Murk McGurk, March 1958
A message for all of you who are planning on taking photos in 1958… don't bother unless you have plenty of sunlight! If you do, your results will resemble today's murky offerings.
I wanted to include this one because, even in its shadowy form, it's kind of neat, with the Skyway chalet (before the trees around it got so big) and the bucket overhead. As I write this, the chalet is still in Disneyland, but it is slated for removal. It's a bit of a bummer, but you can hardly see it behind all of the overgrown trees - I'm sure most people walk right past it and don't even know it's there. Hopefully there are plans to replace it with something useful and or beautiful. The dude near the light pole has one of those classic popcorn boxes in hand.
And now, a picture even murkier and McGurkier! It was taken from the Skyway as it passed over Holiday Hill (soon to be the site of the Matterhorn). Down below is the new Monsanto Plastic Home of the Future, and some bits of Main Street USA.
4 comments:
Major-
Gotta love that second picture: The House of the Future; the angle of the setting sun; the spectacular state flags; the Red Wagon Inn & Plaza Pavilion; and, oh yes - the infamous high-tension lines snaking across the parking lot.
Thanks, Major.
Unfortunately, the Skyway chalet does appear to be rotting away up there. It's too bad they didn't take better care of it over the past twenty years (I think I'll blame Paul Pressler....nevermind the fact that he's been gone for more than ten of those years now!). There are so many things that they could have done with that building. They could have used it for the Dream Suite instead of ruining the Disney Gallery, OR they could have used it for Starbuck's instead of ruining Market House, OR they could have used it for the Fantasy Faire princess meet 'n greet instead of ruining the Plaza Gardens dance pavilion. And don't tell me it would have been too difficult to make it ADA compliant. They could put a winding ramp on that hill leading up to it or I'm sure an elevator could have been installed around the back in the Big Thunder BBQ area. After all, they installed an elevator between Tarzan's Treehouse and Pirates of the Caribbean for access to The Disney Gallery before it closed.
Nanook, I like the subject matter of that second picture just fine; I just wish it wasn't so dark, and oddly brownish!
TokyoMagic!, I was recently talking to a friend and wondered why they didn't use the chalet for the new princess meet 'n greet. It's right in the heart of Fantasyland, after all. Some sprucing up, fresh paint, etc, would have made the place a jewel again.The Dream Suite idea is interesting, but I'm sure a large part of the appeal (in concept) for the one in New Orleans Square is that the VIP guests get a nice view of Fantasmic in the evenings. I can't imagine that making the chalet ADA compliant would be too big of a challenge; but it's all moot, unfortunately.
I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the top of the HoF before, and I'd never noticed the little pyramid on top.
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