Frontierland Rarities, Pt. 1

Before the Riverbelle Terrace, the restaurant on the corner of New Orleans Street that bordered Adventureland was Aunt Jemima's Pancake House. Sponsored by the makers of the famous pancake mix, this restaurant was a popular staple for park guests who enjoyed eating breakfast. Aylene Lewis portrayed Aunt Jemima at the restaurant, pouring coffee and posing for photos. Here she is in a January 1964 photo.



Pictures of her are rare and snatched up quickly, which is why I was so excited to acquire these two Winter 1956 shots of her.





You can see the seating area that she was posing in by looking at this vintage shot:



See more vintage Aunt Jemima Restaurant photos on my Aunt Jemima web page.

Trip Report Pt. 8: Club 33

For the dessert course of this Trip Report series, today's post covers the Club 33 portion. Whether it's the best restaurant at Disneyland or not, Club 33 will always have a special magic surrounding it because of the fact that Walt Disney had a hand in its creation. He passed away before its opening, but just like the attraction below, Pirates of the Caribbean, they both started out as ideas in his imagination.

The table settings are pure elegance, from the charger plates to the linens.



Our waiter was Robert, who had been at the restaurant for some 30 years, and even personally attended to Lillian Disney herself, who enjoyed coming in on Mother's Day. Sharp-eyed viewers will see Matt from Tours Departing Daily creating his magic in the background of this photo:



This light fixture in the Trophy room contains one of the microphones that was intended to signal to the staff the requests of diners at each table. An electronic Gladys Kravitz of sorts! Look to the center of this fixture to see it.





Wandering down the hallway, this was the first time I had noticed this beautiful print by Bill Thomas, an Academy Award nominated costume designer for Disney's "The Happiest Millionaire."



This phone booth was also used in "The Happiest Millionaire."



These two silhouettes designate the gender of the restrooms:





The views from the balconies are stupendous both day and night.



One of my friends pointed out this pitcher of iced tea, which I had never noticed before:



Beneath these umbrellas, guests have their portraits sketched:



A highlight of Sunday brunch at Club 33 is the opportunity to meet Mickey & Pluto. Matt & Michaela were much happier about this meeting than they look!



My coworker Amber's daughter had one of her "bucket list" items fulfilled by dining at Club 33. A photo opp with Mickey & Pluto was icing on the cake.



Hopefully this photo of a fellow blogger won't blow his witness protection cover.



Every now and then, even the photographer gets his photo taken.



Last but not least, a portrait of 2/3 of the talented group behind the amazing photographers from Tours Departing Daily.



Thanks to Walt for dreaming up Club 33, and thanks to the current gang at the Disney Company for upholding a fine tradition.

See more vintage and current Club 33 photos on my Club 33 web pages.

Trip Report Pt. 7: Adventureland

I love Adventureland in the early morning; no strollers or crazy crowds. This is about the only time of day to get shots like these where you can take in all of the scenic splendor of the carefully crafted buildings.



Here you can see Aladdin's Oasis and the exit area of the Jungle Cruise attraction. I was quite pleased to see ZICO Coconut Water for sale at this market, as it is my favorite rehydration drink!



Aladdin's Oasis was once the Tahitian Terrace; now that the Aladdin show is no longer being performed here, the area has been opened up as a meet-and-greet/rest/companion restroom area.



Although it would be great for this space to be used as something more entertaining, I am pleased that at least it provides a quite place to relax and get away from the crowds.



It really is a spectacular setting; much of the decor from the Aladdin and then the Indiana Jones Stunt shows are still here.







Looking up, you can still some remnants of the previous Tiki theme that pervaded the Tahitian Terrace Restaurant:



Instead of watching a luau, today you can meet Princess Jasmine and Aladdin here:





And if you're anything like me, you'll go nutz over the light fixtures!





While nearby, I took a spin on The Jungle Cruise, where I was able to walk right onto a boat. Skipper Sara did a great job!



She kept us safe from the gators...



and took us through the African Veldt, where you can still see the humor of Marc Davis:



My beautiful cruise took a sharp detour to WTF when I saw that the Back Side of Water was now toilet-bowl green. I had to do a double take (and of course take a photo!):



I'm all for fantasy and colorful scenery, but dyeing the water a pukey shade of aqua seemed to be just a little too much. Is someone in Imagineering partial to this color?



Based on this other design gaffe in Adventureland, that's the only conclusion I can arrive at. Unless Home Depot is having a huge sale on this color.



Poor Trader Sam...his business continues to shrink.



I took advantage of the short lines at Indiana Jones Adventure and got a few detail shots of areas I normally zip by.



Just think of all the set design work that went into these areas that guests rarely pay attention to. Imagineers, take heart...I love 'em!



"Welcome, welcome..."



Our vehicle broke down, and all the lights came in. Scene spoiler: this attraction looks like ca ca with the lights on. It really is a startling change. As a bonus for our trouble, the cast members allowed us to ride through a second time.



Supposedly this very vehicle was used in the actual "Raiders of the Lost Ark" movie:



To avoid the heat, we ducked into the Enchanted Tiki Room:



Mimi and friends looked and sounded as good as ever; this show is always a lighthearted treat so enjoy.







Once the storm started, we all knew it was time to go. See you tomorrow with the conclusion to this Trip Report series!



See more vintage and current Adventureland photos on my Adventureland web pages.