Main Street USA

Just Off of Main Street

We’ve been enjoying meals at Carnation Cafe pretty regularly on recent trips to Disneyland. I love the little touches like fresh carnations at the table, not to mention you might get a visit from Oscar, who is a Disneyland celebrity in his own right. I highly recommend the house salad if you’re looking for something on the lighter side that’s still satisfying.

We usually sit outside and exit through the back when we’re finished eating. This is a view I’ve grown accustomed to after enjoying a nice meal, between the Carnation Cafe and the Fortuosity shop and I enjoy it every time.

Main Street has so many layers of character. It’s sort of like a seven layer dip. No matter how far you dig in there’s another level of goodness to find. And somehow all of the colors manage to work with each other despite my brain attempting to persuade me otherwise. It doesn’t seem probable but apparently it is possible.

The View From the Emporium

Disneyland, Main Street USA

The Victorian aesthetic of Main Street USA makes for one of the richest environments to enjoy at Disneyland. Unfortunately, I don’t often spend time in the shops. I’m too busy galavanting through the rest of the Park and avoiding crowds, which typically means avoiding places like the Emporium. When I do manage to find my way in, I am always in awe of my surroundings. No, I’m not talking about the Mickey Mouse glove potholders or the Sleeping Beauty Castle shaped photo frames. What impresses me is simpler. I usually can’t even make it past the doorway. It may sound strange, but taking the time to enjoy all of the creativity and craftsmanship that surrounds you at Disneyland makes a visit better than you can imagine.

Winds in the East, Mist Coming In

Disneyland, Main Street USA

When I heard the title words whispered at the beginning of Saving Mr. Banks, I got a warm fuzzy feeling that I would enjoy what’s in store. The film was released today on Bluray and DVD. Michaela and I had the pleasure of getting to see it at The Walt Disney Studios with my parents as an early Christmas gift. I’ve got a post planned about that excursion for tomorrow. You should check back as I’ll share that unique experience along with a few pictures I was able to take while we were there.

As for Saving Mr. Banks (don’t worry, no spoilers here), I know there have been a lot of mixed feelings on it. I, personally, loved the film and can’t wait to pick up a copy and watch it again. It was not what I expected it to be in that the story focused primarily on P.L. Travers and less on Walt Disney. But at the end of the movie, I really didn’t care because the story had been told well and touched me. Some people seem to think it’s not historically accurate. I’m sure it’s not. It wasn’t made as a documentary so there was no false pretense. Fictionalization should be expected or you’re barking up the wrong genre.

Another common complaint I’ve seen is that not enough was done to represent Disneyland accurately for the time period. I’d heard that going into it and, honestly, I didn’t notice. Don’t get me wrong. I love good production design. That’s pretty much what Disneyland is. I was just so enthralled in the character development that suspended disbelief kicked in. I was paying too much attention to Thompson and Hanks, who gave outstanding performances, to notice any shortcomings. In fact, the strong point of this movie (outside of the story itself) is the acting. Everyone gave dynamic, believable performances.

Movie review aside, I want to leave you with the words that open the film to put you in the same mindset I had for this picture —

Walt Disney, the Perpetual Optimist

Disneyland, Main Street USA

The Partners Statue on Main Street seems to impart the idea of Walt Disney that’s been built up in my head, that he was a perpetual optimist. No matter what I read or see or hear of the man, there he is, believing for a better world and reaching for progress. He wasn’t perfect. As his daughter, Diane, so eloquently said, “what made him human is what makes you human.” Even so, sometimes it’s hard to comprehend being the same species as someone like Walt Disney.

I recently came across an article titled Disneyland is Good For You that features a great deal of insight from Disney Legend, John Hench. In the article, Hench blows minds every few lines or so with casual brilliance, talking about how much thought goes into an experience like Disneyland to make it what it is. A bit that really stuck out to me, though, was when John wondered if people would really appreciate perfect details like real leather straps on a stagecoach. According to Hench, Walt’s response was, “If they don’t appreciate it, if you do something and people don’t respond to it, it’s because you are a poor communicator. But if you really reach them and touch them, they will respond…because people are okay.

People are okay.

I don’t know that you’d find those words coming from my lips without qualification of some type or another. Maybe “some people are okay” or “people are okay sometimes“. But to leave it at “people are okay”??? Uh uh. Have you seen what’s going on in Ukraine? Don’t even get me started about Twitter. Walt must’ve known something I have yet to learn or maybe there was a lesson I’ve had that he chose not to accept. Either way, I think we can all agree that in July of 1955 when he said “To all who come to this happy place, welcome” he really meant it. It’s evident that the sculptor knew it. As much as Walt’s reaching forward he’s also welcoming in every single person who comes to his happy place and assuring them that they’re okay. They might not believe it. But Walt sure did.

Main Street Hair Care

Disneyland, Main Street USA

Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday! I had a wonderful day and got away from the computer for most of the day. Michaela made gluten free pancakes with bourbon maple syrup and vanilla crème fraîche for me for breakfast and they are just about my favorite thing in the world. I’m a sucker for breakfast. After that, I worked on a little chalk art and lettering. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy creating something by hand.

This picture features one of the window displays at the Emporium on Main Street. In fact, it was a window display I’d hardly taken note of before. For some reason, perhaps the light, I took notice the day I shot this. So much so, it actually stopped me in my tracks. These bottles are so beautifully designed, I couldn’t help but stand there and drink them in for a while. Disneyland is so rich with details. I still love moments like these the most, when you find some new treasure.

Lost in a Memory

Disneyland, Main Street USA

This camera of old resides in a window of the Photo Supply shop on Main Street. To some it might be junk. To others, an element to add character for interior design. To me, it is a mystery.

When I see a vintage camera like this, I wonder to myself what moments it has captured. Where has it been? Who has it become acquainted with? How many smiles has it been responsible for?

Photography can accomplish so much in the way of preserving memories, yet the device used to obtain them often finds itself cast aside once its task is complete. It is, after all, the memories that are valuable (however they might be gotten). Old cameras are just one of those “if these walls could talk” items to me and I imagine them to be full of incredible stories.

In looking at the accompanying photo, I marvel at how primitive it looks. I wonder if the same will be true a hundred years from now. Will people then look back at our pictures and wonder at the time we live in? Will it hold any nostalgia or charm for them? If cameras still exist, will they still inspire wonder? I hope that, in the future, people still lose themselves in a photo, that they lose themselves in a memory. Even if that memory is not their own.