Photographic road trip report part 3a: TomTom, Indy, and Prices
Here we go again.
For some strange reason, I woke up at around 5:30 am and couldn't get back to sleep (if you read part 2b, you would know that I couldn't sleep until around 1). I figured that I should just take a shower anyway.
Too much information?
At around 6, mother 'woke up'. By waking up I mean saying in a drowsy tone "Give me coffee".
I opened the packet/filter for the coffee maker, thinking it was one of those that you pour in. Needless to say, I was quite surprised. It was a supersized coffee pod.
No. I'm not fat. That's just the angle and lighting.
After two hours of preparation, (re)packing, and some continental breakfast, we depart.
Who in their right mind decided that coffee and some donuts was 'Continental'?
Anyway...
I like Santa Barbara. It's one of the few places (the other being Anaheim) that I wouldn't mind living at.
Driving on....
Where does the ocean end and the sky begin?
If I remember correctly, after Santa Barbara, we passed by two 'land' towns: Sandyland and Summerland.
Weird and gimmicky.
Random ocean town whose name escapes me.
And I thought I-5 was poorly maintained.
SoCal Pacific: in BlurryVision.
I have a thing for seaside cliffs.
Still a 100+ miles away.
*Grabs the TomTom Go, sets destination to 1300 Harbor Blvd. Anaheim, CA*
Trust me, the above will come into play later.
No pictures were taken between here and Anaheim, so I'll give you a verbal written description instead.
Mother driver took a quick detour to in an attempt to find the channel islands. She couldn't find it, we got lost, and out TomTom drove us around in circles.
Thankfully we found 101. And I spotted something rare for the railfan in me in Southern California. Unfortunately, it's a video in a format that no video site likes.
Entering San Fernando valley, I said "Wow, no traffic."
As luck would have it, we got stuck in traffic at the 101/405 interchange shortly afterwards.
Passed the Hollywood Tower Hotel Apartments and saw smoggy LA.
This is where human error made TomTom mess up. As we entered the East Los Angeles Interchange Complex (yes, I looked it up). The GPS navigator repeatedly told us to go on I-10 instead of the correct way of going on I-5. We continued on I-5 when it said for us to exit. It was then when I realized I put in the wrong Harbor Blvd (it's South Harbor, but TomTom I wanted North). As we were already on I-5, we figured it was best to cancel the route and shut her up.
Finally, at around 11-ish, we arrive at the Disneyland Resort....Parking Structure. We placed on the second to last floor, close to the escalators.
Thank goodness it we weren't placed TYE on the Fifth floor.
Duly noted: Fourth Floor, section 10C
Out of the 5, which one could I have used without having to bend down?
Go on, take a guess.
How can you tell that it's going to be a busy day at the parks? When they use both sides of the loading area, and you get dropped off under the monorail beam near the picnic area.
"I just exited the tram, and my feet are tired" - Random guest.
First place? Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria. That Italian Restaurant in Downtown Disney.
I have to say, Anaheim's Downtown Disney has a better atmosphere than the one in Florida. The only thing that's missing is Cirque de Soloil.
Picking an outside seat (good choice, by the way), I noticed how loud Indy was. You could hear a 'boom' from the boulder every 6 seconds.
The Grand Californian looks very metropolitan.
This was also where I noticed the building up close.
It's wallpaper! All this time I thought it was painted on!
The show building for Indy. It's actually quite small for an attraction that feels big.
Moving on to the park...
"Welcome to Disney Parks Anaheim! Where you must pay $102 and the have streams of technicolor thrown at you!" - My opinion of "Celebrate today".
Okay, so I have keen eyes and can read the signs above the bag checks.
I don't mind this fountain. Although, I wish they'd choose a design that doesn't resemble the 'rotting meat' flower with a yellow eyeball in the center.
Oh, wow, more guests.
Disneyland Resort prices come 2012:
1-Day 1-Park = $81
1-Day Park Hopper = $106
2-Day Park Hopper = $160
Read the footnotes, people! It's not worth it!
Time: 1 pm (bad choice) Entering: Disneyland (worse choice) Did I grab a park map: no (even worse choice)
I can't enjoy the parks without one, and I didn't realize that until much, much later.
Firehouse Five plus two with Cruella.
You know, if you remove the castle and the 'celebration' wrappings, as well as move all the guests to the sidewalk, then you got yourself an actual Main Street.
Unfortunately, that'll never happen. Unless you go on Highway 29 North towards Calistoga.
How many times has this been taken?
The Castle isn't the focus here. That would be the Dapper Dans and Bert.
The only problem I have with this performance is that they used speakers on the other side of the hub. Needless to say, it was a bit...disorienting.
Looks like Mary has made an appearance as well...
...and the crowd increases. Let's walk through the castle as we go to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.
I'd have to admit the Canopy is a nice touch,. And it looks like our bad luck is gone. Last time we went to the Park, Mr. Toad broke down just as we entered the line.
Unfortunately, I'm going to have to cut this short. Due to someone asking me "what's up" on Facebook, I have lost over half of this report. I will continue this some other time.
Part 3b: Small World's Topiaries, Celebrate! A Street Party, Disney's California Adventure.