DownTown Disney - The Best Kept Secret

Downtown Disney is the best kept secret at Disneyland. If you've never been there you're missing an incredible experience. It's like an entire Disney Park with free admission. You get incredible shopping, tasty dining and free entertainment, all within walking distance to the Disneyland and California Adventure Parks.

The Rain forest Cafe is one of my favorite restaurants here. It has a jungle theme complete with animatronic animals that come to life beside your table. I ask not to be seated next to the gorillas because their chest pounding scares my two year old son. But the elephants are really cute. Oh, by the way, their food is good too. Disneyland used to have the reputation of not having good food. Well, since they opened Downtown Disney they have excellent food.

Another of my favorite restaurants is The House of Blues. If you like ribs, they have some of the best around. Try them with their blue cheese mashed potatoes. Wow!

They have great live music but I like to sit outside on the patio and just enjoy the wonderful atmosphere that is Disney. You can feel it in the air. It's lighter there. You can see it on people's faces. It's like taking a deep breath. It's a wriggly puppy dog and a first date all wrapped into a present on Christmas morning.

One thing you must do at Downtown Disney is Build-A-Bear. It's not just for kids. My mother and I did it and it was one of the most memorable aspects of our entire Disney visit. Build-A-Bear lets you create your very own personalized teddy bear (or dog, or giraffe, etc.). You choose the animal, fill it with stuffing, put in its heart, choose its outfit and give it a name. What starts out as an It becomes a He or She. By the end of the process you have a one-of-a-kind toy.

You see people clutching their build-a-bears as they walk down the sidewalk. They have such appreciation on their faces. We took ours to dinner and sat them on the table. It didn't seem right that they should be on the floor after all we'd been through together.

Of course there are great shops like this World of Disney. When you're there look up and notice the incredible decorations hanging from the ceiling. I am continually amazed at the level of detail Disney uses. You'll see Goofy riding an intricate 12 foot long flying machine. What might have been merely a shop for t-shirts and toys has become an experience. That's what makes it Disney.

Imagineering Your Life

“I suck” “If I hired myself as a manager I would fire myself.”

I walked toward my treehouse and ranted. I had just accepted this challenge to write about the Imagineering life, and what do I know of it? Not much.

I thought about my life, and screamed to the powers that be to help me. I ranted and yelled to God that I trusted and expected things to work out.

And then I realized that is what the Imagineers at Disney do. Well maybe not exactly the ranting I did, maybe they don’t scream to God, but something like it. I know they accept an assignment without knowing how to do it. They say “Yes I can do that.” And then go to their study and pound their heads on their desks.

One can only pound their heads so long. Time to stop. Time to get to work. What is it they say? “The universe likes action?” Action tells the universe that we are serious. We can dream all we want, but if no action is taken nothing happens.

You probably know that the word Imagineer means to Imagine and to Engineer.

At Disneyland the Imagineers are the creative geniuses behind all the rides, the buildings, the displays, the interior design, the sets, they are the wizards behind the scenes who create magic.

A lot of us want that—to create magic, and we wonder how to go about it. Walt Disney’s motto was Dream, Dare, Do.

I know enough about entrepreneurs to say that typically those who succeed buck the system, instead of bowing to it. Entrepreneurs create new markets out of their vision or their imagination. Such is the stuff of Imagineering.

 Do we bang our heads? Yes. Do we scream and yell? Yes. Do we get the job done? Yes.

I am writing a book. I don’t know how to do it. I begin, it sucks. I start over. I will keep on until it happens. An Imagineering life is not always wonderful or beautiful. Neither does it work easily. It is a process. As life is a process. To work as an Imagineer moves us forward. It lets us know we’re alive. It connects us to the divine. It is following the yellow brick road to the Emerald City.

Jewell D

Disney Trading Pins

Official Disney Trading Pins are collectible pins of your favorite Disney characters. They are a fun and interactive way to collect and trade Disney memorabilia.You can purchase pins at any Disney Park including Downtown Disney.

You can trade pins with anyone at a Disney Park including Disney Cast Members. This is an exciting way to meet people from all around the world. People love to share their pins and are happy to talk and trade. Most people wear their pins displayed on a lanyard so everyone can see them. Just go up to someone wearing pins and ask if they'd like to trade one of theirs for one of yours.

Cast Members have special limited edition pins that cannot be purchased, they can only be traded from a Cast Member. If you see a Cast Member wearing a pin lanyard that means they will be happy to trade pins with you.

You can also purchase pre-owned pins from Disney collectors and our Disney store.

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Pins are collectible and some do increase in value depending on their scarcity. Limited edition pins are produced in limited quantities (like 2,000 or 500 or even 100). They are stamped on the back. Some pins are produced in sets and have a higher value if you have a complete set. And then there are some very rare pins called error pins these are pins that have a mistake on them. Disney rarely makes a mistake so these are quite a find. If there is a mistake on a pin it will usually be corrected in a later production run so there are not many in existence.

From a Distance...

In Disney's California Adventure, a gigantic piece of art spans both sides of it's entrance. From a distance, you may think this is a huge painting. Upon closer inspection you'll see that this is in reality a tile mosaic. Each piece merely a shape of gold or blue tile, but together they create one glorious coherent image. 

 

There are many mosaics throughout California Adventure. It's amazing how much detail and craftsmanship goes into something as simple as a park bench. It may not even be part of an attraction but it's there creating a mood, telling a story.

From a distance our lives may seem ordinary and inconsequential. Look closer and you'll see that each small experience adds something to us. Each small act of kindness adds to the world. Each dream joins with another until it can no longer be ignored.

You are not a small person, you are an infinite person made up of small thoughts, dreams and actions. You would never look at a single piece of tile and call it a masterpiece, why would you look at one small life experience and say it defined who you are.

Partners

The Partners statue stands at the center of Disneyland. Walt holds Mickey's hand as he grandly gestures over the world he has created. It is my favorite statue. It's the first places I go when I visit Disneyland.

When I want to achieve something in life I picture myself having already attained it. And when I picture myself, this is where I'm standing. I am at the feet of the two masters. They remind me that anything is possible.

You can take great pictures here. It's one of the many beautiful photo opportunities around the park. I take a pictures here every time I visit. And there will always be some very nice tourist who will be happy to take your photo in front of the statue. Just ask, you'll be surprised at how friendly people are at Disneyland. Well, it is the happiest place on Earth.

The statue is located in the area they call the "Hub". It is the center of the park. All the lands radiate from this central "Hub".

Here, the hub is decorated for Halloween.

Buddha's Garden

So the story goes, Buddha's father insisted that his son only see good and life and light. He didn't want his son to see anything dead or dying. So, he instructed his gardeners to maintain the palace grounds so the Buddha would never see a dried leaf or a wilting flower. 

Disneyland is like Buddha's garden. All you ever see are fresh, beautiful, healthy plants and flowers.

The Disneyland Horticulturalists are experts. They create beautiful, healthy plantings all year round. You never see anyone working on them, they just miraculously appear, perfectly manicured.

Since storytelling is paramount at Disney, even the plantings tell a story.  In Frontierland you'll see lots of cactus and grasses. On Main Street you'll find glorious hanging flower baskets lining the street and encircling the statue. Surrounding It's a Small World are the famous topiary; hedges shaped like animals, which take years to cultivate. Every plant, every leaf, every petal is there for a reason.

Like the Buddha's father, Walt Disney wanted his guests to see only beauty. He believed that the realities of daily life should never encroach on your experience while in the park.

Incredible Light Fixtures Abound

With all the rides and excitement at Disneyland, you might not pay too much attention to the light fixtures, but you'd be missing an incredible facet of Disney Imagineering. The concept of layering. There are many layers of details; the background scenery, the buildings, the characters, the props, the signs and even the lighting.

This incredible depth of detail is all part of the visual story. The storytelling becomes almost subliminal.

Giant chrysalis lamps hang over a walkway in It's a Bug's Life (California Adventure). They are over sized giving the impression that you are the bug.

These hanging bamboo lights are located by the Tiki Room in Adventureland. They glow like candles creating a soft, tropical mood.

Paper lantern style lights hang above the Tea Cups ride in Fantasyland. They contribute to the festivity by being fun and colorful.

Let Intuition Be Your Guide...

When Walt Disney was designing Disneyland he asked his staff of Imagineers, construction workers, and even the guy who swept the parking lot for help. He asked them to walk through the property in Anaheim that was going to become Disneyland. He told them to make a path where ever it seemed natural. That's how the streets of Disneyland were laid out. He let intuition be his guide.

I recently followed the streets of Disneyland and discovered that even the pavement style fits into the theme. You walk over a wooden bridge to get to Adventureland. The concrete is stamped with leaves in It's a Bug's Life in California Adventure.

Next time you visit, take a walk and notice how the pavement varies as you move from land to land.

Everything at Disneyland is there for a reason.

It tells a story.