Land v. World

I finally made it to Disneyland this past weekend, after only 4 years of living in California. Of course, from San Francisco via San Luis Obispo, it's a bit longer of a trip than it would have been when I lived in southern Cal.

Turns out, Disneyland has its own little charm. I've been to its bigger and noisier sister park in Orlando a number of times, the last of which was 10 years ago, and was eager to see what the big differences might be. But my brain, and the passage of time, have conspired to keep me from a truly informed analysis. Wandering through the Anaheim park conjures up loads of deja vu, but I don't know if the similarities are real or imagined.

So the hell with comparisons. Disneyland is smaller but has a bit more authentic charm. Also, some of the best rides were closed--the Haunted Mansion, the Monorail, 20,000 Leagues (all of which are being "retooled").

But it was all a bunch of fun anyhow! Disney's California Adventure has some cool rides as well, and the use of Fast Passes (they didn't have them when I last went) makes a day at the park into an exercise in logistics and time-management.

Perhaps later I will put up some pictures!