The lure of a road trip? You bet!

Several months ago, I received an invitation to join a good friend on an adventure to explore some places and meet some folks, while gathering stories to share along the way. Getting some details squared away, making a few arrangements, and sure! Why not set off and see what lay in store?

Over the years I have been online, I have been extremely fortunate to have shared a wide variety of experiences with some wonderful individuals. One of those is Leo Holzer, who for many years was a professional journalist with a Northern California newspaper, the Vacaville Reporter. Together, we continue to have a shared interest in the Walt Disney Company; including it’s history, impact on popular culture on a worldwide basis, and the many people who to this day, more than 100 years later, still bring a very special brand of magic to life every day around this planet.

Leo Holzer, at the Petersen Automotive Museum in the lobby with an electric SMART Car prototype.

So, when Leo first approached me with the concept of this week of adventures, I knew it was going to be a memorable one. What I did not expect is how fully immersive and unexpected much of it was to have ahead for us in Southern California. Thanks to some wonderful people, this trip would turn into an eye opening one.

Now, many fans of the various pieces of the Walt Disney story are familiar with how Walt boarded the Santa Fe’s California Limited in Kansas City in July of 1923 and headed west to join his brother Roy in Los Angeles. And that has a direct connection to our first experiences on our trip this past week.

Leo and I drove down Interstate 5 from the San Francisco Bay Area. While it is a trip I have made many times either by myself or with other friends for various events, this was our first time doing so together. Along the way, we took the opportunity to discuss some of what lay ahead of us as well as think about some other things we might consider worth investigating.

Arriving into Burbank, we checked into our base camp for the week. The Safari Inn, on West Olive Street. It’s well located, close to the various studios and other points of interest that we would visit. Recently renovated, the rooms offer a variety of accommodations to meet the needs of guests. And it’s classic mid-century modern decor is noteworthy as well.

The classic neon sign identifies the Safari Inn in beautiful downtown Burbank.

After getting settled in to our rooms, we went off in search of dinner somewhere nearby. But not seeing anything that particularly interested us, I recalled that there was a location that was close to a spot of interest that we would visit later on in the week. Which led to the drive from Burbank, past both the Walt Disney and Warner Brothers studio’s, up and over the hills into Los Feliz area for a fine introductory meal at The House of Pies. We both enjoyed a hearty meal but not pie… saving that for later on in the adventure.

It’s always a wonderful day for pie.

So… that’s day 1! More to come.

This first appeared here on The Blue Parrot on November 10, 2010.

That First Train Ride

Finishing off the week, a little more nostalgia. Of the transportation kind.

The art director for this photo shoot sure touched all the right buttons here. Mother and daughter in matching red jackets, not to mention hair styles. The table at the far end of the dining car set with all the classic Union Pacific items including the red carnations, Streamliner silver and china. Even the childrens dining car menu being read by Mom there.

And lunch looks pretty good too! Some great meals (as usual) from the crew in the kitchen. 

My first trip on a long distance passenger train was about 9 years after this view. On the Streamliner City of San Francisco on the Southern Pacific on Labor Day of 1963. From Truckee to Oakland, with my mother and infant sister. And my dining experience wasn’t this ornate, but just as special. The Espee, cost cutting at work, had created the Automated Dining Car or Automat. Save money but cutting out all the waiters and cooks jobs with just a single attendant for the vending machines to make change and operate those radar range ovens.

My 50-50 orange and vanilla ice cream bar tasted pretty special as we made the big sweeping curve coming into the station in downtown Sacramento. And it is something I still recall fondly many trips over the Sierra later.

Remember yours?

Something I used to do when I first launched the Blue Parrot was to reblog a different piece every Saturday. So, it’s a tradition. This one first appeared on Jim Hill Media on August 1st, 2003.

Let’s set the WABAC machine back to the days of knights, dragons and damsels in distress, right?

No, I am not talking about the high school antics of Dungeons and Dragons, nor will I engage in a descriptive bout of the B&D scene, although it is a bit amusing how they cross over with interests. We will not be talking about accommodations in the style of your average Renaissance Pleasure Faire. No aging hippies selling local arts, crafts and potions; no straw bundles; no bulging bodices with breasts broiling in the sun… This will be civilized. But then again, a healthy dose of fantasy has never hurt anyone.

It is all about castles today and there is no better place to start than along the Romantic section of the Rhine River in Germany. This is generally accepted as the area north of Mainz/Wiesbaden (cities on opposite sides of the river and capitols of their respective states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse) and south of Cologne. It is also home to the area known as the Rheingau, that you may recall from an earlier Ruminations on wine.

So, I can hear you asking, why a castle? Fair question. Why would anyone build a castle? It’s all about defense! That’s why. Think of a time when you and yours might have needed the safety of a place to retreat to. Okay, so a cave might work as well, but wouldn’t you know there usually isn’t one around when you really need it.

As a landowner, you probably would face a time when someone would come and try to take that land from you. If you owned enough land, you probably had people working for you to make their living from the land as well. The castle provided a place to keep you and your people safe when an enemy came.

It didn’t hurt you if your castle also showed how much you could afford to your neighbors as well. Combine defense with style, and you get the castle of your dreams. (One can hear the marketing types warming up now…)

But any defense is only as good as the weapons used against it. Back in the days of siege warfare, your castle would keep you safe while the enemies camped outside. Once gunpowder and cannons came into play that was pretty much the end of the castle, as holes in walls tended to negate the effect of that particular defense.

So, today for every castle you see restored, there are as many or more in a state of ruin. But those that do remain are worth a visit.

When we were looking at where to visit while planning our return visit to Germany, there were lots of good German castles to choose from. If we had really been interested, why we could even have purchased one of our own! We opted to spend a few nights in one instead.

Now when most folks think of a castle, there is one that usually comes to mind. Neuschwanstein is as close to the fairy tale castle as you will ever find. Built as the passion of Bavaria’s “Mad King” Ludwig II, it is one of the major tourist destinations in southern Germany. Compare it to the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland, and you’ll note the obvious influence. There are tours of the grounds and the surrounding area.

Back to the Rhine, there are many great towns with great castles to choose from. During the year, there are some wonderful activities. A perennial favorite is The Rhine in Flames fireworks spectacular — this year on Saturday, August 11th. From many of the small towns and from boats along the river, there are great places to watch this show unfold. Imagine Fantasmic on a scale of miles, and you’re there! In 2003, there was even a railway excursion with a steam locomotive hauled passenger train along the Rhine complete with a stop to view it all.

One of the towns in the area where this event is held is Linz. With a live webcam mounted on one of the ferries the crosses the river, you’ll get a great view without having to make the trip.

When we went on our return to Germany in September of 2001, we visited several of the towns along the way. (I’ll mention a bit about them later.) A combination of driving our rented Mercedes station wagon (in which I am fairly sure we crossed the Rhine using the ferry at Linz) and using the KD (Koln-Dusseldorfer) cruise boat offered one good way to take it all in. Their steam paddle-wheeler, the S.S. Goethe is a classic way to travel here. The DB offers rail service on both sides of the Rhine that makes stops at all of the small towns between Mainz and or Wiesbaden and Cologne.

So which castle did we stay at? Schloss Schoenburg on the hill high above Oberwesel. My mother waded through her Karen Brown guidebook and came up with this as her choice. That and she thought she wanted to spend a night in one of the tower rooms in the castle. (FYI, the Karen Brown web pages do have a good deal of information on other castles in the area.)

Now my brother Larry and I shared Room 13. I’ve always though of that as a lucky number, and boy did it pay off! We had a big room with a large bathroom and a great balcony that overlooked the Rhine. Seeing our room, my mom immediately became jealous and found she didn’t care all that much for her tower room after all. I don’t blame her. But I wasn’t about to offer to trade places with her and my dad.

You see… Room 13 offered me the place from which to watch not only the barge and boat traffic on the Rhine, but also the trains going by on both side of the river as well. Like fish in the proverbial barrel it was.

The hotel part is to the left in the view above. Room 13? The balcony is just to the right of the 4 windows on the bottom level of the red brick section. Check out more views of the hotel here.

We enjoyed two nights here — a Monday and a Tuesday. The hotel restaurant was closed on Mondays, and at that time, they offered a chance to enjoy dinner at several places in Oberwesel with a different course served at each of the three stops. Now, according to their web pages, the hotel offers a four-course meal service to guests nightly included in the room rate. We had some wonderful breakfasts (complete with great knitted covers for the soft-boiled eggs) here as well as dinner on Tuesday evening — with a great bottle of a Chilean Merlot to top it all off!

Schoenburg has some amusing elements to the tale as well. Vistors park in a lot across a bridge from the castle, and their luggage is carried up the hill the rest of the way in a trailer hauled by a tractor. It’s a good walk past some of the unrestored areas of the castle with some fantastic views of local vineyards. A Catholic retreat house uses part of the structure and the chapel still functions as intended.

All in all, a fine time sitting and enjoying a complimentary glass of sherry while watching the passing panorama. Oh, the pain…

Oberwesel was one of several great towns we visited along this part of the Rhine. Others included St. Goar (where we boarded the KD boat for our river cruise), Bacharach (where I picked up a Steiff bear similar to one we acquired some 40 years before. Named the new one Burt and he collected pins for the rest of the trip! Stop me before I get more pins…) with some great shops including a wonderful outlet store with anything you could ever want in way of a beer stein, and Rudeshiem. This was our destination when we rode the boat from St. Goar (getting a parking ticket in the rush to board). It’s a real tourist town with all the trappings, including a big Christmas shop.

There were some great things to see along the way, and I’ll mention a few of the more notable ones. Ever hear the tale of the Lorelei? “According to German legend, there was once a beautiful young maiden, named Lorelei, who threw herself headlong into the river in despair over a faithless lover. Upon her death she was transformed into a siren and could from that time on be heard singing on a rock along the Rhine River, near St. Goar. Her hypnotic music lured sailors to their death. The legend is based on an echoing rock with that name near St. Goar, Germany.” As the KD boat departs St. Goar heading south, it passes the large slate rock formation known as the Lorelie.

Departing Oberwesel, another legend comes to life along the river. Immediately beyond the town, the smooth flow of the Rhine is disturbed by seven underwater rocks–The Seven Sisters. Legend has it that seven girls were turned to stone for their prudish behavior. Local men are known to tell this tale when their affection meets with resistance. (A print on the wall of our Room 13 was a great telling of this tale — all in German, of course!)

There’s a lot more to see and hear along the way and the KD folks entertain but don’t annoy with their commentary. That and the food and drink aboard in first rate. Beer was good as was the hot chocolate.

“Now, enough of Germany!”, I hear you saying at this point. Gotcha. So how about something in a castle on this side of the pond? Coming right up!

If there was ever someone in this country who fancied themselves close to European nobility of the type who built castles along the Rhine, it had to be the family headed by William Randolph Hearst. Among the better parts of his legacy is the palace know as San Simeon or Hearst Castle. This property was 250,000-acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Piedras Blancas, San Simeon and Santa Rosa in the area northwest of San Luis Obispo.

San Simeon is actually a series of structures making up what could easily be called the most ornate complex in all of California. The web pages linked above tell the history better than I can, so I recommend exploring them. There’s a lot of history with the entertainment world involved here as movie folks were frequent guests of the Hearst’s hospitality. Today it is a state historical monument and well worth an extended exploration when you have the chance. (There’s even some history of my family in the area, but I’ll save that for another time…)

Now when it comes to building incredible structures, I’ve mentioned a few in other Ruminations or columns. Recall Billy Ralstonand his Palace Hotel in San Francisco, or Yosemite’s Awahnee. But for eccentricity, it would be hard to beat Sarah Winchester and her house in San Jose. Known today as the Winchester Mystery House, this classic Victorian mansion was a project begun in 1884. Legend has it that a spiritualist convinced her that as long as she was continuing the process of building the structure, she would be safe from the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. In the end, “this 160-room Victorian mansion had modern heating and sewer systems, gas lights that operated by pressing a button, three working elevators, and 47 fireplaces. From rambling roofs and exquisite hand inlaid parquet floors to the gold and silver chandeliers and Tiffany art glass windows, you will be impressed by the staggering amount of creativity, energy, and expense poured into each and every detail.”

Today it is open for tours, and those on Halloween are especially popular — considering the spirits are out and about…

Now back to spending the night in a castle. Remember the column on hotel rooms? Here is a link to a sampling of places where you can spend a night in a castle here in the States. Of those listed, there is one I might want to try if I had the chance. Ravenwood Castle is located in Ohio’s Hocking Valley. A variety of events and specials abound, even a discount if you arrive and stay in proper medieval garb!

Asking Jeeves for similar accommodations gets another set of results. Out of those, Denver’s Castle Marne also gets a vote for a taste of the Victorian era. I’m not sure, but I may have stayed here on a trip to Denver back in the early 80’s.

But of the web choices I found, this one may be the best of the bunch. Thornewood Castle “a magnificent three-story manor home dating from the turn of the century, offers over 27,000 square feet of living space, graciously arranged under one tile roof. Boasting 54 rooms, including 28 bedrooms and 22 baths, this English Tudor/Gothic mansion is one of the few genuine private castles in the United States. Thornewood Castle was built to the specifications of Mr. Chester Thorne, one of the founders of the Port of Tacoma, in beautiful Washington State. His fascination with the grandeur of the old English estate led him to design his dream house. Kertland Kelsey Cutter, one of America’s most gifted architects of that era, converted this dream into the once-in-a-lifetime estate.”

So there you have it… A look at the chance to enjoy a night in a castle or even just an afternoon visit!

A typical sunny morning on Main Street at Disneyland.

Over the years, I have learned quite a bit about a day at Disneyland. Most of this experience came about first hand, and a fair amount of that through trial and error. That time goes back to my first visit with family in June of 1965, with one of the first annual passes (for Magic Kingdom Club members), and many more to follow up to the end of the program. Since COVID, my days at the Park have been fewer, but now it’s a focus on quality, not quantity.

A complete book of 11 adventures with the admission coupon attached!

First and foremost, relax. You are at Disneyland. How many people wish they were, but are not. Do not become stressed about things out of your control. Don’t like a long line? Don’t get in it. Just go with the flow. Enjoy your day.

Second, don’t try to do everything in a day. You can’t, especially if you hop between Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Even if you plan to spend a full day from park open to close, there is simply too much for you to see and do it all. Even better, plan your day so it includes a midday break of some kind. Best is to get off your feet at some point. Relax and recharge to come back later on and enjoy the night. Maybe enjoy a meal during an off period at a dining location outside the parks? You might find it quieter and less hectic than inside. I’m a fan of afternoon naps myself.

A relaxing voyage down the Rivers of America aboard the Mark Twain is a great break.

Third, Planning. Yes and no. While some is good, be ready to be flexible. There’s an old saying that no plan survives initial contact. A day at the parks can easily prove that as true. It’s good to have an idea of what you would like to do, but if for some reason that is not possible, be prepared to explore alternatives. As well, you may want to give thought to the kind of experience you want to enjoy. Younger folks might find a first visit over-stimulating, whereas an older group may enjoy a relaxed pace of things. Either way, the parks offer a great mix of entertainment for all ages to enjoy together.

Another option is to try riding the more popular attractions during times when other things can be the focus. Especially good may be busy meal times; during parades or even fireworks; and late at night before park closings. Go where people aren’t!

A great example of why alternatives are a good idea. If an attraction like this is not available, look for something else!

Fourth, dining! Standard meal times tend to be the busiest times at all dining locations in the parks. Consider early or late meals instead. Another point to consider is the variety of dining choices. While a sit down meal may have appeal, a quick service location may provide what best serves your needs. There is more to enjoy than just hot dogs and hamburgers.

Important if you’re considering a sit down meal! Reservations are available on the Disneyland app. Check ahead of time to explore options. And check the app for plenty of great information of all kinds.

The Tropical Hideaway offers the always classic Dole Whip treat in multiple flavors!

Fifth, let’s give credit where due. The folks who bring these parks to life each and every day deserve our thanks at every opportunity. The Disney cast members from the bottom to the top are committed to exceeding our expectations. Share some appreciation. It can be as simple as saying “please” and “thank you”. And if someone has gone above and beyond, guest compliments are a wonderful way to express admiration for that.

Last but not least, enjoy yourselves. And mind the words offered below!

Love those Seventies theme park graphics!

Fans of the Mouse and all the related interests always seem to have something to catch their attention. This summer is no different with plenty going on throughout. Depending upon who you choose to get your information from, there’s a never ending stream of content. YouTube is filled to overflowing with all kinds of producers sharing views of anything and everything Disney.

Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. It’s that firehose blast kind of thing. Coming as fast as you can watch. A real melange of everything from reviews of food, beverages, and merchandise to live streams to hints on your best strategy to maximize your theme park misadventures. I’ve seen a fair amount of it, and while the content is amusing, some of the content providers take the whole thing far too seriously.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer unvarnished streaming. Without the running commentary that borders on inane. Just give me the simple audio and video. Sharing that puts the audience there virtually. And that should be your goal in live streaming content.

Another big concern expressed online by the faithful involves non on property hotel guests using the transportation system at Walt Disney World to move between the variety of experiences. It seems that guests trying to use these vehicles found delays and placed the blame on others. Specifically, it seems there are too many people who park at Disney Springs and travel about. Disney’s response to the issue is to exclude these folks from using the system. Seems a bit shortsighted to discourage guests from spending about the properties. More to come as things develop.

Out west, Disneyland has once again changed rules related to guests pin trading in the parks. No longer can you bring pins in mass quantities past into the parks. I frankly never understood how this came to be. And often, these “pin sharks” rarely trade one for one. Some want multiple pins for a single pin. I have even been asked to purchase a brand new pin to trade for an older one I desired. That request bordered on the comical. While I have a fair collection of Disney pins, they represent the experience and the people that I shared it with. Much more important to me than the cash value someone sets arbitrarily based on what they saw someone pay online for it.

When it comes to trading, I always have a few unusual pins just in case. Trading with other guests, children especially, should be a social moment, not a mere transactional one.

Something that tends to be the cause of concern is limited edition merchandise of all kinds. I get that the company doesn’t want to be stuck with an oversupply of unsold items but it seems that once something sells out, that’s it. No extra edition or another run of product. Maybe a return to consumer advisory panels is in order to find out what guests are interested in purchasing and at what price point? Feedback can be a good thing.

Say what you want about the folks behind the Mouse. They are always looking for new ways to get us to part with our disposable income. Stockholders like that. The bottom line is important to a business. That’s something that often is overlooked when it comes to entertainment.

As an organization, Disney set an example that others follow. They have learned what works for guests and what doesn’t. Sometimes, that’s not always easy. Occasionally, there’s a bit of a stumble. And even a flop, too.

As fans, we may not always agree or love every decision. But thankfully we do get opportunities to choose what we want to experience. Sharing those experiences is what it’s all about. Right back to Walt himself. Not a bad idea, actually.