Today is an interesting day for me. I’ll be joining the hundreds of thousands of you on the highway headed to take advantage of the long holiday weekend. That’s not the unusual part, nor is my destination. I’m heading down the I-5 again, with the usual and not so usual suspects.
What makes this trip a bit interesting is the number four member of our little caravan. That’s my number three nephew; who recently just turned six. He’s not new to Disney by any means. This makes his third year of having an annual pass, and he’s one of that bunch of little pin trading monsters I unknowingly created — maybe the most intense one of them! What makes this trip unique is that he’s going for the first time without the rest of his brothers or his parents. This guy is a seasoned traveler, so the big drive down from the Bay Area is nothing new. He’s got frequent flyer miles, and last year went on a Caribbean cruise for a week. Yes, lucky kid!
Looking back to those first years I got a chance to do Anaheim, it was another place than it is today. The magic we enjoyed is still there albeit with a bit less polish in spots. (Is there really any acceptable excuse for deferred maintenance? Hello? Tiki Room???) As you may remember from my pin trading column, in March of 2001, I got to enjoy both the Park and DCA with all of my nephews and their parents before the loss of my collection (due to theft and poor judgement). So, the trip with him isn’t the unusual element. What may be is the chance to get a one-on-one opportunity to see the place from the six year-old perspective.
When you’re young, places like this can seem intimidating. Lots and lots of unknowns here. Strange people, places, smells, sounds, you name it! So if it’s something to be unsure about, that is not much of a surprise. Mickey and company easily can seem scary to someone smaller than they are. What was your perspective on the world back then? No bet it wasn’t all sunshine and lollipops in strange, new situations…
A good example comes from those years way back when. Exiting the park one afternoon, we were all dragging ourselves along Main Street headed for the Ford Country Squire station wagon somewhere out in the Pinocchio parking lot. Coming into Town Square, we spied Goofy and Pluto, and my youngest brother was very much interested. (He was all of three at the time, if memory serves…) What we didn’t know, in our rush to meet this duo, was that they were both headed backstage, no doubt for a well-deserved rest. So instead of stopping, they skipped right on by, leaving an absolutely crushed little boy in their wake. I doubt they even saw him as they went through the gate. That pretty much ruined the day (and if I recall correctly, it was the last day of our visit as well.) So you can imagine it was not a happy ride on the tram.
My mom wasn’t the type to complain, but she did drop a note to Guest Relations about the incident. And giving credit where credit is due, they did make things right on our next visit to the park the following summer. Bright and early one June morning, both Pluto and Goofy were on hand at City Hall for a personal meet and greet. Appropriate photographs and even movies were taken to record the moment. In all of five minutes, the previous bad memories were erased, and the years of future visits for this family of seven were assured.
This isn’t my first time doing the park with a child. A niece and nephew had their first visits back during the Park’s 35th anniversary. (I did like that Party Gras parade. Still one of the better with audience participation and all the goodies.) And there were other memories of those mid Sixties and early Seventies treks from the Bay Area down to the wilds of Orange County. Being the oldest of five, there were always amusing moments. One we look back on now and laugh a fair amount about was my dad’s amazing ability to fail about two in the afternoon and be ready to head off to where ever we were staying. For many of those trips, that was Riverside (and an hour’s drive away). In retrospect, I imagine that drive was part of his enthusiasm for an exit. I’m not fond of it either. But we got better and changed to motel/hotel stays in the area, where a trip back to the hotel is only a few minutes walking or driving, and where the lure of a cool pool or just a simple nap is undeniable. Especially if a smart cocktail awaits! Hello? Room service?
I have relived the experience of seeing the park for that first time, thanks to a number of friends. Some how there is something special in seeing the magic of what the place is all about turn an adult right back into a six-year old. And it hasn’t hurt that some of those trips have included Club 33. A little extra booster of pixie dust never fails…
Disneyland has a basic success that a fair number of folks always miss. Go back to July 17, 1955 and recall the words on the plaque Walt dedicated at the flagpole in Main Street’s Town Square. ” To all who come to this happy place: Welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past… and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America… with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. “
Stepping inside the gate and crossing under the berm, you’re supposed to leave the world outside. That’s the magic. If Walt succeeded at anything, that was it.
Seems to me that a whole lot of folks take this all for granted. As much as we all love going to the place, there are millions of people who have never done so. (Yes, I can hear Michael lamenting lost revenue opportunities.) If they do get a chance, they all step back to those days when we all were six, to see it with a sense of wonder and imagination that is all the more precious in the world of today. Not bad …
Once more, Roger is set to enjoy the hospitality of the Grand Californian, this time for three nights. He may even get a chance to finally take advantage of the pool and health club facilities. Now if only he could enjoy a cocktail in the Hearthstone lounge… pass the Diet Coke. Damn medication, grumble, grumble, grumble…
Next? Well, who knows? There are a few efforts underway (baseball, more Nevada, how about Utah?) but none finished. Maybe he will get the chance during the short work week to wrap up one.
So, what’s it gonna take for you to show your support for Roger? Why not click on the link for his Amazon Honor System Paybox and throw a few hundred Sudanese Dinars (1 dollar equals 254.384 Dinars) his way to keep him plugging along at the keyboard. To quote Homer Simpson, “Oooooh, how convenient.”