Jock's TravelBlog Because sometimes I go places

Spotty wi-fi, very full days, and post travel sickness have prevented timely posting. Never fear, extensive notes were taken, and posts will be forthcomming...

1955 saw the birth of a cultural phenomenon -- DisneyLand. Love it or hate it -- and regardless of how else we feel about the disney empire, so many of us love it -- we all know of the place. Kruschev proclaimed how sad he was that he wasn't allowed to go there. It transformed the orange groves and suburb of Los Angeles into a new industry. Carved into a place most people had never heard of, was what we were assured was the happiest place on earth.

I am not sure of the number of times I have been as a child. At least four trips stand out in my mind. I am old enough to remember the old A though E ticket system. A special Disney economy where the more desirable ride, the more valuable (and thus the fewer of them in your book) the ticket required. I also remember when this system was replaced with the park pass, when they finally realized that encouraging people to never leave, ultimately caused people to want to spend more.

There are rides that form important parts of my identity and world view. When I hear the word "Pirate" I cannot help put picture the animatronics of Pirates of the Carabean, before I think of all of my other researches on the subject. As an adult I have very mixed feelings of the Monsanto corporation, but part of me always thinks fondly because their name was attached the "Journey Though Innerspace" ride in Tommorwland.

Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Main Street USA. Each represented a fictionalized view of the world. It was beyond what any amusement park hard ever done. They sucked you in, and immersed you, all the while keeping with the Disney vision of what he wanted the world to be -- safe, clean, wholesome, fun. There was a dark side to Disney's vision, I can remember several racial caricatures (indians, african natives) that would be considered embarrassing at best, and just plain wrong at worst. Nor is the Disney corporation on my favorites list, but Disneyland is just special.

As an adult I have only been once, and that was half a decade ago. So it seemed like a good time to go again. This time I go with the pretention of being someone who can translate their experiences into a form other people might care about. Hubris I know, but that is far from my only sin. So much like I did with the TravelBlog of india, I plan to post daily on my thoughts, musings, and experiences.