but luckily some of the originals remain.  I am always amazed at some of the changes that have occurred.  Some of them are for the better and some aren't.  Some have worked and remained and some just faded away.  Does anyone miss the Rocket Rods.  Many of the attractions also received upgrades.  One of the original attractions that has changed over the years is the Jungle Cruise.  Scenes have been added.  There is a story that Walt Disney once overheard a mother telling her child that they didn't need to ride the Jungle Cruise again because they rode it last time.  This is said how he came up with the idea of plussing the attractions.  It is the subtle changes that keep the rides fresh.  Different animals where added over the years.

The Congo Queen

The cruise steams on multiple rivers in the World.  Elephants, tigers, even piranhas have been added.  Hippopotami have endured gunshots to scare them a way from the boat.  Then, the guns where holstered and now they have returned.  The new two story boat house to hold the waiting queue made it feel like you are readying for a cruise in a different era.  The steamers are named for the rivers they sail.  There has been many changes that plussed this attraction. The jokes that the Skipper tells even change depending on their personal style.  This can make every ride different.  However when we pass by Schweitzer Falls,  I wait for the classic joke of all time, "Look to your left and you'll see the backside of water.

We all drive a little Goofy

When I was a kid growing up in Southern California, there was a change that was occurring that actually brought the Future.  Therefore, this July 17, 1955 original has literally driven us into the Future.  Even before President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act, some of us were already driving on the highways of tomorrow.  The Tomorrowland Autopia gave us young drivers freedom to motor freely.  Too freely then perhaps because the cars weren't confined by the center block to control over steering.  The sightseeing over the years have been futuristic.  Driving along seeing the Monorail track looming overhead gave the ride a guarantee you were seeing the future.  The cars have been changed and the queue has been improved in 2000.  I am convinced that 90% of California Drivers leared to drive on the Autotopia.  Next time, you pull through a drive-thru at any fast food place look around and notice.  Does this causeway remind of something?  I bet you'll go, "It's the Autopia."

Grinning like a Cheshire Cat

In 1983, the New Fantasyland was introduced.  The architecture changed.  Gone was the tent-like  Renaissance festival look and the Black Forest Bavarian took over.  Some of the attractions were moved and updated but they remained loyal to the original Disney themeing.  When my brother and I visited Disneyland as children, we loved to ride the Mad Tea Party.  We loved to spin it as fast as we could.  That dizzy feeling was so cool as we walked away.  In those days, the cups only had a strap across the opening.  Now of course now there is a door.  Moving it over near Alice in Wonderland made a lot of sense.  It too has been plussed with party lanterns adding to the ambiance.

A ride for a Princess

There is one thing that is always thrilling, looking through Sleeping Beauty Castle and seeing the King Arthur Carousel.  The Carousel has been a constant in Fantsyland.  Walt Disney it is said had fond memories of the carousel at Griffiths Park. He scoured the country looking for carousel horses.  Most of them needed refurbishing.  But the attraction always has been beautiful. When my children were young, they both enjoyed the ride.  However as the years went by my son enjoyed it less.  Probably most boys do.  My little princess loves to ride it to this day.  She is not the only one I see a lot of teenage girls on one of those steeds riding like Mary Poppins and Bert.

If you arrive for Early Entry or a Magic Morning, you should go straight for Fantsyland and get in line for this attraction, Peter Pan's Flight.  The line for this ride can back up in a hurry, and why not.

I'm Flying

This ride allows you to sprinkle on your Fairy Dust and fly away from London and soar to Neverland like Peter Pan.  The movie Peter Pan came out in 1953 and was the first movie that I ever remember going to.  Boys love adventure and Peter Pan had it all.  He lived in a magical place, Neverland, with a gang of Lost Boys.  He has friends that are Indians, Mermaids, and a pixie named Tinker Bell.  He has sword fights with pirates that included their captain, Captain Hook.  He lost his hand to a Crocodile that loved the taste and pursued him after that looking for another hand out.  I have known a lot of grown men who are Peter Pans never wanting to grow up. We rode Peter Pan's Flight eight times before the Twins were able to secure a ride in the Golden Pirate Schooner.

Ride 'em Stitch

There is no more iconic Disney attraction than dumbo the Flying Elephant.  This ride outwardly recognizable. There are no other flying elephants around.  Dumbo was always cool because you got to operate him. If you wanted to go up and stay up you could. There use to be only eight Dumbos at one time now there are sixteen. They cannot put more Dumbos into service so the wait time can get long sometimes. But as the line moves and you near the front, you are watching and anticipating your turn. Then someone comes along and hands you a large black feather. The same kind of feather that gave Dumbo confidence he could fly. This Magic Feather is your ticket for your flight with Dumbo. I'm glad Stitch is enjoying his Dumbo ride. What about you Stitch fans?


The next attraction was from the Wind in the Willows.  It was a segment of a two part film called The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.  

"Merrily, Merrily Now We Go Totally Perpendicular"

The Ichabod segment was shown yearly on or around Halloween because it was an adaption of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Everyone knows the story of Ichabod Crane.  It was a delightful story told by Bing Crosby.  However, I never really saw the Mr. Toad segment until it was released on video.  On the ride you drive recklessly much like Mr. Toad did.  You crash through everything in the house then continue out into public.  You then meet a train in a tunnel and you get to experience the heat when you land in Hell. While you are motoring along, you have the background music from the Mr Toad segment, "Totally Perpendicular."  We always ride this attraction early also. 


Lastly, we have the Storybook Land Canal Boats.  This is a voyage through a mini depictions of Disney films and shorts. 

Generally there is a pretty girl operating the Canal Boats

The "Lilliputian effect" viewing the miniatures as you sail along.  The other amazing thing about the attraction is the landscaping.  Bonsai styled trees are in place.  Everything is to perfect scale.  They use succulents to create a patterns and designs. You cruise though Monstro the Whale's Mouth from Pinocchio to reach Storybook Land.  Which canal boat did they refinish to be Golden?  It was the the Tinker Bell, of course.  
This brings us to the end of the Golden 50th Anniversary pins.  Disney knows how to celebrate.  They knew that everyone of would want to celebrate and remember his event. That is why this collection is so memorable.  Soon, we will investigate another set of pins hat was sold during the 50th Anniversary, the Magical Moments pins.  Thank you for reading and if you have a special pin request please leave me a comment.  See you soon in Disneyland.