This weekend, I’m doing my dining car steward bit off in the southern California high desert out at Joshua Tree. Fires were away from where we are, but it’s been a tough couple of weeks for folks in the Southland. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who lost loved ones, homes and more. As well, lots of support and admiration for all of the folks who came from all over the nation to fight the firestorm.
While Jim’s been doing another round of Disneyland tours, I got the chance to see a theme park that, well; it’s hard to describe… End of the season came on Sunday, October 26 at this one, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bunch of folks happier. Not the guests, but the employees.
The place? Paramount’s Great America, in Santa Clara, California. Why? Well, another one of those travel agent perks. Seems how there was a supply of unused day tickets, and with the end of the season at hand; they found their way into waiting hands.
Now that’s a good thing, and it’s a bad thing.
And that may just describe the whole day.
I won’t bore your with a long history of the place. Just a small look back instead. It opened back in the summer of 1976 as Marriott’s Great America. In it’s own way, there was something of an homage to Disneyland with a themed series of areas for entertainment, dining and shopping. But unlike the Park with its hub and the lands arranged around it, GA was designed with the concept of guests walking from one land to another around a big circle. There was (and is) an aerial tramway (again not unlike the one fondly recalled at Disneyland) from close to the front to the rear of the property.
And as well, there was a three-foot gauge railroad that circled the areas, operating clockwise. (In an ironic moment, I noted that GA has lost its railroad but still has its Skyway, while Disneyland has the reverse. Go figure?) The railroad only made two stops and was less the practical transport system than the DLRR. Using diesel hydraulic locomotives with sound-systems (made by Modeltronics, a company that made model railroad sound systems) to give the effect of steam power, there were two trains of cars similar to those open bench cars found on the DLRR.
And it opened as a “pay-one-price” park, never having individual tickets.
GA always was a poor cousin in the theme park world and was something of a letdown for those of us who recalled another park from the area, “Frontier Village”. (I’m toiling away on a piece on this for the future.) While there were some attractions, er, rides that were different as well as fun, I guess we’d been spoiled by Disneyland, even back in those days before the Annual Pass.
Yes, when it opened it was clean and well painted, with the shrubbery’s all neatly trimmed. But it never really established a foothold as a tourist destination for multi-day vacations. Yes, there was and is a Marriott hotel nearby. But even then, the magic wasn’t what it was elsewhere…
Now flash forward to this last visit. I expected changes, but not to the extent that I found. Where once had been a sense of theming from area to area was now just a jumble from place to place. I didn’t go looking to find things missing or wrong, but they seemed to stick out and say, “Notice me”.
Perhaps the biggest example I can cite is the empty and unused theaters. Not just one, but two. Way back when, I auditioned for a role as a walk around character, and saw some very talented folks looking to be part of several stage shows GA offered during a day. Now, I couldn’t tell, but those theaters looked awful empty and awfully unused in some time. No lettering of any kind on the marquee’s. An outdoor stage for large concert events was being used for a trick or treat event of some kind, but we avoided the area. One of the theaters is where the queue for the popular “Top Gun” suspended roller coaster begins. I guess they can be used for events as needed, but it’s sad to see the shows gone, apparently for good? Costs, etc…
I tried to do a fair bit of shopping about the place. Should have saved my time. Not much variety and GA merchandise was spotty at best. Lost of sales of overstocked items, but even that didn’t call me to open my wallet. Same sadly for food. We did stop for a snack at one place, and they were running out of everything on the menu. Last day and no one wanted to be left with extra stock, I guess, but bad form running out of cheese for burgers.
And the folks behind the counters. With the end of the season, end of money. Morale was anyone’s guess, but we did see a fair number of employees out riding with guests on their last day. It wasn’t hard to spot them as they all wore the same blue polo shirts, no matter what they did or where they were assigned.
I could have gotten a clue when we arrived. No one in the parking lots directing traffic and no trams to carry guests in or out. Another indication of modern times was the metal detector guests walked through at the entrance. The folks there were wearing security uniforms, and looked to work for an outside contractor. They get high marks though, doing a tough job. In one case, a guest was carrying a multi-tool that they asked him to check for the day at the gate. He did and went on his way.
Those of you who read these bits weekly know me as a terminal nostalgic. That in mind, I recalled some great earlier visits with a number of folks. Missed some of them and the places gone now. A particular fave from the Marriott days was the “Hot Shoppe” where you got a glass of root beer for a nickel. Was pleased to see the GA version of Mrs. Knotts chicken dinners still being served and still at a reasonable price. But way too many misplaced carnival midway booths with not all that attractive prizes.
One thing we avoided was the Nickelodeon area. Way too many kids and way too much noise. Crowded in a way to give wet dreams to some suits, but not for this guest, even for free. Too much water in that area as well, even though it was a warm fall afternoon in the mid-Eighties. We remedied that by getting soaked on GA’s river rapids ride later. I think parts of me didn’t dry out for the next four days…
One annoying thing we ran into was the problem of oversized riders. GA’s thrill rides are all designed for people of what they deem “average” size. I managed to get by, but others in our group were turned away a number of times because the restraints would not fit their frames. I guess that’s another difference between GA and Disney. Base a park on the thrill rides and you have more safety concerns. Better to be safe than sorry, etc…
Another issue was the end of the season maintenance problem. The wooden “Grizzly” coaster only had one train on duty, and the line was one long wait. Worth it though, as the ride was a true kick ass experience. Something about a real wooden coaster. Too bad DCA didn’t get one. But we still have the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for real honest seaside amusement.
And a bit of laughter for the day was seeing the GA Psycho Mouse. Realizing that DCA’s “Mullholland Madness” was an identical copy just with added theming. DCA doesn’t have the photo sales opportunity that GA’s does.
On the whole, it wasn’t a bad afternoon; it could have been worse. But considering what we would have paid if the tickets hadn’t been comps, I might have asked for my money back.
The moral to the tale is? Appreciate how good you have things at a Disney park. Simple enough. It isn’t done that way everywhere.
Given all the manure spread about how things are going south faster than Enron stock prices, personally, I am very grateful for how things are at Disneyland. So, smile and thanks to the CM’s for everything they do, no matter who they are or where they work.
I doubt I’ll be back to GA again soon. Even with their VIP pass to attract repeat visitors, it must be a challenge. Too bad old C.V. Wood wasn’t able to sell Walt on a Northern California park…
So that’s the short version of the day. Next week? A look at three San Francisco diversions of note from days gone by. Two are gone, but one lives on and is undergoing restoration.
Thanks again to the kind folks who have used Roger’s Amazon Honor System Paybox to show their appreciation of these columns. It is always a pleasure…