Disneyland’s Main Street USA

It’s been more than a month since we returned, but I’m happy to finally share the first post in an 11-part series about my trip to California! I have so many pictures I want to share from Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Magic Mountain that I just needed to break it up into several parts. We’re starting where every trip to Disneyland begins: Main Street USA. My emotional entry to Disneyland aside, I’ll be breaking up my trip report land-by-land. But first, here’s a little bit about how we got to California.

The six-hour flight from Newark, NJ (after a quick jaunt from Pittsburgh) allowed me to appreciate some of America’s western landscape for the first time, even if it was from 30,000 feet above ground.

Touching down at LAX, it was amazing to finally be in Southern California… the farthest west I had been before was Indiana!

We saw little of the airport during our arrival and departure, but it was cool to see the iconic Theme Building, which I understand is currently vacant.

My family (my mom, dad, and three younger sisters) stayed at a condo off South Walnut Street, which borders the two parking structures to the west. Thanks to this, we were able to take a 10-minute walk to the tram loading area, which dropped us off at the Esplanade. Quite the change from sprawling Walt Disney World, the intimate feel of Disneyland was by far my favorite thing about the park.

Although my family purchased our tickets in early 2020, we were still able to use them more than two years later. We did have to pay $235 to account for the current price. That might sound like a lot, but it’s not too much for six four-day tickets.

Going through the left entry tunnel once in the park, we could see the Matterhorn rising above the buildings of Main Street. Visiting the world’s most important theme park had been a dream of mine for 10+ years, but until recently, I felt that going there was still many years away. It truly was surreal to finally step into a place that I had obsessively studied for so long.

My first Disneyland attraction ever was the Main Street Fire Engine. It was after rounding Town Square, on the Fire Engine, that I saw Sleeping Beauty Castle for the first time. My family hadn’t arrived near Rope Drop that day, so it wasn’t too crowded as we made our way down the street, passing facades that almost felt like “old friends” to me.

When we were later back in Town Square, my family took a Grand Circle Tour on the Disneyland Railroad. The Main Street Train Station is just as iconic as SBC to me.

There weren’t many surprises on this trip for me, but it was fun seeing through the eyes of the rest of my family too, who really had no idea what to expect most of the time. Take the Grand Canyon and Primeval World dioramas on the Railroad, for example… you don’t see something like that at WDW! I loved these Walt-era displays, and the scale of the Primeval World was especially impressive.

After a full day at the park with my family, I had the next full day to myself while they visited the beach. 

That day, I did get there at rope drop, and luckily, it was the least-crowded day of the trip, giving me lots of time to admire details and take pictures. 

During our four days at Walt’s park, I made sure to ride all the different Main Street Vehicles. 

This was a little difficult, as they would close for the day at noon except for the Horse-Drawn Streetcar.

I don’t know this family, but it was nice to see them having a special moment on the upper level of the Omnibus. I took this picture right before I forced them out so I could get the best view. ;-)

It was a trip seeing all the Main Street facades from a higher level, and very few people ride the vehicles down to Town Square compared to the other direction.

One Main Street Vehicle I did not get to ride was the Horse-Drawn Fire Wagon.

The Horse-Drawn Streetcar was new to me, though.

"Oops, we harnessed the horse to the wrong end of the Streetcar!!"

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln was enjoyable even if just for its history, and you know I loved the Disneyland 1955 model in the lobby.

The performance I saw was sparsely attended, with less than 20 people in the theater. The electric scooters that make an obnoxious truck backup sound couldn’t be avoided in the Opera House, which I found humorous.

The Disney Gallery next door had some thoughtful pieces, like this bas-relief model of Walt’s apartment.

Since my trip was in early July, the plantings in Town Square were of appropriate patriotic coloring.

I followed the Disneyland Band down Main Street. They are a high-energy marching band, which I think is a change from the past.

I also saw the All-American College Band perform at the Flag Retreat Ceremony with the Dapper Dans.

In the Penny Arcade, I made full use of Walt Disney’s Orchestrion when I could

. My favorite time I dropped a quarter in it was after the fireworks when the Candy Palace was packed and chaotic. The Orchestrion started blasting “God Bless America,” only adding to the mayhem!!

The quaint Main Street Cinema was fun to check out, and I’m impressed that it has remained intact for so long.

With turn-of-the-century playing, it was wonderful to wander through Main Street, checking out the tribute windows and interiors of the different shops, which all seemed to be unique.

Of course, I had to seek out the infamous “Test Wall,” which may have been used to test different brick designs during the park’s construction, but maybe not.

Another thing I had to find was the Coke Corner half red, half white lightbulb that ensures the pattern doesn’t skip a color!

I saw the Dapper Dans performing several times in front of the Fire Station and on the China Closet porch. Here they are singing “A Pirate’s Life For Me.”

My dad’s friend had placed a magnetic Geocache underneath one of these mailboxes recently, but I’m sure it will be found and removed soon.

I think I might have taken too many pictures! I am going to try and post a new part of this trip report every other week, so it doesn’t stretch out for too long. Next up... Adventureland and New Orleans Square!

50 Years of the Pirate's Cove at Waldameer Park

One of my favorite day-trip escapes is Waldameer Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, a small amusement park that is home to some of my favorite rides anywhere. One of those attractions is Pirate's Cove, a walkthrough funhouse that opened in 1972. I did an in-depth post a while back about the Waldameer Pirate's Cove and its sister ride in Ocean City, Maryland, so for now, I'll just leave a video clip of the walkthrough's greatest scene. It speaks for itself. 

I visited Waldameer with the Dark Attraction and Funhouse Enthusiasts (DAFE, pronounced like "daffy"), and we got to hear from two people who worked at the park when the dark rides were built.

The day's lunch not only included hand-peeled potato salad from the park's GM, but it also had a custom cake for the Pirate's Cove.

From right to left is Paul Nelson, owner of Waldameer; Perry Duncan, who helped build both the Whacky Shack and Pirate's Cove; Steve Gorman, Waldameer General Manager; and Randy Skalos, who takes care of the rides' scenes now. I got a picture with Mr. Nelso, who at age 88 is still very enthusiastic about his job. He said that he gets up at 5:00 AM every day to come to the park and that his wife has to tell him to come home. 

Having a picnic with the park owners is a really cool feeling that you don't get at any corporate park.

The Whacky Shack is a classic ride-through

Waldameer deserves praise for keeping and maintaining two dark rides, something few other parks can claim. Even better, Pirate's Cove and Whacky Shack were built by the greatest dark ride designer of the 60s and 70s, Bill Tracy.

No DAFE event at Walameer is complete without a lights-on, guided walkthrough of the Whacky Shack! Above, you can see club members storming the ride in pursuit of a hidden $1 million. There were two tour groups, and one started from the end of the ride.

After traversing a spinning "vortex tunnel," riders make a U-turn and see some skeletons lit in blacklight attached to the spinning barrel's exterior. The above picture is of that scene. I found it quite humorous to see a bunch of gawking dark ride enthusiasts (the tour group that started from the end of the ride) wedged between the metal scrim and the spinning barrel. I had no idea how they got down to that level!

Later in the tour, we walked through the maintenance area, and I got to take some close-up pictures of my own.

Here are a couple more pictures I got on the tour. The room above has a tilted floor like a "mystery shack," so the cars really speed through it.

It is incredible that all the spooks in Whacky Shack have been preserved practically as-is since 1970! 

Halfway through the ride, the cars navigate a gentle dip in view of the midway.

I love Whacky Shack and Pirate's Cove, but I can't forget about Waldameer's most thrilling ride, the Sky Ride! ...or maybe I'm thinking of the Ravine Flyer II wooden coaster. ;-)

The setting of Ravine Flyer II right on Lake Erie is hard to beat. That breathtaking first drop is only surpassed when you instantly bound over the four-lane highway adjoining the park.

I have posted on the second weekend of each month for a while now, and the second Sunday of July is my birthday, but I'll also be at Disneyland! I probably won't have a post for next month, but I look forward to sharing California trip reports very soon.

Rye Playland

Located on Long Island Sound north of New York City, Playland Park in the town of Rye is a classic park with a treasure trove of art-deco architecture.  When it opened in 1928, Playland was unique in that its layout--situated around a grassy mall--was completely planned out before the park opened, marking the early origins of master-planned theme parks. The park is still beautiful today, yet sometimes it is forgotten by amusement park fans due to a lack of a notable roller coaster.

Named a National Historic Landmark for its art-deco buildings, Playland is one of only two amusement parks (the other being Kennywood) to have received such an honor.

In 1929, a year after the park opened, Playland debuted the Dragon coaster, which is still the park's most popular ride. It's one of the last remaining coasters by notable designer Frederick Church, but it doesn't offer much in the way of forces. The highlight is a dragon-styled tunnel that "eats" the train.

The iconic "Music Tower" is a wonderful art-deco centerpiece to the park. A wider view can be seen in the background of the first picture in this post.

Before Playland was laid out, there was a more haphazard amusement park on Long Island Sound. Its 1915 carousel is still spinning today and was completely restored in 2021. The repainted horses are delightful, but the LED lights are slightly underwhelming.

Seen below is an example of the art deco design found around Playland. The "WC" stands for Westchester County, where the town of Rye is located. For 90 years, Playland was the only government-operated amusement park in America. While this situation meant much of the park was preserved as it was for decades, it also means that some areas have fallen into disrepair. Starting this summer, Playland is being turned over to an independent operator to the tune of a $135 investment, which is in part going towards a complete rebuild of much of the park's original art-deco flourishes.

In 2021, Playland was home to three darkrides. The oldest of the bunch is Ye Olde Mill, which winds underneath the structure of the Dragon coaster. The displays inside are from the late 1980s, however.

Directly across the landscaped mall from the regular carousel (seen below), you'll find an identical building that houses Playland's signature ride, the Derby Racer.

An original ride from 1928, the Derby Racer has beautiful horses carved by the Marcus Illions factory, perhaps the finest designer of carousel figures. But the ride is intense! The platform thunders around at a speed much faster than an average carousel, with the horses sliding back and forth to determine a "winner" of each group of four.

The attraction that interested me most was the Flying Witch darkride, which opened in 1971. It has an extremely busy facade. Some may look at it as tacky, but it's a great example of amusement park ballyhoo in person.

Spanning an impressive three levels, this ride is actually portable in spite of being set up in one place for 50 years.

Here's an example of the terror that is found inside the Flying Witch.

The teeth of the Devil's face move back and forth like the cogs of a gear.

At the time, I had no idea that I was riding the Flying Witch in its last season at Playland. After being owned by the county for so long, the new owner is ending the leases of some of the independent concessions, and that includes the Flying Witch. While the ride will be leaving Playland, there are rumors that it will be set up at another park in the area.

The park is really lush for being so near to New York City. Note the dragon-themed coaster tunnel in the background.

This Whip ride blew my mind! It was not properly maintained, causing the cable to jolt and snap around each turntable. Even when they're rough-and-tumble, Whip rides are great!

Rye Playland had been on my bucket list for years, and it did not disappoint with its great collection of old rides. Above all, I am glad I got to ride the spectacular Flying Witch at its original home.