Welcome to Anaheim! Shot #1 from July 1965 shows all kinds of retro-fun! Here you can see the plethora of motels that sprung up around Disneyland much to the consternation of Walt. This detailed closeup is of those fantastically vintage autos. I am guessing that this shot was taken from the Monorail.
And here we have the genuine article, the Disneyland Hotel:
One of my fave views of the iconic entrance sign. It's always a hoot to read the marquee:
Doesn't look too crowded for a summer day; again, guessing that this view is from the Monorail:
See more Disneyland photos at my website.
I like the cars! I'm certainly not an expert, but if I had to take a wild guess, I would say you had a Ford El Ranchero, VW Beetle (of course), Something rather Austin Healy-like, and something Rambler-esque. Hows that for being specific? Ok, anybody know what they really are?
ReplyDeleteI wasn't born for a few more years but I remember some of those motels! And the big retro modern Sambo's nearby. Most of it is gone now.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful stroll. I remember most if not all of these. I Walt hated what happened around the park, but I was always amazed at the sights and the individual stories told by the motels/hotels and the restaurants surrounding the park. I always considered it just a part of the experience.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great bunch of photos! Love the shot of what I guess is Harbor Blvd; I can understand Walt's displeasure, but these old motels sure look fun today.
ReplyDeleteThe folks look like they are making a left turn into the employee's parking lot. First up: an MGB, then a Plymouth Valiant ('60), and then the VW (looks to be about a '63). Going away from us is a Chevy El Camino ('64). In the distance is a Chevy Corvair. The year is hard on that one, there were few body changes.
ReplyDeleteThanks CoxPilot! Well, I got ONE right anyway!
ReplyDeleteI swear I just wanna jump into those photos!
ReplyDeleteStu: Unless you lived in those days, or your a die hard car buff like Jay Leno, those cars are just not recognizable any more. People are not car fanatics in these times, including me. They all look alike now.
ReplyDeleteBack then, every car had a different feel. That little MGB was a low powered 4 cylinder rascal that was a lot of fun. You could almost reach out and touch the ground. It took 2 hours of maintenance and tinkering for every 1 hour of driving, (a typical british car) but it was worth it. No side windows, just snap on curtains, and it took about 20 minutes to put the top up. Most didn't even bother to stop it the rains came. You would just drive faster so that it would blow over you.
I agree, CoxPilot, today's cars are all completely boring. The MG-B reminds me of a Triumph Spitfire my friend had in high school. No power, poor reliability, but fun as heck to tool around in!
ReplyDeleteDuring the time I worked at Disneyland, I drove a 1954 Jaguar XK-120 roadster. It was a mess when I got it, but really turned out great after a coupe of years. I drove it without a top for those 2 years (summer and winter). The frame was there, but that was all.
ReplyDeleteLast time I looked close at a Jag, it reminded me of a toyota. Blaaaa! I rather drive an Autopia car.
What Thufer said...
ReplyDeleteGreat pics. Give us more motel shots!
Thank you Dave.
JG