Omnibus & Flower Mart, July 1963
I'm trying to figure out where our photographer was standing in this first shot; my guess is that he/she was on the little bridge leading to Adventureland. Maybe not. Anyway, it's a pretty photo looking toward the hub, with the little waterway that was part of the same system that included the moat, the Rivers of America, and the Jungle Cruise river. The Omnibus is full-up, and the House of the Future has photobombed the picture as well.
"You boys go ahead and ride your rides, I'm going to look at these fake flowers for 20 minutes!". My favorite detail is the little girl's permed hairdo. I've been thinking about changing my own hairstyle (apparently mullets are no longer cool), and I think that's the look I want.
14 comments:
Major-
Another great set today. Fairly certain you are correct that the first image was taken from the "bridge" leading to the entrance to Adventureland.
I think out little miss in the second image has what's better described as a 'hairdo', as opposed to a 'perm'. (That would be a pretty awful perm). On the other hand, the 'style' reminds me of the album cover of the Sandy Nelson Teen Age House Party record.
Man - talk about over-done hair-! It's as if there was a deliberate attempt "to age" these 'teen gals' into looking at least twice their age.
Thanks, Major.
She reminds me of a try at the Leslie Gore look. Now, Miss Stripey Shorts looks like she is sporting quite the perm there....I so remember getting a Lilt as a little kid when my mom made me cut off my Jan Brady hair because I always was yelling about her combing it after a shampoo!
Beautiful picture of the Hub today. Love all the shades of blue and the ripply reflection in the water.
Happy Memorial Day and remember all those who have served us so well. :-)
Nancy - Well said. Lest we forget.
Was the second photo taken when the Flower Mart was on East Center?
The color in both of these images is beautiful. It's a shame that when I was younger, I didn't actually take the time to notice the small details on Main Street like the Upjohn Mortar & Pestle and the Hallmark Crown entrance.
Chuck - The Flower Mart is on West Center Street in the second image. This photo is looking eastward. Note the Upjohn sign in the foreground and the Hallmark Communication Center across the street.
Ken - Okay, now I'm oriented. We're looking east at the SW corner of the intersection of Main and Center. I guess I never really noticed how Center doesn't cross Main at a right angle, even though it's perfectly clear on the map.
Listen to me...I'm talking as if this were a real town. "Go past Center and take a left on W. Plaza..."
Sounds like my Mother. She always wanted to stop and spend time with the fake flowers :) I also had a perm as a young child. It was awful! Terrible experience, smelled, and I looked like a terrier rat. Hated it. As you can tell, I've been scared for life from the experience LOL
Nanook, it's hard to say, but I am still convinced that it is a "pretty awful perm"! I still remember a girl in school (a little older than the girl in the photo) who would show up to class with what can only be described as "Roseanne Roseannadanna" hair. WHY?
Nancy, it is that "big hair" look that even my mom succumbed to. She went through can after can of VO5 hairspray!
Chuck, as far as I know the Flower Mart was only on West Center Street, but I could be wrong…
K. Martinez, I really love that stained glass mortar & pestle light. So cool!
Chuck, I get discombobulated all the time when looking at photos of Disneyland - - particularly Frontierland views.
Irene, if only your mom had used Toni home perms!
Major-
Speaking as someone who has naturally curly hair (Yes, that's really me and my hair pictured in the avatar), I've had more than my share of conversations over the years with my "hair care professionals" about those with straight hair, longing for curls, and the lengths so many (usually women) will go to achieve that look. More often than not the results are either - 'wavy curls' that magically relax when the weather turns ugly, or grossly frizzy hair, that's usually on its way to breaking off, thanks to all the harsh chemicals employed to pull-off the so-called curls. (That stuff really is nasty).
Sometimes, it's better to leave well-enough alone and just be thankful for the hair each of us has - no matter what its "shape". On the other hand, where would the world be without the slew of products, and the litany of 'style names' Madison Avenue created: Loose-Casual; Extra Curly; Medium Wave, etc.
Major - I thought I'd read somewhere that it had been on both sides of the street, and I finally found references both at Yesterland.com and in Chris Strodder's "Disneyland Encyclopedia." Although I have no recollection of ever seeing it there, the Flower Mart apparently moved across Main to E. Center in 1977 to make room for a Carnation Ice Cream Parlor seating expansion, lasting in that location until the mid-90's.
There's a great picture of the Flower Mart on E. Center at http://www.yesterland.com/flowermart.html (first photo).
Nanook, are you sure you aren't using a photo of Sammy Hagar? He can't drive 55, or so I've heard. I have a friend (female) who has amazing naturally curly hair, and she hates it. She goes to considerable lengths to straighten it. And the curls look so much better! The grass is always greener….
Chuck, wow, I learned something new. I had NO idea that the Flower Mart had moved eastward. Thanks for the info!
OK, I know it's just tha angles and stuff. But it's really creepy that in the first picture, the reflection in the water is a perfect Impressionistic replica of the scene on shore - except for the little boy in the red shirt. You wouldn't even notice if he didn't stand out so vividly in the top part. I thought the park was only haunted at night!
I've mentioned before that my mother is a twin - she has straight hair, while her sister has always had natural curls. Grandma's response to her jealousy of her sister's curls was to start giving her harsh home perms when she was six or seven. She has Little Orphan Annie hair in all her school pictures.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and the hair is always better on someone else's head.
I love the first photo, one of those fantastic montages possible in real life only at a Disney park. That little walkway behind the lake is a favorite spot, used to be a quiet hideout, but no place is quiet anymore.
The second shot, what a splendid view of the Flower Market. Most photographers just stood outside for their pics, this person ventured in to shoot back the other way, a rare vista.
I recall the flower mart on East Center, I was surprised by the move, but it made sense at the time. It was there for my last two visits to the Disneyland of my youth.
When I came back decades later, it was gone, existing only in Yesterland, Daveland and GDB.
Thank you Major, for precious glimpses of the world that used to be.
JG
Goodness, reading everyone's comments has sent me into fits of laughter...and I'm at my desk at work! I love the guy in the navy pant: "Dammit woman, we don't need any fake flowers!"
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