Disneyland Hotel Marina, 1970
It's LOU AND SUE time again, hooray! We're continuing to check out the Disneyland Hotel's new marina in a series of photo prints from 1970 (see the first batch HERE).
If you have a marina, you must have some boats. It stands to reason! And the Disneyland Hotel marina had a variety of watercraft, including these sporty little numbers with outboard motors. They should have stocked the water with smallmouth bass so we might catch a lunker or two. To be honest I am unclear as to whether guests could rent these boats and pilot them around, or if they were there purely for decoration.
You know the sailboats were just for decoration! I am pretty sure that there were paddle boats available eventually, but I see no hint of them in these photos.
I assume that this marine area was once where guests could swim in several different pools, were all the swimming pools gone by this point? Seems kind of a shame if so.
Here's a nice view from a hotel room looking down on the marina. That orange object to the right (on shore) is a kind of emergency life raft, I think. Notice the garden apartments toward the top center of the image, and in the hazy (smoggy) distance, the Anaheim Convention Center. Look at all that wide-open land, even in 1970!
I sure do envy all the lucky people who got to stay at the Disneyland Hotel for a multi-day stay at the park. Instead of having to rush to do everything in one day, you can go back to your room, relax, maybe enjoy a nice meal, take a nap, and then head back later in the day, refreshed and rarin' to go.
I absolutely love that Lou took this great photo of the hotel room interior! Unusual for sure. It looks like he and Dolly did just what I suggested in the previous photo - they've returned to their room to take a breather. Wow, look at that smog outside, it's pretty bad! On the bed we see one familiar shopping bag from the park, and if you look closely, you can see a copy of the "Preview Edition" guidebook for Walt Disney World.
Here's what the cover looks like.
THANKS to Lou and Sue!!
39 comments:
Major-
Is that orange shag carpeting in the guest room-? Nothing but the best for the Disneyland Hotel-!
Thanks to Lou & Sue.
#1: Some sort of craft is poking its nose into frame on the right next to those people. Since this is a marina, I will assume it's a Sea-Doo rather than a Ski-Doo, even though it looks like it might have skis underneath. I think that's some sort of support to keep it off the ground.
Or maybe it's the nose of Monorail Red after someone ignored the washing instructions and ran it through the hot water cycle, causing it to shrink.
#2: Needs more buoys!
#3: I think that large white boat is the S.S.Minnow. A group of hotel guests took it out for a 3 hour tour of the marina and got shipwrecked on that buoy for 6 years. They eventually discovered that the water was only 3 feet deep and waded ashore.
I wonder how deep the water really was?
Thanks Lou and Sue... and the other guy. (Minor? No, that's not it. Corporal? Nah, that's not it either. Give me a minute, I'll think of it, eventually.)
Lovely pictures; Lou really captured the sunlight on the water.
Major, the hotel's "Olympic" sized swimming pool still existed at this point. Actually, it was around until the construction of Downtown Disney. It was located on the other side of the Sierra Tower, which is the hotel tower that we see in the first pic, and on the right in the second pic.
After the Marina was demolished (also for the construction of Downtown Disney), it was replaced by the "Neverland" themed pool. And then that was ripped out in 2010 and replaced with the new and current "Monorail water slides" and pool.
I hope Lou and Dolly saved that groovy psychedelic shopping bag!
Thank you Lou, Sue, and the Major, too!
It looks like he and Dolly did just what I suggested in the previous photo - they've returned to their room to take a breather.
Major, let’s hope this isn’t what happened. It would’ve ruined my mom’s Disneyland trip. ;o)
I love that photo - it’s one of my favorites - with my dad’s camera bag and my mom’s (Donna’s) purse together in that shot.
Sue, oooops! I also called your mom, "Dolly." Sorry! I'm going to blame the Major! I know we have seen Donna before, in at least one of Lou's photos.
TM! No need to be sorry. It made me laugh! That’s what this blog is all about.
In answer to your question, “To be honest I am unclear as to whether guests could rent these boats and pilot them around, or if they were there purely for decoration,” I can assure you that the guests were not merely for decoration. They were also an essential food source for the plants near the Garden Apartments. They may have also had some sort of function in funding the facility’s operations, although I’m a little unclear on that.
I loved those “balconies” in the rooms. They were just a couple of inches deep, but you could open the door and get the effect of a balcony without the aesthetics to the building that comes with having a bunch of balconies hanging off of it. I remember watching “Fantasy Waters” across the Marina from our room with my wife from our open balcony window.
“…without the impact to the aesthetics of the building…”
I continue to be confused about a "Marina" where you don't really go anywhere, where vessels are landlocked...and it wasn't really a "selling opportunity" either... I never saw "you can take this boat home for $$$" (?) The paddle boats seemed fun...but still didn't get it. As a bratty teenager I thought the hotel complex lacked some cohesion- as a kid it was a magical place, and a pre-adult just kind of a mis-mosh of Sgt. Prestons, an underwater arcade, dancing waters (a lot of post work exploits happened there), shopping with your DL Discount and Mickey card and Monorail bar. All good stuff...and I can't say they've made it make more sense...still a mish mosh...but I think the masses enjoy mish mosh. It's kind of criminal that nothing exists of the original 1955 complex. The architect (William Pereira) was important and designed other buildings later like the pyramid in San Francisco, the LAX Theme Building (with Paul Williams), the City of Irvine..... and HOJO's Anaheim! You would think some yahoo (like myself) would have lobbied to keep some of the Erector set buildings in tact! Love the shot of the room! Orange shag (like Hojos too) is awesome! I wonder if they provided a "shag rake" to each guest. We had to rake our shag carpeting (blue and green)- it was fancy. The disneyland bag is my favorite bag. I had one, and sold it. 4 color printing...probably was pricy to make. A little "tissue-y"...they got pretty crumpled pretty fast. Wish it wasn't so hazy...trying to figure out what that dome shaped thing is out there...and what the view was beyond. Juliet balconies are lovely...not sure I'd want all that smoke in my room...but weren't all rooms back then smoking rooms? It's missing an ashtray on the table...which was a very thick glass one...I had one of them...and sold it. Thanks Lou and Sue!
Bu, I think that dome-shaped thing is the under-construction restaurant/arcade complex that stood alongside the Marina. I think that's the curved back wall of Dancing Waters visible through the overexposed haze directly beyond the table in front of the window. That - along with the tower this was taken from - was all new for 1970.
There is an ashtray on the night stand next to the lamp. Either that or it's a flip phone.
This is pretty much the exact same view we had the only night we ever stayed at the DL Hotel, celebrating our second anniversary in 1995, although the decor had been updated by then. Would be funny if this was the exact same room we stayed in.
Sue, were you on this trip with your parents?
My goodness, the smog. Hard to believe it was like that, and then changed.
My marina is full of boats, but they are all aground when I let the bath water out.
Chuck, you are right, those “Juliet balconies” also do not require waterproofing. A significant cost savings for construction and maintenance, which means more can be spent on shag carpets and rakes. (Also we had a shag rake at home, but no balcony).
Pereira had a lot of great commissions in that era. I sure like the photo of the room. I take a photo of our hotel rooms now too, good memories.
Thank very much, Lou, Sue, and the Major too!
JG
Fake as it was - the marina kicked the Disneyland Hotel complex up a few notches . The yachts and boats - most of them available for boarding/viewing and were available for sale with a boat agent based in (for a short time) in Newport Beach California and relocated to Dana Point when their new marina complex was completed ... south of Laguna Beach . These boats were no different than a Wurlitzer electric organ on Main St. USA or GM automobiles at Disneyland’s entry plaza!!
That WDW preview edition is interesting : we know that Disneyland guests in California could purchase that pre-opening guidebook for the then under construction WDW Vacation Kingdom , as well as all the WDW pre-opening postcards and the 5 sets of preview center art slides ... what better way to excite your existing audience to the whole new Disney World project. I wonder and I speculate that the guidebook was probably given to Disneyland Hotel guests in their guest welcome packet ...... ( if guests will sped the money for a Disneyland Hotel Resort Stay....... maybe they will do the same in Florida!??)
Special shots of the Hotel interior . Sue: after you explained your dad’s camera bag and your mom’s purse sitting next to each other , I got a bit teary eyed!
Great photos Sue. Glad you're Dad took a shot of the room, with those precious items on the bed. Hand me a tissue Mike. Very special. Plus that beautiful bag.
I do remember visiting the Atari arcade a few times back then. Not that in to it at the time. It's Disneyland. We had video arcades back in Tucson. One had an original Orange Julius attached to it. Drank a lot of those things.
Thanks for the special pics, Sue and Lou. Thank you Major.
Nanook, I guess if we can’t have avocado green shag carpeting, orange will have to do!
JB, I have no idea what that thing is to the right in the first photo - your guess is better than mine. for a second I thought it might be a helicopter (seriously), but that is stupid. I can see that you are a part of the powerful buoy lobby! I’ll bet that water isn’t more than four feet deep at the most, but it’s just a guess.
Melissa, these are like Monet paintings!
TokyoMagic!, they should have had the summer Olympics at the Disneyland Hotel, what a coup that would be. I always liked the look of the Neverland pool, I’m kind of bummed that they tore that out. The Monorail waterslides look fun though.
Lou and Sue, ZOIKS. My own screwup. Yay. I’m going to “zag” and say that Dolly was Lou’s pet mouse that he carried in his shirt pocket. Sorry about that, I have no idea why I typed “Dolly”. I just mentioned your mom in an upcoming post and I promise that I got her name correct!
TokyoMagic!, it’s OK, it’s my fault!
Lou and Sue, I appreciate your understanding.
Chuck, hmmm, I guess I haven’t been reading “Parade” magazine closely enough, I was unaware of the way boats were used as a food source for plants. I’m imagining waking up early in the morning and stepping out on to the balcony to take it all in before getting going for the day. Were they even wide enough to stand on?
Chuck, I knew what you meant!
Bu, I think the Marina was just an attempt at a theme, I’m not sure how much it had to do with the fact that the Wrather corporation had taken on ownership of the Queen Mary. I can’t fault them for trying at least, it’s a lot more than most hotels will do. And I always like a big body of water (see: the Sub lagoon), even if it’s manmade. I just wrote a blog post about the LAX theme building, so William Pereira’s name is fresh in my brain. He sure did a lot of amazing stuff, and as you said, more and more of it is torn down every year. It hurt to see LACMA getting razed recently, instead of refurbishing those buildings. Now we’ll get a striking-looking building that will have a mere fraction of exhibit space. Dumb, it’s like the director of the museum wanted a monument to HIM. I’m sure that all of the DLH rooms were smoking rooms back then, yuck.
Chuck, I agree with you, that dome is definitely part of the Marina complex. I think I’ve posted at least one other non-Lou construction photo of it. Those ashtrays must have been stolen by the hundreds, they are a common eBay offering. I am always jealous of anybody who got to stay in the Hotel back in those days!
JG, I know, the smog is particularly (no pun intended) bad in that photo. Thick and chunky. Do most hotel balconies require waterproofing? I had no idea. I wonder if someday people will wonder why so many of Pereira’s buildings were not valued. I’m not sure the LACMA buildings were really that beautiful, but they evoked the era in which they were built, and they functioned beautifully for their purpose.
Mike Cozart, because I never spent much time over at the Hotel complex (never staying there, sadly), I don’t really remember the Marina that much. I do remember the little remote controlled Jungle Cruise boats, so I guess I did see it briefly. A friend who lived in Fullerton took me over there for lunch one day, but it was a quick look around. I wonder how many boats were sold because of the DLH displays? I have at least one photo in which we can see a postcard rack with those WDW preview guides on sale, they were definitely trying to drum up excitement.I have one in a box somewhere, it’s fun to look at the concept art, some for things that were never built.
DrGoat, it’s funny how something like the items on the bed can make us remember things from our own pasts, it can be pretty moving. I have smaller versions of that style of paper bag, but would love to have a big one in good condition! I was never that into video games, probably because I wasn’t good at them. I’m kind of jealous of the kids who grew up loving them and playing them. We had an arcade at the local mall, it was called “The Tilt”. My buddy and I still make jokes about it!
Major-
Although I share your sentiment about the rampant tearing-down of buildings - and [the original] LAMCA was a fine example of (late) mid-century modern - but, as someone who worked there for eight years, I can confirm it wasn't all that loved by those who had to deal with it on a daily basis.
Apparently once again, what turned out to be 'less than perfect', is now being replaced by a 'new design' that is already hated prior to breaking ground-! (I guess it saves time).
Wonderful pictures of a time gone by Sue. Who would think of taking that picture inside the hotel room other than Lou? Really touching. Certainly it wasn't for the view. Much of the smog was mixed with the residual fog that would permeate the area during the Fall and Winter months...and it looks to me that is when the pictures were taken. Yep, there has been a decided improvement in air quality since then.
Major, your comments about the Marina tying into the Queen Mary is right on target. In pic 4, towards the rear...you can see a red emergency evacuation pod. There was also a ship's screw, one of the 4, from the Queen Mary, on display in that area. The upgrade was pretty fancy for its time. KS
Also this version of the Hotel “Marina” would go thru some changes ... 1976 .... and in 1979 the Wonderful World of Water and Seaports of The Pacific theming. In the 1990’s my friends and I spent lots of time here.... the Wine Cellar was a favorite place to take dates too. The Shipyard Inn was a popular place - somewhat expensive but the atmosphere was soo nice and the food was actually pretty amazing ....I think because of the name , lots of people thought it was some moderate family seafood house - but it wasn’t. Also the section of Seaports of the Pacific that housed the Mexico and Japan sections would be used for castmember clearance sales .... these would be sales where you would buy things really cheap but mostly in bulk ...... like 5.00 for a sealed block of a single obsolete Disneyland postcard ( Like 50 of them ) ... or 20 of the same felt Disneyland pennant ..... unsold anniversary clothing ..... even left over antiques with One of a Kind Tags attached. I guess it was like a merchandise property control sale. You would have to wait in a super long line .... and I think you could bring a guest that was none Disney employee ... ( I think ) again , this was all long after the Marina we see in these images.
Bellow the elevated Ship Yard Inn was the Wine Cellar and attached on a lower level was another lounge - The Crown & Pillow .. it was a british modern nautical theme that served liquors and Europe beers .... it seemed like it was rarely open in later years ... but the atmosphere was very intimate and dark and was level with the marina creating lots of reflected water shadows inside. Behind this liquor lounge was a snak and sandwich shop fit people hanging around the marina. Thus snack bar remained completely unchanged when the Neverland Pool went in and then was accessible by pool guests only .... . The Ship Yard Inn became a Disney pirate themed restaurant called HOOKS POINTE .... which became VERY expensive.
The marina certainly looks unfinished. In need of paddleboats at the very least. Still, points for providing a view of something other than a roof or a parking lot.
As a Californian, I love looking out a window and not seeing cars. As I've too often observed, a major charm of the WDW hotels is that you can step out to shop, dine, swim and visit the parks without staring at automotive expanses (don't care about room views, so long as it's quiet).
You-hoo, hey Stu, we’re over here. I think you got lost. ;o)
(You commented on yesterday’s post.)
Love all the comments...will be back later, when I have more time...
The L.A. smog was the default punch line of so many jokes when I was growing up, that even though I knew intellectually that the air quality had improved, when I got off the plane at LAX I was disoriented by the beautiful blue sky I hadn't quite been expecting to see. Human brains! They're weird!
Oops! How did I do that???
I'm tired, I guess.
Here, let's try that again!
I know what you mean, Bu. The overhead shot of the pool of the Marina makes it look a little pointless. However, knowing that it tied in with the Queen Mary makes more sense.
I went to the Queen Mary in 1973, and, in fact, still have a ceramic bank from there. My only real memory is having a huge blueberry sundae in a tall glass with TONS of whipped cream on it! Obviously that made quite an impression!
Thanks Lou and Sue!
And Major too!
Nanook, I’m sure that those old LACMA buildings had their issues, but I have to believe that it would have been cheaper, faster, and BETTER to fix what was there, replace the things like the worn and beat-up elevators, etc, and make it new and shiny for another few decades. Plus they get the bonus of preserving structures that have been a part of the fabric of life in LA since 1965.
KS, when I saw that interior hotel room photo, I was pretty excited! More excited than was probably appropriate, ha ha. I know that much of SoCal has that “marine layer” that can stick around, but after all that is a part of smog after all. I seem to remember seeing photos of that emergency evacuation pod before, kind of a cool thing. And I definitely have posted at least one photo of that massive screw (or “propeller” as some call it!) from the Queen Mary!
Mike Cozart, as always I am jealous of the folks who lived close enough to use Disneyland and the Hotel as part of their daily lives. The closest we ever lived was Huntington Beach, which is *pretty* close, but I didn’t drive at the time (I was seven), so it might as well have been on the moon. Sounds like you had a bunch of great experiences and memories from those days. A block of 50 old postcards? Wow! As a postcard collector, that would have been interesting. And all of those leftover antiques… the mind reels. “The Crown and Pillow”, there’s a name for you! I picture lots of dark wood and red naugahyde. I love places like that. A pirate themed restaurant, maybe it was fun but it sounds cheesy.
DBenson, yes, I believe that the Marina was still under construction, though nearly finished. You make an interesting point about looking out the window and not seeing cars! If you were lucky enough to have a room facing the Marina, at any rate. I’d appreciate some quiet… I’ve heard about some of the hotels in Florida (Pop Century or whatever) that have music blasting until late at night. Ugh.
Lou and Sue, Stu is probably on a top secret mission, and he will never be able to reveal what he did.
Mike, the Shipyard Inn! Been trying to pull that out of my brain all day to no avail. Surprised my wife with dinner there on our anniversary...and then surprised her even more by handing her a room key afterwards. You have no idea what I went through to get that key to the linen closet...
Melissa, human brains are weird...but so delicious!
Chuck, looks like the flesh-eating plants around the Garden Apartments are gonna join Fudgie, The Dent, killer swans, et al, and become a new 'thing' for the GDB crowd. I wonder if the plants were strictly humanovores or if they could be enticed to partake of other types of meat? The park's feral cat population was onto the wily ways of the plants and stayed clear of them. Not so much, the hotel gardeners, who disappeared with alarming frequency; to say nothing of the little kids who would sometimes play hide-and-seek in the treacherous foliage.
Bu, shag rakes. Ha! I'd forgotten about them. We too were given a shag rake when our family built our early 1970s home. I remember thinking how odd the concept was, to rake one's carpeting. I think we used the rake for the first month or so. Then it got stored somewhere where the sun don't shine.
Major, it seemed funny that they would have even one buoy in that tiny marina, so why not go all the way and put 3 or 4 of 'em out there!
"Dolly was Lou’s pet mouse that he carried in his shirt pocket." Sorta like the rat in Ratatouille. Hey! Maybe Dolly the mouse was responsible for all the neat angles and views we see in Lou's photos... or not.
JB, mice have been credited with being responsible for other significant moments in history, so why not Lou's photos?
“I hope we never lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse...”
Chuck, bifocals, the Franklin stove... who knew!?
OMG, Bonus points! A bit tricky, but Yay.
I was one of the lucky ones, with many a stay at the Disneyland Hotel (back when a kid could save up pennies in a beer can for a year and afford a birthday at the park AND a night hotel for my father, cousin, and I….kidding you not, did so for several years).
Anyway, one of my favorite things about the place apparently very seldom noticed, and NEVER photographed…was the stylized ‘moat’ flowing around, under, and through the towers (actually little rectangular pools, appearing to be connected). There is scant evidence of them, even by the best books by Dave Ballard. But your photo #4, from a hotel room, shows a hint of one of the shallow decorative ponds along the base of the tower, in bright blue - as well as their fate along the right side; eventually all being turned into planters.
I would just forget finding more proof of this moat effect, but I know for sure that cousin (…and I) were brats enough (back then!) to always get ice buckets and toss cubes into the moat sections below, from our juliette balconies. (Maybe a splash of guilt as to why these charming details had to go DoDo).
Good times, in lots of glorious ways.
Best-MS
I finally have time to comment more...
TM! Yes, I have that shopping bag, or at least one from that era.
Bu (& JG), you mentioned you had to rake your shag carpeting, but I bet it wasn't for the reason that a lot of people did...especially in the Chicagoland area. Anyone guess the reason?? And, I do have one of those ashtrays from my dad's collection...maybe it's that exact one.
Chuck, to answer your question in a round-about way and without doing some research (going through boxes of pictures and looking at my dad's diary), I don't know if I was on this trip. I know I did go to Disneyland in 1970 with just my mom and a girlfriend, but that was a different trip than this one. On this trip, it could have been just 'mom and dad - minus the kid' (who occasionally stayed home, with grandma babysitting, taking care of the house and dogs).
Fake as it was - the marina kicked the Disneyland Hotel complex up a few notches
Mike, you are so right!
Mike & DrGoat, when I first found this picture of the hotel room (maybe a year ago), I gasped. It's probably in my top 10 favorites of all my dad's photos, that I've seen to date, as it represents my mom and dad and my childhood. The moment you walked into your hotel room, you knew you were going to experience a week of magical times in California and Disneyland. And see fun relatives, too, in my case.
The upgrade was pretty fancy for its time.
KS, you said it! It may seem cheesy now, but we were in "awe" when we saw it. Everyone loved it, and there was so much to see and do, while walking around the hotel grounds.
JB, I'm still working my way through all the comments, and just got to yours. I see that you had a rake, too. So my previous question's for you, too.
MS, are you new to commenting on GDB? If yes, WELCOME! Hang around, because I recently found another few hundred Disneyland Hotel slides. Maybe we'll find more of that "moat" area that you mentioned. I hope so!
Thank you, everyone, for sharing your Disneyland Hotel experiences from this era, as I always learn so much more from all of you. And, as always, your nice comments are appreciated by me - and treasured by my dad.
Sue, in the Chicago area? Hmm, considering all the gang activity that Chicago has been 'famous' for since the 1920s (or so), I would guess that one would rake a carpet for shell casings? Or maybe used hypodermic needles?
JB, nope. It definitely ties in with mobsters, so you're on the right track. I'll wait to see if anyone else knows or has a guess. I'll check back here tomorrow.
Not that new here Lou&Sue, but commenting more recently. Thank you. Real joy to see and read GDB daily. Cheers.
True answer: The last family member (of a mobster family) leaving the house, on the way out, would quickly rake the carpeting, ensuring easy visibility of any mobster activity in that house while the family was away. (Assuming the intruder didn’t carry his own rake.)
Ah, so with the carpet freshly raked, the family could see footprints if anyone had entered the house while they were gone? I honestly couldn't think of anything else mobster related after your previous post.
JB, yep.
For a very short time, in the early 80s, I worked with a gal who had recently divorced a mobster. He was an expert at breaking in and entering (jewelry businesses, for instance). She had beautiful, expensive jewelry, btw. To make her life miserable, because he was mad she didn’t love him anymore, he would break in when she wasn’t home, and just ‘rearrange’ things around her home. He obviously didn’t want to kill her off, just wanted to intimidate her. She finally bought a Chow—and he then stayed away. At least as far as she could tell. Thankfully he must’ve liked dogs and didn’t mess with it. If she had shag carpeting back then (which she didn’t), he would’ve been the type to probably re-rake the carpet when leaving — to mess with her more. Game-playing on a hgher-level.
The mind boggles!
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