Monday at Morning Call

Need that jolt of joe to get your morning going? If you were in New Orleans circa July 1960 (that’s almost 63 years ago for those of you who don't have a calculator), you would probably be at Morning Call, which was New Orleans’ Most Famous Coffee Drinking Place. Or so says the slogan. Forget the coffee, I’m more interested in the vintage T-Bird!



Just as an FYI, Morning Call is not the same as Café du Monde, which is in the same area but about a block away. If you look on the left of this shot, you can see Morning Call in the background.



And it looks like both places are still in biz. I’m not a huge coffee guy, so I typically go to du Monde for the beignets.



See more New Orleans photos at my main website.

Vintage Mardi Gras Madness and The French Market

Yesterday was the culmination of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans. Running from Twelfth Night (the last night of Christmas which begins Epiphany) to Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras translates to Fat Tuesday in English. I’m waiting for someone to petition a name change to Voluptuous Tuesday, which would be Mardi Voluptueux.

To celebrate the historic Carnival celebration, here are a selection of my favorite vintage shots from celebrations gone by.



Do you see YOUR kid up here?



Although these images are over sixty years old, the costumes are still typical of what you’d see today.



So are the revelers.



A few vintage shots of the actual parade itself, which runs down Canal Street:





This one is from 1952:



In Disneyland news, it was announced last month that the French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square will be undergoing a transformation. Open from July 24, 1966 to the present, this New Orleans Square eatery featured cafeteria-style service with an outdoor seating area. Live music was often enjoyed here by the Delta Ramblers and other jazz groups. The Disney Blog announced the upcoming change on January 12:

Tiana’s Palace Coming to Disneyland Park Later this Year. Just as Tiana transformed an old sugar mill into her dream restaurant in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, “The Princess and the Frog,” soon the French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square at Disneyland park will be reimagined into Tiana’s Palace! Tiana’s Palace will be the newest restaurant on Orleans Street. Within its peach-colored walls and fancy green wrought-iron balconies, you’ll find elegant fixtures and appointments reminiscent of Tiana’s life and friendships. The new Tiana’s Palace will have much of the same pinch of pizzazz and flair as the restaurant from the film, offering authentic New Orleans flavors inspired by Tiana’s friends and adventures in this quick-service style restaurant. While Tiana’s Palace is not a character dining location, guests may find Tiana in New Orleans Square. The menu at Tiana’s Palace will expand on many of the current favorites served in the location, explore seasonal flavors and, of course, offer some New Orleans classics. Tiana’s Palace is sure to be a gathering place for friends and family to enjoy great food and celebrate together, just like Tiana and her father James dreamed of. Disney Imagineers are partnering with Disney Animation artists from the original film to bring this story to life at Disneyland park. In fact, the film designers took inspiration from the exterior of the original French Market Restaurant in New Orleans Square when designing Tiana’s Palace for the movie, so this is a long-dreamt homecoming. To begin this work, French Market Restaurant (and Mint Julep Bar) will be closed beginning February 17, 2023, and will reopen as Tiana’s Palace (alongside Mint Julep Bar with its famous mint juleps and Mickey beignets) later in the year.

This will coincide with the Tiana overlay of Splash Mountain. Now Critter Country and New Orleans Square will overlap. Can Pooh be far behind on the chopping block? Here are some of my favorite vintage images of the French Market:



What a beautiful view!



That’s a lot of food…and a lot of hairspray for mom on the right! Note the sign in the background for the Delta Ramblers:



Here they are! They sure look pooped. But the show must go on.



A contemporary shot of the location at night:



Here is the concept art that has been released for the restaurant:



See more Disneyland French Market restaurant photos at my main website.

60th Anniversary Trip, Pt. 12

It's time for New Orleans Square at Night! The Magnolia Park area is one of the most beautiful quiet spots in the park; a lovely place to sit, relax, and watch the peeps going by.

A few interior shots of Cafe Orleans after the doors have closed.





Let's get a closer look at that copper coffee urn, shall we?



Quite a history!



I am a nut for signage, but even more so at night when it is all lit up!





An interior shot of the Blue Bayou Restaurant lobby:



Time to shift over to Adventureland for more nighttime magic.



Hopefully you've all experienced the joy of Shrunken Ned in the Adventureland Bazaar:







This underused area was once the vibrant Tahitian Terrace:



I spent some time in the Tiki Room courtyard getting these gems of the animated Tiki statues, starting with Koro:



Pele:



Pele mad:



and Maui:



Tomorrow, we'll spend some time in Fantasyland!



More Disneyland night (and day) photos at my main website.

24/7 Beignets & Coffee

Cafe Du Monde has been serving up beignets and hot coffee from the New Orleans French Market since 1862. The first shot shows the iconic location back in the 1950s. In October 1960, the two guests shown below were captured enjoying their java and fried powdered delights.



When the weather is nice, you can sit out on the patio, as these 1950s customers did.



On my visit a few months back, I stopped by the Cafe Du Monde during a very early morning run, hoping to get some shots before it opened and was inundated by tourists. I was not aware that it was open 24/7. As their website states, they are only closed on Christmas Day and whenever the occasional hurricane passes through.



The aroma of the fresh brewed dark roast coffee drew me in; the sight of the perfectly dusted beignets caused me to take a break from my run.



Even though it wasn't 7am, the place was fairly packed.



And here's what they all came for: beignets and coffee. Warning: be careful not to inhale while eating your beignet. You'll be coughing up powdered sugar for days.



Jump on over for more java at my Café du Monde photo page.

The French Market, November 1971

Let's travel back to 1971 for a look at the French Market in New Orleans Square. I was hoping to be able to read the menu, but unfortunately the original image is too grainy to allow that. I am sure there are Disneyland geeks out there who can decipher through the plethora of dots to tell the rest of us what was being served…and just how much it was!



Looking through my collection for a comparison shot, I realized that I am woefully deficient in views from that angle of the New Orleans Square Restaurant. Instead, it appears that I have focused on the side that faces the Frontierland Depot.



Add it all up for another one for my "to do" list next time I visit the park.

See more Daveland Disneyland French Market photos at my main website.

Disneyland March 1967, Pt. 2

The Columbia is sitting in the dock for the first two shots, taken from the mighty Mark Twain. Our March 1967 Disneyland guest/photographer must have been taking a spin around the Rivers of America.



On the way, they also captured the Indian Village and the festive totem poles near the entrance.



And the Ceremonial Dance Circle:



A few "animals" along the riverbank, with a few motorboats intruding on the atmosphere:



The Burning Cabin as it was meant to be seen:



In all its gory glory!



The Indian on a horse that greets the DLRR & Twain/Columbia passengers has been on view in basically the same area for many years:



Zooming in, you can see the mini spotlight for those visiting after dark:



The Indian Settlement:



Another zoom so that you can see in detail what they are all working on. Imagine—24/7, these guys are busy as beavers! I've heard they don't even get minimum wage!



Fort Wilderness, before the termites (and the pencil pushers) destroyed it:



More death along the river, at the Indian Burial Site:



Now THIS is a piece of Disneyland history that I wonder where it ended up? Someplace in the archives? Somebody's living room?



From the banks, you can see the Old Mill and on the left, the still yet-to-be-opened Haunted Mansion:



Two beauties of the Mark Twain:



On this one, most likely our photographer was on a raft on the way over to Tom Sawyer's Island:



Fortunately, they had the good sense to take some interior shots of Fort Wilderness while on the Island:



Zooming in for the signage and the trash cans that ended up in Orlando:



Back on the main land in New Orleans Square, the French Market doesn't seem to be open for business quite yet.



Over in Adventureland, a few Jungle Cruise shots round out this post:



Thank you Marc Davis!



I'm not sure what they're saying, but I think it's something like, "That's all, folks!"



See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland photo web pages.