California Adventures

Our oldest son Presley was so excited when he was tall enough to ride The Tower of Terror that he posed for a picture with the Tower and years later asked me to draw a sketch of that picture for him.

Its hard to believe it has been 17 years since the second theme park opened at the Disneyland Resort, it still seems like a "new" park to me. When we went to Disneyland on our first date in 1998 they had started the demolition of the original  parking lot, and I remember driving along the blocked off parking lot and being sent to a surface lot just south of the Disneyland Hotel behind what is now the Paradise Pier Hotel. We would end up going to Disneyland for New Years 2001 and you could see that they were nearly finished, it was very exciting that in just over a month the new park would open.   Disney's California Adventure park opened on February 8, 2001, we probably made it there by March or so, May at the latest as that is our anniversary and before we were pass holders we would try to go every year around that date.

Paradise Pier in 2016, soon to be "Pixar Pier"...the 3rd version of the "Classic" California Boardwalk at Disney California Adventure Park

It was still very new, and not crowded, I was not following the development very closely and did not really know what to expect. Jon Jerde's Universal City Walk had been a pretty big deal and we covered it in Architecture School, but I don't remember Downtown Disney receiving similar press. I had really liked Universal City Walk's collage like homage to Los Angeles Boulevard culture, it seemed a more organic way to represent "California" and it felt like a "City". The Craftsman vocabulary at Downtown Disney was beautiful and worked especially well in concert with the Grand Californian Hotel to give it a "Resort" vibe. As that Architecture was traditionally used for residences I felt at the retail scale used at Downtown Disney it did not "feel" like a real "City" the way City Walk did. I suppose I have softened a bit on that as I like Downtown Disney but it was never a place we went to outside of Disneyland visits but we would go to City Walk independent of visits to Universal Studios Hollywood.

The new Esplanade "plaza" between the park entrances was very nice and an elegant "front porch" for the the theme parks. It took a little getting used to to make a hard turn to face Disneyland from the Ticket Booths after being used to approaching it straight on, but everything at Downtown Disney and the Esplanade was done to a high level of detail, that it largely remains to this day is a testament to it's quality. On our first visit to then new "Disneyland Resort" I'm pretty sure we purchased Park Hoppers and spent the morning at California Adventure  and the afternoon/evening at Disneyland...that would end up being our usual touring pattern for nearly every visit.

 I remember they had a new "Disneyland Resort" logo that did not use the famous script. and it was jarring at first. It made some sense to give a "separate" identity to Disneyland Park (which still used the classic script) versus the Disneyland RESORT (which used the new logo incorporating the "Disney" signature letters). We had gone to Disneyland Paris in the summer of 2000 and they had a similar more "corporate" logo. I believe there was some push back on not using the Disneyland Script for the whole resort and they eventually got rid of the new Disneyland Resort logo and now use the classic script logo for both the original park and the resort.

I think our overall impressions were that portions of some areas were really detailed (Hollywood Backlot Street, Pacific Wharf, Paradise Pier Bay, Golden State Rec Area, Condor Flats) while some areas were really sparse and lacking (Sunshine Plaza, Studio Backlot, Bay Area, Paradise Pier Midway, Crazy Roadside area of Paradise Bay, Bountiful Valley Farm), and that there was not enough to do.

While somewhat critical of the park, we never hated it or thought it was awful, in fact there was much we liked. We became quite fond of it as it was a nice break from the Disneyland crowds! After seeing on TV all of the amazing stuff they were doing to Walt Disney World throughout the 80's & 90's it was so exciting getting some "new" stuff and a "Resort" to go with what was one park, a parking lot and at the time an older hotel.

Maybe it was slightly underwhelming because there were so few unique rides and because the place making was very disjointed. There was not a clear diagram of how the park was organized the way Disneyland was. The spine of the park was called "The Performance Corridor", I guess it is as clinical as "The Hub", but somehow it didn't quite work. The postcard entry and Golden Gate Bridge was clever but it led to a largely empty plaza and the "sun and wave wall" did not have a lot of presence as an icon...you felt like there was no anchors...it was just a series of places stretched out along wide walkways. The collage/juxtaposition approach of Universal City Walk(important to note is a shopping center and not a Theme Park), where disparate elements abut each other without attempt to recreate a specific time and place was in use in a lot of places in the park. Sunshine Plaza for example had simple metal storefronts and also a somewhat accurate portrayal of a train station but then the train was clearly set into the ground and there was no where for the train to go.

The collage approach can work as architecture, but it is not the way a Disney Theme Park is traditionally presented. Disney Theme Parks attempt to recreate specific environments with a logic to them. California Adventure had elements that didn't seem logical like a Golden Gate Bridge over a walkway, or a train to nowhere, a 1990's modern "Animation" building in the middle of a 1920's Hollywood Street. Is Hollywood Backlot a movie studio or a trip through old Hollywood, or both? It was not always clear. It was that lack of clarity which made the place come off as a Six Flags or Cedar Fair type park even if the environments were highly detailed. 

The raft ride was done well and the Rec Area right adjacent to the Grand Californian was very successful, I really loved the way the walkway was done as if it were a road through a National Park complete with road barrier. But then you had wonderfully detailed "Painted Ladies Bay Area" facades for bathrooms and no attraction.

                             

There were so many shops and places to eat but too few rides. Soarin' Over California was magnificent, and California Screamin' was fun, it seemed pretty wild for a "Disney" Coaster. We went on the very strange Superstar Limo, the style of the ride was very cartoony and the DC Follies/Max Headroom style characters were creepy. The premise had potential but the execution was bizarre, I have enjoyed the Monsters Inc. version much more.

On only one of our visits was the backlot food court open, it was a set of eateries themed to classic LA nightspots...like Ciro's, and The Coconut Grove, Trocadero, etc., I thought that was really neat and have never seen it open ever again. I really loved The Muppets show and it was new to me as I had not yet been to Walt Disney World. The Animation exhibits were top notch, we spent a lot of time there.  Overall though we enjoyed it; I suppose it was a mixed bag, but since we had park hoppers we filled the rest of our day at Disneyland. 

Presley meeting Goofy in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright Bathrooms

Around the time of our oldest son's second birthday we became pass holders and would visit both parks much more frequently. We stayed at the Paradise Pier Hotel several times and appreciated the quiet vibe of the place and were always given park view rooms without an up charge. I fondly remember watching the Electrical Parade travel "The Performance Corridor" from our rooms! 

Theme Park View no charge upgrade every time in those uncrowded days

Building the Grand California DVC in the foreground there

The tortilla factory was a favorite of ours especially when they were handing out flour tortillas. I suppose what we most enjoyed was how laid back and uncrowded it was. 

When we moved away from California they were just starting to put up the barriers for Buena Vista Street & Cars Land.  We have since been back to see the new "Disney California Adventure"...and have enjoyed it. The new Buena Vista Street is a wonderful counterpoint to Main Street USA and brings a lot of energy and life to the entry of the park.

With Presley & Ryker on "Route 66"

Cars Land is of course fantastic, both Radiator Springs and Radiator Springs Racers. Racers is the perfect combination of dark ride and thrill ride, it is one of the best Disney Rides I have ever been on, I think of the "Modern" attractions Indiana Jones is the only thing that comes close to it for detail.

We left California in 2009 and from what I understand the parks have gotten more and more crowded since, but for a while there we really enjoyed our slower paced California Adventure.

Adventures in Adventureland

My father worked nights when I was growing up, he had a 4 day 10 hour a day schedule and was off every Friday. When I got up to go to school he would be sleeping and when I got home from school he had left for work except on Fridays. Both he and my Mother love what I would call old movies, now of course old movies is a relative term and while it is true they loved old movies, a lot of the movies they loved weren't old to them they were the movies from their childhood. It's exactly how my son loves "old stuff from the 1980's"...stuff from the 80's isn't old...oh wait... The 1980's when I grew up was the golden age of the VCR, for most people being able to record shows and sporting events was a big deal. Since my Dad missed nightly television he would leave instructions for me to tape programs while he was at work. Dad was pretty particular about what he wanted recorded (thankfully he preferred to watch sports live so he never put that burden on me) , and it was mostly movies from the 50's. I also had to record "The Wonder Years" for him. Honestly as I think back it was mostly movies from the 50's and The Wonder Years. So I never really knew what he had in store for me, it wasn't every night or anything like that but it was fairly often. I'd get home from school and he'd have left notes around the house , multiple notes! The TV would have a sheet taped over the screen "Channel 11, 8PM", and a video cassette would be blocking the front of the VCR and maybe the remote control was sitting on top of the cassette. If that wasn't enough he would tape a note to the bathroom mirror "Channel 11, 8PM", there might be another note on the refrigerator "Channel 11, 8PM", it all depended on how badly he wanted a particular show. We did not have cable growing up (my Dad still does not have cable) but it was okay because we lived outside Los Angeles and in the 1980's the local non network affiliated channels filled prime time with movies, especially KTLA 5, KCOP 13 and KTTV 11. Dad wanted his programming commercial free, which meant I had to watch this stuff attentively so I could pause the tape during commercial breaks, I had a pretty good record of not falling asleep at the switch. Most of the time I would groan at being subjected to what I was sure would be some moldy oldy but to my surprise (nearly every time) it turned out I would really enjoy the show. This was the way I was introduced to one of my most favorite movies...Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. This movie has classic cars (well they were new at the time), fantastic Architecture, and a thrilling, clever plot. Another such film I was introduced to was the 1951 film "The African Queen" starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn.

Don't be fooled into using the bathrooms ahead on the right, there is a "secret" bathroom in the Tiki Room to your left!

The African Queen is one of my folks most favorite movies (that they both love), it is about a scruffy skipper and a very polished Missionary forced to go on an adventure through the jungle on a strangely familiar little boat. They experience trials & tribulations including wading through leech infested waters and end up having to face hostile Germans during the time of World War I. I was expecting it to be torture, but to my surprise it was actually a fun adventure movie...my 1980's self might have described it like an old tymey Indiana Jones movie. It felt very familiar to me and I remember finding the overall setting and aesthetic to be very Disneyland Jungle Cruise, and the African Queen (Bogie's Boat) was a dead ringer for one of the Jungle Cruise boats.

This is not a sketch of a Jungle Cruise boat like it is in a previous post, in this post this same drawing is a sketch of "The African Queen", can't you see the leech infested water?

Of course the Jungle Cruise being like "The African Queen" was all very intentional, what with Disneyland opening in 1955 I would imagine this movie would have been very fresh in the public consciousness. A lot of Disney fans complain about "Intellectual Property", that is to say attractions based on specific film franchises taking over the parks. While it is true that the latest attractions are based on film properties, were the original classic attractions really all that divorced from previous film & literary genres? Disneyland was a revolutionary experience because it allowed the visitor to walk through a movie set environment.  This was nearly an entirely new concept(nearby Knotts Berry Farm predates it of course but it was limited to one world..."The Old West"). The individual lands reference the shared iconography of contemporary films (The Western, The Sci-Fi Flick, The Jungle Movie, The Good Old Days, etc.). While not necessarily "Intellectual Property" in the literal sense (except for say the works of Mark Twain or in Fantasyland) the settings are familiar to the patron because they recall types of movies. The Disney bench was not as deep as it is today where it seems like they own literally nearly everything. Vintage Disneyland built upon recognized film genres though, it is for that reason that Indiana Jones can be plopped down between the Jungle Cruise and the Swiss Family Treehouse years later and a sense of harmony is maintained. I think what has changed is that for the audiences of today it is not enough to engage in a type of story, they want to engage in specific stories (The world of Harry Potter, or Star Wars, etc.) So I don't automatically worry that new attractions are linked to "Intellectual Properties". As long as you get to live in a fantastic world for a few moments and it is made to a certain level of detail and sophistication it will mostly likely be consistent with Disney quality.

The sketch: the gateway to Adventure beckons...will you answer it's call? Sure but first let me get a Dole Whip and hey while we are here lets catch the Tiki Room, we can use the "secret" bathroom while we are at it. The shows over...oh no it looks like we have been dumped into that solid mob of people between here and the Pirates of the Caribbean. Well not in my sketch, I tend not to draw a lot (or any) people....they get in the way of the buildings.

Looking backward at Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland was my favorite Disney land when I was a kid, and I have a big soft spot for it today.  I was always a Trekkie, a Star Wars Fan, and a Space Program Fan so it was a big thrill to walk around in a world of Tomorrow.  I often suspect that my passion for Mid-Century Modernism is an outgrowth of my love for Star Trek, Disneyland, and the Brady Bunch.  Star Trek: The Original Series had a very thinly veiled Modernist aesthetic, complete with pedestal furniture and angular minimalist sets. Disneyland had the wonderful Tomorrowland of 1967 with its space age spires reaching for the sky. And The Brady Bunch, well the Father was an Architect with a groovy Frank Lloyd Wright-ish home that always captivated me.  As for the Space Program, I vividly remember the first Space Shuttle launch and Space Shuttle toys were among my favorites.

Tomorrowland grab bag of memories: Riding Adventures Through Inner Space and being so sure we were going to be shrunken down in the Mighty Microscope. Being equally convinced I had flown on a Mission To Mars...and why shouldn't I believe it, after all my older brothers assured me they had seen my rocket leave while they were in line for Space Mountain (I was not tall enough for that one at the time). For some reason we usually ended up at Tomorrowland in the late afternoon, when I think back it is always with a western sun. Usually we had taken the Monorail over to the Disneyland Hotel and gone to see the Toy Store and the remote control boats in the Hotel Lagoon. One time I rode in the monorail bubble behind the driver with my brother, that was a real treat, as much as I liked the "Lear Jet" Monorails I really missed the bubbles!

My sketch here tries to capture Disneyland's Tomorrowland circa 1984...the Peoplemover is still solid colored. I have a very clear childhood memory of being so happy looking at the three flag poles atop the Carousel Theater building, with the combination of the smell of the chlorine from the Submarine Voyage and the gasoline from Autopia heavy in the air. Overhead the Skyway whisking folks off towards Fantasyland through the Matterhorn. You can see the Rocket Jets spinning around, Peoplemovers and Monorails snaking around each other, all so fantastic. And the sounds, the goose like "honk-honk" of the Monorail, the steam whistle of the Disneyland Railroad, Is Harold growling at the screaming Matterhorn Bobsleders as they pass through his ice caverns?