WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY, JUNE 17 & 18

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY, JUNE 17 & 18:

       DISNEYLAND!! What more needs to be said?

       On Wednesday we arrived early – almost as soon as the Park opened, and stayed til around 8:00 or so. As we were leaving, saw the jam-packed crowds lined up for the “Paint the Night” parade (the newest edition of the classic Electrical Parade), which begins at 8:50. So we knew that we'd need to set aside time the next night to stake out a place by the curb. Landon fell promptly asleep when we got back to the motel; Beth & I ordered in Chinese.

                                                             

                                                 Outside the Enchanted Tiki Room:

       We allowed ourselves to sleep in more the next day and arrived mid-morning. We went over to Indiana Jones Adventure first thing. We expected Landon to be reluctant to ride this, as he had not been a great fan of the larger roller-coaster type rides yesterday (e.g., Matterhorn, Big Thunder Railway). But his mom prepped him that everything was “fake scary” - not real. And, surprise – he seemed to really enjoy this one! Was it because Grandma screamed her head off at the sight of the big snakes??

 

                                       Slightly tamer than Indiana Jones:  Storybook Boats

                                                             

      Rides & attractions he wanted to repeat today were the Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (pronounced his favorite to everyone who asked), the Haunted Mansion, and The Enchanted Tiki Room. A new favorite today was Tarzan's Treehouse, where kids can climb all around and play Tarzan. I remember this used to be the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse. Were they foreclosed on and new tenants moved in??

                                                     

 

 

 

 

       A serendipitous fun 15-20 minutes was later in the afternoon when we made a stop at the Mad Hatter shop, for Landon to choose a hat with the souvenir money that dear neighbor Mary had given him. He must have tried on every hat in the shop, and had almost selected a Goofy one. But when he spotted the Sheriff Woody cowboy hat – well, that was it. He refused to take it off the rest of the day (and night).

 

 

       We ended our stay with the electrical parade and Disneyland's renowned fireworks. Both were spectacular, and more than worth the fighting the crowds to get a place and the wait (Beth made a pizza & soda run while we waited). And actually, the wait was made palatable for the adults and fun for Landon, because of the family spread out on their blanket beside us – 4 kids, one of which was just younger than L, and they had a blast blowing their bubble guns and playing with their glow sticks (provided by the dad, a very nice and laid-back guy). 

      The parade was way more phenomenal than either Beth or I remembered, and of course Landon was open-jawed the entire time. (He and the other little boy sat curbside, while Beth & I stood). Especially when Woody himself – in person – appeared dancing down the parade route. Landon screamed at the top of his lungs, “Woody! Woody!” and waved both arms for all he was worth. He lated proclaimed that “Woody was real!!” And the fireworks – well, they lived up to their reputation. The technical effects on Cinderella's castle were out of this world. So we really ended on a jubilant, fantasy-world note.

       Beth & I agreed afterwards that we're so glad we did Disneyland. Despite the crowds, the expense, the hassle of getting there, we all had a fabulous, fun time. Not sure how much Landon will remember – probably only snippets. But those snippets will be colored with excitement, fun, and wonder. Every kid ought to have at least one Disneyland experience tucked away in his memory bank! As for the adults, we likewise were dazzled, as is D'land's slogan (“Let us dazzle you!”) The colorful atmosphere, the sparkling cleanliness, the imaginative and fastidious attention to detail (e.g., when you're in Adventureland, you're surrounded by a couple of acres of tropical trees and foilage found nowhere else in the Park), and of course the over-the-top nighttime extravaganzas bear Disney's signature, which are hard to replicate elsewhere. And the lines for the attractions themselves weren't that bad – an hour at the absolute most, and Landon entertained himself most of that time by playing with his souvenir bubble gun (purchased the first day), especially when there were other kids in line with the same toy. As Beth said, “the best $11 I ever spent!”.

                                                 

                                                                 

It was interesting to observe how the lines didn't seem any worse than the last time I was here. They've obviously made adaptations for the increased number of visitors (e.g., the Fastpass system). It was really only when you were outside the lines that you noticed the dense crowds - just trying to get from one place to the next, the parades, etc.

        So around 10:30 we tiredly but happily said good-bye to this enchanted place,

took the shuttle back to the motel to our awaiting truck, and drove the 30 or so miles to Alhambra and Atherton, where we had reserved the little studio guest house for the night. Once again, Landon was carried in fast asleep. We laughed about him waking up each morning, looking around, and saying, “Mom, where are we this morning??”

    Oh yes, this was the night where we stopped to get gas just as we were leaving Anaheim and to use the station's restrooms. As we were coming out, there was a Chinese fellow trying to ask the Nigerian clerk what kind of fuel he should use – oil or petrol for his rental car? They were both trying their best, but having a little time communicating. So I tried to help – got the gist of what he was asking, and waited for Beth to come out and affirm her knowledge of cars & gas. She helped him fill his tank with the appropriate fuel. He was very grateful . . . said we were very kind, etc. And so was the clerk inside the gas station. The very best of the U.S.!