It is Saturday, October, 29, 2011, I have just woken up and the first thing I notice is the sun coming through the bottom of the curtains in my hotel room. I lay in bed for awhile as just about everyone does when they first wake up. As I am now out of bed I go over to the curtains by the door to my hotel room and open them to take in the morning sun as it shines over Anaheim, California. I smile, take a look to the ceiling of my room and I smile and say Thank You God. Last night I went to Disneyland for the first time in 13 years.
And I had a blast.
Yesterday, friday, October, 28 was a stressful one. I arrived in Anaheim, later than I wanted to, and got lost trying to find my hotel. After about a half hour of driving around both the property of Disneyland and it's sister park California Adventure, I finally find the hotel.
At about three in the afternoon I finally arrive in Disneyland it self and meet up with friends who I had not seen in quite some time.
My stress is about to end and fun is about to be had. And it's long over due.
Disneyland theme park and it's 11 year old neighbor California Adventure is a must for anybody. During the creation and building of the the park in the mid 1950's Walt Disney said he wanted the place to be fun for both children and adults. Some adults probably would not admit to this, but they have just as much fun as their children do, if they have any.
Like I just wrote a paragraph or two ago, I had been looking forward to this for along time and my friends and I, one of them who in a few days would be celebrating a birthday pointed out a new attraction, well, not that new, but the way they re modeld it, it was worth getting the fast pass for.
During the course of the day, more for my benefit as I reflect on it, I had never been to the newer park California Adventure and my friend, Brant pointed things out to me and that I would have possibly overlooked on my own.
Two interesting things happend last night that are still fresh in my mind. To this hour at 8:50am not even 24 hours removed from last night, I look back and I smile, because what I am about to tell you isn't something that adults, or at least myself and my three other friends who are in their mid 30's and 50's respectfully.
We're in line for a California Adventure attraction and as we chat about various adult topics, our conversation drifts to chatting about a Disney animated cartoon called Phineas and Ferb and if we had seen newer episodes. Now That I think of it, I get the impression that one of my friends a woman named Sandra had never see the show before so Brant and our other friend named Don start telling her about the show and certain episodes.
As I look behind, actually I recall leaning back on a rail and resting on it, I notice this woman with her child. While still paying attention to the conversation of Don, Sandra & Brant, I start, for reasons I don't know, but I start to think about what this woman behind me must be thinking. Some times as you stand in line for any thing, you can't help but over hear some of the conversations that go on. This woman could have been thinking one of two things: One, that the four of us, all adults must have been out of our minds for talking about a children's animated television show, or 2: that it was cool that we were in a Disney theme park and here we are talking about a Disney show.
You would have to ask the lady what she really was thinking.
I would strongly suggest anyone who lives in another country if you ever plan a trip to America ( there are also Disney parks in both Paris, France and Tokyo, Japan), but, I my reader's can only talk about the Disneyland I have been to.
You would have a blast simular to the ones my friends and I are having.
Disneyland and it's sister theme parks have always been known for their innovations. Seems like every time a person goes to the parks they notice something they hadn't noticed on previous visit's. Since I had not been to Disneyland, now to s degree called Disneyland resort in 13 years and this was my first time to California Adventure, if you will recall I had told you about my friend Brant who was pointing things out to me. One thing God Bless him that he tried to explain and he strongly suggested we go and check it out was thing thing dedicated to The Disney Film Toy Story.
Brant, I know I told you this last night, but if you're reading this right now, explanation doesn't begin to describe it. You have to see this for yourself to get the full effect of it, but I will try to tell you about it.
We're in Hollywood Backlot, just like Disneyland with it's themed area's, I am finding California Adventure is no different, so in we're in the backlot at an animation studio and enclosed in glass is thing with dolls of Toy Story character's. My friend Brant had one word for me:
"Watch"
What I saw, made my jaw drop. These Toy Story dolls were spinning around at an Only God Knows speed and they were moving!!!
Or at least it gave you the illusion they were moving. my friend Don is standing right besides me and I said to him 'so thats how they did it'? He said no, "Story" was done with computer's, but it made think about stop motion animation and films like ' The Nightmare Before Christmas' and other's like it that were stop motion animation and done with dolls. This thing spinning around could very well be how they did it.
The parks have closed and the four of us, Don, Brant and Sandra and my self are heading back to our cars, Don, who lives not far from the resort and Sandra who lives in a neighboring California county and Brant who resides in Texas but is staying with Sandra for the weekend, we are , well, we're tired. I can see it on Don's face, he was ready for some sleep and my self, I had been up for over 24 hours and my feet were really starting to give me some pain, walking around two amusement parks was fun, because all of us had a blast, but, all that walking can make you tired.
But It's worth it. I'd do it again.
But for right now, as I stand looking out my hotel window at a tall California Adventure attraction, my feet are still giving me issues. Think I'll close the curtains and lay down for a bit.
As The sign entering Disneyland park read.... Let the memories begin.
I remember it like it was yesterday
P.S: Fast forward almost a month later. I am now back home and writing this entry on an early Thanksgiving morning.
Obviously, the memories of October, 28, 2011 is still fresh in my mind.
I hope it stays for awhile.
