Disneyland California - Main Street U.S.A

Each Disney Park has similarities. Each has it's own version of the famous Disney Castle. They have similar rides. And mostly, a similar layout. However, each park is distinctly different with a different feel.

Disneyland in California is the original Disney Park. It opened on July 17th 1955 (however, some people will tell you that it opened on 18th July - it's a long story) and it is the only of the Disney Parks that Walt Disney had direction over the building of. I wish that I had've been alive or had the opportunity to meet Walt Disney. It seems that he had a mind full of hopes and dreams that he never gave up on - and in essence the Disney Parks are still carrying forth that tradition.

Over the next few blog entries, I will take you through each area of Disneyland in California. We will begin with Main Street U.S.A. and then continue with Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Adventureland and Critter County. Following these lands, we will take a hop, skip and a jump (because you will be too excited to walk once you are inside the parks and running is not allowed) over to the California Adventure Park. Toward the end of July, I will began writing about Walt Disney World, in Florida before moving on to Japan's Disney Parks in August.

(In advance, I apologise for some of my dodgy photography, I get so excited when I'm at the Parks that I want to capture everything but at the same time, I want to embrace everything all at once. Since these photos were taken, we have invested in an SLR that takes a much nicer photo - which you'll get to see when we get to blogging about Walt Disney World!)

These two images, are two of the first things that you will encounter on any visit to Disneyland. Most people who have visited the parks would say that I have them around the wrong way - but I have put them in this order for a reason. I want you to remember, that this is not a theme park. Rather, you walk under the archway, and, like the sign says, you enter a new world. A world where there is a blur between fantasy and reality, between current and future, and also a blur between present and past. When seeing my images and reading my words on this blog, remember that you are not hearing, smelling or sensing any of your surrounds - this all encompassing nature is what makes Disney the best at what it does.

This second image - Disney's pride and joy and Walt's best mate, Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney once said, "Let's not forget, it all started with a Mouse." A Mouse that he dreamt up on a train trip, that had a personality unlike any other character of it's time. Speaking of trains, the brick building you can see in the background of the image is Mainstreet U.S.A. station, one of the stations on the Disneyland Railroad - one of my all time favourite rides at the park. Oops, tangent. Back to where we were, this garden must appear in a gazillion tourists photographs around the world - particularly those who wait and wait and wait and get that illustrious shot with the train pulling into the station in the background. It's the perfectly manicured lawns and plants that give away that you aren't just at any theme park - this is a Disney Park. Attention to detail separates the Disney experience from any other.

Main Street U.S.A. - Sleeping Beauty's Castle in the distance

Main Street U.S.A.

As you admire Mickey in the garden and the sound of the steam train in the distance, you are drawn with the crowds under the archways and into Main Street U.S.A. As you can see, Main Street is actually quite wide, with what appears to be tram tracks down the middle. The buildings are quite old fashioned in style. The street is designed to represent Walt Disney's home town of Marceline, Missouri at the turn of the century. At the end of the street stands Sleeping Beauty Castle. Sleeping Beauty Castle stands at the end of Main Street in Disneyland Paris and also Disneyland Hong Kong as well - however in Tokyo Disneyland and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, the castle is actually Cinderella's Castle. Mainstreet U.S.A. is home to Town Hall (which houses Guest Relations), a Fire House (that above it, is Walt Disney's own apartment - a lamp is kept lit in the window in his memory), a cinema, a gallery, several restaurants and cafes as well as a significant amount of souvenir shops. As you enter Main Street, you come to a town square with a flag pole. This area is popular for character sightings so have your camera ready! As you head down the stretch toward the Castle, you will notice the smells and sounds around you change as the scenery does. The bakery and confectionary shops actually pump smells into the air and the music changes to match the stores around you. Make sure you read the names on the second floor windows of the stores on Main Street. These names, although utilised in a fictional context, are there to pay tribute to cast members, Imagineers and friends of Walt Disney. It's a really great concept!

Michelle's Fast Fact: Main Street U.S.A.

If you are celebrating ANYTHING while you are at the Park, go and see Guest Relations in the Town Hall on Main Street. We had big button-style badges that said "Happily Ever After" and "Just Married" whilst on our Honeymoon. Everywhere we went, Cast Members congratulated us and more than once, our buttons got us to the front of the queue with the aide of a kind staff member! They seem to have these badges for everything - birthdays, anniversaries, family vacations. Just pop in and let them know! You can also make restaurant bookings and character dining bookings at guest services.

Michelle's Must Sees: Main Street U.S.A.

My own personal suggestion for first time visitors, is a suggestion that my Mum "forcibly suggested" to Dad and I on our first visit to Disneyland in 1993 (sorry Mum - but you were definitely right in the end!). Walk under the archway, climb the stairs to Main Street Station and board the train for a full round journey of the park. It sounds silly but it is the absolute best thing that you can do. Not only do you get acquainted with the park and get to see some of the rides and attractions as you go past on a steam train but the round trip has a few surprises. The first surprise is the train pulls into a tunnel and you go inside the Critter County favourite - Splash Mountain. You are able to see the audio-animatronic figures, hear the music and if the timing is right, see some fellow visitors cruising past in a log! The second surprise is a journey back in time, through the Grand Canyon to the time of the dinosaurs. The settings are so detailed and the animatronic dinosaurs are a delight to young and old! You'll be back at Main Street before you know it. The round trip takes about 20 minutes but it is a great orientation ride - and family and friends who aren't anticipating the surprise will just love it!!

My second suggestion is allow yourself time to explore the shops - most days the park opens earlier than the rides and you can go no further than the end of Main Street. The shops have some amazing things in them - not just for buying but the way they are decorated! My one purchase suggestion for adults and children alike - buy an autograph book (or bring one with you) and make sure you have a pen. Characters you meet and greet around the park are all able to sign autographs! Even as a fully grown adult, I still delight in collecting autographs from characters! Most of the autograph books now have a photo slot - it becomes a keepsake all of its own. Here's a few shots of some of the characters Andrew and I met in the Main Street U.S.A precinct on our visit in July 2010:

Cinderella's Fairy Godmother (she was so lovely!!! )

Minnie Mouse

Andrew and Pluto with the Main Street Fire House in the background

Alice and The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland

Partner's Statue - Walt and Mickey

My third suggestion - ride one of the Main Street Vehicles. They are all designed to reflect the turn-of-the-century feel of Main Street. My favourite is the fire engine or the double-decker bus. However, sometimes there are horse drawn cars, horse-less carriages and other vehicles that do laps of the stretch between Main Street Station and the Sleeping Beauty Castle end. They will normally take you one-way from either the station to the Castle or vice-versa. However, more than once, we had a kind driver allow us to stay on for a full circle!

My final suggestion is to enjoy the small park in front of the Castle that features the "Partners" statue. This statue of Mickey and Walt is one of my favourite things to admire in the park. In this park, on our Honeymoon in July 2010, they also have the Disney Photo Pass people who are happy to take a group shot of your family or group and give you a card so you can access your photos online later. I wish we had've taken advantage of this more on our Honeymoon as we have very few shots of us together as a couple.

Make sure you take time to explore the shops, admire the gardens, greet the characters and stop for that all-important shot of the Castle on Main Street. Despite their being no rides or big attractions on Main Street, it truly is amazing in terms of the amount of detail placed into absolutely every store, shopfront and garden. In a future post, I'll write some details about parades and the best viewing points - Main Street is definitely one of my favourite places to watch the parades!!

Until next post, Have a Magic Day!

Love,

Michelle
xxx

Sleep Beauty Castle at night!