I’m not sure that I would call DCA “Paradise,” but for the purposes of a catchy title…let’s do it! The Disney Corporation did a reverse Joni Mitchell in 2001; what was once the main parking lot was now Disney California Adventure. Here’s how that space looked October 1972. Imagine being able to drive your car this close to the gate!
Another 1972 image shows the road leading into Disneyland.
In the background is the Disneyland Hotel. Somebody better pick up the traffic cones; looks like one of the guests failed the driving test.
Another image of the parking lot from December 1967:
Oops; there’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. J.B. Allen & Co.: please hurry!
Last one is from May 1968. Look at that sea of vintage cars!
See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland entrance photos at my main website.
5 comments:
So much to see here. The "traffic cop" sign that mimics Me. Toad's, the signage at the Disneyland Hotel, the posters along the parking lane.. Those were truly great days we thought would never end. The ability to just park and walk right up to the gate.
As has often been discussed [by those old-enough to have experienced it] the original Parking Lot often felt like an "attraction" - or at least a 'pre-attraction' - in anticipation of what was to come...
I see Nanook got ahead of me. Indeed, once you paid the 25, and later 50, cents for parking, the fun began. Parking was efficient and everyone was excited while they waited for the tram. Riding the tram itself was fun as it made a few turns in the lot to position itself by the ticket booth. We'd check the license plates to see which states everyone was from. The further out you were, the longer the ride. KS
Oh...and that last shot must have been taken on the Monorail. The foreground is the employee parking lot which I used starting in 1969. Those cars didn't look that old at the time! KS
Last time I visited Disneyland, just before Galaxy's Edge opened, I hadn't been there since Big Thunder Mountain was under construction. Then, the train station was the "weinie", an elevated magnet drawing you over the asphalt and steel desert. In fact, the animated opening titles for the old "Disneyland" series implied a view of the park from across a vast lot. Now, you walk through Downtown Disney and it almost sneaks up on you, suddenly visible as you enter the plaza between the two parks.
That City-of-Oz moment of approaching the train station from a distance was nifty, but there is something to be said for being distanced from the unmagical reality of parking.
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