Everyone would tell me Disneyland in small why would you want to go there. It’s only the Magic Kingdom. Disney World has so much more. Well I realized it’s not quantity it’s quality that makes Disneyland so special. There is a certain charm in the park that can not be replicated in any other park. Everything is done with such love and care that you don’t see anywhere else.
From the minute you walk into the park you feel like you in Walt’s house. I was hopping up and down with excitement waiting for the main gates to open. I got chills up my spine when I first entered the park. I could feel the magic. Walking the same streets Walt walked was a dream come true for me. It was as if I could feel him with me. I thought, I have finally made it after all those year of wishing on stars and watching it on TV in Bblack and white I’m finally here. When I got up Main Street to see Sleeping Beauty’s castle I cried.
My father and I had a blast. Eating as many gumbo bread bowls and Churros we could get our hands on. We must have eaten at least 6 bread bowl. I think I even had Gumbo for Breakfast.
Even though Disneyland was only the Magic Kingdom at the time I couldn’t get enough of it. It was a three day trip and I felt it wasn’t enough time to do everything. We stayed at California Pier Hotel which is now Paradise Pier Hotel and overlooked the construction of the California Adventure park. I would get up at 4:00 in morning from excitement, plus I was still on New York time. I would watch the sun come up over the mountains and the park. My father and I would be the only ones in the lobby at 5:00 a.m. looking for breakfast. The Californians looked at us like we were nuts. but I was ready to start the day.
We did all the rides, and met all the characters. We were surprised to see that some rides were better in Disneyland then Disney World. For example Pirates is awesome with three drops and more scenes than Florida plus the beautiful Blue Bayou Restaurant. You can’t find a restaurant like the Blue Bayou anywhere else. The atmosphere, music and food can’t be beat.
In January I’m told it rains a lot. Being from New York we didn’t mind some rain. The best part is no one goes to the park when it rains. We had the whole park to ourselves.
At the beginning of Main Street in the rain I saw this big red thing that had ears. As I walked closer I realized it was Mickey in a red poncho. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. No one was around him, so I got my picture with him. In Disney World I would have waited an hour for one picture.
The Indiana Jones ride was also awesome. We had never experienced anything like that ride before. I have never heard my father laugh so hard before going on that ride.
I love the fact that some of the rides are the same way Walt left them. Like the Tike Room. I Love those birds. It’s like traveling back in time to when the Disneyland program aired. It made me feel closer to Walt to see the rides the way he left them. Everything was just the way I saw them in my picture book.
After all these year of dreaming I was finally a few feet away from the castle. At the time the walk through was closed. We had no idea because we got to see. The door was open. My father is a steam fitter and is always dressed in his work clothes, even on the weekends and vacations. We walked into the castle and the music was playing and the dolls were dancing. There were Disney employees working inside and they thought my father was working there too and he just happened to bring his daughter to work that day. It wasn’t until we went to the emporium to buy some merch for the family that we realized it was closed. An employee was telling a guest it was closed and she didn’t know when it would open. My father and I realized it was his work clothes that got us in to see it. We laughed so hard. That is our great Disneyland story.
My father and I would go to City Hall everyday and beg to get a peak into Walt apartment. I had traveled so far and didn’t know if I would ever make it back. I was always turned away. As I left City Hall I looked up at Walt’s Apartment crying that I couldn’t see it. In the window I saw a lamp flicker as if someone was in front of it. I would like to think it was Walt.
That trip was so magical to me. It brought me and my father so much closer that we shared that experience together. My father was thriller to see everything in person after watching Walt in the 50’s as a child. We had great food, great times, and of course... Faith, Trust and Pixie Dust. When you wish upon star your dreams really do come true.
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