Drop In For Halloween

In honor of tomorrow, I thought there would be no better ride to highlight than The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Of course, the fateful event that closed the hotel down occurred on October 31, 1939 so it is wonderful to see that California Adventure chooses to decorate their version for the holiday.

A special archway comprised of black bats (complete with red glowing eyes) graces the entrance.

Stained glass spiderwebs with the "HTH" logo adorn the light posts.

Even the gift shop area receives special Halloween decorations.

An Initial Memory

Above the Pirate's of the Caribbean entrance sits Walt and Roy's unfinished apartment in New Orleans Square. Although the wonderful Disney Gallery that used to occupy the space is no more, and Imagineers are presently hard at work to transform the place into a Year of Million Dreams suite, it is nice to see that the original wrought-iron railings bearing Walt and Roy's initials can still be seen.

In the Nick of Time

So I'm going to take a slight detour from my usual Disney World details to focus on some fun things I found while in Disneyland. I'll start with one from Engine-Ears Toys, a great little toy shop located in the entrance area of Disney's California Adventure. It has this wonderful train schedule with a clock full of puns such as "El Noonyo" to "Time Out." I personally enjoy the destination for the 19:65 train.

Back from The Happiest Place on Earth

So my blog absence was due in part to my long weekend trip to Disneyland. It was only my second time visiting the west coast parks, so it was quite off-putting having the need to learn my way around! But the two parks are as wonderful as I had remembered them, and despite being smoked out on our last night there (as a result of those horrible wildfires) I found it difficult to leave.

One of the very first things we did upon entering Disneyland was take the fire truck on a one-way trip up Main Street USA. Before we departed, the driver informed us that Walt himself would personally drive the truck around Main Street before the park opened for the day to check on things. It is little things like this that make you realize that Walt's spirit is still there, alive and well. You really feel his presence as you wander through each land.

Of course, being the detail nut that I am, I had to document the west coast's trash can collection. For this, I need to thank my friends Melissa, Trish, and Jenny, for putting up with my constant stopping!


So now that I have returned to the east coast and am unpacking my things, I guess the only thing left to do is ask, "When can I go back?"

Train Skiing

Chester and Hester's shop in Dinoland is filled with sight gags and just plain silly stuff, such as this sign that hangs from the ceiling. It certainly contains words to live by...

Root for the Home Team

The Hall of Champions section of the Emporium has what may be the most well themed "Cast Member Only" signs. Instead of stating the obvious, these signs stick to the sports theme in a humorous and creative way.

What's the Point?

I just can't get enough of the Muppet Store! This fun little sign seems to sum up the whole area nicely.