Look Out Disney California Here We Come

The Countdown Has Started

A new point of entry

Tomorrow June 15, 2012 the makeover of the old California Adventure will be open to the public.  The rethemeing of the park and the addition of Cars Land will be an exciting time.  No one will be thinking back to that first opening day on February 8, 2001.  Everyone will be looking at all the shiny new aspects of the park.  However, if you are going there this weekend, I would like to show you some of the things you won't see.  These sights have disappeared.  Some will not be missed but some will. So as you walk through these gates remember the the tings that went before.

As we look in retrospect, we find that some things lived side by side.  The California landmark roundup included a stylized replica of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The element served as a bridge for the Disneyland Monorail which serves as a transportation mode to shuttle to and from the Disneyland Hotel.  Therefore, last summer when the new DCA was literally unwrapped behind it the Golden Gate Bridge still stood.  I remember sitting under it last July for the shade on a warm afternoon.

Two competing dreams

The bridge was a big part of the entrance.  The area in front of the turnstiles of DCA and Disneyland is called the Esplanade.  As you approached the old California Adventure there were a series of large letters that spelled C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A.  They were great for  photos.  I always had my son stand by the A because his name starts with the letter A and my daughter by the letter C.  You guessed it her name starts with C.  Also the letters changed for the Christmas holiday.  

Give me an A

Not just an F but the World's Largest Tile Mural

No that's not my son 

The bridge itself served for Christmas decorations. 

Wow! A large crowd by old DCA standards

Oh By Gosh By Golly, It's Time For Mistletoe and Holly

Don't Forget to unplug the lights, Honey

When you crossed under the bridge, you entered Sunshine Plaza.  This was an area filled with places to stop and shop.  This was strategic for picking up those souvenirs before leaving.  Most people just rushed by these shops.  When I wasn't on a diet, the candy counter was Heaven.  There were shops to appeal to every age.  There was a toy store where kids could plead, whine, and promise anything if they could have that toy or game.  Moms, dads and grandparents gleefully purchasing those items to see the wonder in their children's eyes.  There was an emporium type store that sold shirts, key chains, and other California Adventure items.  I'm sure you'll still be able buy these items, but those shops are gone.

Fill that Mr. Potato Head with his angry eyes

Nonna can we have those toys?

Get me to the Candy Counter for some English Toffee

The largest postcard

Then you would walk across the plaza and take in the wave fountain that gave Sunshine Plaza its name.  The songs about California wafting in the air.  Songs like the Four Preps 26 Miles about Santa Catalina, Scott McKenzie's If You Are Going to San Fransisco, or the Beach Boys' California Girls.  Then, before you was the large metal Sun sculpture over the fountain.  Let's face it, we Californians are proud of our sunny days.

In the words of Randy Newman, "I Love LA (We Love It)

Restaurants will be gone.  Yes they have added a new Club 33 member only restaurant called "1901".  However, many non la dee da restaurants are gone. Yes, they have replaced some but if you were looking for that place you once ate, it will be gone.  

The first to go

Don't remind us of your corporate synergy

My favorite place to eat

How can you miss with this much fried food

Grab a couple burritos and ride California Screamin'

There's always pizza

I still miss the fries

Some places will still be there however some will have undergone cosmetic changes.  Restaurants, entire areas, and attractions will have had a make over.  The is especially true for the San Fransisco area.  The Palace of Fine Arts morphed into Ariel's Adventure.  The California Immigrant Mural too was removed for the Little Mermaid.  On Paradise Pier, the Orange Stinger has become the Silly Symphony attraction.  The poor Muscle Beach shout out, the Maliboomer is only a foundation.  The Bell X-1 breaking though the front wall of Taste Pilots Grill will have flown off. 

I still think eveyone should see the 22 minute movie 

Now the Palace of Lost Arts

Orange Stinger and the Maliboomer

Chuck Yeager is frowning

There are things that will not be missed.  When is a White Elephant a gigantic Pink Dinosaur?  Well it was the ugliest gaudy result of Group Think.  Trying to out do the tackiest roadside Route 66 curio shop, the Sunglass Shack. When they tore that one down they should have raffled off ten wackes with an 8lb sledge hammer to anyone who wanted to see that thing razed.  The money could have gone to charity.

Grab the hammer and give it 40 wackes

Luckily, Route 66 has been portrayed elegantly in the movie Cars.  Now, Cars Land will be open and we will all celebrate the newest additions but let's not forget that whenever we gain something we lose something.  But memories and photos are not lost. 

Cars Land is Waiting for us Just Behind this Wall

We will welcome the Disney Universe Cars Land.  We long to get to know you better. So let's go explore this new land together, let me know what you think.

This Week in Education Senior Trip

"But I want to go too."

Disney gives every grad a momento when entering.

If you read my blog you know that I am blessed with twins. A girl and a boy gave my wife and I an instant family. It has been an incredible journey.  We took them to Disneyland the first time when they were eighteen months. Anyone one would tell you they are Disneyland professionals. We did all things to acquaint them with Disneyland and its characters. We went to the theater to see all the new releases. They were loyal watchers of the Disney Channel. It isn't like I didn't enjoy any of that. Now for the first time it's happening, they are going without us. It is their trip to Disney's Grad Night. But this is not a trip to Grad Night only. They also go to Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain.    At Disneyland they get a Grad Night showing of Fantasmic. And the park stays open until 3:00 AM. However thats not late for two kids who just spent 24 hours at the One More Disney Celebration on Leap Day this year. If you haven't read the blogs for these yet check out posts on March 3rd, 5th and 11th . This will be a fun time for them. Neither my wife nor I got to go on this kind of trip. We both had jobs that we couldn't just up and take time off. I know while I mowed those rich kids lawns I was so jealous. Sweating in the hot sun while they got to do anything they wanted.  So I wanted to make sure my kids got to have things better.
This senior trip takes them from their school to Disneyland. They receive a park hopper ticket that allows them into both Disneyland and California Adventure. As I understand it this will be the first and only time this is supposed to happen. 

Wrist bands for safety.

"She's got a ticket to ride."

Disneyland is a controlled environment.  This is one of the benefits of this prepackaged trip.  We found this type of trip was excellent when they were in eighth grade on the Washington D.C. and New York trip.  Check the blog posts of the Time Machine Travelogue for information on that field trip.  As a dad I was, of course, missing them.  Thanks to cell phones it is easier to keep in touch.  My son is not the best texting messenger when it comes to my inquiries.  Now, we have driven this road once or twice a year for over ten years.  I thought he might have paid attention.  While he is traveling on the bus I texted. "Where are you?"  


He texted back, "On the road."  


After they arrived, I texted my son and asked, "What ride are you waiting for?"  


To this I got the best response of the trip, "The ride your daughter learned to drive on."  This made me laugh out loud.  He was going on Autotopia.  It fit with my theory that 90% of the people in California learned to drive on the Autotopia.  So, they were given a wrist band that identified them for staying in the park after it closed to the general public and they also got to attend a special performance of Fantasmic.  

 A new service that Disneyland offers is a photography card.  All photos taken are placed online and the card is used for identifying those pictures.  

Picture this

Also everyday and especially special occasions you want to ask for the events of the day.  If you notice anyone sweeping up or even ride operators, they have a pouch on their belt that has the event cards.  Just ask them for one they are happy to give you one.

Disco ball Mickey

When we were there for the One More Disney Day on Leap Day, my daughter saw the Grad Night Mickey Ears mortar board graduation hat.  The clerk at the hat shop told her that it would be best to buy the hat and have it monogrammed then because on Grad Night they sometimes sell out.  So she did and it was a good thing because the wait would have taken away from rides and fun time.  My son won this cute little penguin at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Mr. Penguini has agreed to model the Mickey Ear hat.  So they partied with their friends a until 3:00 AM.  They went to back to the hotel and started off early the next morning for Universal Studios.

Waddles when he walks for graduation

Universal Studios has several rides based on their movies.  I looked at my copy of the itinerary and I figured where they were so I texted my daughter, "How is Universal Studios?"  

Ride the movies Optimus Prime.

She texted back that she and two other girls, "We just went to the House of Horrors."


I texted back, "Was it scary?"


She answered, "omg yes!!!!"  I thought it might be like a wax museum, but it was like a Halloween fright house with Chuckie and the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  


They have just added the newest ride based on the movie Transformers.  Both my twins said it was a cool 3-D ride. Mr Penguini show us the flyer.

What could a Decepticon do to you

Later that evening they went to the Medieval Times for dinner.  This is a dinner theater based on the era of Chivalry.  It has all the trappings of the period.  Jousting and sword fighting is part of the display.  Dinner includes Dragon Blood Soup, tomato bisque; Roast Dragon, roasted chicken, and other colorfully named foods.  The girls were given Damsel Headbands and Veils to complete the princess ensemble.  The boys were given princely crowns.  Mr. Pinguini report to the runway please. 

Hit that runway Penguini.

A real fashion horse, uh, I mean penguin.

After they ate and finished at Medieval Times, it was back to the hotel.  The next morning they were off for one more Southern California theme park, Six Flags Magic Mountain.  Are you tired yet?  Well, high school seniors have a ton of energy and they were ready for the long lines of some of the most intense roller coasters in America.  This was the previous home of Mr. Penguini before my son obtained his service contract in a game of chance, shooting hoops.  

Working for a new agent, my son.

The end of the school year is here.  That is great thing.  Everyone says, "You teachers got it easy.  You don't have to work in the summer."  First that is not our fault, we don't make the calendar.  Also we don't get paid for two months.  We have to be industrious like ants and save, and not frivolous like grasshoppers.  I will still have This Week in Education in the summer to show you how we live in that time off.  

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