"Get your kicks..."

"If you ever plan to motor west,

travel my way, take the highway that is best.

Get your kicks on Route sixty-six."

~ Bobby Troup

Snow White

Wouldn't you have loved to been there on December 31, 1937? The real one, of course.

An Art Deco Paradise

I've said it previously, but it bears saying again, I love Disney's Hollywood Studio for two primary reasons. One is the use of neon making evening photography so much fun. The second is the Art Deco design elements. I could spend hours strolling up and down Hollywood and Sunset Boulevards and consider it time very well spent.

Old Cars

During a recent trip to Walt Disney World I managed to stop by Disney's Hollywood Studios for a few hours before flying home. I am a big fan of the architecture of this park. I should probably clarify that statement. I am a big fan of the architecture of this park apart from a large stage constructed in front of a large hat that obstructs what was once the original "weenie" for the park. Sorry, some of you may like those additions, but in my opinion they detract from the atmosphere that the Imagineers of that day were trying to create. What they created was a nostalgic experience. One that former Disney CEO Michael Eisner described in his dedication as the "Hollywood that never was - and always will be."  

That is the Hollywood Studios that I love. The cars? Well, the old cars simply add to the charm of that by-gone era of Hollywood glitz and glamor.

At the corner of Hollywood and Sunset

If you have followed this blog for a short time, or a long time, you realize that I love to take photographs in the parks.  This is also true for after the sun has gone down. I still have much to learn with low light photography and believe that practice makes perfect.  So most trips to the parks includes some time to unpack the tripod, get out the remote shutter control, and have some nighttime fun.

One of my favorite parks to explore in the evening is Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I love the art deco design of Hollywood Blvd. and Sunset Blvd.  And the neon adds a design element that I appreciate just as much.  Here is nighttime look at Disney & Co. from the corner of Hollywood and Sunset.

Where In The World: Hollywood Studios

Still playing catch-up. So, let's catch-up with Where In The World. Last month, September 5th actually, we ran a photograph of the opening night of Mary Poppins. Devon Sowell correctly identified the photograph as being on display at the Great Movie Ride attraction in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Congratulations Devon.

Before moving on, the photograph would have been taken on August 27, 1964. It opened at Graumann's Chinese Theater on the 27th and then nationally on the 29th. The film earned 13 Academy Award nominations (only two films have received more nominations) and won in five of it's nominated categories. One for Best Actress for Julie Andrews and the Sherman Brothers took home two statuettes.

Now for another photograph; perhaps a bit more difficult. Where In The World would you find this?

Something On A Sunday

Ordinarily, Something On A Sunday looks at a photograph of a place outside of Walt Disney World. But yesterday, while looking through photographs, I came across this one taken from the parking lot of Disney's Hollywood Studios. I rather liked it.

Hollywood Tower Hotel 12.13.08

A Sign Its Saturday

This is very possibly one of my favorite store fronts in Disney's Hollywood Studios. Have a said before? If so, this is still one of my favorites.

Where In The World

Wow. It didn't take my good friend April of Scrapping the Magic long to jump in and identify our last Where In The World. On the 11th we posted a sign that read Material is Money Save It! and she quickly identified the sign as being in the Backlot Express. Congrats! Oh, and be sure to stop by her site and give it a look. Good stuff.

Next up, Where In The World would you find this?

A Sign Its Saturday

And what is a town without a 5 & 10?

A Sign Its Saturday

I love Art Deco Architecture! There, I've said it. And Disney's Hollywood Studios is loaded with it. It is the design and architecture of this park that keeps bringing me back, over and over.

On a more personal note, while I was working on this photograph, I was advised that I am now Neurotic Disney GrandDad #7 (NDGD#7) on the Disney Driven Life. I almost feel like Steve Martin in The Jerk, once the new phone books arrived. "I am somebody!"

A Sign Its Saturday

Combining my appreciation of the Art Deco architecture of Disney's Hollywood Studios and my love of neon, I give you a different side of Mickey's of Hollywood.

A Sign Its Saturday

Why don't you say we spend the month of July strolling the streets of Disney's Hollywood Studios. Today let's consider Adrian & Edith's Head to Toe.

Where In The World

On January 10 we posted this picture asking where in the world would you find it.

We had a few opinions, but sadly, not a correct one. Admittedly, this one may have been a little tough. While it is in plain sight if you are in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure, the lighting and the fact that it is only a part of the whole, may not lead you to think it is a giant Crayola Crayon. But it is. Another factor may be that if you're in the World without children, you may not make Honey... a regular stop during your theme park tour. I don't. I just happen to be there when I took my grandson to Walt Disney World in October '09.

There is a good chance I'll be visiting Honey... again in April when I take my granddaughter.

But, thanks to each one of you who considered what it was and who posted a guess.

Now, let's try another. Where in the World would you find this?

Disney World After Dark: Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Zero to Sixty in 2.8 seconds! What is not to like?

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith uses a LSM Launch (Linear Synchronous Motor) to send passengers along the 3,403 feet of track with two loops and a corkscrew. The attraction is the fastest coaster in Walt Disney World history and marks the first time that Imagineers turned riders upside down on American soil.

Two other pieces of information: the maximum G-force a guest will experience is 4.5g. That is the reason why my stomach feels as though it is being forced through my spinal column during take off. Also, at one minute twenty-two seconds, the full ride is less than one half the time you spend in the pre-show prior to boarding.

Disney World After Dark: Sid Cahuenga's

As you may have gathered from many of the posts here, I like photography. I hope that in the new year I will be able to focus more on photography as an art form; both in the art of taking the photograph and the post-production afforded digital photography.

You also know that I see Walt Disney World as a target rich environment. I am particularly interested in taking photographs as, and after, the sun goes down. Each park offers a wonderful array of subjects to capture once you set your camera to aperture or shutter priority. Main Street U.S.A. is spectacular, the World Showcase is transportive and Disney's Hollywood Studios neon and Art Deco architecture offers a nostalgic glimpse of a bygone day.

In these next few installments of Disney World After Dark we'll visit the Studios and look at the park through an extended shutter speed. First stop, Sid Cahuenga's One-Of-A-Kind. Sid's is a place where you can spend 5 to 10 minutes, or a good part of a day going through the all the curiosities housed in this bungalow. If you have not stopped into browse, you owe it to yourself to do so. It is a shop unlike any other.

Flashback Friday

Editors Note: Last week I posted an article including some old Adventurer's Club photographs. I called the post A Blast from the Past. I crave your indulgence as I change the name of what will become that series. Now I think I'd prefer to title these little walks down memory lane, Flashback Friday. Having said that, let's move on.

Whenever I am approaching a trip to Walt Disney World I look forward to when I am close enough that I enter what I call the "this time next week" mode. It is when I think about my trip plan, what I'll be doing seven days from that day. The sad thing about this is that it is accompanied by the "this time last week" mode which is rather depressing. But today, I am in the "this time next week" mode. No, it isn't a trip to Walt Disney World (though it has been since July that I've been there and I am missing it very much). The trip is to St. Louis.

Now let me say, I love St. Louis! I have a lot of great memories visiting my paternal grandparents who lived there. Though it isn't so much where I am going this time as it is about who I am going with.

This is a father and son road trip weekend!

I have not had one of these with my son in ages. His being a father of three and having a job that takes him away from home frequently, makes these types of trips difficult. When he is home he needs to be with his children instead of out looking for adventure with his father.

But "this time next week" my son and I are on the road north! On Friday evening he and I will be two of the many thousands who will file into the Scottrade Center to enjoy the Roger Waters "The Wall" Concert (if you follow me on Facebook, that will explain the frequent reference to "Wall" lyrics these past few weeks). Then on Saturday we'll visit the St. Louis Zoo together for the first time since he was child and then run over to the Missouri Botanical Garden. While we're in Forest Park, we'll also visit the St. Louis Art Museum to view the Van Gogh's, the Picassos, the Warhols and the Lichtensteins. And I am sure there will be a meal or two thrown in; perhaps somewhere in Laclede's Landing.

The main thing though is the opportunity to spend over 48 hours of uninterrupted time with my son! That is the main thing and the best part of "this time next week". Long conversations, recalling old memories and making new ones, laughing and singing, dreaming. Yes, "this time next week" we'll make up for a lot of lost time.

As for Flashback Friday, well, here is a photograph taken way back when Disney's Hollywood Studios went by another name and my son and I endeavored to have our photographs taken with as many Kodak Picture Stop signs as possible.

More to follow...

Dining with Doc: Mom's Meat Loaf

"What is your favorite restaurant in Walt Disney World?" This is a question that many frequent visitors to the World has either asked or been asked. Over the years I have found it best to attempt to answer the question categorically. Such as, "my favorite restaurant for steak is...", or my favorite restaurant for seafood is...", or "for the best egg-roll I'd go to..." By this method I avoid the uneasy task of pinning down one specific restaurant. And let's be honest, on any given day, depending on your appetite or tastes, any restaurant could become your favorite. Even if only for a moment.

When it comes to which is my favorite "novelty" restaurant, that answer is easy and has not changed for many years. It is the 50's Prime Time Cafe. Love it! Love the atmosphere, love the show, love the Peanut Butter and Jelly Milk Shake! So for this weeks delectable dalliance we are preparing Mom's Meat Loaf.

Let's begin with the ingredients. You'll need:

2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned crumbs)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 teaspoon coarsely cracked black peppercorns, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, or to taste

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

To prepare the dish you:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and lightly oil two 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans. (I used two 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pans.)

2. In a large bowl,combine the beef, pork, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, cracked peppercorns, and salt just until well blended; do not over mix.

3. Divide the meat mixture in half; shape into 2 loaves, and place in the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature taken with an instant-read thermometer is 155 degrees fahrenheit.

4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Brush the meat loaves with the ketchup mixture and bake 10 minutes longer.

5. Remove the meat loaves from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

We served our meat loaf with nice garlic mashed potatoes and a vegetable stir fry, stirred in just a touch of virgin olive oil.

The meat loaf was excellent! A wonderful flavor and nice consistency. I like to prepare these recipes exactly as they are presented in the cookbook, which in this case, is the Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs by Pam Brandon, Disney Editions (c) 2004, New York, New York, page 20. By this I mean, I am not adding additional salt, pepper or herbs to the flavoring. True, I may take a liberty or two on future endeavors with some recipes, but I think not with Mom's Meat Loaf. The flavor was very nice using exactly the specified amount of spice. I tend to sprinkle pepper over most meat dishes, but the flavor with this dish was so nice that I didn't want to spoil with additional pepper.

The reviews? My wife and nephew said, "it tastes like something you'd get at Disney World." And it was. And the best thing about it, two loaf pans of Mom's Meat Loaf for a family of three means a few days of meat loaf sandwiches are on the horizon. Oh yea!

Of course, none of this helps to shrink my waistline in preparation for the Disney Dream Cruise. Oh well.

Now, I wonder if there is any Vanilla Ice Cream in the freezer? A PB&J would be nice about now.

Bon appetite!

And The Survey Says... Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

It is time to update the poll of the week. You'll remember that last week asked the question, "Of these four, which is your favorite coaster? Is it Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith or Expedition Everest?" Twenty-six (including yours truly) voted and the results were rather close. But at the end of the day, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith took top honors. The results were:

- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad = 7 votes (26%)

- Expedition Everest = 7 votes (26%)

- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith = 9 votes (34%)

- Space Mountain = 3 votes (11%)

Though the vote was not a runaway, the attraction is, propelling you from 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds making it the second fastest attraction in Walt Disney World. As you enter the first inversion you're experiencing 4.5g. Nice!

Now on to this weeks poll. Thinking about the Magic Kingdom, which of the six lands (I am not including Mickey's Toontown Fair as it is fading into memory) is your favorite? Is it Main Street U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, Fantasyland or Tomorrowland?

The results next Saturday.

Where In The World

Well campers, it's time to update Where In The World. That means we announce the winner of the last contest and post a new photograph for your enjoyment. But first, the congratulations.

On September 7th we reposted a photograph captured from the my new Canon Vixia HF-M31. Dude (that is how the person commenting identified themselves) correctly identified the capture as coming from the Great Movie Ride Gangster Alley scene. What does that mean? Only bragging rights until the next photograph is guessed. And speaking of the next photograph, here it is. Where In The World would you find this?