Celebrating a World Filled with Magic
Last month when we went to Disneyland everything seemed like everything was pulling against us. We were in the middle of figuring out building our home, Alison was in the middle of a tough semester, we were working on moving out of our apartment and work was, as usual, a little crazy. We still had a fabulous time. We were pretty excited about our trip this weekend. Alison’s semester wrapped up last week. We also moved out of our apartment and in with Blake and Debbie. We finalized the plans for our home and we both finished up some projects at work. On this trip, everything was going in our favor.
We left work a little early on Friday to catch our flight to LA. We had tickets to the Dodgers game. Each year we try to go to at least one new baseball stadium. This year our new one was Dodger’s stadium. It is only 16 miles from LAX, but it took us 90 minutes to get there. Luckily we had plenty of time. We arrived at the stadium and got some dinner. Dodger’s stadium is pretty old, and not in the charming way a Wrigley or a Fenway is, it was fairly dated. The food also wasn’t very good and it was pretty expensive. Those were some of the negatives. There were plenty of positives. The fans at Dodger’s stadium were really awesome. We arrived and the stadium was only half full, but it quickly filled up to capacity with very passionate fans. The game was also really fun. Alison was, as always, keeping score. The game was cruising with Maeda, the Dodgers pitcher was cruising, and his team gave him a 3-run lead. In the 7th inning Maeda gave up a run and Dave Roberts decided it was time for a pitching change. He went to his bullpen and they imploded. 11 batters, 5 pitchers, and 7 runs later the Diamondbacks had the lead. We thought the game would be over. However, in the bottom of the 7th the Dodgers sent up 10 batters, the Diamondbacks used 4 pitchers and scored 4 runs. One inning later the Dodgers broke the tie scoring 2 runs. They held on to win 9-7. It was a heck of a ballgame.
We were planning on having one of Alison’s friends come with us. Unfortunately, they ended up not being able to come with us. The accommodations we were planning were contingent upon them, and when they canceled last minute we found ourselves frantically searching for a place to stay. We ended up finding two places – one for Friday night and another for Saturday and Sunday. Both locations were places we were interested in staying. We really loved the hotel Clarion on Friday night – it was huge and really close to Disneyland. We liked the Best Western Anaheim, but it was a little far. We decided we prefer staying within walking distance of the park.
Saturday morning in the park was awesome. We started off in California Adventure because Disneyland had Magic Morning that day. It was great. We got in line to get a Fastpass for Radiator Springs and ran over to the pier. For the next couple of hours, we ran around riding rides with almost no lines. Saturday was easily our least busy day. It also wasn’t too hot.
Alison was a little upset when she read last week that Disneyland is planning to close the Tower of Terror and change it to be a Guardian of the Galaxy. Since she was sad they are changing one of her favorite rides I decided to be a good sport and not complain about riding Tower of Terror this trip. On our first ride on Saturday, we were seated next to a Tower of Terror cast member. He was a really nice guy and talked to us a little bit after the ride. Alison told him how sad she is that they are closing the ride. He agreed it is sad, but he also shared 3 reasons he thinks it will be okay. 1. Disney pays millions each year for the rights to the Twilight Zone so they will save money they can reinvest in the park by changing the ride to a Disney property 2. Disneyland is always changing and Walt meant for it to be that way 3. It will bring more crowds from Disneyland to California Adventure to help even out attendance. After our talk, Alison was feeling a little better about the change.
Jake and Meg were on a family trip in the LA area at the same time as us. We met up on Saturday night for dinner in Downtown Disney at the ESPN Zone. It was our first experience really spending time in Downtown Disney. We really enjoyed it. When Jake texted about getting together we used the Disney app to make reservations. As soon as we showed up we were seated. We had a great time visiting and hearing about their trip. After dinner, we had to try a churro ice cream sandwich. We read about these and have wanted to try them for a while, but we never really spend time in downtown Disney. When we found the spot that sold them they told us it came unassembled. We decided to go for it. It was so good but so messy. By the time we ate it we were both very sticky. I don’t think we will do that again.
We headed back into the park to ride California Screamin’ and to watch World of Color Celebrate! One of my favorite things is riding the roller coaster after dark. I just love the way the pier looks all lit up. After one last ride, we watched World of Color Celebrate! It isn't our favorite world of color, but it is still a lot of fun. We did like it more the second time around, and we are really glad that we got to see it once more because Disney announced this week that they are ending World of Color Celebrate! after labor day. There were a few things that stood out to Alison this time around. One was that Walt called Disneyland "a labor of love" that he "built for everyone to enjoy". She also liked that at the end of Celebrate! they encourage listeners to "celebrate a world filled with magic." There are so many inspiring experiences in Disneyland.
On Sunday we spent the day on the Disneyland side of the park. It was a little more crowded. It was also warmer. It was really a great day at the park. We headed straight for Space Mountain. We have decided Space Mountain really isn't a great first ride - too many people head there right away, which leads to long lines right away. If you start with other rides you can walk for quite a while before the park starts getting busy.
We took a break to see Winnie the Pooh. Skylee is really into Winnie the Pooh these days. When it was our turn to meet Winnie the Pooh Alison told him, "you are my niece's favorite" and gave him a big hug. It was a lot of fun.
On Monday we spent a partial day in the park. That is one of the benefits of having annual passes. We can fly home later in the day, and spend time in the park without spending a ton of money for an extra day we will only partially use. We got Mickey Mouse beignets and a mint julip for breakfast and spent the morning riding rides. It was not at all busy during the morning. We were walking right onto all of the rides around New Orleans square.
It did get busier in the afternoon. While we were waiting for a fast pass we went and looked at the train exhibit they have at the main street train station. We talked to a Disneyland employee for quite a while. He told us all about the changes they are making to the Rivers of America and showed us where the new train track will run. Hopefully, they reopen the Rivers of America and the train early next year. The employee did tell us that they wouldn't be getting rid of Paint the Night. Unfortunately, this proved to be incorrect as Disney announced they will get rid of Paint the Night and the Disneyland Forever fireworks show at the end of the Diamond celebration. Alison is pretty disappointed.
On Monday night we headed home. We are always a little sad to leave the happiest place on Earth. This really was such a fun trip. We can't wait to head back.
May your wishes all come true
May you always do for others
And let others do for you
May you build a ladder to the stars
And climb on every rung
May you stay forever young
Forever young, forever young
May you stay forever young.
- Bob Dylan
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