Skyway Views, July 1972
SO MANY photos were taken by guests while aboard the Skyway! You can see why, really - aerial views are interesting, and there were no distractions (such as other people blocking your view). BUT... now that I view hundreds of those aerials years later, I find myself taking them for granted.
It's July 1972; we're gliding above Fantasyland, with King Arthur's Carrousel down blow, and only glimpses of other attractions, such as "Peter Pan" to the left, and the Fantasyland Theatre to the right. In the distance, the Administration Building, and even further away, Main Street Station.
Next we're gazing out toward the white "city" of It's a Small World - I don't think I ever really think about how massive the façade of that attraction is until I see a picture like this. I sort of like it this way, without the big gift shop in the way - instead there's a more tasteful shop on the right side of the path.
It's fun to zoom in a bit and make up little stories about various guests. Those four sailors will feel right at home on The Happiest Cruise To Ever Sail 'Round the World.
5 comments:
Major-
Also on-view [in the background] of the 1st image, popping-up above the Admin building is the Wilbur Clark Crest [now Grand] Hotel; and on the right side of the Sleeping Beauty Castle is the [then] Royal Inn of Anaheim, but better known since August, 1976 as the Inn at the Park.
"Those four sailors will feel right at home on The Happiest Cruise To Ever Sail". (Now, if we can only locate a quartet of nuns-! They are often spotted near sailors in uniform - as if traveling in packs...)
Thanks, Major.
I like the lighting in the first pic; the colors really pop! And the Castle has just the right ratio of light and shadow. And of course... Power lines! (and towers). Beautiful cerulean sky too.
Nice photo of the Small World facade. Even at this distance we can see a lot of detail. Funny how the "Leaning Tower" makes the whole right half of the facade look like it's slipping into the ground. The trees in front of it, covering up the lower part, add to the illusion.
In the close-up, it seems a yellow Mickey(?) balloon has been captured by that balloon-eating tree on the right.
Pretty pictures, major. Thanks.
I’m not 100% sure why but I have so many memories of SMALL WORLD GIFTS and THE FANTASYLAND ICE CREAM TRAIN . I still have a little friction motor double deck omnibus from Germany that came from
Small World Gifts … I had to do a lot of convincing to my parents to get it . It was kinda pricey … and at first my reason for getting it wasn’t good enough ( …”because I don’t have one…”) I had to agree to help set the table and clear it - without complaining . The toy Omnibus was from a friction motor toy line called GNOMY … it was made by Lehman Patent Works of West Germany …the makers of LGB garden railway trains . “LEHMANS GROSSE BAHN” ( lehmans big train . But Gnomy was small.
As a kid we almost always got a chocolate dipped frozen banana from the Fantasyland Ice Cream Train. It was a tradition like getting funnel cake at Knott’s Berry Farm.
In the 1990’s the Toyshop at EPCOT’s German Pavilion was selling the same GNOMY friction motor trains , omnibuses, autos , trains and streetcar toys.
It looks like two of those sailors are gravitating towards the Ice Cream Train. They either want ice cream, or they want to climb on top of it and pretend they are train engineers.
Mike, I also have strong memories of the Ice Cream Train and the Small World Gifts souvenir stand.....and also the Fantasyland Caricature Stand across the way, which we can see poking up through the trees. Oh, and that other Fantasyland Souvenir Stand shows up, too.....but barely. It's underneath that tree to the left of the Motor Boat Cruise sign. I also have memories of stopping at that stand and buying souvenirs.
These are great Fantasyland pics, from a great era, Major! Thanks for sharing!
Excellent views, Major!
I love the Castle/Carousel view with the power lines and hotels. Too bad we can’t see the big UFO convention center.
And IASW is very impressive too. It’s funny, I remember the ice cream train, but not the gift stand. There are at least four striped trash cans visible and I think there might be one more behind the foliage to the right. Those sailors are due on watch at the Submarines and are heading back to the Disneyland Navy Yards to report in.
Thank you for the beautiful pics today, Major!
JG
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