Category Archives: Main Street

Lilly Belle

21 Comments Posted by on September 1, 2011

The Lilly Belle is Disneyland’s private train car, named after Walt’s wife Lillian and used to entertain VIPs at Disneyland starting with its first passenger, Japan’s Emperor Hirohito.

And I got to ride it.

Oh yeah.

And the best part is that YOU can ride it too! If you’re persistent enough and your timing is good. But more on that in a bit.

The Lilly Belle

The Lilly Belle was originally a regular train car that had been taken out of service to make way for the cars where all the seats face sideways so you can see the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas. In 1976, just in time for the bicentennial, Disneyland converted the Lilly Belle into a private train compartment for VIP guests. The car was decorated in a Victorian theme to match Walt’s apartment above the firehouse.

This carpet is actually from Walt’s apartment

You ride in luxurious velvet seats:

Looking toward the front door

Looking back at the rear door. The Lilly Belle is not actually tilted like this picture.

And the details throughout the car are just wonderful.

Gorgeous woodwork and stained glass run along both sides of the top of the car

Even the light fixtures are fancy

There are a few tables including this buffet.

The flowers are glued down

There are a couple of small side tables, one of which was set up to be a drink-that-comes-in-small-glasses and writing table.

I don’t think it’s iced tea that’s served in those little glasses

Let’s look a little closer–beautiful glasswork.

Kevin and I collect fountain pens and things that fountain pens rest on, particularly Victorian pen stands, so I couldn’t resist a closeup of the pen rest and ink bottles.

Such a great detail

In the rear of the car is a reading table:

Walt’s personal library–reproduction

and a photograph. According to our conductor, this is a reproduction, since someone stole the original. Nice.

Lovely table

What a great picture!

The beauty is in the details!

Fringe on the window shades

Not for real fire

A particular highlight is a kimono near the door, said to be a gift from Emperor Hirohito himself. I’m going to guess that this one is a reproduction, but it’s still very beautiful.

I wanted to reach out and touch it

Even the hooks on which it hangs are detailed

Man, I miss the decorations from the Victorian age. She said as if she’d actually lived there.

Since people have acted poorly in the Lilly Belle in the past, each group has to be accompanied by a conductor. The up side to that is that you get a whole history lesson while you ride.

This was Vern. He was great.

You even get a special Lilly Belle ticket with a hole punch shaped like a locomotive. I forgot to take a picture so I’ll post one later.

The Lilly Belle is always the last car on the train

Vern and a corner of my friend and blog reader, Linus V.

On our trip, the Lilly Belle was pulled by the Ward Kimball locomotive, although any of the locomotives can do it.

I just love this.

So now, I know your burning question–How do I get on the Lilly Belle???

It’s a matter of a little bit of savvy and a lot of luck. Things you should know first are:

  • The Lilly Belle is not in service every day
  • They don’t allow people in the Lilly Belle when it’s very hot (as we learned on Friday)
  • You cannot make an advanced reservation. You have to do it that same day
  • The Lilly Belle requires an extra conductor and one may not be scheduled for the day you’re there, which is another reason why they might turn you away.

With that in mind, here’s how to get on:

  1. As soon as you get in the park, go up to the Main Street train station and when a train comes by, ask the conductor if the Lilly Belle is in service and if so, can you make a reservation or ride immediately. The Main Street station is where all passengers are expected to board and disembark. A passenger who needs to use the wheelchair ramp boards at the New Orleans station. Be sure to ask at the MAIN STREET station unless you use a wheelchair, if you ask at any other stop they won’t let you on. If you use a wheelchair, ask at City Hall.
  2. If they tell you no, thank them and try again the next day

Now honestly, chances are good you’re going to get a no, so if you want to ride and you’re from out of town, make sure to inquire the first morning of your trip and keep it up until you leave. Don’t wait for your last day to see if you can get a ride.

The Lilly Belle is truly one of those hidden, little-known experiences at Disneyland that make your visit that much more magical. And in the search for Disneyland Magic, I’d say that’s a big hit right there.

Everything Else, Main Street , , , , , ,

“Magical” Fireworks

12 Comments Posted by on August 27, 2011

Nobody does fireworks like Disney. Nobody. In fact, every time I watch a fireworks show somewhere else I’m left wanting, thinking “can’t you coordinate the music and the fireworks? You can shoot off more than one at the same time before the finale. That’s IT???” for some little civic fireworks show that probably cost a huge amount of money. Disney has raised fireworks to an art form, not only with music and timing, but with ground effects and lighting as well. Not to mention the classic Disney soundtracks.

This summer’s fireworks show (it changes, btw) is called “Magical.” How convenient for my search for Disneyland Magic, hunh? Still looking for that–think fireworks may be part of it? I do. Anyway, there are many places to view the fireworks. In the past it didn’t really matter where you were in the park. Then on Disneyland’s 50th birthday in 2005, Disney pumped up fireworks to a whole new level. They closed parts of Fantasyland, brought in a lot of lower ground effects centered on the castle, and projected images onto the castle and Matterhorn. For that show, a spot in the hub (circle at the end of Main Street) was the ideal place to watch.

Magical had some castle involvement, basically lights and castle low fireworks, but honestly I think any area in the park where you can get a clear view and hear the music is a good spot. Watching from the Fantasyland side is great, and if you can time yourself to get on a Storybook Canal boat at just the right time, it’s amazing. But that’s tough, since you could end up watching from the line. Still, we usually end up on good old Main Street.

20 minutes before--not too crowded, plus zoom lens!

Fireworks viewing can be brutal (it especially was for the 50th birthday show). If you’re a short person like me, it can be very advantageous to stake out a spot 20 minutes beforehand, more if it’s crowded or if you seem to be in a premium location. Many people sit down at first.

Like us

Theo, where are the fireworks going to be?

You’ll notice that there are ropes running across Main Street in a few locations. They do rope off some walkways so that in lulls in the show they can shuffle people in various directions. It’s quite organized so pay attention–one route takes you to ALL lands in the rest of the park, the other takes you to ONLY the exit.

This line went to all the lands

Anyway, I’ve found as a short person, it’s helpful to be right up against one of those ropes. The gap of people not in front of you really helps.

Theo and his sandwich demonstrate Shelby's preferred location

They dim the lights and the castle starts to light up in different colors.

Ooooohhhhhh

They used to have Tinkerbell start every show, but now they sometimes shoot some fireworks off pre-Tink, like in Magical.

I AM AN AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER!!!

Funny story: when Kevin was a wee lad, he and his mom would stay to watch the fireworks while his dad and dad’s friends went off to “Help Tinkerbell start the fireworks.” Yeah, they’d just go on Space Mountain. Heh.

Anyway, Tink does come flying out! Yay!

She comes in from the right and goes behind the castle, so I didn't get a picture of her until she was on this side.

This part sort of freaked me out a little bit, and not because of my crappy photography.

No, Tinkerbell! Don't get shot!

Fortunately, Tink survives, just like she manages to do at every show. Then they do the fireworks, like pretty colored things.

Pretty colors!

This is an example of a castle effect that doesn’t make as big of an impact if you can’t actually see the castle from either side.

These are the fireworks we can't see from our backyard

Other stuff happens, and apparently they do the up and down color things a couple of times.

Trying to take pictures and enjoy the show at the same time is very difficult.

They light up the castle in different colors. This one looks a little…hellish.

Cool high fireworks

Despite the look of abject disinterest, Theo actually really liked the show and would burst into applause every now and then.

Strangely enough, other people weren't clapping at the same things he was clapping at

And then the big surprise! Oh, I should probably take a moment to talk about the soundtrack. It was super-cool and centered on the magical moments in Disney movies, like when Pinocchio gets turned into a real boy and Cinderella turns into all kinds of awesome so she can go to the ball (in glass shoes–talk about being careful not to step on any toes, heh heh). Anyway, there’s of course this moment:

It's Dumbo!! (in case you couldn't tell from my stellar photography)

Dumbo whirled around the castle. I’ve never seen anything flying other than Tinkerbell so it was a nice surprise.

Whirling and twirling way up in the blue...

...elephants fly and so can you!

As of yesterday it seems like Dumbo is Theo’s new favorite ride. Which kind of bites a little because the wait is always really long.

Dumbo’s flying ears reminds me of the day we got our second beagle, Digory. Our first beagle, Scout (RIP *sniff*), was very wary but for one time and ONLY this one time, she actually chased him (from then on out, he always tried to chase her).

Dumbo-eared Digory!

Anyway, at that point I decided to put the camera down and enjoy the show. That’s one thing about this blog I’ve found is that when you’re documenting something, you really don’t get to enjoy it very much. I always wonder about people who just videotape everything in the park on their vacation. Yeah, the memories are great, but watching everything through a tiny screen instead of in real life just seems so much like you’re missing a big part of that Disneyland Magic.

Anyway, Disneyland shoots off some fabulous specials fireworks like heart-shaped ones and even ones that explode in happy faces in multiple colors. At the end of the show, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty end up in this fireworks equivalent of a dance-off with one turning the castle and fireworks blue and the other pink. UPDATE–Reader Correction: Apparently I did not spend enough time 1) listening to the soundtrack and 2) re-watching my Disney movies, because a reader corrected that the fight is between the fairies from Sleeping Beauty who are fighting over the colors like in the movie. I haven’t seen the movie since 19something, so there ya go. Hm, what does it say about me that I immediately thought it was like a deathmatch between Cinderella and Aurora? 

They do manage to work out their differences in the end.

Ooooohhhhhhh

And I watched the finale with my own two eyes :).

But this is my favorite fireworks picture ever. Actually my favorite Mickey picture too! Kevin snapped the following shot on Disneyland’s 50th birthday, May 6, 2005.

And THAT, my friends, is Disneyland Magic.

Everything Else, Fantasyland, Main Street , , , , ,

Jolly Holiday Bakery!

14 Comments Posted by on August 16, 2011

OMG SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!

I’ve posted already about the Plaza Pavilion (aka The Single Most Wasted Space In The Entire Park), formerly a restaurant, recently the annual pass processing center. Well, rumors have been bouncing around for a while, but today Disney Parks Blog finally confirmed what will be going in there: a Jolly Holiday Bakery!

If you don’t get the “jolly holiday” part, you need to go re-watch Mary Poppins.

I am SO thrilled to see this news. I mean, pretty much anything would have been better in the Plaza Pavilion than the annual pass processing center, but a Mary Poppins-themed bakery is just delightful. I was really rooting for this rumor to be true.

So long, AP processing

Apparently work on this starts tomorrow and the new cafe will be open in January 2012! The cafe will have a new menu and outdoor seating. OUTDOOR SEATING, PEOPLE!!!!!

Insert tables and chairs here

Have a seat right over here! In January 2012!

This new bakery kicks off what looks like a large-scale renovation of most of the west side of Main Street. Again, according to the Disney Parks Blog, the Blue Ribbon Bakery will be closing and it looks like they’ll be using that space to 1) add indoor seating to the Carnation Cafe’ (a lovely little tucked-away sit down restaurant, and also a hidden and not very crowded bathroom), 2) enlarging the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (you remember that part about no indoor seating? Well guess what? New indoor seating!), and 3) enlarging the Candy Palace kitchen. To which I say “bring on the candy!!!”

It looks like the Plaza Pavilion goes down tomorrow with the Jolly Holiday Bakery set to open in January, and then the other changing section to go down in January and open either in the spring or summer.

Although the question still remains…what are they going to do with The Restaurant That Can’t Decide What It Wants To Be Called?

 

Main Street, Stuff To Eat , , , , , , , , ,

Market House

12 Comments Posted by on August 10, 2011

I don’t like coffee. For one, caffeine upsets my stomach, but more importantly, I just don’t like the taste. Or the smell.

I did not let that stop me from going into the Market House on Main Street, which you will find right next to the fruit cart. What does coffee and Market House have to do with each other? Well, the Market House sells coffee.

Here's a weird angle

It also claims to serve candy (yes) and preserves (no). Like the rest of the stores on Main Street, there are some fun details if you look up.

Except that I can't read any of the windows. Sorry.

The Market House is actually on a little corner leading to the lockers, dentist office, and surprise ice cream window.

On the corner

I didn't see any canned fruits and vegetables inside either.

There definitely is coffee though. Over in a corner there’s an apparatus I can only assume was an old coffee mill.

Hunh?

On a side note, every time I hear about an old coffee grinder, I think of the Little House On the Prairie book The Long Winter when there’s like 25 blizzards in a row  and they’re all starving to death and twisting straw into log-things for the fire, and then Pa finds a secret stash of wheat and they grind it up in their little coffee grinder. And then they sat around snowed in and starving for 7 months (true fact! actually happened!) reading a couple of magazines. Such fortitude!

Also, that has nothing to do with Disneyland. Clearly.

There is a coffee bar where you can get coffee and other hot beverages

"Yes, I'd like a cup of coffee and one of those squirt bottles with a fan to go, please"

The coffee bar doesn’t get a lot of love in the summer, so they add a few things to make it more appealing, like sunscreen and the aforementioned squirt bottle.

Can’t decide what to drink your coffee at home out of? Fear not! The Market House has a wide selection of coffee-appropriate drinking vessels.

There are a lot more of these too

There’s a quaint potbelly-ish stove in the middle, and to top off the oldey timey effects, you can sit and play a round of checkers.

Or you can save yourself a hundred bucks and play checkers at home

All that’s missing is the cracker barrel. Which they could actually fill with Mickey-shaped Saltines and probably make some money that way.

Other oldey timey effects include cute little things atop the merchandise fixtures.

Just like Ma and Pa Ingalls had!

There are also fake bins that make it looks like they sell different, um, different things you find in bins.

No Mickey crackers though

Those fixtures also hold most of the candy for sale, as you can see in the above pic. There’s some generic Disney candy around with a few specialty items, including this alarming display.

OMG

Yes, over on the right that’s Tinkerbell with satanic red eyes just dying to shoot you some laser beams, or maybe those red light pointers you use to drive cats crazy, but that pales in comparison to what’s on the left.

“Who needs a conscience when you’ve got chocolate covered peanuts and a loooooooong wooden…nose?”

Oh my word.

**fans self with the squirt bottle I bought at the coffee counter in the beginning of this post**

 

Main Street , , , ,

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