Another Land

My wife and I just returned from a ten-day adventure which included a few days in a theme park I knew about but had never visited. What a visit! Over the next few weeks or so I'll try to share some of my thoughts and comparisons between Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Both are unique in their own right.

Being a person who has always visited the east coast parks, I can some up my experience in the west coast parks with one word, "Wow!"

One note for this post, when we walked into Town Square, we went to first to City Hall only to discover that the "Lilly Belle" was not at the park. Moving on, we made our way to the Fire Station. I paused and looked up to see the light burning in Walt's apartment. My emotions caught up with me at that moment and the full force of knowing this is Walt's park hit me. After working to pull myself together enough to talk, I said to Gerrie, "Honey, we could spend all day in this park and not do anything but walk around and it would be still be a great day!"

Still, we did visit a few attractions!

More to follow...

The Poll: Round One

Okay, first things first. I have a confession to make. Here goes,

I have never been to Disneyland.

Okay, there, I said it. Yeah sure, I have been to Walt Disney World many many times and I have been Disneyland Paris twice; once while it was actually called EuroDisney. I have the sweat shirt and guidemap and a few other items to prove it. But to Disneyland, to Walt's park, I have never been. And I call myself a Disney Geek. Yeah, right.

I am planning to correct that oversight sometime in the next 365 days. So, apart from all the advice I am looking forward to receiving from my pals, I thought I would start with a little poll. For this, I need your help.

Help Mrs. Doc and I plan our trip by answering this question. If you only have one day to spend in Disneyland, what are the Top 5 things (in order) that you must do? If you wish to elaborate with why it is on your list, or with other useful tips, please feel free to do so. Once I have a nice selection of replies I'll compile the information and share it here.

Thank you for helping us out. I know it will be helpful, not only in our planning (as we don't really know how long we may have in the area) but with other readers who may be considering a trip to the park that Walt built.

More to follow...

The Legends: Claude Coats

When Uncle Walt set out to turn his dream of a place where children and adults could have fun together into a reality, he selected a special group of people from his Studios. These individuals were the genesis of what we now call Imagineering. These were the first Imagineers and among them was Claude Coats.

He was born on January 17, 1913 in San Francisco. In 1934 he graduated from USC with a degree in fine art and architecture. Following some additional studies at Chouinard Art Institute, he joined the company in 1935 as a background painter. His oft heralded work spanned the range of classic Disney films from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937 to Lady and the Tramp in 1955.

It was in ’55 that Coats was tapped by Walt Disney to make Disneyland real. Looking back, it is difficult to imagine Disneyland, the Magic Kingdom, or EPCOT without Claude Coats influence, as he was involved in the design and development of The Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, World of Motion, and Horizons to name a few. He was also involved with bringing the Carousel of Progress and It’s a Small World to the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.

True, there are many extremely talented individuals who spent their lives helping Walt to create the magic, but as Marty Sklar said, “Claude…was a genuine one-of-a-kind.”

Claude Coats died just a few days shy of his 79th birthday on January 9, 1992. He became a Disney Legend in 1991.

Next time you find yourself on POTC or exiting the Haunted Mansion, whisper a thank you to Mr. Coats.

Photo Credit: Disney Legends Website