Actually, we went to Disneyland last week. We were attending a Greg's cousin Brian's wedding in Pasadena this past weekend and drove down a few days early to spend a day and half at Disneyland and California Adventure with Greg's brother, Jeff, and sister-in-law, Jeanette.
The last time Greg and I were at Disneyland were our respective high school Grad Nights. That was a looooong time ago...slightly longer for me than him, but who's counting. Jeff and Jeanette, on the other hand, are Disneyland regulars. They go *at least* once a year. And they don't have kids! Of all the people we could experience Disneyland with, Jeff and Jeanette are by far the best people. They have Disneyland down to a science...fast passes, what to ride and when, hidden Mickey's, where to eat, parades, where to shop, firework shows and more. It was like having our own personal Disneyland tour guides.
We both agree that Disneyland has changed since Grad Night. A lot of things are the same (Main Street, Mad Hatter Tea Party, Dumbo, Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn). They've incorporated a lot of the movies, Disney and non-Disney, into the park. The submarine ride has become the Nemo Submarine ride. There's a Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride, a Roger Rabbit ride and an Indiana Jones ride. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow has been incorporated into the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. And what happened to the Sleeping Beauty castle (I found out that it's not the Cinderella castle like I always thought it was)!? I remember it being grey (v. pink) and much bigger than it was on this trip. Space Mountain was also completely re-done. Greg says it's better than before. It's faster, smoother and darker so you can't anticipate where the roller coaster is going to go next. I think this was the first time I rode Space Mountain, so I'll take Greg's word for it.
Of course, California Adventures and Downtown Disney were completely new for us. California Adventures is a much smaller park than I thought it would be. Apparently they built it where the parking lot used to be. There were some cool rides at that park and several parts of the park do look like places in California. My favorite part of California Adventures was Disney Animation, an interactive experience that gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the art and magic of animation. They had a special Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs animation exhibit when we went. Downtown Disney has a lively vibe with lots of shops and restaurants. It reminded me of Universal City Walk.
By the way, Brian and Christie's wedding was classically beautiful and quite grand. They had an outdoor ceremony at the posh Langham Hotel (formerly a Ritz Carlton), rose petals covered the center aisle, trellis decorated with flowers, string quartet playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons and Pachelbel's Canon in D, cocktail reception on the patio overlooking the pool, ornate ballroom with fancy chandeliers, and beautiful dramatic center pieces. Christie was a beautiful bride. She and her dad did a charming father-daughter dance to Moon River. Her dad is a good dancer! Brian's brother and cousins, including Greg, succeeded in getting him drunk. It was a lovely affair.
6 comments:
did you go to pinkberry?
of course! we stopped at the pinkberry in pasadena before the wedding. the line was crazy long, but it was definitely worth the wait.
What about Yogurt Land?
Never been Yogurt Land. Is it similar to Pinkberry? I tried YoBerry yesterday. The yogurt was okay...good consistency and flavor. But I was highly disappointed by the tiny portion of fruit toppings! What's up with that?
Yogurt Land was the place I commented about last time you were in SoCal; there are like 16 flavors lined up against the wall, you just grab a container and start combo-ing to your whim, and then dump whatever toppings on you want, and the cost is by weight. You get exactly what you want, how you want it, and it's usually 2/3 the price (or less) than Pinkberry, with double the quantities.
cindy - there's a yogurtland in cupertino! i discovered it tonight and decided to go check it out. it was packed! i tried the plain tart, to make it a fair comparison. but i'm already looking forward to going back to try the other flavors. it was yummy! and way cheaper. :) but i was disappointed that their pineapple seemed to be canned variety and there were no blueberries. :( regardless, i definitely like it better than YoBerry and FroYo.
Post a Comment