Tempest in a coffee cup
By now, many folks have read on the official Disney Parks blog about plans to bring Starbucks to Disneyland’s Main Street. The idea is to replicate the success achieved across the Esplanade at the Fiddler, Fifer and Practical Cafe on Buena Vista Street of California Adventure.
Sadly, it does spell the end of the Market House and the Disneyana shop as guests now know them. In the days when Main Street was a recreation of the small towns across the country, individual shops such as these were what the area was all about. Now, they are just another place selling the same merchandise available all over the resort.
Opening up the building to a new and improved counter service for coffee and other treats is not as bad as one might expect. If the Imagineers hope to reproduce success, then providing more indoor seating along Main Street is a good start. Guests will likely look a bit harder for some of the merchandise sold there now. Knowing Disney, I do not doubt opportunities will still be close as hand. Miss the cozy days of the Market House all you want, but the line for coffee here can be a tough one. Expanded service is a good thing in my mind.
As for Disneyana, moving all of the shop to the bank location is a good idea. As much as I like the over-sized model of the US Capitol building, that is a lot of space to take up. Expanding the shop into this area makes sense. As it did with the opening of the space formerly occupied by the recreation’s of Walt’s offices at the studio in Burbank.
Often hard to recall, but Disneyland is not a museum. Change is as much a part of the place now as it was when it first opened. I will miss the way the shops used to be but I will welcome the new as part of the progress of the Park.
Would I like to see a return to the way Main Street used to be? Sure. But that is not going to happen and hoping it will seems silly, a waste of effort. The days of the small shops specializing in unique merchandise are gone now. Be thankful for what remains, but give props to the successes when they happen, too.
Is all this too close to the Jolly Holiday Bakery? Maybe. Will the same customers use both? Perhaps. Better guest experiences? You bet, and that is really the name of the game here.
As I said above, a tempest in a coffee cup. Sure to stir emotions and passions in the hearts of some. Just not enough to make things come to a halt and time stand still.
So quiet, you can barely notice
Keeping busy isn’t the problem. It is finding the time to post that is the real culprit.
I won’t bother you, loyal readers, with the details, but lately I have been away from the keyboard far more often than I wish. All for the best, really.
Meanwhile, down at the Park… It is those months when the walls go up and construction ramps up for the summer months. Projects are underway and prying eyes want to look behind or over, oh so badly. In the overall scheme of things, I am pleased with the direction things are taking in Anaheim. Carsland and Buena Vista Street have revitalized California Adventure and Disneyland will eventually see the benefits. Still can’t wait for the day that the suits decide to do away with that cheapest of annual passes, the Southern California Select, a.k.a. the babysitter pass. If they truly want to cut the number of pass holders and maximize income, this is the place to start. But enough of flogging that subject…
Snow! You got it, we got it. March is coming in like a lion, as I hoped. Still need more rain out west. And March, April and May have had years where they surprised the weather folks. I recall snow on Memorial Day at Lake Tahoe, so who really knows?
Nice to hear that George Lucas has submitted a proposal for a cultural arts museum at Crissy Field in San Francisco’s Presidio. Would make a great addition to the place, and likely the best choice out of the 16 ideas put in place. Especially since he has all of that money he made from selling the empire to Disney. No shortage of funds there.
Ah, summer movies… The next chapter in J.J. Abrams shaky camera and lens flare filled Star Trek awaits. And maybe this time Warner Bros. can finally market their way into a blockbuster with Man of Steel. I’m just waiting for the next chapter of The Hobbit to come along, hopefully to better acclaim than the first.
Somewhere, a really good story waits to become a film that doesn’t rely on CGI and visual effects to capture an audience.
Back to the subject at hand, I promise more than an occasional visit to these pages. After all, that is why you keep coming here. Must do the right thing.
Oscar? Mediocre…
Well, another Oscar telecast has come and gone. Mercifully…
This show may not have been the worst in the history, but it sure tried to come close. The opening with Captain Kirk? Lame. The jokes at everyone’s expense? Lame. A song about boobs? …
Let’s face it. Hosting the Oscars is a tough gig. Everyone who has ever done it before has said so. Right down to Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. Seth MacFarlane? He knew this was a one shot deal and he played it as if it were. Did we really need an appearance by Ted to confirm it? You won’t be missed Ted, er Seth. The comment about bums and Redbox in front of supermarkets pretty much sums it up.
For a show that was supposed to be paying tribute to the musical heritage of the motion picture, there were some highlights. Shirley Bassey sang “Goldfinger” and literally brought the house to it’s feet with the highlight of the night. And Barbra Streisand was great with her performance of “Memories”, although how could the Academy overlook so many talented folks in it’s memorial piece? Especially Andy Griffith, Harry Morgan and Etta James. Could we have skipped a few lames jokes and had these folks (and more) added to the tribute?
Count me as one annoyed by the cut-off of the award winning FX crew from “The Life Of Pi” and their mention of Rhythm and Hues bankruptcy. In this era of increasing reliance on CGI in film, the public needs to hear more of how these folks toil to get a production completed. Green screens have become the tool of choice for so many films. And Pi may be the best yet as more people need to know that the tiger was not real, but the work of artists instead.
As to the awards themselves, mediocre may be the best way to describe the presenters and the choices made by Academy voters. As usual, the best did not win. And does Hollywood so devalue the talents of actors from its past that we are reduced to promoting the B list instead of asking the real stars to hand out awards?
Oscar may still be going at 80 plus years, but he sure needs a good swift kick in the pants to get back to what he used to be.
Exaggerated Rumors
No, I have not rung up the choir invisibule.
Not a dead parrot, yet.
Just enjoying a well deserved break from the Internet and environs, if you must know.
As for the Internet, is not that what it is all about anyway? Exaggeration, that is. You know, get it first. Don’t get it right.
The joys of it all.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch… I guess today marks the last of the tributes to the Golden Horseshoe Review at Disneyland. And if all goes well, the new Princess Fantasy Faire opens in March. Here’s hoping that the new President of the place has a few more fresh ideas up his sleeve. We the guests could use a few. When it comes to Limited Time Magic, there should be more throwbacks to days gone by at the Park. I’m for using the Big Thunder Ranch to host a weekend that honors Native Americans. Disneyland had quite a history with performances at the old Indian Village. Would be great to see some memories old and new made in homage.
Super Bowl, come and gone. Nice to see the referees asleep as usual. Sure they didn’t have the replacements working the game? And talk about embarrassing… a 35 minute delay for lights out due to a surge protector. That poor place has seen it’s share of drama, hasn’t it. Commercials were a good crop this year. Doritos goat wins in my book. And a Budweiser is still a Budweiser, not matter what you put on the label.
Enjoyed the SAG awards. Nice touch with the life achievement award to Dick Van Dyke. And the best ensemble cast in a Drama going to Downtown Abbey. Speaking of which, so far a great season. Maggie Smith still gets all the best lines.
Life goes on… at least on this Monday.
Somebody got a good answer?
From a Disneyland Panavue Slide – a performance of the original Golden Horseshoe Review.
So, by now, the Disneyland faithful has seen the Limited Time Magic version of the Salute To The Golden Horseshoe Revue.
With it’s month long run ahead, I have yet to hear anyone take up the challenge and give an answer as to why the most memorable part of this guest favorite has been omitted. Namely, the role of the Travelling Salesman. As performed by Wally Boag and his substitutes/successors including Bert Henry, Fred Frank, Jim Adams, Ron Schneider, Dana Daniels, Kirk Wall, Steve Petska, John Pate, Don Payne and Dick Hardwick.
Give Wally Boag his due as the king of them all, but with as many shows/performances as there were, all of these gentlemen brought something to that stage. Something special, that still evokes memories for many guests. From the first performance for Walt & Lillian’s wedding anniversary in 1955 before the Park opened to the last performance on October 12th, 1986, it was more than just entertainment for guests and the folks who performed in it. And while the current version is a tribute, it falls short.
Why then does this current version not pay homage to those gentlemen mentioned above? I am sure there is an answer somewhere. Maybe not a very good answer, but somewhere inside the labyrinth that the Disney company has become, someone made this decision. And perhaps, eventually, we will hear the why’s and where-for’s behind it.
But, perhaps not. Disney also has become good as not answering the questions it does not which to. Oh, give 25 or 30 years down the line and someone might chip in with a tale. After all the people responsible have “moved on” or otherwise.
Sure would be nice if someone would own up to it now and share the details. Gotta be a good story lurking out there to share.