A Day at Disneyland, September 1969: Pt. 2

It’s September 1969 and we’re back at Disneyland. We know it’s the past, because the Autopia’s vehicles are gas-powered. Oh wait, they still are. What’s going on below? Is a Cast Member getting chastised for taking selfies? Or maybe he was late for his shift? 



These two are looking over Tomorrowland from the Skyway bucket. They should be taking photos; it kind of sucks now.



PeopleMover, Matterhorn, Skyway buckets…it’s just BEE-YOO-TI-FULL!



Someone in the bucket was wise enough to be capturing these!



Here we can also see the Monorail tracks and it’s a small world.



Once they flew through the Matterhorn unscathed, the camera came out again to capture the splendor of Skull Rock Cove:



A delightful little rest/eating area, tucked away behind the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship:



Once more for those who haven’t read this here: I really miss this area most.



A long line for the Matterhon Bobsleds; back then, nobody cared about whiplash.



I see vintage brochuresw and a camera…and a beauty of a beehive hairdo!



An interior shot from the Carousel of Progress attraction:



I’m too lazy to figure out the placement of this area, but I am guessing it’s somewhere near Central Plaza. Perhaps what was once referred to as Alpine Gardens? If not, please don’t sue me.



A Kodak Picture Spot sign is to the left of Snow White and Dopey:



Two consecutive shots of the Disneyland Band in front of the Castle…





and one detailed view. Anyone know the conductor or band members?



Over in Storybook Land, the Bold Lochinvar boat is ready to get loaded up for another trip through Monstro.



Who’s the stuff shirt on the left? Was this when a male cast member had to be a lead because it female’s could not perform that role? He looks clueless.



Another Storybook Land shot, another aeronautic do, perfectly aerosoled.



A closeup of Peter Pan Park:



Thanks for joining me on this 9/69 tour!

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Storyland in New Orleans

I still have a number of posts sitting in the queue from trips long ago, like this one about Storyland in New Orleans from over a year ago. I had never heard of this section of City Park until the Executive Director at UCDA clued me into it. What a kitschy gem this place turned out to be! At the entrance you find no less than Humpty Dumpty himself!



While it may lack the sophistication and polish of a Disney Park, it is every bit as charming, and judging by the plethora of happy squealing kids running through while I was there, it was just as entertaining. In fact, maybe even a little more so because of its simplicity and the ability to interact with fewer rules and regulations.



You can climb aboard Peter Pan/Captain Hook's pirate ship yourself, and see them forever frozen in a duel high up in the crow's nest:



This fortress/castle makes a beautiful centerpiece to the park:



Some of the characters in Storyland are patterned after the Disney interpretations; some are less obvious, like this tribute to the Little Mermaid:



The cottage of the Seven Dwarfs:



Snow White:



Her "makeup" has seen better days:



Inside this little structure, it would appear that the artists of Storyland are much less worried about the reach of the Mouse's attorneys. These paintings of the characters from Alice in Wonderland are spot-on to their Disney counterparts.





Rapunzel:



Cute to see Jack in the Beanstalk on an actual fence:



Grandma's House:



The frightful sight you see when you open her door!



This is the cow that stepped over the moon.



Loved this dragon slide; it took a long time to get this shot without the tiny little varmints who were gleefully playing here.



The permanent home of Three Little Pigs:



The pigs themselves:



The home of brick (complete with the Big Bad Wolf about to get burned up in the chimney!):



The house of wood:



and the house of straw:



Mother Goose watches over the proceedings from overhead:



Not too far from the old woman who lived in the shoe:



There's even a Monstro here:



Complete with Pinocchio (still in puppet form) sitting on top:



While this place may not exactly be compliant with all the rules that the Mouse House adheres too, it is still a very cool place for the young and young at heart.

More Storyland at my main website.

Reader's Digest Version: Fantasmic!

With the Rivers of America under construction for the Star Wars expansion, fans of Fantasmic! have had to do without their favorite nighttime entertainment. Here are some photos from December 19th, 2015 that I shot when I was able to view this waterfront spectacular for the last time before it went (temporarily) dark.









A closeup of Peter Pan:



This is probably my favorite part of the show when Snow White and her Prince dance to "Someday My Prince Will Come."



The Evil Queen and her cauldron:



A makeover in reverse:



Maleficent hits a growth spurt:



The dragon; always a difficult one to shoot with the smoke, lights, gas vapors on the water, etc.





Mickey Mouse saves the day!



A victory lap on the Mark Twain:





The Final Bow:



Hope you enjoyed this visual summary of Fantasmic!

More Fantasmic! at my main website.