printersdevil78

I'll add my "Awesome!" to what's already been said. Thanks for all your hard work, Robb and Elissa!

Awesome pics, especially the third one down. I first met my girlfriend's daughter last year when we took her to Christmas Candy Lane on Thanksgiving weekend. We had so much fun that we've decided to try to make an amusement park trip part of every Thanksgiving weekend for teh foreseeable future (Christmas Town at Busch Gardens this year).

Everything I see about Christmas Town makes me more excited for our visit in two weeks. I may have just missed it before, but it looks like the menus for individual lands are up on the interactive map page of the Chrsitmas Town website. Lots of turkey! (I'll stick to the German sausages, thank you very much.)

Wow, I can't believe they allowed video recording! You're going to make me a hero to my girlfriend's 5-year-old daughter.

Wow, Paul, it sounds like you and I had a lot of similar experiences at this park. I kind of paused when they started playing "The Star-Spangled Banner," as well, then noticed no one else did, so I went on with the search for an open ride. I agree word for word with your description of CGA's version of the Bayrn Kurve, and I mostly agree with your assessment of Grizzly, which I thought was an OK coaster... though I'm not sure I would have stood in line to ride it again, time constraints or not. I was one of those who didn't particularly care for this park as much as some of the others, but I'll give it this much: As far as Cedar Fair-owned parks go, it was probably the second-best one I've visited (behind Dorney, which was so well-operated and had such friendly staff when I was there last year that it barely seemed like a Cedar Fair park at all).

Wow, this is an awesome thread! Thanks for posting these.

All these sound awesome! I want to play! French Grilled Cheese 2 slices of rye bread 2 slices of thin-cut deli ham 1 slice Swiss cheese Butter Honey Dijon mustard 1. Butter both sides of both slices of bread, then liberally coat a frying pan with more butter and melt. 2. Cover one side of one slice of bread with honey and place it, butter side down, into the pan. Add ham, then cheese. 3. Cover one side of the other slice of bread with dijon mustard and place it on top of the cheese, mustard side down. Grill until golden on each side. 4. Repeat as necessary for additional sandwiches. This thing is like 1,000 calories, but I promise it will be the absolute best hot sandwich you've ever tasted! I won my now-ex-girlfriend over by making these one night and pairing them with hand-made pomme frites with a homemade garlic-pepper sauce, toasted baguette slices with Alfredo dipping sauce, a nice wine and French vanilla ice cream with warm homemade butterscotch caramel rum sauce and chocolate seashells.

Holy crap! You baked the cake from scratch, too? This TR just went into awesome-overdrive!

That was more entertaining than watching an actual baseball game!

This is awesome! I have some furlough days coming up toward the end of this year, and I might try my luck with that fondant recipe in my free time. My girlfriend is a cake fiend; maybe I can impress her with some newfound cakery!

This is awesome! What a great precursor to the UK Trip. Can't wait to see more from the Old Country.

One small bit of new information (I think): My girlfriend called guest relations to check on the possibility of a children's price (there isn't one--everyone pays full price). However, they told her that season passholders can purchase guest passes at $5 off the standard rate, along with the half-price passholder tickets the press release mentions. Just thought I would pass it along.

I'm crossing my fingers that Christmas Town will be pretty cool (I'm already sure it will be, temperature-wise). My girlfriend and I will be there on opening night with her 5-year-old daughter. My only concern is the operating hours--our schedule will allow us to be there that day only, and five hours doesn't seem like enough time to do all the activities it sounds like they're going to have. If this had been a combination daytime/nighttime event (like Hersheypark's Christmas Candylane, which we attended last Thanksgiving weekend), we could have planned to be there earlier in the day, taken the youngling on the rides and then had the evening to enjoy the seasonal festivities--or even gone just for the nighttime portion the first day and bought a second-day ticket for rides before we need to leave late that afternoon. But this is just the first year; I'm sure once the bugs are worked out, they'll consider longer hours for future events. Either way, I'm semi-excited to see some of this stuff.

Awesome TR (and not just because I'm in it three times)! I really, really liked SCBB. If I could relive just one day of the trip, it would be the Gilroy/SCBB day, hands down.

A huge Halloween project has left me with little extra time in the past couple weeks (fashionably late TR coming soon to the "Random, Random, Random" board), but now that that's over, it's about time to bring this TR to its thrilling conclusion nearly three months after the fact! Enjoy! Goodnight, Disneyland! And goodbye for another year, TPR! June 2011 can't come soon enough! And then after Pirates, we headed over to Space Mountain for a midnight blastoff, our final ride of the trip. My favorite guest line overheard on Pirates is still from a guy whose teenage friends were making the loud, obnoxious noises teenagers do during the dark part of the ride back in the early 2000s: "If you don't shut up and behave, we're turning this boat around and going straight home!" However, what I one observant 5-year-old behind me said as I snapped this picture wasn't bad, either: "Mommy, that treasure's not old. It doesn't even have any dust on it!" From "Fantasmic!" Mike and I ran over for one last ride on Pirates of the Caribbean (and floated past a virtually desserted Blue Bayou). One last Ariel picture for Lauryn! Giant penguins ride steamboats in my dreams, too. When Mickey imagines he sees a fire truck, he gets out of the way. Because it's not going to the movies. There was supposed to be an unofficial TPR meet-up (which may or may not have been canceled due to the lack of dragon), but Mike Moody and I never found it, so we made our own spot along the Rivers of America near the landing for the Tom Sawyer Island rafts. ...to see "Fantasmic!" As dinner and the awards drew to a close, no one wanted to leave. However, a couple of us had plans... And the winner gets... his eyes poked out by William! Plus a $60 Disney gift card. The winning team, "Brits Plus Josh" (OK, that probably wasn't their real team name, but close enough), got some ridiculously high score. Out of the 82 billion questions in the scavenger hunt booklet, they missed only six or so. This is William, creator of the awesome TPR Disneyland scavenger hunt (which I opted out of since I detest scavenger hunts--though I did help out a couple teams who were participating, and unlike those I've done in the past, it did actually almost kind of border on fun). Bas won the brass ring from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk by filling his entire Elissa Bingo card... but only after he allegedly bribed Jenn so he could get his "Elissa Bingo Creator Gets a Boob Credit" square! Mike seemed just a little *too* proud of his "Elissa Fanboy Award"! Natalie was pretty much a lock for "Biggest Credit Whore." And then it was time for Scott's annual TPR Pointless Awards (or as he put it, "Don't be offended if you don't win one... because believe me, you don't want to!"). Mike Austin won the "Person Most In Need of Being Tasered" Award. The people have spoken. ...a TPR art print from Sea World (which simultaneously made him two feet smaller and about 30 percent blurrier)! After dinner, Roxy and Josh presented Robb with a small token of the tour group's appreciation... I was amazed there was this much cannoli left over. The dessert was great, but oh man... too much food! My dinner company for the evening. The ravioli was meh, but the penne was amazing! Our farewell menu (which once again included alcohol). Frankfurters forever! "Yes, Neil, we all know TPR is No. 1. Now calm down before you scare away our waiter!" Naked babies with sunglasses always make trip reports better. Finally, it was time for the saddest part of the trip: the farewell dinner. This reminds me of the old "100 Years of Magic" parade. OK, I'm confused... is this the world of laughter or the world of tears? I didn't know the Department of Homeland Security had an exhibit at Disneyland! Did you ever get the feeling you were being watched? After a couple hours' rest back at the hotel, I made my way to Downtown Disney. Boy, I would have liked to have been able to attend this. All the reports I later read about it sounded amazing. ...but ultimately, this was nothing more than an outdoor shopping mall. I left disappointed. These historic murals were nice... I had been reading a lot of good things about the Anaheim Garden Walk. The Anaheim Walk of Fame hadn't grown much since I was last there in 2007. Personally, I think the city should join forces with Azusa and Cucamonga and dedicate a star to Jack Benny (Jeff Johnson may be the only person on this board old enough to actually get that joke.) By that point in the afternoon, temperatures were scalding and the crowd was getting ridiculous, so I decided to leave the park for awhile and check out some off-property attractions. "See all those people, Mickey? They're all here to pay us obscene amounts of money!" Ever wonder what Walt's pointing to? It's always nice to spend a little time in Snow White Grotto. Now we know where the Partridge Family sents its rejected stage costumes. So here's an idea: Let's theme a kiddie coaster after a supporting character on a short-lived animated show about what would happen if Chip 'n' Dale ran a detective agency. and then see if kids have any clue what we're talking about nearly 20 years after it goes off the air! Bet you can't guess who lives here! (If you said Gyro Gearloose, you're wrong.) I think I vaguely remember reading an article once about a crazy woman who, professing her undying passion for Chip 'n' Dale, tried to move in here once. Disneyland security held her until Robb came and paid bail. Featuring Benny's brother, Lenny! (No, really....) Hollywood's is better. Hey, these guys don't look like 'toons! From there I paid a visit to an area of the park I don't have much interest in, but wanted to get some pictures for Lauryn: Mickey's Toontown. ...but the Bengal Beef skewer! I swear, if someone slathered themselves with the sauce they use on this thing, I would turn cannibal, no questions asked! No, not the Mickey pretzel... I braved the worst bottleneck at the park to spend my final Disney Visa Reward points on one last must-eat item.... Eventually I had to make my way back into the masses of the park, but not before snapping a nice shot of the "Columbia" doing its thing on the Rivers of America. Even with the jam-packed crowds in the park, I sat in the alleyway reading and sipping by myself for an hour. A few feet away, these guys played nearly the entire time. It was almost as if they were my personal accompanists. Step Three: Admire the uncrowded scenery as the masses mindlessly jockey for position on the walkway between Pirates and Haunted Mansion 20 feet behind you. Step Two: Take your pick of vacant tables and benches near the always-empty Court of Angels (Big Thunder Trail, Plaza Gardens and Snow White Grotto are also good for this.) I chose to spend my time here with what I was sad to learn would be the final issue of "E-Ticket" magazine, which I had purchased at "Off the Page" in DCA. By this point the crowds at Disneyland were getting pretty unbearable... but seasoned vets know how to find secluded areas to enjoy the park even with the company of 60,000 other sweaty elbow-to-elbow guests. Step One: Grab a refreshing beverage at the never-crowded Mint Julep Bar, right across from the New Orleans Square train station. Hey Natalie, Br'er Bear asked me to tell you he wants his club back! Splash Mountain is one of the few flume rides I will tolerate--and then only for the dark ride portion (at least I've never gotten wet during the final drop--but I've been splashed on other parts of the ride before). "Let's see... where did I leave my stroller? Has anyone seen a stroller in Disneyland today?" Turn that popcorn, possessed Haunted Mansion zombie! Sign No. 3 (and this is pretty much a sign of the Apocalypse, as well): The line for Pooh was up to 25 minutes! That's got to be some kind of record. Sign No. 2: The line for the canoes, typically one of the least popular attractions even when they are open, extended outside the cue area. Sign No. 1 that Disneyland was more crowded than usual that day: Davy Crockett's Explorer (nee Indian War) canoes were running. (It's been my experience that the canoes stay docked unless they're needed to take some of the strain off the park's more popular attractions.) Even better, they were performing the "Beatles" version of their show that day, which I hadn't seen before (I always seem to catch the "Elvis" variation). I cashed in some of my waning Visa Rewards points for a root beer float and snagged a standing-room spot against the rail in the balcony (a vantage point from which I'd never before seen the show). ...Billy Hill and the Hillbillies! I'm not quite old enough (or didn't have the ability to frequent Disneyland enough as a kid) to have seen the original "Golden Horseshoe Review," but as many amazing things as I've heard about it, I can't imagine it being any more fun than the 'Billies. Back over at Disneyland, I went to the Golden Horseshoe Saloon to check one more thing off my "must do" list... And one more shot for Lauryn--because if there's one thing she likes almost as much as mermaids, it's talking tools (oddly enough). Another Ariel shot for Lauryn--my favorite from the parks. They have demonstrations by real Disney animators and designers in the adjacent "Off the Page" gift shop. For those who don't follow Disney art, this is Brianna Garcia (and yeah, unfortunately, I had never heard of her either... but check out her deviantART page--there is some incredible stuff there). If you didn't like this movie, quit reading my TR now. You are no longer welcome. (OK, fine, you can stay... but you're not playing with my army men!) I love this thing. For the uninitiated, every few minutes the lights in the room dim, and this sculpture (technically called a zoetrope) starts spinning as strobelights flash, making the figures appear to be moving realistically. It's actually a basic principle of animation demonstrated in 3-D... which is pretty cool if you ask me. This is another highly underrated attraction at DCA. I never got to ride the original, Superstar Limo (AKA Stupidstar Lame-O), but this recreation of the "Monsters, Inc." movie is lightyears ahead of most of the dark rides in Fantasyland. Not every ride needs a billion dollars' worth of Audio-Animatronic technology to be fun. Snacky snack shack snack snack! Mmm... I like blueberries! Besides Taste Pilots' Grill and one last re-ride on Soarin' Over California, this was the specific attraction I came to DCA to see on the final day. The more I travel, the more I get a kick out of things like this. I've been to DCA seven times, but this was the first time I noticed this rocket car on the lift in the "Fly 'n' Buy" gift shop--and I only noticed it because I got to see the real thing last summer at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. (Also note the "Glamorous Glennis"' second appearance in DCA, as a model hanging over the rocket car--it used to be featured a third time, in the montage finale of the grossly underrated "Golden Dreams" film, until that attraction was closed earlier this year.) Apparently someone forgot to tell them that the "Year(s) of a Million Dreams" is over. And just what makes this the best restaurant in DCA? Why, the Aviator's Chicken Sandwich, of course, complete with chipoltle mayo (sorry, Tyler). I miss the waffle fries that used to come with it, though. After a couple re-rides on attractions I had ridden the day before, it was time for lunch at DCA's best restaurant: Taste Pilots' Grill. That plane blasting off in front, by the way, is a recreation of the "Glamorous Glennis," the first plane ever to break the sound barrier. The original hangs in the Smithsonian. I still had a couple attractions in which I wanted to partake at Disney's California Adventure, so I walked over there as soon as that park opened. As I was passing Sunshine Plaza, one of my all-time favorite songs, "Surf City" by Jan and Dean, came blaring over the loudspeakers, so I sat on a bench near the sun sculpture and listened. Fun Fact No. 1: Following Jan Berry's death in 2004, Jan and Dean's backup band became DCA's "house band" for a brief period before restructuring as the Surf City Allstars. This means I probably saw them perform here at some point and never even knew it. Fun Fact No. 2: During my first visit to California in 1990, "Surf City" was the first song on the mix tape in my Sony Walkman that I listened to on the plane ride. During this, my most recent trip to California, "Surf City" was the first song on the mix I programmed into my Sony MP3 player. It doesn't get much more "full circle" than that. "What do you mean the dragon isn't working yet? We want our money back! Or at least a free churro." The most magical horse poop on Earth. Elissa had let us know that Disneyland likely would be massively crowded on our final day because not only was that day not blocked out for annual passholders, but it was also the day the new dragon animatronic was scheduled to be unveiled during the "Fantasmic!" show. (Sadly, as was the case throughout most of the summer, the dragon's debut ultimately was pushed back, presumably due to mechanical difficulties.) I started my day at Disneyland predominately to make sure I had a handstamp that would allow me to re-enter if the park got too crowded later in the day. I started the day with the breakfast of champions--Texas pecans left over from the snack exchange. (Thanks, Roxanne!) Another TPR day, another spectacular Disney view from the hotel....

I still have a few photo TRs to catch up on, including the final installment of my West Coast Trip report. However, this being Halloween week and all, I thought it would be appropriate to temporarily skip ahead to our adventure this weekend as my girlfriend, Kelly, and I took her daughter, Lauryn, to the 20th annual Sea Witch Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. This was my first Sea Witch, their third or fourth, so it was interesting for this first-timer to see Rehoboth's take on the great all-American small-town festival. Enjoy! And we conclude with a feast fit for kings! If anyone on here is headed out to the Sea Witch Festival next year, let me know. Chances are we'll be there! Peanuts while waiting for "real" food is a tradition here. Chuck (cfc) had spoken highly of Five Guys in the Fast Food Thread, prompting me to visit one for the first time during a trip to the Washington, D.C., area last month. This is the one closest to us, and since it was right across the street from the horse cart ride departure point, we decided to duck in for a late lunch (along with roughly half the population of Rehoboth). Photographic proof that not just Lauryn, but both Kelly and I really did attend the festival! Time to end the day with a horse cart ride around Rehoboth! If you see Lauryn's grandmother, don't show her this picture! If you do, it will make Santa cry. It's a tradition for Lauryn to make a sand sculpture at the festival each year to give her grandmother for Christmas. Also, note that Lauryn had gotten her face painted a second time (by a pirate, no less) prior to this photo. Her butterfly didn't magically morph into a skull and crossbones or anything like that! The surf was pretty churned up thanks to the storms that rolled through earlier. The pony rides on the beach were Lauryn's favorite activity of the weekend. At $5 per 30-second ride and a line of roughly 8 bajillion kids on Sunday alone, I'm sure this was a favorite activity for the horses' owners, too! Elephant ears FTW! The owners with the most elaborate floats posed for pictures with their creations as backdrops following the parade. That has nothing to do with this guy, of course; he's just staffing the Scientology booth! Wow, pets really do start to look like their owners after awhile! And what's a hot dog on the boardwalk without a bucket of regionally famous Thrasher's French Fries? This one was Lauryn's favorite. Dressing your dog as a box of Thin Mints and wearing Girl Scout uniforms is always a winning strategy. Lassie has crabs. Who knew? "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore... though it sort of smells the same." Next came the best costumed pet parade. Remember the old "Killer Bees" sketch from "Saturday Night Live"? These people do! Fun fact: No Rehoboth TR is complete without a photo of the iconic Dolle's Candy building. By the time we made it to the bandstand, Spooky Spats was on stage again! Since we hit his act at pretty much the exact moment we'd left the night before, we stayed for the rest of it. Mater? Wow, they're really doing some advanced stuff in the biology classes at Wilmington U! The painter said it was her first butterfly of the day! We stopped for some free face painting. Reese's Cup pancakes? Why, oh why didn't we come here in time for breakfast! Apparently you have to have recently inhaled a certain substance to fully grasp the concept of the Deady Bear Jolly Roger pumpkin.... This was my vote for best pumpkin not only because of the overall cannibalistic tones, but because of the skillful use of Mr. Potato Head arms! Just outside, we found the Jack-o-lantern contest. ...but she decided to be his friend anyway. (Note: this store can be forgiven for having a Christmas tree up already... since it's a year-round Christmas store.) This live actor, posing as a cheap Wal-Mart animatronic until kids got juuuuust close enough, made lauryn jump... Obviously, swine flu isn't an issue here.... That evening's storms cooled temperatures down from 80 degrees the day before to 60 on Sunday... and the town of Rehoboth put up its Christmas decorations! Once trick-or-treating ended for the evening, we settled in to watch the first five minutes or so of Spooky Spats, a vampire who ate fire, juggled, spun plates and rode a unicycle. Unfortunately, it started to rain during Spooky's show, so we and the rest of Rehoboth beat a hasty retreat, causing Spooky, who always referred to himself in the first person, to declare, "Spooky feels like Jobe!" This was pretty cool. When kids opened up the book, a Thing-like human hand reached out to grab them (not an animatronic, either, but a real human hand--this place did it up right). Lauryn pretty much has no fear... except fire, and that's only because the fireman who recently visited her school told her to run away from it. Apparently he had no advice on soul-sucking demons. Our first visit to this year's festival Saturday evening, when most of the storefronts in the boardwalk area were open for trick-or-treating. We got candy from a number of very nice folks... and a few odd ones like this guy! This is what I got when I told Lauryn to "look evil."

^Yep, that's what happened to me. My bank told me they no longer authorized eCheck via PayPal because there had been too many complaints. I know someone illegally tapped into my bank account for nearly $2,000 that way a couple years ago. Fortunately, I got my money back shortly after filing two claims with PayPal (it was via two different withdrawals), but it's not something I'd like to go through again.

I had problems with PayPal this time around, too (though supposedly the problems were initiated by my bank, not by PayPal). I e-mailed Elissa and sent my check snail mail. Turns out the post office really is still good for something!

Any TR with hot chicks AND Mold-A-Rama FTW!

The last coaster I rode on the West Coast Tour was Space Mountain at Disneyland, so that likely will be the last one I ride before 2010 (when one of the first hopefully will be Space Mountain at Disney World).

Since I just signed up for a 2010 TPR trip (wish me luck if UK goes to a lottery), it's probably high time I start wrapping up my 2009 TPR trip TR! Same disclaimer as before on this one: since I split my second-to-last day based on parks and not timeline, things tend to shift from daytime to nighttime pretty quickly. Just relax, and it will all work out.... Because I needed to get to my private meet 'n' greet event! Following a few hours at Disneyland (thanks again for that Extra Magic Hour, TPR!), I hopped on over to Disney's California Adventure as soon as the park opened. Why? It's basically a "preview center" of all the things they're doing to fix DCA. This was, by a wide margin, the most exciting attraction at the Disneyland Resort. I'd been waiting to go inside here since it opened. Actually, it was a little more private than I thought! When I went to pick up my picture, it took three store clerks 20 minutes to figure out how to ring it up. One of them said he'd worked there nearly every day for over a year and had never seen anyone cash in this particular voucher during that time. I love this float! Ironically, Elliot is probably better known today as a float in the Electrical Parade than for the movie, "Pete's Dragon," in which he starred! I have an original 1977 one-sheet from that film in my collection, as well.... Next up: One final day at Disneyland (with 65,000 of my closest friends)! I have in my collection a parade-used bulb from the 1996 season. (They were packaged in commemorative display boxes after the final procession and sold for charity.) I wonder which float it came from. Fortunately, I did still manage a handful of decent shots. My main reason for lingering in DCA during the evening hours was to catch the nightly performance of Disney's (former Main Street) Electrical Parade, which didn't exactly "glow away forever" as the publicity for the 1996 season said it would. Unfortunately, this was my view during most of the parade. (Note: I was there before 99 percent of these people.) I spy at least five things wrong with this painting. When in doubt, neon is always the way to go. You know, they really shouldn't just leave those lying around like that.... Best line of this show: "It's called 'A Salute to All Nations, But Mostly America.'" It kind of reminds me of a Christmas parade committee I sat on several years ago, when I suggested the theme be "Holidays Around the World" and was promptly told that it was a "Christmas" parade, not a "holiday" parade, so the theme would have to be "Christmas Around the World." I pointed out that a good portion of the world doesn't actually celebrate Christmas. There was a long pause, then finally someone said, "Um, it's Christmas. Everyone celebrates Christmas!" Sigh. This is another ride that I absolutely love, but nearly everyone else thinks it's crap. More on this during my second day at DCA. I like how they included half the Roosevelt Hotel's sign in the background--and even made it a point to light it in neon! I saw the real thing two weeks prior, you know.... I was really pleased with how this one came out. All my other trips to DCA have been in November and December, so this was my first chance to see the elephants not holding wreaths! As much as I love Disney and as much as I love Pixar, there's not really much I love at all about this land, oddly enough. Still, it makes for a good photo. "Fun in the Sun for Everyone" doesn't really cut it as a slogan after dark... but it's still pretty! The Fun Wheel's light show was very, very cool. Between that and the Ferris wheel at Pacific Park, I dare say I got to see two of the most technologically illuminated Ferris wheels in the United States on this trip. If only all parks looked this good at night.... Another inaugural DCA attraction scheduled to go away in name if not in structure... though I guess being an "original" DCA attraction from eight years ago doesn't exactly have the same prestige as being an "original" Disneyland attraction dating back over half a century. Two bees... yet the Orange Stinger is "not to be!" Seeing the Maliboomer in action was kind of like visiting a friend who just got a bad diagnosis: You know it's not going to last much longer, and you just don't know what to say. Much like the Caterpillar and the Tumble Bug, this ride was once ubiquitous at American amusement parks, but almost none (and maybe absolutely none) of the originals are left. I love me some Golden Zephyr. Two signs, one shot. Somehow, the Screamin' cars didn't fit in that well with the Victorian design the new Paradise Pier seems to be going for. This was one of my favorite shots of the trip. Now comes the time of the evening when I went around taking various shots of the park lit up at night. If these types of shots make you uncomfortable, I suggest you go edit something on Wikipedia until you get over it. Flash forward to the evening hours: I couldn't leave the Disneyland Resort without ingesting at least one churro, could I? (Minor rant: What ever happened to the flavored churros and dipping sauces? The first time I visited DCA in 2002, they had strawberry (too sweet) and apple-cinnamon churros (very tasty) with the option to purchase little containers of chocolate or caramel dipping sauce. It was a magical era for churros, and I, for one, would hail its return.) I had to get in one shot to represent the very best attraction at DCA. And yes, being a single rider does indeed rock. "Unfortunately, due to recent state budget cuts, all performing arts programs have been eliminated until further notice. You may all now go back to math class." Fun fact: I walked through the real Pioneer Zephyr, the train on which this design was based, at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry earlier this year. Obligatory "Cars" shot. Because, you know, "Cars" is the greatest freakin' Pixar movie ever! Seriously, I have all the Mattel die-cast vehicles. Even the ones that were recalled for lead paint. Oh no! Green army men are storming the Rosie O'Donnell bread factory! Hey ladies... check out my big tortilla! This is Pedro. His job is to make sure the little dough balls don't roll off the belt. And if they do, he's authorized to pick them up, blow on them, declare "five-second rule" and put them back on the belt. If you watched the little presentation before you went into the factory, you'd know that. This is another one of those attractions that I love, but no one else seems to think is all that worthwhile. You know, I really don't want to be the DCA grammar police or anything, but yeah, the correct wording is "tastier".... I won a bunny! (Fun fact: My bunny later ran away because I wouldn't let him help with my show, but Sweetums found him for me so we could light the fireworks.) So yeah, it's kind of Honey I Shrunk the Audience and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters had a night of wild, crazy sex, had a baby and named it Toy Story Midway Mania. And then the baby grew up, discovered a cure for cancer and posed for Playboy. It's that good! (Note: This may be the only caption in the history of the world where "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" and "good" have ever been mentioned together.) Speaking of Red Dawn awesome, here's Mr. Potato Head! They could have put this out in the middle of the park with no attraction link whatsoever, and it would have held my attention for a good half hour. When I first heard about this attraction, I was like, "Great, another screen-based 3-D attraction. Let's turn out the lights, sprinkle some water and call it a day." But now that I've had a chance to ride it... honestly, this thing is all kinds of Red Dawn awesome! And I really like this a lot better with the Paradise Pier logo instead of the mouse ears, again no idea why. I can't really put my finger on why, but this looks 1,000 times cooler than the old "smiling sun" graphic. More Mermaid for Lauryn! Wow, it almost looks like someone put the Orange Stinger in a juicer! I love this map. It's an homage to the original 1958 Disneyland souvenir map, a framed reproduction of which hung over my bed for several years at my first apartment. The construction walls throughout DCA also featured "coming attraction" promos. Hmm... didn't turn out half bad! (By the way, remember during the second set of photos from this marathon TR, when I said you'd see the elephants from the Hollywood and Highland Center again? Well here you go!) Now what could they be building here? This, for my money, was the coolest thing in the Blue Sky Cellar. Idlewild flashbacks! Speaking of Tomorrowland, does this model remind anyone else of Tomorrowland '58 or so? Maybe it's just me, but I think all it needs is a bunch of flagpoles where the fountain is and a Timex Clock of the World in place of the Golden Dreams Theater, and we'd be in business! Tomorrowland's newest attraction: Honey, I Shrunk Paradise Pier. Another Little Mermaid shot for Lauryn--I'm going to make a collage of them for her for Christmas. Also: the Little Mermaid ride is going to rock! While I thought the Orange Swinger was kind of neat, I'm all for the Silly Symphony Swings, too. The World of Color fountain show is going to be amazing! (The Mayans foretold it.)

Ah, the price of fame!

Our final two days of the trip were all Disney, all the time! While I park-hopped a couple times from Disneyland to Disney's California Adventure, I've chosen, at least for this day, to divide my TR by park instead of trying to worry about the timeline, so if it's daytime in one photo and nighttime in the next... that's why. Enjoy! Fortunately, these friendly triceratopses helped point us in the right direction, and we ended up back at the Carousel Hotel by 12:30 a.m. Next stop: My morning and evening at Disney's California Adventure. And now we're lost in time. That's just great. Dang it! He did; he took a detour into the Grand Canyon. I sure hope the engineer doesn't take the long way... Time to take the train back home. While in Tomorrowland, I also made some time to take night shots of a couple attractions I didn't ride this time around. ...and then hoofed it over to Tomorrowland to use this one. Throughout the day, I had made a point of picking up Fastpasses to some of my favorite attractions, knowing Saturday evening would bring long lines. I cashed one of them in on Indiana Jones Adventure... ...just in time to see Swingtown play its last number of the evening. Weekly (sometimes nightly?) open-air swing dancing is another one of those Disney things that you're just not going to find at most other parks. After the Tiki show, I strolled over to here... This is the only interior shot I took of the attraction that came out. Prior to the start of the show, we heard a hilarious Tiki-based spiel about how "flashy-flashy" was not allowed, but "munchy-munchy" and "drinky-drinky" were as long as we promised to take all empty items outside where we would find "tiki trash can." It was so well done that I honestly thought to myself, "That's an awesome new recording." Turned out it was something even better... Maynard! For the better part of a decade I've been reading rave reviews about cast member Maynard on Disneyland message boards, but in all my visits to the park, I never got to experience his antics first-hand. It's pretty fitting that my first Maynard encounter was during a TPR trip. I haven't yet made it to Hawaii, but it's the only place in the world I can imagine that pineapple juice might taste better than at the Tiki Room! I make it a point to get a glass every time I go. We see you, Tangaroa! Absolutely no trip to Disneyland is complete without a visit to Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Hey... didn't I see you in America Sings? "I say, these dark conditions sure do make me hard to photograph." Looks like R2 had Tortilla Jo's for lunch, too! By mid-afternoon it was getting pretty hot, so I walked back to the hotel to lock up the world's most expensive mouse ears in the room safe and stayed there for a little while to cool off before heading back to California Adventure. I stayed there until closing, then made my way with the masses across the Esplanade back to Disneyland. The park was pretty crowded by that point, so I sought out some lower-capacity rides I still hadn't done on this trip, starting with Star Tours. I was almost out of space on the disc I had with me by the time we sat down for food, so lunch pictures are in short supply... but here's one! You'd think Jon really liked tacos; in reality, he's just happy they let him keep his sunglasses out in the restaurant. This was the menu for the afternoon. Thank goodness lunch at Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disney was included in the trip cost. Otherwise, I may have had to beg for scraps outside Redd Rockett's Pizza Port after the fleecing I took at the hat shop! At those prices, Georgie Russell must have cleaned up after Davy Crockett died at the Alamo! OK, this was the one low point of my Disneyland experience this time around. The last time I bought Mickey Mouse ears at Disneyland was during the 50th anniversary in 2005, and they were $6 (I even still have the receipt). I had decided I wanted to get a pair for Lauryn. Only now that they have this "Make Your Own Ear Hat" racket going, an embroidered black, normal pair of children's-size Mickey Mouse ears, with name embroidery (which was free for the first 50 years or more of the park's history) is... $17 with tax! I almost fell over when the lady at the register told me that (no price tags on the hats anymore, either)! To make matters worse, there were about 85,000 people in the hat shop on Main Street in the middle of the day when I went to get mine, including a wedding party of approximately 84,000--who were ALL getting hats with two lines of embroidery each. Doesn't seem too bad... until you realize that the shop has only THREE embroidering machines. It took me just over 30 minutes to get mine, then when it was done, the lady more or less threw it at me. I asked for a bag, and she replied, "Excuse me?" I said, "A bag so I can carry the ears. Or do you charge extra for that now, too?" Somehow, I doubt I looked enough like a "Lauryn" for her to think I'd planned on wearing the child-sized ears out of the store.... "...just like they've done for the past 50 years!" "Look at those hippos, they're wiggling their ears..." OK, is it just me, or was everyone else silently humming Weird Al's "Skipper Dan" during their Jungle Cruise excursions? Following a couple hours' visit to California Adventure, I returned to Disneyland just in time to find this inviting scene. Then I found Goofy on my way out of the park. I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like the characters are as prevalent in the park as they were during my one visit here as a kid... but that was nearly two decades ago, so I'm probably just misremembering. Back on Main Street, I snapped a quick Emporium window photo of Ariel for Lauryn. It was a good pancake--not spectacular and definitely not worth $7... but once again, I decided to splurge with some of my Disney Visa Reward points. While in line, I saw about half of all the TPRers on the trip inside the restaurant. Disney really should have kicked a percentage of that day's pancake sales to Elissa--we were all there thanks to her recommendation that they were not to be missed! And just what was I on a quest for? Mickey Mouse pancakes, of course! It took a bit of searching, but I finally found the one restaurant in the park that sold them: River Belle Terrace. This day, however, I was on a mission, and having no time to dally waiting for a less-full fire truck, I hopped aboard my second-favorite Main Street vehicle: the horse trolley. The fire truck has long been my favorite Main Street vehicle thanks to two interesting stories: I once read that when it was built, instead of hauling it from the manufacturing shop to the park via flatbed, one of the Imagineers (I want to say Bob Gurr, but I'm not 100 percent sure) insisted on driving it to Disneyland himself. He had to take back roads and residential streets instead of the freeway because there was a speed governor on the engine, and the truck wasn't exactly legal for public roads as it was. At one point while on a residential street, a little boy is alleged to have shouted to the driver, "Mister, by the time you get there, it'll have burned down!" (Granted, that entire story is probably as fabricated as the vehicle itself--but it's still fun!) The second story, told to me by a cast member driving the vehicle several years ago, who gave me a solo ride up Main Street, is that the last official photo of Walt Disney taken at Disneyland before his death in 1966 was shot in front of the fire truck. I almost forgot they had re-opened the walk-through in Sleeping Beauty Castle! It was a cute little distraction, and I enjoyed it especially since I'd never gotten to go up into the building before it closed in 2001... but now that I've seen it, I don't think I'll need to see it again. Isn't that sweet? They let the "special" kids ride without their chaperones! (Also, check out the "Vekoma brace position" going on behind them.) Dang it, TPR members, stop following me! By the time I got out of Tomorrowland, the park was open and it was time to make my way over for a no-wait journey on the wildest ride in the wiiiiiiiiilderness! (R.I.P. Dallas McKennon.) Noted! The Moonliner has always rocked... even if its latest incarnation is a shill for delicious, refreshing Coca-Cola instead of TWA or McDonnell-Douglas. Hooray for Tomorrowland Terrace! R.I.P., Club Buzz. Again for the Disney history nerds (and Beamerboy): Submarines, a monorail and the Matterhorn all in the same shot, under a pipe marked "TL59." Disney's artists are so accomplished, they can even make fake bird poop look real! "Hey, Elissa, next time instead of chartering a bus, can you get us one of these?" Time for one more Extra Magic Hour ride. Let's make it the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage! "Grrr! Harold want curry-flavored popcorn!" I found some familiar faces while re-conquering the Matterhorn during the Extra Magic Hour. For Disney nerds only: This is the original ticket booth built in 1958 for the Alice in Wonderland attraction, back when individual tickets were required for each ride at Disneyland. Prince Eric's ship, pre-Ursula. Wow, two Toad Halls in one hour! First up: Prince Ali's palace. It's OK; Monstro swallows. Each year at Disneyland I try to do something I've never done before. Thanks to the lack of line during the Extra Magic Hour, I was able to take my inaugural ride on the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Yeah, Dumbo's OK... but I'd really would have liked to have taken that empty beverage cart through a body surfing adventure in Fantasyland! As an added bonus, they were filming an episode of "Little People, Big World" in the park that day! "Excuse me, little boy, but I dropped a gumball in my pants. Can you help me find it?" It's the cow that makes it "daring." Psh. Common red car. I got to sit in a gold one during the 50th anniversary! Two people in line in front of me for Mr. Toad? That will never do. I hope they all go to he**! (For the uninitiated, the joke is that the attraction literally ends with a ride through he**!) "Holy crap! Look at those TPR fatties run!" Without Extra Magic Hour: 60-minute wait. With Extra Magic Hour: Depends on how fast you can run through the empty cue. The trees were so excited about the Extra Magic Hour that they temporarily reshaped into cube formations! Speaking of amazing crowd-free shots.... This is about as crowded as it got during the Extra Magic Hour... and half the people in this photo are TPR members! OMG, the gates are opening! We got to choose one Extra Magic Hour morning during our final weekend. Most of us picked Saturday since we were told Sunday would be extra crowded with Annual Passholders. The early entry provided me with some crowd-free shots I never before would have though possible at Disneyland (the magic of TPR strikes again). Most of us got to wake up to this view from our hotel rooms during the final three mornings of the trip. Not a bad way to start the day!

Hey, iplf! Sounds like you've got things planned out pretty well, but since I've been to most of the places you're thinking about going within the past year or so, here are some links to my TRs that you might find useful for sightseeing: New York - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48271 SFGAd - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=46035 Philadelphia - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51702 Washington, D.C. - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41730 http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=49998 http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51644 Kings Dominion - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44010 Pittsburgh/Kennywood - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44626 http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51250&start=40 Cedar Point - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51250&start=30 My most recent trips to Boston, Skyline Drive and Busch Gardens predate my time on TPR, unfortunately, but here are some other TRs to give you an idea of the "optional" places that have been mentioned: Niagara Falls - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=45514&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=20 SFNE - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51872&start=10 SFA - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51004 Baltimore - http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43074 If you have any specific questions, PM me. I'm not necessarily an expert on all this, but I can get you around the Baltimore/D.C./Philly area pretty well.

I had a previous engagement and got home to log in apparently just moments after the audio failed. However, I just listened to the entire thing, and I was blown away! I think future audio chats would be a tremendous idea, especially if it's possible to post them on the site afterward for people like me whose schedules tend to be unpredictable. Thanks, Robb and Elissa, for adding yet another layer of awesomeness to TPR!