Today's first image is really the star of the show, with a busy and colorful Fantasyland below us, the snow-capped Matterhorn in front of us, and a sky full of dramatic gray clouds, even though the sun is shining (for now) where we are. I always think that looks cool.
And YES, there is a bobsled visible!
Next is a perfectly nice, but also very common view of the Submarine Lagoon, with the shadow of the Matterhorn cast over its blue-green surface. What can I say that I haven't said many times before? How about this: I have never had a Philly cheesesteak.
Major-
ReplyDeleteWow, that first image is quite dramatic-! Boy, do I want to be there-!
The one thing in the 'good news department' concerning the Skyway is - just what do you think the color schemes of the towers and the buckets would look like in the hands of Miss. Kim-? The mind reels at the thought.
And as for that Philly cheesesteak.. yes I have. But for the life of me, I can't remember if it was at Pat's or Geno's.
Thanks, Major.
Monorail Red shows up in both shots!
ReplyDeleteAnd a caterpillar shows up in the 1st one - along with dozens of wonderful things!
Thanks, Major!
I love those pictures - most of them seem to be Skyway pictures - where you can see a cheery, colorful jumble of several different attractions, eating areas, bits of landscaping, people relaxing, etc. It's all there cheek by jowl, but it doesn't look patchy or incongruous at all. Those OG Imagineers really had an eye for the big picture. Nice to see a bobsled, caterpillar vwhicle, Monorail train, and Skyway buckets all zooming away in one shot. Whee, vroom, etc.
ReplyDelete"...just what do you think the color schemes of the towers and the buckets would look like in the hands of Miss. Kim-?"
Magenta, chartreuse, bright fuschia and puce,
And ultramarine that would blind a bull moose.
"I have never had a Philly cheesesteak."
And I've never had a fish taco. East is East, and West is West!
Major, I also think it looks cool, when the sky is like that. I also like to be outdoors when it is like that.
ReplyDeleteNanook, as for your color scheme question, Melissa took the words right out of my mouth......and also added more! I suspect that the blinding colors would also be outlined, trimmed, and sprinkled with plenty of gold.
Sue, is that you in the backseat of the "haughty" caterpillar? ;-)
The first pic is pretty darn "postcard worthy!" Yes, I said it. So there.
ReplyDeleteThe second is nice too, although it was frowned upon to jump from the Skyway into the lagoon (party poopers!)
Finally, living in the middle of the country (albeit south) I have had a cheesesteak, AND a fish taco. I really want to like cheesesteaks, but I don't care for onions or bell peppers, so it's not going well....
I agree that the colors are perfect in the first shot. I'm glad to see some random nautical flags thrown in for good measure.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Major.
I agree, there's so much to like in these photos. The best version of Pinocchio's Pleasure Island. I want to be there too.
ReplyDeleteGood choices Melissa. I love ultramarine (great name) and magenta, chartreuse not so much but you do need that bright yellow in there to complete the package.
There's a place here in Tucson called Philly's Finest that makes a decent cheesesteak sandwich. Fish tacos, no thanks. Chicken, occasionally. Carne Asada, the best.
Great pics Major, I'll going to steal the second pic for my ever changing desktop screen. Thanks.
The only way to describe the first photo is: "My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention-H. Lamarr"
ReplyDeleteOne can only wonder how it would look had they been able to tote the Tower of the Four Winds and place it to the left. Alas it was in use at the world's fair at the time of this photo and would be torn down and scrapped :-(
The second photo may be common but (I agree with TokyoMagic)inspires me to be outdoors and on my RollerBlades for some unknown reason.
All this talk about savory sandwiches is making me hungry. The only fish we get up here is trout. The whole state is lousy with em. I hear bears love fish tacos, and will do almost anything to get some, including the wearing of disguises and midnight tent raids. It's best to just hand em over or they'll poop in your Yeti. It looks like the Skate has just dived below the waves and is making good time to the ice cap. Monorail photos are always a crowd pleaser. Nanook took the words outa my mouth. Okay, I give. Who is Miss Kim? Thanks Major.
ReplyDeleteNanook, why would you want to be at 1963 Disneyland when you can be stuck inside watching Netflix?? Sometimes I just can’t relate. Oy, I think it’s pretty clear that if those towers needed painting today, purple, blue, and fake gold leaf would be used. Pat’s? Gino’s? I assume they are the equivalent of L.A.’s Philippe’s vs. Cole’s for the Rrench dip sandwich.
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, I figured I didn’t need to point out the red Monorail! I do love seeing the caterpillars though, almost as much as the bobsleds.
Melissa, folks definitely gave their cameras a workout when they rode the Skyway. I wonder what percentage of my vintage slides were taken aboard that attraction? “Whee, vroom, etc.”… I always think of that distinctive electric hum that the dark ride vehicles make. Kim does like the pure ultramarine, and it’s a wonderful color when used properly. Oh boy, I’ve had plenty of fish tacos. Grilled or deep fried, I love ‘em!
TokyoMagic!, I once got a great photo of a rainbow in conditions like that. I was driving down a road and the view was so spectacular that people were pulling over! I did the same, but took a detour down a less-busy road for a nicer result. I had hoped that the use of gold would have ended after Disneyland’s 50th, but it looks like it’s here to stay for some reason. It was ugly then, and ugly now.
Stu29573, I think there is a vintage postcard that has a similar view to photo #1, minus the dramatic stormy sky however. The thought of jumping into the lagoon from that height makes my skin crawl. Plus, broken legs anybody? I think I would like a good cheesesteak, but they’re not available at many places in SoCal, and I have probably opted for something else when given the opportunity to sample one.
Andrew, imagine being the vendor for those nautical flags. “Hey Fred, it says here that Disneyland wants an assortment of 1000 nautical flags!”. “What? That must be a mistake. Nobody needs that many!”.
DrGoat, I wonder if Walt was already thinking about building his own amusement park when his crew was working on the Pleasure Island sequence? Maybe it was just simmering in the back of his brain. I kind of like chartreuse in small doses. It’s a popular color on fishing lures! And I have some sneakers that have small highlights. How can you not like fish tacos?? A little squeeze of lime juice, some nice salsa or pico de gallo, a little creamy sauce (some mysterious stuff, not sure what all is in it), crunchy shredded cabbage…. yum! Not that I would turn up my nose at sorne Carne Asada either. My local taqueria has some chili verde tacos that are so good. Now I’m hungry!
ReplyDeleteAlonzo, whoa, did Hedy actually write that? I’ll have what she’s having. She was a smarty. Beautiful too. I read that she loved to sue people (Mel Brooks, for instance), which is kind of a bummer, but oh well. I’m one of the people who think that the Tower of the Four Winds would have worked fine at Disneyland. Some say it was too large, but the way IASW is tucked back away from most of the rest of the park would have made it more acceptable. Do you really have RollerBlades? I’ve never tried those, but when I see somebody zooming past for their daily exercise, it looks fun.
Jonathan, yes, it’s not even 9:30, and I am ready for lunch. No Philly Cheesesteaks for me, sadly. There MUST be a place not too far from me that makes them! Maybe I’ll look later in the year, hopefully more people will get the vaccine (including me) and we can all start getting out more. It’s so funny how the mundane act of getting a haircut now seems like the greatest thing ever. Trout is OK, we’ve caught lots of them up in the blue lakes of the Sierras. When you said a bear will “poop in your Yeti”, it took me a second to realize that you meant a *cooler*. Leave my Yeti alone, he is friendly! Kim Irvine (daughter Leota Toombs, aka “Madam Leota”) has been in charge of the color styling at Disneyland for quite a while. She seems like the nicest person, but I sure disagree with her choices in many instances. I don’t want to be mean, but not being afraid of “bold color” does not make the bold color in question GOOD.
The last time I was on rollerblades I broke my hip.
ReplyDeleteI assumed Miss Kim was Kim Irvine, the Imagineering "mastermind" behind the recent repainting of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella Castles and Main Street, USA in color schemes best described as "what the Hell was she smoking?" I'm pretty sure she was also instrumental in adding Disney characters to it's a small world.
Oh man. I have to come back after my 1000 meeting to do these justice.
ReplyDeleteAmazing stuff Major. See all later.
JG
A lot of my favorite stuff presented here. I was glad to see Monorail Red made it back to the station.
ReplyDeleteAll these years in photos and in person I never noticed the Matterhorn shadow in the Lagoon. The good news is now I will always look for it.
It's been said but I'll repeat it, having the caterpillar crawl down the vines at the end was genius.
Now, cheesesteak or fish tacos for lunch?
It's a beautiful day here to get outside; almost 70 degrees.
zach
The second photo may be common but (I agree with TokyoMagic)inspires me to be outdoors and on my RollerBlades for some unknown reason.
ReplyDeleteAlonzo P. Hawks: Hahahahaha! (It took me a second to catch on.)
Melissa: I hurt just reading what you said. Sorry to hear that!
TokyoMagic! I wish that was me on the caterpillar now!
Now I have to google to see what Carne Asada is...
Everything about photo 1 is perfect. Matterhorn and nostrils, bobsled, monorail red (which made it around the mountain while we went through it), old Skyway (I just barely remember those old buckets, I think we rode in a bronze one), Sleeping Beauty Castle roof (I loved my illicit glimpses of the backstage available from the Skyway vantage), Alice and the caterpillars, even the storybook on top of the mushroom, the old ticket booth, and maybe best is the little clump of trees to the left. For some reason that is one of the hardest parts of the old Park to see, it is always just out of frame. There was a nice planter and picnic tables there in the shade. Surprising to see the complex lighting towers festooned with maritime flags at the corner of Mr. Toad and beyond Fan 2. They spell out "Nowhere in Particular". I never noticed those before.
ReplyDeletePhoto 2 needs no introductions, I'm ready to get in the sub queue in the shadow of the Matterhorn to admire the stainless steel handrails and read the posters on the wall under the speedramp.
Major, Pat's and Geno's are two rival cheesesteak vendors in Philadelphia, they are located opposite one another on the same intersection and vie for the title of the best. We had one from each, right after the other, and I prefer Geno's "wiz-wit". Fish tacos are great, fried or grilled fish are fine with me, mango salsa preferred.
Yes, the current color schemes at the Park are deplorable. They would probably hang sequins off the Skyway buckets like the Castle roof.
Thanks so much for these photos, lots of fun here.
JG
Major-
ReplyDeleteNot Hedy... but Hedley Lamarr who uttered that line, and others. To wit: My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.
And yes, Pat's & Geno's are the two, famous Philly Cheesesteak locations in Philadelphia - literally located across the street from one another.
Melissa, yikes! Note to self: never use roller blades. Ms. Irvine was involved in the adding of Disney characters to IASW, but I’m sure she was directed to do so from her “superiors”, so it seems wrong to blame her. I don’t really know. Again, I don’t want to be needlessly mean, and I think she took a lot of abuse after that particular episode. But if fans aren’t happy about something, they are definitely going to voice their thoughts on social media. It’s just the way of the world.
ReplyDeleteJG, your “1000 meeting”? Ya lost me.
zach, as much as I like the current Mark VII Monorails, they still haven’t topped the Bob Gurr designs (particularly the Mark II and Mark III models). I have a few other photos of the lagoon shaded by the Matterhorn, it’s like a giant, weird sundial. And I agree about the caterpillars crawling down the vine, so simple but so fun. I just had clam chowder (with saltines) for lunch, because it’s what I had in the cupboard. Pretty tasty, I like to add Sriracha for a little kick.
Lou and Sue, maybe I missed something with the rollerblade comment? Probably. Oh boy, I guess there’s not a lot of Carne Asada in Illinois? Put some on some tacos or pile it on a soft tortilla with some crunchy veggies, yum.
JG, we can not only see the Matterhorn nostrils, but other orifices too. I’ll leave it to you to decide what their analog is! Try to keep it decent for the kids. Think of the children, JG! I think it’s interesting that the Disney folks actually had to worry about keeping the roofs of the buildings as tidy as possible, since thousands of people were going to see them every day. No storing of random ducts and cables and other detritus. The “Alice in Wonderland” attraction was such a wonderful addition to Fantasyland, it’s hard to imagine those few years before it existed. Funny about your favorite clump of trees, I didn’t even really notice them, but they are pretty, and probably absorbed some random unwanted noise. Those lighting towers look like ship’s masts (down to the nautical flags), only they happen to have 20 or so lamps on them. I sure would love to have the chance to try a Philly cheesesteak from both Pat’s and Geno’s to compare them. The Bon Appetite YouTube channel had a video where a guy went to try something like 15 cheesesteaks in Philadelphia in one day to determine the best one, it’s fun to watch.
Nanook, I should have known that Hedy wouldn’t have said anything to nutty! I thought that maybe Pat’s and Geno’s argued about the origin of the Philly Cheesesteak. I’m sure there is plenty of business to go around and keep both restaurants in the black.
Major, maybe I haven't had a good fish taco yet. Only tried one so I need to try some more evidently. I love fish 'n chips, so why not fish tacos. For the past 20 years or so, I've been searching for the best fish 'n chips every where we go. The worst was in San Diego, the best on Maui made with Ono (Wahoo).
ReplyDeleteJG, thanks for the "Nowhere in Particular" reference. I didn't know that. One of my favorite tunes.
Melissa, Ouch! So sorry. That must have really sucked.
Lou & Sue, Carne Asada is basically grilled beef, ala Mexican style. Really tasty if done right.
The fish and chips at the Rose and Crown pub in the United Kingdom pavilion at EPCOT is good, but not quite as good as what I remember having in London. I'm sure it's practically impossible to get all the same ingredients on a different continent, especially on the massive scale they have to cook at WDW, so I still give them an A for effort.
ReplyDeleteDrGoat, Baja fish tacos are basically deep-fried fish in a tortilla, with fresh shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, onions, and whatever sauces you want. I prefer crema and Cholula, but Valentina is good too. Grilled fish is amazing too. Fish tacos are big in Hawaii for some reason, and you are right, ono tacos are really really good.
ReplyDeleteI think it's fascinating how Mexican foods are so different across the Southwest states, California is weakest, but Arizona, New Mexico (not really New, not really Mexico) and Texas all have such very different versions of the same things. Exception, CA does improve the further south you go, but up here in the North, only ok. Hawaii has dishes with Mexican names, but they really are just unique to Hawaii and not much like the real things, IMHO. I like them, but as their own thing.
Melissa, I hope you recovered! Skates are no bueno for me.
Major, I had a long meeting at 10:00. I've taken to omitting punctuation. Sorry I confused you. After reading your response, I think the Matterhorn should wear a bathrobe.
JG
Wow! What a fantastic journey across the park. I get dizzy just looking down at the submarine lagoon. And one can see the hills off in the distance. Everything is fresh and bright.
ReplyDelete