Today is Monday, the third and final day of the Independence Day weekend. We spent the Fourth over at Knott's Berry Farm, but today we travel about ten miles farther South to visit "The Mouse."
Ah, Disneyland. For people who live in Southern California, it's something they did when they were kids. But if you ask them, many seem to respond "I haven't been there in years." I guess it's easy to be jaded when you're so close.
But for me, growing up (mostly) in Washington state, all I knew of the place came from television. There were shows every week that carried the Disney name. And then there was a second park, even further away in Florida. I thought I'd never see either of them. When I was in High School, my parents decided to take a trip to L.A. to visit Disneyland. Not only would we go, but they were taking me and my younger brother out of school to do so! Wow! I still remember the trip. Our oldest brother, Mike, came along too. He'd been before and showed us the ropes. Back then, Disney still used books of tickets, sort of like a county fair. There were five levels of tickets, each with a letter from "A" through "E." "A-ticket" rides were the lamest, like a ride on the train. "E-ticket rides" were the best (hence the popular expresson) these were things like the Matterhorn bobsleds. But our Mom had secured special passes for us through her company. We had what appeared to be a "lift-ticket" around our necks that let us ride anything as much as we wanted. Once, because it was raining and there was no line, we didn't even have to get off the ride! We just held up the passes and said "Go again!" We thought we were kings.
Now, I'm the dad and yes, I've taken my kids out of school to visit BOTH Disneyland and Disneyworld. It's not because I don't value education. There's no way that anything that might be covered on those couple of days will be as significant to a child as the memories of being with their parents for a day with Mickey Mouse. My kids have visited Disney more than I did as a child, but I still think they enjoy it and Debbie and I certainly enjoy the memories of being there with them.
All this is merely preamble, setting the stage if you will. Explaining why a place with some hokey rides might become something more. Something "magical" if you will suffer the adman's pitch. In my mind, it is definitely more than just another amusement park. In my mind, every time I get on the elevator for "Haunted Mansion" or slide down the waterfall into "Pirates of the Caribbean" I am reminded of my childhood and I revel in the sensation. Of course, I know how it will go, every turn of the ride, every surprise around the corners. I look at the details now, how the toes move or the the actions of two ghosts dueling from their picture frames. The first time it was so fantastic that I couldn't absorb even part of the scene. Now I add layers to the memories.
I won't go into further descriptions of this "land," you'll have to go for yourself and see it. I will tell you that the park is more fun when kids are involved (especially if you're the kid!, but perhaps more so on a different level when you're the adult). Take your family. Spend the money, it's worth it without a doubt if you can be together like that. Soon, it will be different for us. Our teenage son won't want to hang out with us much more. We'll probably let him bring a friend instead. And eventually our daughter will do the same. That's going to be a while still. When it happens I guess we'll stroll through Adventureland arm-in-arm, my wife and I, remembering the time when... and thinking how lucky we are to be together and to have so many memories.
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