Friday, October 8, 2010

Disneyland - Is it Just Me? (Part II)

Due to overwhelming popular demand (literally 3 out of 4 readers), today we offer Part II of my list that answers the question, "Is it just me or...?"

Is it just me, or...
  • is it time to let the Jungle skippers ad lib a bit more?
  • does this Turkey leg meat look weird?
  • was that a big band playing at Plaza Gardens the other day?
  • could the "Partners" statue on the Hub go back from whence it came?
  • is little Leota just a tad...stimulating? (Hurry baaackk. Hurry ba-aaaack.)
  • could you go for a soft pretzel from the Mile Long Bar (extra salt, please).
  • can anyone drift into a nap while clacking 'round on the Disneyland Railroad on a breezy day (ahh...)
  • is just about everyone done with the Chevron cars and lame "jokes" at the Autopia queue? (I get it...birds poop on cars. Got any other material?)
  • could you go for a burger and fries at Coke Terrace, served by a cast member decked out like a red bell boy?
  • is the Starcade locked in an 80s time warp? Does anyone go to arcades anymore?
  • do you still get something from the vulture asking: "if this is your laughing place, how come you're not laughing.?" just before you take the final drop on Splash Mountain?
  • does the Mark Twain's steam whistle echo somewhere in your soul?
  • is it time to change the scenes in the windows at the Emporium?
  • is the Penny Arcade a saccharine shell of its former self?
  • are you ready for the new Star Tours, too?
  • does anyone else miss the Mary Blair mural from the old Circle Vision building?
  • does it still feel neat to clomp over the little bridge to Plaza Gardens?
  • is Tim Burton just a touch overrated?
  • does Town Square need a food service location? (Hills Brothers anyone?)
  • does anyone else want a Mickey balloon---just a plain old Mickey balloon?
  • does anyone else think it odd that they never open the westernmost exit turnstiles at the Main Gate at the end of the day? What up with that?
  • is there anything else on this planet that can light up like Main Street at night?
  • do you find it irksome when a party of four or more people decides to hold a conversation, dead stopped, in the middle of a main arterial walkway---like, say, the Adventureland entrance?? Come on folks, pull off to the side and decide where you want to eat!!
  • are those hippos blowing bubbles and wiggling their ears?? (Uh oh)...
  • wouldn't you just LOVE to work at Disneyland?
---Mike

12 comments:

Connie Moreno said...

Ah ha! We disagree on two points. I love the Partners statue and slilenty say THANKS to Walt every time I pass it. The Mary Blair mural? Never liked it. Now I'm gonna go run for cover before somebody hits me!

Unknown said...

Love this whole post! The one that really struck me was
"Does the Mark Twain's steam whistle echo somewhere in your soul?"
This is so true. As soon as I read this line I really did hear the whistle in my memory.
Look forward to checking for new posts every day!

Anne said...

Ahhh, this post is so great. I can't wait to get back to Disneyland now. Even if I have been born too late to expierience half of these things. (suckish right) I still can imagine what everything would have been like. Currently I am working on a painting inspired by jungle cruise, its not that great considering, I have never took an art class or worked with oils that much, but I was wonderng if you guys might like to see it when I'm done. Happy trails :)

PumpkinMom2.0 said...

*can you still hear the endless calliope music from the tree house?
*do you miss being on the West side in the early AM and still being serenaded by Snow White?
*did the tick tock of the Small World clock guide you through the early morning fog of the B and A cast lots?
*can I just get some fried chicken anywhere in the park?
*hearing the Grand canyon music overhead while making my way to my locker in the old Payroll office was not that bad afterall
*while in the Park do you find yourself wincing at trash on the ground and wanting to pick it up?
*facial hair on Cast members? Just not right
*Agreed Burton=Overated, people blocking walkway=irksome
*my wife wanted to add-Woodcarver from Village Haus anyone?

Rich Blansett said...

Reader 5 here, I guess. Worked the Land from 1987 to 1988 (year and a half) custodial host (busser). Hated the pay and the garbage juice, but never tired of the place. Still dragging my family there at least once a month while I bore them with stories about what's changed, what was better, and what now sucks. I hear ya, skip, I read ya.

Mike said...

Connie:

Dear, sweet, Connie. Not found of Mary Blair? No fan, are you, of the Small World, I suppose then, eh? It's a good thing you ran, 'cause we almost got you with one of Trader Sam's spare thigh bones! As for the Walt statue, I don't think Walt would have EVER wanted that. Come to think of it, he didn't put it in when he and his designers first laid out the Hub. That is good enough for me. That CASTLE is the weenie---the focal point. Adding the Partners statue there was just bad taste. Look out, Connie! There goes Sam's sandal!! Just missed!! Of course, we still love you around here!

Amber:

You keep coming back! We love to have you!

Anne:

E-mail me that painting when you are done with it! We'll dedicate a post to it just for your efforts!! Here's the e-mail: mikekelly@mskellylaw.com.

Boaz16:

You and your wife are welcome for tiki drinks here at Jungle HQ anytime you'd like. Sam'll make room for you both!! He's always looking for an excuse to take down a few patrons! Love your input and couldn't have said it better myself. I'll take a Woodcarver to go,too!

Rich:

You were there right around my time! Ah, liner juice!! Nothing else in the world smells like it. Things sure have changed around the Park. Of course, a lot of the good things have remained the same, thank God!

--Mike

kater :) said...

Hi Mike...saw the back of your blogspot shirt on the beloved, raspy-voiced, un-annunciated tram on Sunday! Glad I came across it!

I'd also like to add...I growl at groups of folks that have no "home training" or common sense and stop in major thoroughfares! Booooo on them!!

Rich Blansett said...

I remember when you could look down Main Street all the way up to the castle and that was the reason why it was designed that way. No silly statues in the way, just good ol' Americana leading away to fantasy beyond the castle walls. The hub used to be a place to sit, relax, and contemplate which of the lands to venture into. It was truly the hub, and now it is a road block - a place to have a cast member snap your photo with a silly bronze statue of Walt & Mickey. Heck, I even remember a Motorcycle Ball Of Death placed there during a silly State Fair exercise they attempted in 1988. Anyone remember the Blast from the Past days? egads.

I too miss the simplicity and colorfulness (sp?) of Plaza Gardens. I got assigned there many a time, bussing tables and moving around chairs. I certainly enjoyed Plaza better than Casa. Even spent a rainy day at Plaza when the park was closed due to safety reasons over the amount of water. I spent my 8 hour shift in a too-big yellow slicker suit using a giant squeegee on a stick moving puddles toward drains. I was the only one working at Plaza Gardens that day, aside from my foreman, who spent the majority of his time at HQ drinking coffee.

Lastly, I too miss Circlevision, Rockets over the People Mover, and America Sings. I miss Bear Country and its Jamboree, the river before Fantasmic, the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, and Pirates who chased women without Jack Sparrow around. I miss Tom Sawyers Island, slow nights on the westside, and the Main Street Electrical Parade. But most of all, I miss working there. As bad as I thought it was when I was 17-19 years old, no other job filled my day with such interesting people from all over the globe and daily magic visible on every child's face. Before the annual passes, the look of anticipation and wonder was evident on their visages as they walked briskly thru the park wondering at its marvels.

Rich Blansett said...

Well, maybe not a Motorcycle Ball of Death, but I believe a small ferris wheel that blocked the view of the castle completely. Ugh, State Fair days.

Yellows said...

I want an old-style Mickey balloon!

http://bestpossiblejob.blogspot.com/2008/11/balloon-musings.html

Anne said...

@Mike
Well then I suppose I will have to take high res photo wont I? well the paintings done, and I would love to email it to you. Keep in mind i am still yet a teen and have never taken an art class so beat me over the head with trader sams shrunken heads if its not all that wonderful. :D

Anonymous said...

I'll vote for bringing back Hills Bros.

--A former Hills cast member and reader #4