Review: Disneyland

Thumbs up.  No, really.

Yesterday I went to Disneyland for the first time.  I was probably the only person left in California who had never been.  It was awesome.  Really.  There are two things that surprised me: how much effort they put into it, and how genuine it all seemed.

There are so many details that make Disneyland special.  For example, in the New Orleans quarter, they had a quartet doing a capella.  They didn't need to do that.  It would have been very nice without the a capella.  But someone at Disney Corporate said: "You know what would make the New Orleans quarter even better?  Add a quartet singing a capella.  That would be cool."  And their boss said: "You know what?  That is a good idea.  Let's hire some guys.  Make sure they're really good, too."  The point is, they could have spent about half the effort and still have made a lot of money.  But that's not what they're about.  They're about putting as much effort into it as they possibly can.

Also, I expected everything to be embarassingly fake.  Of course, it is all fake.  They don't have a real steamboat, and the houses in the New Orleans quarter aren't even life-size.  (I keep pointing out New Orleans (a) because it was my favorite part and (b) because what am I going to say about Toontown being realistic?)  But, they made an effort to make it SEEM real.  Yelena and I had burritos for dinner.  Certainly not the best burritos I've ever had, but they were pretty authentic Mexican-American cuisine.  For lunch we had gumbo in soudough soup bowls.  Again, not the best sourdough I've ever had, but they made a real effort.  The train around the edge of the park is a real steam locomotive.  When you enter Frontierland, there's a wooden stockade.  There's a plaque on the stockade explaining that the American frontier was dotted with forts that used wooden stockades just like this one.  Then they hung the thirteen flags that were flown in the American Revolutionary War.  This is real.

My favorite ride?  It's hard to choose.  I liked all the classics: Indiana Jones, Haunted House, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Autotopia, It's A Small World, etc.  I think maybe the Haunted House was my favorite because it was so creative.  Also because it's in the New Orleans section which was obviously my favorite.  I want to go back to Disneyland just to hang out there and listen to the jazz band and eat gumbo.  I need to get a good gumbo recipe.

Anyway, I loved Disneyland and I want to go back.  Next time I'll bring my fancy camera (instead of my point-and-shoot) because there are so many truly artistic things I'd want to capture.  Yes, I did take pictures, they will be online eventually.  I spent all day there and I felt rushed, and when it was time to go I didn't want to leave.  That's another amazing thing about that place; it's entertaining for adults as well as children.  I've always said that the best children's entertainment is that which is appealing to adults as well.  I can't wait to go back.

J