Ghirardelli Soda Fountain And Chocolate Shop

Once upon a time, in Pacific Wharf at California Adventure, you could go see how tortillas were made. I mean, like, mass-made. They had these giant machines and you kind of followed these metal pipes with your eyes and at the end, a nice steaming tortilla popped out.  It was kind of like something out of Willy Wonka, except it was tortillas. You could get a free tortilla, and I even heard that on your birthday, you could get a whole package of free tortillas.

Well, I like tortillas as much as the next guy, but let’s face it, they’re kind of plain all by themselves.

And then the tortilla factory closed. Gone are the pipes and tanks. Gone are the pictures giving the history of tortilla-making. Gone are the displays of the different tortilla ingredients (if I’m remembering correctly, they left out the lard part). And in its place, we get…

Chocolate.

I’d call that an improvement.

It’s right here on the corner

I wasn’t necessarily going to stop in that day, but then there was the cast member outside and she was like “Hey, have a piece of free chocolate” and I was like “oh let me think about that okay give me one” so I felt a little obligated to go inside and check it out.

FREE FREE FREE!!!

She also handed me a menu and it was one of those awkward situations where I really did feel like I might hurt her feelings if I walked away, which was ridiculous because it’s Disneyland and it’s not like they’re working for tips or anything.

But I figured I needed to blog it anyway, so in I went.

The back wall is one big serving area.

This is a terrible picture. Sorry.

 

Okay, there we go.

You start at the registers and then move to a window to collect your delicious chocolatey treat.

Like window 2

This actually works quite well for crowd control. Especially in an area where some orders take longer to fill than others.

Behind the counter area, they have beautiful murals

And cast members in cute white hats

This mural depicts how chocolate is made. I think.

 

This is the original Ghirardelli factory in San Francisco

And on a side note, please don’t ever call San Francisco “San Fran.” The only people who call it that are people who don’t live there. Same with “Frisco.” Tourists seem to use these phrases as if they believe they are very cleverly using an insider nickname. Locals never use either of these two phrases. It’s like wearing a neon pink shirt that shouts “TOURIST” right above your fanny pack and athletic socks pulled all the way up to your knees. It kind of makes my head explode. Just call it San Francisco, or as locals call it, The City.

Anyway.

There are pictures on the walls.

I assume the dude in the beard is like Mr. Ghirardelli or something

Chocolate is wonderful. Even Theo likes it. Last Halloween he got some Hershey’s miniatures, and unwrapped one to see “HERSHEY” stamped on the chocolate. He said:

“Look Mommy! It has letters! It says…I…Love…Chocolate!”

I love chocolate too.

 

 

 

 

Top 10 Reasons Why Non-Disneyland Fans Should Read My Year With The Mouse

I know you know these people–their eyes kind of glaze over when you start talking about how much you love Disneyland, and when you mention the most awesome Disneyland blog in existence they think (or even SAY! *gasp*) “why should I read a Disneyland blog when I don’t even particularly like Disney?”

Well, my friends, here’s 10 good reasons why:

10. To better understand the Disney lover in your life

Let’s face it–people can be a mystery sometimes. For the non-Disneyland lover, having a spouse/significant other/family member/friend who loves Disneyland can be downright baffling. Well, MYWTM can help you bridge that gap by allowing a glimpse into their Mickey Mouse-obsessed psyche.

9. Chicks dig Disney lovers

Yep guys (and girls)–it’s true. Chicks love guys (and girls) who love Disneyland. It really shows off your sensitive side.

8. Makes for great small talk at parties

Are you a wallflower who ends up huddled by the drink table all by yourself like a really awkward high schooler in a John Hughes movie at parties thrown by your supposed friends who end up ignoring you? Or have you been the sympathy invite to someone else’s holiday party because you had nowhere else to go and spending Thanksgiving with a bunch of strangers is slightly better than spending it with your cell mate? Well my introverted friends, take a few minutes to browse MYWTM and discover sure-fire conversation starters like “Wow, have you seen the ads for Cars Land? Luigi’s Flying Tires are like riding on a human air hockey table!” or “Hey, did you know that Walt had an apartment inside of Disneyland? That’s right–it’s above the fire house!” or “I didn’t realize it before I read this really cool blog, but Pincchio’s Daring Journey is actually a pretty terrifying ride.”

7. Mediocre photography

If you’re any kind of photography enthusiast or know anything about cameras, reading MYWTM will leave you with the smug satisfaction of knowing that in all likelihood, you’re a better photographer than I am.

For example…

6. My Year With The Mouse is not going to get you in trouble at work.

MYWTM is safe for work and family-friendly! If you get fired after reading MYWTM, it’s probably because of your overall internet usage and not the content of this site.

5. Learn some great pick-up lines

Like “Hey baby, I’d love to hold your hand as we watch fireworks over Sleeping Beauty’s castle,” or “Hey baby, no one in the Princess Fantasy Faire holds a candle to your beauty” or “Hey baby, I’d love to make a wish at Snow White’s grotto with you.” On second thought, leave out the “Hey baby.” It’s kind of smarmy.

4. My Year With The Mouse is cheaper than a drug habit.

Reading MYWTM doesn’t cost you a penny, and you really can quit anytime.

3. One day you might be dragged to Disneyland (possibly against your will)

I know many people swear that they will never step foot in a Disney park, but then along comes children or nieces and nephews or Disney-fanatic in-laws offering you a “free vacation” that isn’t entirely optional, so if/when this happens to you, reading MYWTM will prepare you for what you can reasonably expect to find.

2. You might accidentally like Disneyland and find yourself with an unsettling desire to plan your own trip

I realize this might be a liability rather than a true reason to follow this blog, but keep an open mind, okay?

1. I’m funny

At least I try to be. And I’m modest too!

So please, be my guest and take a look around the site, or encourage your non-Disney loving friends/family to do so as well. And if you do end up liking it, be sure to friend me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter @myyearwithmouse!

Lots To Do In Line Update and Twitter

Good news for Lots To Do In Line fans (my original book review is here, my interview with the author is here)–there’s a supplement for Cars Land and it’s available for free. That’s right–FREE! FREE FREE FREE!

And so few things in life are free.

The best thing about this freebie is that it’s a chance to check out Lots To Do In Line without having to pay for it. That’s right! You can get part of the book for free! So even if you don’t have a copy of Lots To Do, I highly recommend printing this bad boy out to see what it’s all about.

Click here for Cars Land for FREE!!!

Second, now that I’ve graduated from my awesome MFA program, I have some extra time on my hands to do exciting things like Tweet.

That’s right, I’m officially a Twit  Tweeter. You can follow me by clicking on the hand button on the right, directly below the one that you already clicked to like me on Facebook. You did like me on Facebook, right?

Mad T Party Arcade

Have you ever walked around the Disneyland Resort and thought, “Man, I wish I could party like it’s 1999”?

Well you can!

Yep, I’m once again referring to the Mad T Party, as you no doubt deduced from the clever title of this entry and/or have read Mad T Party (Part I) and Mad T Party House of Cards. (the House of Cards entry really should have been Mad T Party Part II, but I’m just full of contradictory continuity errors)

But what makes this part of the Mad T Party most like 1999 is the arcade.

Come on in

 

It’s like my mother always said–it’s not a party until someone busts out the Skee-Ball machine

 

My mother didn’t actually say that

 

Once upon a time, I was very good at Skee-Ball, or as it’s known in Mad T Land, Queen’s Croquet. I’m still decent at it, but in my younger days, I was a Skee-Ball champion of epic proportions.

Like many retired athletes, I peaked too soon.

Anyway, the Mad Arcade is where you want to go when you love the vibe of the Mad T Party but are tired of dancing, or maybe you just have a bunch of quarters weighing you down with a need to play Skee-Ball and win  nothing.

 

There’s also the Smile Smash, where you shoot balls at the creepy-looking Cheshire Cat

 

If you can’t get enough of the Lewis Carroll references, here’s a Jabberwocky game

 

Callooh! Callay!

Shoot the thingies!

 

The children’s writer in me wants to take a moment to point out that some of what the public has come to believe as a part of the original text of Alice in Wonderland (since I’m being really picky, properly-titled Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) is really just Disney’s mishmash of the original book and its follow-up, Through the Looking-Glass (properly-titled Through The Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There) (told you I was picky). Jabberwocky is one of the things found in Looking-Glass but not in Wonderland. Most notably, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are also in Looking-Glass and not Wonderland.

Incidentally, while I’m being snobbish, Tigger was a very minor character in the Winnie the Pooh series. In fact, he didn’t even show up until the second book. His Disney-elevated sense of importance remains a mild irritation to me.

 

There’s also one of those electronic jump-roping games. I once had a co-worker who was INSANELY good at these.

 

By this time of the night, my photography skills had started to wane. For example,

 

I AM AN AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER!!!

That, like, literally hurts my eyes looking at it.

 

Did I mention you can also play Sony Kinect?

 

Because you can.

 

Outside of the arcade, there are Cast Members in funny outfits

 

Like this

 

A snack and drink cart/window/thing

 

This

 

And face painting.

 

This

 

Here is a picture I took of the projections on one of the walls outside of the Mad Arcade

 

They move. It’s cool.

 

So that wraps up my 3-part series of the Mad T Party. If you’re wondering about whether or not the Mad T Party is for you, here’s a handy quiz.

The Mad T Party is for you if:

  • You’re in California Adventure and it’s night and you’re looking for something to do.
  • You really, really like neon. REALLY like it.
  • You love to dance and would love an excuse to dance except you’re old, like too old for clubbing, and all of your friends have gotten married except for the ones who aren’t going to throw big weddings anyway and when else do you get a chance to just dance?
  • You like Alice in Wonderland (and Through the Looking-Glass)
  • You own a pair of Glow with the Show mouse ears and want to hang out somewhere they actually do something
  • You’re thirsty and the idea of drinking alcohol inside a Disney park is so appealing you’ll pay a LOT of money to do it
  • You wanna wanna wanna have fun fun fun!