Growing up in the shadow of Disneyland, almost literally... No, really. We grew up in Stanton, a straight shot down Katella from The Magic Kingdom. Summer nights we would walk to the corner towards the park and have a fairly clear view of Disneyland's nightly fireworks in the distance. Only dreaming of being in the parks and just having to look straight up to see the bright and blinding lights overhead. Sometimes when dad was feeling especially generous, and our relatives from Texas happened to be in town, he'd load up everyone in the van, my uncle's station wagon, and we'd head to the Disneyland hotel to watch the Dancing Waters show. It's funny, when the World of Color show finally premiered at Disney's California Adventure, it immediately brought back memories of the old Dancing Waters show at the hotel. Literally just fountains of water with lights of color projected through them and choreographed to music. The waterfall footpaths we'd wander around. And for a few of the braver kids, we'd load up into the glass elevator on the outside of the hotel tower and ride it up to the top floor restaurant/lounge. The brief, seconds-long ride would give us the best views of the park. Even just a glimpse of the mountains,, The Matterhorn, Space Mountain and the newly opened Big Thunder Mountain. Splash Mountain wouldn't open for another 20 years. Once we'd reach the top floor and the doors opened, the host would smile kindly, let us know we needed reservations and send us back down.
Sometimes, just sometimes, we might get treated to a ride on the monorail. Back then, you didn't need park admission to ride it, but you also weren't allowed to disembark at the Tomorrowland station. You're in the bubble leading or trailing vehicle and just got the greatest tease ever. A ride THROUGH Disneyland. So close, and yet, so far...
As I've said, Disneyland was just a special treat for us. I keep thinking back to how much, or rather, how little money dad made. Even for the 1970s and early 80s, he didn't bring home all that much. But he still did his best to keep us as close to having a 'normal' life as kids as he could provide. This included visits to Disneyland, maybe once a year for our birthdays. And believe me, we always looked forward to those trips. Even as I was getting old enough, and maybe needed a bike to ride to and from school... By this time, I was already getting bussed to Patton elementary for my GATE classes. And Dad wanted me to have my own bike, maybe for exercise, maybe he wanted me to get out and about more often. This one particular year, he even strongly suggested that for my birthday, he would buy me a new bmx bike. Probably a Huffy or a Kent. I declined. I wanted that Disneyland trip once again. Spending a day at the park with my little brother and sister was more important for me than a bike that I was only going to get to use. Years later, I was reminded of that bike when I found out my nephew, Jordan, wanted to go to Disneyland for his birthday and he saved up enough money not only for his own admission but he saved up enough to pay for his older brother, Christian, to join him.
I can vaguely remember some of my earliest trips. Just flashes of moments in the recesses of my mind. But I can recall riding the People Mover and the Tron tunnel part of the ride. Felt like we were in the movie for those few moments. I remember the Sky-way and riding through the Matterhorn. The old Adventure Through Inner Space where Star Tours sits now. I remember the Motor Boat Cruise ride and how Autopia had two completely different ride entrances. One in Tomorrowland, which still exists and the old Fantasyland side of the ride. Mission to Mars before being gutted and turned into a lousy pizza restaurant.
I remember riding Star Tours the summer it opened, 1987. I had just turned 15, with me were a couple cousins and my brother. The wait time was something like 3 hours. No fast passes, no lightning lanes, nothing but the wait. And after about an hour, Carlos started to get fussy. What 12-year-old is going to want to continue to stand and wait. Before long, he was ready to bail and I refused. We'd already waited 90 minutes, we're halfway through. Then he started to cry and I was about ready to give him something to cry about. It was a battle but he wasn't going to win. lol eventually, after we finally got through the ride an hour and a half later, we were all smiles and I asked him after all that, "Was it worth it?!" He embarrassedly dipped his head, and with a smile, "yeah..."
23 years later on a trip to the park with my sister, her family and our parents, mom and dad finally got to experience Star Tours for themselves. The wait time was nowhere near 3 hours by then but mom and dad loved the ride just the same. They were practically giddy coming off it.
Many of my favorite moments in life happened in those parks. Riding Monster's Inc. with my nieces and hugging my niece and declaring, "Oh, you're my little Boo!" coming right off the ride, her hugging my arm right back and saying, "and you're my Kitty!" Every time I hear the opening strains of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the corners of my mouth start to turn up until it's silly grin covering my face. The first real roller coaster I ever rode without dad sitting next to me was Space Mountain. I was maybe 11. In line was me, Dad, my little brother and our aunt, Lucy. Lucy was 15, Carlos was 8 and I asked Dad if I could ride with Carlos. Dad was a little taken aback that I asked and also a little proud that I wanted to go on without him. He made sure to tell mom once we met back up with them.
I remember the changeover from the ride ticket coupon books to 'unlimited' passes. Mom had countless ticket books at home filled with A, B and a few C unused tickets still attached. D and E tickets were always the ones used up first. I mean, who wanted to spend an A ticket to ride the firetruck up Main Street? The early days of the unlimited passes, Disney asked you wear the pass, attached by a safety pin usually. This is so that the ride attendants wouldn't bother to ask for your ticket before boarding.
How many people have come and gone through my life and Disney happened to be a central part of the story. The countless people I met and departed in the moments I was in the park, a thousand little interactions, mostly good. The family from Seattle who were boarding the train at Tomorrowland station and suddenly needed to exit so their son could use the restroom. I stopped them and let them know that if they rode through to New Orleans Square, their intended destination, they could exit there and immediately to the right is a restroom. Yes, I knew the parks layouts so well. I could direct you to the nearest restroom regardless of where in the parks you happened to be at any given moment.
Or the people who were around a little longer, some good, some bad. Ex's and potential ex's, future ex's lol... You get the idea. I always said Disneyland was actually a GREAT first date idea because you get to see your intended at their best and potentially at their worst, all within the span of a day. How much can they allow themselves to enjoy being in the moment? Will the music or a churro make them smile? How will they deal with the high stress situation of being surrounded by thousands of people, screaming kids, random strangers bumping into you while you've been on your feet all day. It's the ultimate stress test.
One particularly bad first date, this girl had been hyping herself up as being the better Astro-blaster shooter than I was. I never told her that my best score was over 2 million, I just let her jabber away. Mind you, even before this, she was practically planning on us being together for a while, Disneyland was just going to be our First date of many to come. Eh, we'll see. By the time we met up, something changed in her attitude and after I handily beat her at Astro-Blasters, her attitude went from bad to worse until she finally stopped in front of the Golden Horseshoe, she turned, said to me, "You know, this isn't going to work out." I just said, "Oh, thank God." turned and walked away.
Conversely, meeting a girl waiting in line on opening day for Guardians of the Galaxy. We spent the entire 90 minutes talking and after the ride, she went to her shift at some restaurant in Hermosa Beach and I never saw her again.
Oh, I've also made some great friends along the way. A few have even managed to remain friends to this day. Not a whole lot but quality over quantity matters the most. Riding Tower of Terror multiple times in the final weeks before they shut it down for the Guardians overlay. Opening Day of Avengers Campus and the hours long lines to get into the area after already riding the Spiderman ride first thing that morning. Paint the Night, When can we do this again? Even going to the parks with my friends and family and their own kids... Nieces and nephews...
And after nearly 20 years as an annual passholder, it finally reached their breaking point for me. Cost-wise, the restrictions on the use (reservations), and uncertainty in my own life, I just couldn't continue.
But this isn't goodbye. It's been too ingrained in my life, in the story of Louie. Hell, the story of how I was labeled King Louie is also a Disney story, This isn't goodbye. But it is so long for now.
See you real soon...
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