Why write about Disneyland? First off, I'm a bit sick this week and I'm a bit Grumpy. Probably Dopey too. At least I'm not Snow White, because I got plenty of sun last week.
Spending my time trying to feel better has led me to pretend I'm on vacation. What could be a better way to spend down time? And honestly, TRULY honestly, I feel D-Land is the best vacation destination in the world. So I watch some YouTube videos about Disneyland when I feel like doing nothing else and feel part of the experience without much effort. Videos don't do it justice by a long shot, but they bring back memories and lead me to new discoveries. Disneyland is as much about lots of discoveries as anything else.
Secondly, I have a hard time understanding why others don't get excited or even don't get it at all. How can a place be that great? I'll explain my perspective so that it makes sense to you doubters. If you don't see my points, that's ok. We just can't see things the same way. I can even honestly see how others hate (gulp) Disneyland, but I attribute that mostly to a lack of experience and open-mindedness. Or bad feet. I'll probably do a post on things to actually HATE about D-land, just to prove that I'm not oblivious or deluded. And to balance things out a bit. And Disney isn't paying me or giving me anything to do this. If they want to send me a ticket or two, great, but they probably won't. I'm pretty sure of that.
It's really hard to convey a lot of enthusiasm about many a subject without coming off as a cult member, or obsessive/compulsive. I'm neither. I don't have a collection of Disneyfriends, I don't collect Disney trinkets, I don't live nearby, and I get there maybe once a year at best, but usually much less. I don't get excited about the costumed characters or parades, I don't get into memorizing the songs, shopping at the boutiques, I get annoyed at the annoying people, and think much of the space isn't utilized all that well. I could complain a bit more, but that's enough of that.
So even with that last bit of being a grouch, I love the place without qualification. If I summarized it in one sentence, I would say this: There's no place on earth with so many things to enjoy within one square mile. I challenge anyone to argue this. I don't care how young or old you are. Or if you hate everything. If you can't explore a bit and come up with something you really like, then sorry, you can't be much fun. If I made a list of the actual great things to do, it would be so long that you'd give up reading it.
To give you perspective, I'm in my 50's. Too young to have been there from the start and just going for the nostalgia. Too old to be into many of the things that excite others. I never got into the original storylines, never got much into the original Disney classic movies or 'toons. I'm definitely not a Star Wars kinda guy. I'm not someone that acts like a man-child or Peter Pan. I don't walk around with a huge smile. That's not me. You might in fact not realize I'm having a great time except for observing my energy and stamina, which is over the top when I'm there. I do have a very strong visual sense and love to figure out how things work and try to understand how in the world they could not only imagine, but actually build such complex and awe-inspiring things. I'm incredibly impressed how pristine and clean the place is, and how they can handle 50,000 people or so every day of the year without major problems every day. The amount of color and texture is incredible. Even the smells are fantastic. Most of them. Or some of them.
In short, it's a place that never gets boring, unless I suppose you go there many times per year. In coming posts, I'll do my best to give you my take, which will be different than yours. In fact, everyone's experience is different from each other's, and even your own perspective will be different each time you go. There's so much detail everywhere, that you can't run out of things to see. There's no place like it. Period. Ok, I guess other Disney parks are, sorta, but that's a discussion in itself.
Enjoy the journey I lead you on.
I'm DisneyDawg.
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