Posted on 11/25/2005 9:46:46 PM PST by Nasty McPhilthy
Yes, yes you're right, it was so long ago. I remember something else, a exhibit that made an explosion on purpose, a big whump, scared the bejesus out of me and my brother, it was some kind simulated fusion expolosion. OK I did a search and cheated it was the GE "Fusion on Earth" exhibit, the Fords were from the "Magic Skyway" exhibit.
Hey check this out:
Man I forgot tons more than I remembered.
Many years ago I took Mrs. Swordmaker and our two daughters to Disneyland on Thanksgiving. It was open on Thanksgiving until midnight. Our family decided we would take the LAST tour of the Haunted Mansion Ride at midnight... we timed it so that they closed the doors right after we entered. When we rode the roomsized elevator down to the entry hall, my older daughter, then about 12, laid down on the floor... followed by my younger daughter... and then my wife and I did likewise so we could watch the events transpiring on the stretching walls and ceiling easier. Before the ride ended everyone on the elevator was stretched out comfortably on the floor and the Disney employees were laughing!
Years later, Mrs. Swordmaker and I were in Disneyland and decided to take the same midnight closing Haunted Mansion Tour... and discovered our daughter's impromptu act of many years before had become a "tradition," allowed only on the last tour at midnight. I have heard from others about this tradition since then so it must be continuing.
I also still have two decks of World's Fair playing cards from back then, that my grandparents had.
-PJ
my step father Jan Merlin, of tv series, 'space cadets' attended the festivities as well. He still has his ticket stubs.
Been to club 33 twice. once with a former friend, who worked at imagineering,
second time with a friend who had a company party there.
-PJ
I cried when we had to go home, I loved that stuff. Same with Disney, a high school senior all teared up over Tinkerbell, sheesh, those innocent days before I started to see political demons in everything, take me back.
I do remember getting special treatment at the Pepsi pavilion because my cousin worked there. Ironically, I haven't been back to NYC since even though I live in Maryland and it's only 4 hours away or so - I totally missed the WTC twin towers.
I missed the Pierson's Puppeteers exhibit, yes a Niven fan too. Read most of the known space books and the stuff he wrote with Jerry Pournelle, Was also a big Chaos Manor fan from Byte mag. Read Greg Bear too.
Weird.
My employer made all of us service managers take the "Disney Magic" course over three days at Disney World in 1990.
The most interesting part of the course (and the only thing I stayed awake for) was the tour of Unter Disney World.
Disney World is actually the second layer of the enterprise, built over all of the offices, maintenance shops and warehouses. All of the overpriced merchandise reaches the shelves above ground from below so the marks, I mean tourists, don't see any clutter, carts or shift changes.
Finding out that I'd spend an extended period in the park as part of my training (in a costume, as a street cleaner, a ride operator, security, retail, etc.) was odd, but understandable, because this was pre-Eisner Disney and there really was a Disney culture that you had to learn (or so I was told).
However, as a child growing up in LA, I'd probably been to Disneyland 15 times and was still bright-eyed and innocent about the Disneyland and Disney World parks themselves. The tours under the park and the tour behind the Main Street buildings was a shock. Man, that place generates trash, and the number of stuffed characters being shuttled underground from retail outlet to retail outlet is amazing.
At the parade staging area, Goofy had his head off and held under one arm, with part of his upper costume pulled down over his shoulders (he was wearing a "wife-beater" t-shirt) and was sharing a cigarette with Snow White. Apparently, either smoking in costume (even with your head off and hidden in the staging area) or wearing the t-shirt, was a MAJOR no-no. The executive riding with me in the double-seater golf cart made the driver stop. He lectured Goofy and Snow White (out of earshot).
The tour ruined Disney's mystique for me. I've taken my kids to Disney World six to eight times since then and every time I see Goofy or Snow White in the parade, I picture wife-beater Goofy passing the butt to Snow White so she can take a long, deep drag.
Re: “...but they can’t pee in the street.”
Evidently, he hasn't been to the West Coast lately...
marker Bump
Since that tour, I have absolutely no desire to even visit the Orlando area. Once you've seen the 'World" from backstage, it quickly loses all the charm and I see it little better than the wallet vacuums called 'casinos'.
LOL. At our recent visit, that was almost upped to 3563.
My neice is a spoon in the current parade.
The city council of Pomona, CA turned down Disney after walking through the fields by the LA County Fairgrounds while he described his project. They said they had the Fair and that was enough.
Last week there one of the cast members told me that he park was sold out - - 75,000 people there.
They must have one hell of a sewage disposal system.
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