More Disneyland Hotel, 1980
Let's check out four more 1980 views from the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel, taken by Lou Perry, and scanned by his daughter, Sue B! I don't think too many people would have taken photos of these features, but Lou did! He was ahead of the curve. As I've said before, my knowledge of the Hotel is limited, so if you (yes, YOU) have anything of interest to share, please do!
The California Wine Cellar sounds like a classy place to relax after a day at the park. I would feel very comfortable showing off my expertise. Here's a tip: just say that you detect "subtle undertones of dried cherries, some vegetal notes, and with some hints of Mountain Dew Baja Blast", and the sommelier say, "VERY good, sir". He knows he'll never be as cool as you.
Sea Port of the Pacific, judging by the sign to the left, this was another restaurant, and not a shop full of imported goods, which would have been my first guess. You know, knickknacks made with seashells and coconuts, hats woven from palm leaves, Aloha shirts, that sort of thing. November must have truly been the off season in 1980, somehow Lou managed to avoid any other people. THE DREAM.
Well. Here's a view from the other side of the Seaports of the Pacific, and it doesn't look like much of a restaurant. Maybe it was a place where nerds could play D&D? "I'm an orc with digestion issues!". "I'm a sleepwalking wizard!". "I'm an annoying elf!". Some fun.
As you can see, Lou set the timer on his camera, and tossed it up into the air. He knew how to toss it just so, and look at the picture he got! I threw my camera up into the air once, and a seagull took it. We're looking down upon the California Wine Cellar, which happens to have a British phone booth - a relic of the Wrather's ties to the Queen Mary?
THANK YOU, Lou and Sue, stay tuned for more from this series!
5 comments:
Major-
Seaports of the Pacific, to quote from the brochure... Our multi-million dollar waterfront playland features recreation, shopping, dining, entertainment and scenic wonders. You can walk under a thundering waterfall. Shop for handcrafted wares at an international bazaar. Gaze at a pond of colorful Koi fish. Or get the "Baha Bug" on a miniature off-road race track packed with hills, curves and thrills... You can sip cocktails by the Marina. Pick up a snack as you stroll. Belly up to an oyster bar. Sit down to a seafood dinner with a seaport view. Kick up your heels to country western tunes on the wharf. Sample boutique labels in a wine cellar. And catch free entertainment on our open-air stage. It sounds like every hotel guests' dream to me.
Thanks to Lou and Sue.
1) I would ask for a wine that tastes like red licorice. But non-alcohol (I don't like the taste of alcohol). Actually, Mr. sommelier, skip the wine and just bring me some red licorice. And what the heck is that red and white thing peering down from the roof? I think it's a space bug.
2) If I'm reading the sign right on that wheeled cart (which looks really nice), it sells sushi?
3) "I'm an orc with digestion issues!", etc. "And I'm a sleepy Junior Gorilla".
4) That phone booth is Dr. Who's TARDIS before he traded it in for a police box.
Thanks to Lou, Sue, and Major.
The Wine Cellar was actually at a "below ground" level. We can just barely make out a staircase railing leading down to it, on the other side of the metal fencing. The large windows that we can see, belonged to The Shipyard Inn restaurant. and the Wine Cellar was beneath that. The Shipyard Inn's space later became Hook's Pointe, and today it is divided into two spaces, occupied by Tangaroa Terrace, and Trader Sam's. The Wine Cellar space still exists, but I've been told by a cast member that it is just used as storage now. Oh, and at some point, they got rid of all that ugly metal fencing. Now I'm wondering why they ever installed any of that in the first place?
That official Sea Ports of the Pacific description that Nanook provided about the shops, restaurants, bars, waterfalls, etc., referred to the entire complex located between the DL Hotel towers. But Major, your first guess was right about that second pic. Once guests passed underneath that particular Seaports of the Pacific signage, they entered a gallery of shops. And most, if not all of the items sold in those shops were non-Disney. Can you even get a non-Disney item/souvenir anywhere on the Disney property anymore?
These pictures capture a special time within the DL Hotel's history. Thank you Lou, Sue, and Major!
As castmembers we spent lots of time at the Wine Celler … most of my friends are drinkers … the location always had complimentary cheeses , olives , breads and crackers for those drinking wine.. there were two ( technically 3 ) entrances into the “cellar” one from above INSIDE Ship Yard Inn /Hook’s Pointe … and one from the view shown in this image. There was another location that had once been called THE CROWN & PILLOW …. It was connected to the “Cellar” by a vestibule at the bottom of the stairway from above . The space might have been used in later life for private affairs but I never saw it open … it was right on the lagoon and gave the feeling you were on a boat or on the water with floor to ceiling smoked glass windows … the interior was a British lounge … something classier than a pub. It also had the feel of a library room with tons of prop books … I think I’ve mentioned before they were all real books and some had very fancy looking covers - and one time we noticed they were all loose and the fancy ones when opened piped open to the book’s center .. with a fake inserted two faced page that had elaborate lettering and some told the story of Sleeping Beauty and some The Sword in the Stone!!! I assume they had once been used for Emporium window or other animated vignette displays … decorating just re-used them!!
Another thing about the Wine Cellar was the large selection of port and liquors …. The very valuable ones were displayed in corner locked cabinets near the cozy booth seats . The “Cellar” cast would share with us stories about certain liquors and what made them stand out . The most expensive I recall was a bottle of 80 year old Napoleon Brandy that was like 400.00 a glass …..one time the week before Christmas after the location had closed to guests , some off duty for the night cast and our group of employees had a impromptu party and the manager of the complex treated us to complimentary PIMS PUNCH made above from the Hook’s Point bar …. That whole period just before the DCA tumor opened was a glorious fun time.
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