Tram and Parking Lot, April 1974
I hope that none of you saw the title of today's post and got too excited. Tram and Parking Lot? "I love the tram, yippee!" (jumps in the air, clicking heels together). "And the parking lot is radical, as the kids say!". It hurts me to crush your hopes and dreams with today's "meh" photos, but life is like that sometimes.
We stood waaaay out in the furthest reaches of the parking lot (notice that he is near a sign that has the letter "U" on it), waiting for a tram to come. Sure, we could have walked, but that's for chumps. Finally, Tobias Tramdriversson (his real name, I didn't make it up) arrived, and we made sure to sit close to him to feed off of his positive energy. And his blood. Oh, didn't I mention that I my family are "day-walkers"? Right behind Tobias' head is the Anaheim Convention Center.
Next is this unfortunately-dark photo of the lot as seen from the Monorail. Why did the photo turn out like this? It looks like a "day for night" shot from "Bonanza" (only with more cars). Look at all those dang electrical towers, are they still there to this day?
21 comments:
Major-
So many cars... so little time.
Thanks, Major.
Pylons and Pinto’s!
I'll help Nanook out. At the bottom of the screen, there is a Ford Pinto. But it doesn't appear to be exploding.
Objects in Tobias' mirror may be closer than they appear.
I like Tobias' groovy sideburns and his shades, too.
Tobias looks a bit like a young Elvis. He's got that upper lip curl thing, and that strand of fly-away hair. He's even wearing a jumpsuit! (maybe... of sorts.)
Soooo, is Disneyland behind us in this shot?
Wow, that's a lot of cars! (Get it? lot of cars... car lot?... tough crowd.) Pretty soon it will be dark, and everybody in these cars will be annoyed when they find out they're all facing the wrong direction to see the drive-in movie that will be projected onto that screen back there. And those poles with the loud speakers are waaay to high! Are the movie goers expected to shimmy up the poles to grab one of the speakers? Ridiculous!
There's no such thing as "meh" photos, Major... Well OK, there is. I mean, we've seen plenty of them here on GDB. ;-p But we like them anyway; they spur the imagination and generate interesting comments. Thanks.
^ Oh yeah! I forgot to mention Tobias' Elvis-y "groovy sideburns and shades".
By the way, Major.....the electrical towers were upgraded to more of a giant pole/post kind of thing. They were also moved closer to Katella Avenue, so they wouldn't go through the middle of DCA. I don't think it would have made that much of a difference, if they had just left the towers and the wires over DCA. The park was pretty darn ugly when it opened. Plus, they could have told guests that it was that park's Skyway ride, and that it just wasn't running "that day."
Wow, We Are There in the Parking Lot!
Undoubtedly the Happiest Parking Lot on Earth.
It’s so empty out there in photo 1, we must be getting ready to turn around and head back to the Gates? I love this photo.
Photo 2, I can see my car! If it was there, that is.
Easily the best parking lot pics you have posted, Major. Thank you!
The power lines were rerouted around DCA, at some unknown but astronomical price, because, by law, buildings can’t be placed under the lines. This is also why the pole style was changed, to reduce the width of the cable set so the ground easement could be minimized.
We can see from modern aerial pics that the alignment resumes past Disney’s properties and the old towers remain.
JG
That second shot is very artistic!
thanks, Major... any pics of the ParkingLotLand are always a treat
photo #1 has a monorail beam in right-side mirror, but our photographer couldn't wait for one to come -- that would risk losing this moment
Nanook, name your “Top 10” favorite cars in the parking lot! ;-)
Lou and Sue, um, er, asphalt and Alfa Romeos?
TokyoMagic!, I don’t know if Pintos were really as horrible as their reputation implies, but I suppose that most people don’t want exploding cars. Most.
JB, Tobias could only be photographed from the waist up due to TV standards. AAnd yes, I believe that Disneyland was basically behind us in photo #1. Part of me misses the old parking lot, but I have to admit that the “Mickey and Friends” parking structure is convenient, and you don’t have to park in the blazing sun. I feel like a traitor even admitting that! The “meh” photos make the good ones seem that much better, right?
JB, but does he have rhinestones on his jumpsuit?
TokyoMagic!, I didn’t remember seeing those electrical towers anytime recently, so I figured that they’d probably been relocated. It would have been pretty funny to leave them up and running through DCA!!
JG, good point, you need a lot of room to turn one of those babies, especially at 70 mph (you have to allow for “drift”). Hey, somebody’s breaking into my car! I’m not sure I’d want to live under power lines, you hear stories of issues, maybe it’s all baloney. Still, it wouldn’t be ideal, aesthetically. Wow, the old towers are still there? I guess nobody wants to pay for their removal??
Melissa, like the best art, the second photo is about death!
LTL, good observation! I was just noticing the screen around the vertical exhaust pipe so that folks wouldn’t burn themselves on hot metal.
TM!, I went to high school with a boy who was 6'7" and drove a Pinto. A real knee-steerer. We played Oberon and Titania in the school play, and on the way to the cast party, we stuffed 12 people into my other friend's Chevette. We had a lot of fun with those little cars back in the day.
"Pylons and Pinto’s!"
Ranges and Rovers and pylons and Pintos,
Bright bumper stickers, antennas, and and windows,
Wrecks that have sprung their suspension coil springs,
These are a few of my parking lot things.
Great lyrics Melissa! Singing them now.
I know it's weird, but I always had a lot of affection for the power towers back in the day - I always assumed they were there to bring juice to Disneyland, so they were thus sanctified. They were part of the Disneyland experience.
Good one Melissa. The foreground of the picture is likely the Employee Lot. And darned if I didn't think that I noticed my '73 Mercury Capri was in it. But by zooming into the shot I found it to be a Pinto. Drat. I survived my '71 Pinto by trading it in for the Capri. LOL KS
Melissa, I wonder how often your 6’ - 7” friend was asked if he played basketball? Also, did he play basketball?
Melissa, Julie Andrews would be proud.
Sunday Night, do you suddenly have a British accent?
Hogarth, weird people on a vintage Disneyland blog? I can’t believe it! It’s everybody else who is weird.
KS, I’ve never driven a Pinto, but we had a Mercury Capri when I and my siblings were all getting to be “driving age”. I remember liking that little car, even though it was very humble! It was eventually stolen.
Melissa, excellent lyricizationing! One of my "favorite things" on GDB.
Major...sorry to hear your experience. The Pinto was fine but it also felt like I was driving a ladder. It was so rigid, I "hopped" (I think you'll understand what I mean) along on the San Diego Freeway during my commutes to Long Beach State. Was not aware of the fire issue until it was gone. I loved my Capri. V-6. It stayed in the family into 1981. Of all the cars I've had...it remains the top one I wish I had back because of the good memories I had with it. And that includes a "Z" and Porsche. Go figure.
Pinto power! We had one too, in light bloo. It was awesome and it did not explode. Parking lot photos do get me all "jazzed"....if that is a word anymore. I feel old. Why did we say "radical"...not sure, but I did too. Both of these photos are art. The second one in particular. So many cars, all perfectly lined up: like WWII soldiers marching in unison: a testament to the employees of the parking lot who had to guide each car in individually. It's kind of a magical shot. I also thought the power lines were there to supply Disneyland with electricity, and that their own reason for being was because "Disneyland USA". So now: they have TRE'd. Tobias is very much a Parking Lot employee: right down to the glasses. They all were too cool for school. I did work in the parking lot briefly: not guiding cars, but setting up cones and also working the toll booth. The costume was really great to wear and fit very nicely. It was cool as well: what I remember was it was cotton...but could have had a bit of poly in it to make the colors really pop. I also had some very special sunglasses like Tobias: at the time they were $70 and I thought I was fancy. I have a photo of me wearing them: things get destroyed in ODV: so they did...thanks for the great shots today Major!
"Melissa, I wonder how often your 6’ - 7” friend was asked if he played basketball? Also, did he play basketball?"
Our school was so small you pretty much had to choose either sports or performing arts, or there wouldn't have been enough kids to do either. (But I'm sure people asked him.)
Melissa, 6'7"? Wow, I bet you really looked up to him. Sorry, I couldn't resist!
I had a friend who's mom had an AMC Gemlin. I do remember not having much room in the backseat for my legs!
I love your song!
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