Do Not Die Today: Southern California, 2022 (COMPLETE 2/23)

[Captain_Oblivious]

Me at rope drop.

 

[pkondz]

Me at rope drop.

Every DISer at rope drop.

 

[franandaj]

Every DISer at rope drop.

Not me!

 

[pkondz]

Not me!

Every DISer except Alison.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Every DISer at rope drop.

That's fair.

Not me!

Every DISer except Alison.

I dunno, she can mow down people in that scooter.

 

[pkondz]

I dunno, she can mow down people in that scooter.

Hey! That's right!
I'm okay with that... she's a friend so she'll make sure I'm behind her... right, Alison?

Right??



Right??????

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Hey! That's right!
I'm okay with that... she's a friend so she'll make sure I'm behind her... right, Alison?

Right??



Right??????

I won't say that I purposely stayed behind her when we were there....but I won't say that I didn't, either.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 8: How Long Before They Kick Us Out?

Have you ever been somewhere that you knew you didn’t belong? Maybe a friend invited to you some place where he/she is a member, or you went to a charity event, or even sneaked past the ropes in order to get a glimpse of something you wouldn’t normally get to see. I find that when I’m in this situation, I feel a rush of many different conflicting emotions.

There is always the excitement of discovery. Hey, what’s behind this door? (Sorry ma’am, didn’t mean to disturb you).

It’s undeniably fun to explore a new place. In the case of a private entity, it’s a chance to see how the other half lives. What was previously forbidden is now open to you. Typically this will be something that costs a fortune to be a part of, so for peons like us it’s probably our one chance to see what’s behind the curtain.

There’s also the sense that I’m going to get caught and/or kicked out. I know I don’t belong there, and I’m sure everybody else in the room knows that too. I generally end up feeling self-conscious, afraid that no matter what I do, everybody in the room is going to be watching me, waiting for me to make some breach of etiquette. We all know that in many of these types of places, people are expected to act a certain way, right? But no one tells you the rules ahead of time. And so I find myself sticking out like a sore thumb. The place feels like a foreign country. I’ve had this feeling numerous times over—in posh restaurants, private country clubs, and whenever my wife makes me enter a Michael’s or a Hobby Lobby store.

All that to say: I had no idea what to expect from Club 33. Here’s what I did know:

• It was Walt Disney’s private VIP club in the park, formed in 1967 and named for its original address in New Orleans Square: 33 Royal Street. Disney himself would entertain his VIP guests here.
• It consists of two main areas: Le Salon Nouveau (the bar/lounge area) and the formal dining room, Le Grand Salon.
• Bob was probably going to regret bringing us in here.

At the end of our tour, Jeff led us to the secret entrance of Club 33, which is completely hidden and impossible for anyone to find, except for those people who look for it. I was sworn to secrecy and told not to reveal anything about the hidden door, especially not that there’s a “33” clearly displayed in the frosted glass above it.

Jeff called in with the secret code to enter (“Donald has no pants”) and a Cast Member opened the forbidden gate and bade us to come in. Before he left us, Jeff snapped a few photos of us on the spiral staircase in the vestibule.

Exhibit #1 that I don’t belong: I don’t typically go anywhere that has a “vestibule”. I’m not even sure I could define “vestibule”.

If you’ve been wondering why I would wear a golf shirt to the parks, well, this is why. I wanted to make sure they couldn’t kick me out based solely on my appearance, so I scrubbed up the best I could. I can’t do anything about my looks, though. Bob had told us that Disney-themed t-shirts are ok for the lounge, so that’s what everyone else went with.

Bob came out to meet us and led us to the lounge. Alison, Jenny and Jill were already there and had started the party early.

I don’t have any idea what those drinks are called, so I’m just going to make up my own names for the drinks. This was two glasses of Pinocchio’s Blood With Fruit and the one in the middle is Blue Fairy’s Tears.

The lounge itself is themed after the New Orleans we saw depicted in The Princess and the Frog.

We got Bob to take a nice photo of our whole group together at the table.

And then we got down to the business of eating. We were all very hungry after a full day of touring Disney parks, and there was only one thing that could stop us from devouring as much as possible:

The prices of the food.

I was kind of hoping that Club 33 would be like the Stonecutters in the Simpsons, where everything is free and they have all sorts of secret perks and giveaways, but no. Club members get charged a ridiculous amount of money for their food too.

Bob knew of our dining preferences based on our past TR’s, so he was smart enough not to even bother taking us into the main dining room, where we would have spent an hour just deciphering the menu (although I must say that my older kids have become much more adventurous eaters than Julie or myself). We stuck with the lounge menu and ended up ordering 3 burgers to split, so everyone got half a burger. I also got a beer, just to be able to say I had a beer in Disneyland. And Julie ordered Maleficent’s Revenge, which I think was a non-alcoholic drink that may or may not have actually been called Maleficent’s Revenge.

Alison got some sort of steak.

I know, this exacting attention to detail is the type of crackerjack trip reporting you come here to read. You’re welcome.

Anyway, we all enjoyed our food, drinks and conversation in the little private corner tucked away in Disneyland, away from the commoners and riffraff, of which we were a part not even one hour earlier. The prices were crazy, but the food was tasty enough to warrant a Drooling Homer Award.

Put another way, it was a neat experience. We were excited to get a glimpse behind the doors into a room that relatively few people get to enter. We could imagine what it was like to be invited back there by Walt Disney, to be wined and dined and spend time with the creator of this magical place. We were feeling pretty special ourselves, having been given the VIP tour and a chance to see and eat in the club. We know that not many people ever get to do something this special, and are still to this day beyond grateful to Bob for making this possible. Bob, if you’re reading this, I’ve probably thanked you at least 5 times now and it still doesn’t feel like enough. This was really a wonderful, special day for my family. We appreciate you as a friend, as a person, and for being so generous with this group of dummies you met over the internet.

I went to use the bathroom at some point and took a few other photos. Bob told us that this was part of the original elevator (or “lift”) structure from when the club first opened.

There were four private booths along the entrance hallway, and I believe each painting was rigged up with some sort of Imagineering magic. Something would change over time in the painting as you sat and enjoyed your food and cocktails.

In the main lounge, this painting featured several musicians. At any point in time, one of the instruments would magically disappear from the painting and be featured in the music being played in the lounge. When the song was over, the instrument would magically appear back in the painting, waiting to be played once more.

I have no idea how they pulled that trick off, but I was more grateful to hear about small feats of Imagineering magic in the lounge than I was interested in trying to figure it out.

So: did enjoying an evening of respite in a private, exclusive club make us any more cultured or refined? Well, as the saying goes, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car. Naturally, we were on our best behavior throughout the evening so as not to embarrass Bob (and make him regret doing all this for us). But we were also aware that this was probably the one and only time our family would ever be inside this room in our lifetimes. All of our drinks were served on Club 33 coasters. The bathrooms featured exclusive Club 33 paper towels to dry your hands. And the checks were presented with Club 33 pens. I can neither confirm nor deny that any or all of these items found their way into Julie’s backpack to go home with us. I can also neither confirm nor deny that Alison, Jenny and Jill were egging us on, piling more coasters and towels on the pile.

But if any of that actually did happen, it went in to Julie’s bag for two reasons: one, it made it easy to carry, and two, she would take the fall if we got caught with the goods.

You can dress us up…

We had one more bit of privilege in the evening. After saying our goodbyes to the ladies at the club, we go to sit in the reserved area for club members in order to watch Fantasmic! Longtime readers might remember that I am not a huge fan of the WDW version of the show. I always feel like out of the roughly 25 minutes, I’m watching 20 minutes of cartoon clips projected on water far away. It always seemed to me like a waste of the stage, water, and investment in that whole theater and set.

In Disneyland, seating is arranged around the Rivers of America at ground level. We were in a roped-off area in New Orleans Square facing Tom Sawyer’s Island. It’s a much more intimate setting than in Florida.

And that intimate setting really transforms the show. Now, instead of being a far-off dim water screen, everything feels much larger than life. It happens almost right in front of your face. The show was so much more powerful to me in that setting. I liked it a great deal more than the Florida counterpart.

At this point in the evening, we split up. Julie took Andrew back to the hotel to get him in bed. But the park wasn’t closing until midnight, and Sarah would be flying home the next day. She wanted to get as much Disney park time in as she could before she had to leave. Who were we to say no?

Before saying goodbye, Bob had gifted us some magic fastpasses we could use (Bob is the gift that keeps on giving), so we couldn’t really leave the parks anyway. You can’t let fastpasses go unused. I’m pretty sure that’s a rule.

Another rule is: if you have the opportunity to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night, you gotta do it. Hey, I don’t make the rules.

The Disneyland version of this ride is also superior to Florida. The ride is virtually identical, but the DL version has explosions in the cave. Pyrotechnics always = win.

Next we wandered over to Tomorrowland. We wanted to get another ride in on Hyperspace Mountain, because that Star Wars overlay was awesome.

And that’s what we did. It was still awesome. We did a good job of finding the on-ride camera this time, too.

It was just past 11:00 p.m. now and we were dragging. But it was a happy sort of dragging, if that is a thing. It was an incredibly fulfilling day in the parks. We did everything we wanted to, and more importantly did everything Sarah wanted to since it would be her only day. We rode all the big rides. We got to see Walt Disney’s private club. If there were any more magic left, we would have seen a dragon.

Oh, well, there you go. I guess it really was that magical of a day.

Thanks, Bob.

Coming Up Next: Behind the scenes of Hollywood glitz and glamour!

 

[pkondz]

There is always the excitement of discovery. Hey, what’s behind this door? (Sorry ma’am, didn’t mean to disturb you).

Ever actually done that? I think I have, but don't remember the details.

Most likely it's because I did... and then got pummeled within an inch of my life, causing memory loss.

There’s also the sense that I’m going to get caught and/or kicked out.

I am familiar with this feeling

I generally end up feeling self-conscious, afraid that no matter what I do, everybody in the room is going to be watching me, waiting for me to make some breach of etiquette.

That's only because everyone is watching you, waiting for the inevitable breach of etiquette.

"Tsk. Did you see that? He ate his terrine with his densuke spoon."

And so I find myself sticking out like a sore thumb.

Never happen. They have someone dedicated solely to sore thumb care.

and whenever my wife makes me enter a Michael’s or a Hobby Lobby store.

Bob was probably going to regret bringing us in here.

Nah. I'm sure Julie and the kids were well behaved.

At the end of our tour, Jeff led us to the secret entrance of Club 33, which is completely hidden and impossible for anyone to find, except for those people who look for it. I was sworn to secrecy and told not to reveal anything about the hidden door, especially not that there’s a “33” clearly displayed in the frosted glass above it.

Very clever. Hiding in plain sight a la Scarlet Pimpernel.

Jeff called in with the secret code to enter (“Donald has no pants”)

Sweet! Now we can all get in. Need to hurry before they change the code.

Nice shot of you guys.

Exhibit #1 that I don’t belong: I don’t typically go anywhere that has a “vestibule”. I’m not even sure I could define “vestibule”.

Vestibule: Vest-I-bule. Noun. Vest from Olde English for a sleeveless front buttoned top. I, first person singular. Bule, from ancient Hollywood movie lore:

Ergo, Vestibule. What you (I) wear when skipping school or work and it's tad chilly out.


You're welcome.

This was two glasses of Pinocchio’s Blood With Fruit and the one in the middle is Blue Fairy’s Tears.

I Googled. That's exactly what they are.

there was only one thing that could stop us from devouring as much as possible:

The prices of the food.

I'm curious now how much that burger was.

I was kind of hoping that Club 33 would be like the Stonecutters in the Simpsons,

So... you're saying it was not like that? How do you know? You just visited. You didn't fall 5 stories and get paddled, did you?

We stuck with the lounge menu and ended up ordering 3 burgers to split, so everyone got half a burger.

Wait... you didn't order PB&Js??? Think how good they'd be!

I mean... you'd expect them to be the best PB&Js you've ever had, wouldn't you?

Is that already cut or was it served on some kind of croissant shaped bun?

away from the commoners and riffraff, of which we were a part not even one hour earlier.

mmm... beg to differ. Commoners and riffraff typically don't have VIP tours...

We could imagine what it was like to be invited back there by Walt Disney, to be wined and dined and spend time with the creator of this magical place.

Can you imagine? I mean... let's just say that we were all back in time to the 1960s... If you were doing this exact thing, then... you really could have seen him.

Whoa.

There were four private booths along the entrance hallway, and I believe each painting was rigged up with some sort of Imagineering magic. Something would change over time in the painting as you sat and enjoyed your food and cocktails.

I really like the look of those. Totally cozy and inviting.

In the main lounge, this painting featured several musicians. At any point in time, one of the instruments would magically disappear from the painting and be featured in the music being played in the lounge. When the song was over, the instrument would magically appear back in the painting, waiting to be played once more.

So cool.

So: did enjoying an evening of respite in a private, exclusive club make us any more cultured or refined?

Like you have to ask...

any more than sitting in a garage makes you a car.

It could happen.

My Mother the Car

I can neither confirm nor deny that any or all of these items found their way into Julie’s backpack to go home with us.

I won't tell anyone if you don't tell anyone.

I can also neither confirm nor deny that Alison, Jenny and Jill were egging us on, piling more coasters and towels on the pile.

But if any of that actually did happen, it went in to Julie’s bag for two reasons: one, it made it easy to carry, and two, she would take the fall if we got caught with the goods.

The show was so much more powerful to me in that setting. I liked it a great deal more than the Florida counterpart.

I had no idea they even had a Fantasmic there!

Before saying goodbye, Bob had gifted us some magic fastpasses we could use (Bob is the gift that keeps on giving), so we couldn’t really leave the parks anyway. You can’t let fastpasses go unused. I’m pretty sure that’s a rule.

It is. It's in the charter and everything.

Another rule is: if you have the opportunity to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night, you gotta do it. Hey, I don’t make the rules.

It was an incredibly fulfilling day in the parks.

Sure sounds like the best Disney day ever.

 

[afwdwfan]

I won't say that I purposely stayed behind her when we were there....but I won't say that I didn't, either.

Let her part the seas!

There’s also the sense that I’m going to get caught and/or kicked out. I know I don’t belong there, and I’m sure everybody else in the room knows that too. I generally end up feeling self-conscious, afraid that no matter what I do, everybody in the room is going to be watching me, waiting for me to make some breach of etiquette. We all know that in many of these types of places, people are expected to act a certain way, right? But no one tells you the rules ahead of time. And so I find myself sticking out like a sore thumb. The place feels like a foreign country. I’ve had this feeling numerous times over—in posh restaurants, private country clubs, and whenever my wife makes me enter a Michael’s or a Hobby Lobby store.

I can relate to this so much.

Bob was probably going to regret bringing us in here.

I mean... had to know what he was getting into inviting your family. Probably hoping to be featured in the next "and then Scotty happened" story.

And then we got down to the business of eating. We were all very hungry after a full day of touring Disney parks, and there was only one thing that could stop us from devouring as much as possible:

The prices of the food.

That's why I don't belong in those places. The price makes me lose my appetite.

Heck, that's almost every regular Disney restaurant anyway. I can only imagine a private classy one.

The prices were crazy, but the food was tasty enough to warrant a Drooling Homer Award.

Yeah, yeah... rub it in. You get to go behind the curtain and it even gets a drooling Homer.

I have no idea how they pulled that trick off, but I was more grateful to hear about small feats of Imagineering magic in the lounge than I was interested in trying to figure it out.

I love imagineering that makes you wonder how they did it.

All of our drinks were served on Club 33 coasters. The bathrooms featured exclusive Club 33 paper towels to dry your hands. And the checks were presented with Club 33 pens. I can neither confirm nor deny that any or all of these items found their way into Julie’s backpack to go home with us.

I mean, it's your one opportunity to go. Gotta have proof to show off with back at home.

I can also neither confirm nor deny that Alison, Jenny and Jill were egging us on, piling more coasters and towels on the pile.

Got to appreciate the enablers.

Before saying goodbye, Bob had gifted us some magic fastpasses we could use (Bob is the gift that keeps on giving), so we couldn’t really leave the parks anyway. You can’t let fastpasses go unused. I’m pretty sure that’s a rule.

Another rule is: if you have the opportunity to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at night, you gotta do it.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Replies are coming, I promise! Had a crazy week this week and didn't have time to get here. Hopefully next week will be calmer.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Ever actually done that? I think I have, but don't remember the details.

Most likely it's because I did... and then got pummeled within an inch of my life, causing memory loss.

I don't think I've actually gone that far to embarrass myself. I know there have been a couple of times when I wasn't paying attention and accidentally walked into the ladies' room, but luckily no one was there at the time.

I am familiar with this feeling

I suspected a lot of us have been there.

That's only because everyone is watching you, waiting for the inevitable breach of etiquette.

"Tsk. Did you see that? He ate his terrine with his densuke spoon."

That was my number one fear!

Actually, my number one fear was that someone would say a sentence like that and it would be immediately apparent I had no idea what they were talking about.

Never happen. They have someone dedicated solely to sore thumb care.

Wouldn't shock me, honestly.

Nah. I'm sure Julie and the kids were well behaved.

You are correct!

Wait a minute...

Very clever. Hiding in plain sight a la Scarlet Pimpernel.

That's a cool story, by the way.

Sweet! Now we can all get in. Need to hurry before they change the code.

I bet it gets randomized daily.

Nice shot of you guys.

Thanks! Had to prove we were there.

Vestibule: Vest-I-bule. Noun. Vest from Olde English for a sleeveless front buttoned top. I, first person singular. Bule, from ancient Hollywood movie lore:

Ergo, Vestibule. What you (I) wear when skipping school or work and it's tad chilly out.


You're welcome.

Wow. It seems so complicated, yet when you break it down like that, it's all so simple and easy to follow. I can't see any other possible explanation.

I Googled. That's exactly what they are.

I knew it! Man, I'm good.

I'm curious now how much that burger was.

I'll give you a hint: the price is in the name of the club.

So... you're saying it was not like that? How do you know? You just visited. You didn't fall 5 stories and get paddled, did you?

I didn't even get the secret number for 911!

Wait... you didn't order PB&Js??? Think how good they'd be!

I mean... you'd expect them to be the best PB&Js you've ever had, wouldn't you?

Oh, absolutely! But it would be much more likely that the chefs would refuse to make something so gauche.

Is that already cut or was it served on some kind of croissant shaped bun?

It was already cut. I'm guessing due to the prices they're used to a lot of sharing going on.

mmm... beg to differ. Commoners and riffraff typically don't have VIP tours...

Good point. Should have changed that to "24 hours earlier". (or a few hours later)

Can you imagine? I mean... let's just say that we were all back in time to the 1960s... If you were doing this exact thing, then... you really could have seen him.

Whoa.

Yeah...That is one of the cool things about visiting Disneyland as opposed to other Disney parks. You do get a sense of history and can ask questions like that.

I really like the look of those. Totally cozy and inviting.

As always, the design is top notch.

So cool.

That's my favorite kind of Disney Imagineering magic. It doesn't have to be there, no one would notice if it weren't. But someone had a cool idea to make it special and they ran with it.

Like you have to ask...

Hey, hope springs eternal.

It could happen.

My Mother the Car

Wow...that's quite the deep cut there. Had no idea that existed.

I won't tell anyone if you don't tell anyone.

Thanks! I figured it would be a good idea to keep it a secret.

I had no idea they even had a Fantasmic there!

Well, now you do! And it's better!

It is. It's in the charter and everything.

I thought I had read that somewhere. Glad we could be in full compliance.

Sure sounds like the best Disney day ever.

I mean...it was pretty great. I was especially glad Sarah could do that with us before she had to go back home.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Let her part the seas!

Exactly! I'm not nearly as good of a fullback as a scooter is.

I can relate to this so much.

Seriously, those places feel like they're from another planet.

I mean... had to know what he was getting into inviting your family. Probably hoping to be featured in the next "and then Scotty happened" story.

I have a hard time believing anyone reads these TR's and thinks, "Yeah, I'd like to be a part of that."

That's why I don't belong in those places. The price makes me lose my appetite.

Heck, that's almost every regular Disney restaurant anyway. I can only imagine a private classy one.

We had to share burgers and it was still ridiculous. The price gouging has always been bad, but now it seems insane.

Yeah, yeah... rub it in. You get to go behind the curtain and it even gets a drooling Homer.

Gotta call it as I see it!

I love imagineering that makes you wonder how they did it.

Me too. I especially love it when they do it just because. Nobody asked for it, it would have been perfectly fine without it. Somebody just decided to add some more magic.

I mean, it's your one opportunity to go. Gotta have proof to show off with back at home.

Exactly! Gotta prove we were there!

Got to appreciate the enablers.

 

[franandaj]

I've been meaning to get over here and comment, but well ya know I had a little bit going on for the past week!

It was Walt Disney’s private VIP club in the park, formed in 1967 and named for its original address in New Orleans Square: 33 Royal Street.

Truth

Disney himself would entertain his VIP guests here.

Not Truth. The club opened on June 15, 1967. Walt Disney died December 15, 1966 six months before the Club opened. He never got to see it completed. This "imagined" painting of Walt dining at the club was done in 2005 and it's the closest he ever got to dining there.

Jeff snapped a few photos of us on the spiral staircase in the vestibule.

Nice picture of you all!

I don’t have any idea what those drinks are called, so I’m just going to make up my own names for the drinks. This was two glasses of Pinocchio’s Blood With Fruit and the one in the middle is Blue Fairy’s Tears.

The two red ones are Hurricanes (a New Orleans specialty) the Green one was a Tropical Lily Pad a special drink for the 55th Anniversary, no longer on the menu.

I was kind of hoping that Club 33 would be like the Stonecutters in the Simpsons, where everything is free and they have all sorts of secret perks and giveaways, but no. Club members get charged a ridiculous amount of money for their food too.

Yeah, you and me both!

And Julie ordered Maleficent’s Revenge, which I think was a non-alcoholic drink that may or may not have actually been called Maleficent’s Revenge.

I believe that was the "Tropical Storm".

Alison got some sort of steak.

Even I don't remember what it was other than a filet.

When the song was over, the instrument would magically appear back in the painting, waiting to be played once more.

Actually the player would leave the painting as well.

After saying our goodbyes to the ladies at the club, we go to sit in the reserved area for club members in order to watch Fantasmic!

It's not just reserved for Club Members, but other VIPs as well!

It always seemed to me like a waste of the stage, water, and investment in that whole theater and set.

I totally agree. Never liked DHS's F!

And that intimate setting really transforms the show. Now, instead of being a far-off dim water screen, everything feels much larger than life. It happens almost right in front of your face. The show was so much more powerful to me in that setting. I liked it a great deal more than the Florida counterpart.

See that's why Disneyland's is so cool. Back when Indiana Jones was under construction they Imagineers were told "you need to come up with something new to tide over the summer season until we can open Indy." You have a tiny budget and you have no new land or vehicles to put to use."

"Talk amongst yourselves....."

And Fantasmic is what they came up with. It's organic and just springs out of the existing Rivers of America using the ships they already had, and once it's over, everything goes back like nothing every happened. That's why I think it's so cool. It comes out of nowhere and then it's just gone.

You can’t let fastpasses go unused. I’m pretty sure that’s a rule.

The Disneyland version of this ride is also superior to Florida. The ride is virtually identical, but the DL version has explosions in the cave. Pyrotechnics always = win.

I'm so glad they got the pyrotechnics working again! They were down for a long time. Thats the best part of the ride!

Oh, well, there you go. I guess it really was that magical of a day.

 

[pkondz]

Actually, my number one fear was that someone would say a sentence like that and it would be immediately apparent I had no idea what they were talking about.

That’s okay. I have no idea what I said either.

You are correct!

Wait a minute...

What?

That's a cool story, by the way.

Wow. It seems so complicated, yet when you break it down like that, it's all so simple and easy to follow. I can't see any other possible explanation.

Always come to me when you need some ‘splainin done.

I'll give you a hint: the price is in the name of the club.

Third of a dollar? Cheap!

Oh, absolutely! But it would be much more likely that the chefs would refuse to make something so gauche.

Actually… now I’m wondering…I’d bet in a club like that they’d try to make any request. And they would make a high end pb&j.

It was already cut. I'm guessing due to the prices they're used to a lot of sharing going on.

Wow...that's quite the deep cut there. Had no idea that existed.

And you were probably better off for not knowing.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I've been meaning to get over here and comment, but well ya know I had a little bit going on for the past week!

Like what exactly? What could possibly have been more important than my TR? And don't give me this "I was out of the country" nonsense.

Truth

Whew. Got one right.

Not Truth. The club opened on June 15, 1967. Walt Disney died December 15, 1966 six months before the Club opened. He never got to see it completed. This "imagined" painting of Walt dining at the club was done in 2005 and it's the closest he ever got to dining there.

Oops. Clearly I mis-remembered a story. Or heard what I wanted to and printed it as truth. You know, like the rest of the country operates.

So was there a spot where he entertained guests? His apartment?

Nice picture of you all!

Thanks! Jeff can do no wrong, as you know.

The two red ones are Hurricanes (a New Orleans specialty) the Green one was a Tropical Lily Pad a special drink for the 55th Anniversary, no longer on the menu.

Thanks for picking me up!

Yeah, you and me both!

Hey, at least we got to go inside.

I believe that was the "Tropical Storm".

Thanks again! I'm glad you remember these things.

Even I don't remember what it was other than a filet.

Mmmm...steak...

Actually the player would leave the painting as well.

Man, my memory is really not what it used to be.

It's not just reserved for Club Members, but other VIPs as well!

Great! I should be able to go back anytime, then.

I totally agree. Never liked DHS's F!

It's just totally wrong for the scale of that theater. Glad I got to see DL's version.

See that's why Disneyland's is so cool. Back when Indiana Jones was under construction they Imagineers were told "you need to come up with something new to tide over the summer season until we can open Indy." You have a tiny budget and you have no new land or vehicles to put to use."

"Talk amongst yourselves....."

And Fantasmic is what they came up with. It's organic and just springs out of the existing Rivers of America using the ships they already had, and once it's over, everything goes back like nothing every happened. That's why I think it's so cool. It comes out of nowhere and then it's just gone.

That's really great work. Sometimes I think constraints that seem impossible end up producing the best creativity.

I'm so glad they got the pyrotechnics working again! They were down for a long time. Thats the best part of the ride!

It's so cool! Again more points for the DL version!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

That’s okay. I have no idea what I said either.

I'm so glad neither of us was paying attention.

Always come to me when you need some ‘splainin done.

Do I have to pay attention then?

Third of a dollar? Cheap!

Um...it's a third of something, anyway.

Actually… now I’m wondering…I’d bet in a club like that they’d try to make any request. And they would make a high end pb&j.

I could definitely see that, given the usual Disney customer service standards. I'm sure they would make a good one! It would be on brioche or something.

And you were probably better off for not knowing.

Well, at least you didn't make me watch it.

 

[pkondz]

I'm so glad neither of us was paying attention.

Huh?

Do I have to pay attention then?

You never have before so why change now?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Chapter 9: Glitz and Glamour

Where do you go after a long, nearly perfect day after Disneyland? Well, honestly there’s nowhere to go but down after that. So you head to the airport. Sarah had to catch her flight home.

It was early on a Sunday morning, always the sleepiest day of the week, so I figured we wouldn’t have too much trouble getting Sarah dropped off. And sure enough, the LA freeways were as clear as we’d seen them all week. The 5-lane horseshoe road into LAX, however, was still a hot mess inside of a train wreck inside of a dumpster fire (with apologies to Jake Tapper). I guess that airport never rests. Anyway, for Sarah it was a short, but hopefully fun vacation. Now she was headed back to school for the summer.

The rest of us are gluttons for punishment, I guess, because we stuck around. We planned to skip the weekend crowds at Disneyland that day since we no longer had Jeff The Magic Fastpass to guide us around. So, we decided to get a taste of old-school Southern California movie magic, which of course means we drove straight to…

…Burbank. Turns out most of the movie studios are on the other side of the mountain from the famous Hollywood sign. It’s not far as the crow flies, though.

We figured we couldn’t visit the Los Angeles area and not do at least one movie studio tour. I mean, what kind of tourists would we be otherwise? After doing a little research, it appeared the two most popular tours were either Warner Brothers or Universal Studios. And Warner Brothers had the distinct advantage of not requiring a second mortgage for theme park admission in order to do the tour, so we opted for them. They only required a home equity loan.

The Warner Brothers Studio Tour takes roughly two hours, and you get to see a real Hollywood backlot and soundstages. I think a tour like this is probably a must for anyone who loves movies, and our family fits the bill there (as you may have noticed by picking up on the various movie references I like to slip into my TR’s). It’s a mix of a guided and self-guided tour. You start in a main visitor building, watch a short propaganda film designed to convince you that WB movies are the only ones worth watching, and then you pile into a tram for a tour of the backlot.

Our first stop was a grubby little forest area. We were told that they could often use this area to film various scenes for TV shows and movies that took place in jungles, forests, summer camps, and the like. All it took was a little set dressing and strategic planting/re-arranging of certain types of trees. In reality, it was just a quarter-acre plot between the visitor center and S. California St.

As we drove along a dirt road, the guide asked if it looked familiar. As it turns out, this dirt road was where they filmed the T-Rex chasing the jeep in the original Jurassic Park. The road is barely a couple tenths of a mile long, so they had to keep reversing direction as they filmed. It's a little hard to see but if you look closely, you can see the jeep pass the same area two or three times.

We were shown a cabin that had been both a getaway site in the show “Chuck” and a sinister crime scene in “Dexter”. Then we rounded a bend, found pavement again, and were suddenly in a residential neighborhood.

I generally know more movies than TV shows, but they seemed to gear the tour towards promoting whatever was using the lot most recently. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls or Pretty Little Liars, this was the tour for you. I lost count of how many sets and buildings were mentioned in the context of those shows. Having never watched either, the references were lost on me.

Still, it was interesting to see an actual set and learn the tricks of how they operated. For example, they took us inside one of the houses that could be used for filming interior shots. Basically all of the ceilings were removed so that they could rig the roof for lighting and climate control as well as camera positions, depending on what was needed.

Further along, the tram took us through sets that could be used for a small town square and then more urban cityscapes.

Then we entered the soundstages. These are all large structures that look like warehouses from the outside. Inside, they’re climate- and sound-controlled environments large enough to allow the studios to build interior sets to re-create almost any environment they want. We got to visit the set of “Call Me Kat”, another sitcom I have never watched. We weren’t allowed to take any photos in there, just in case some of us worked for Disney or Universal and went running back to show those companies what a soundstage looks like.

That was the end of the guided tour. We were dropped off in another visitor area to continue on our own through several fun exhibits showing how the sausage—er, movies get made. We got to see a neat exhibit on storyboarding from the Matrix, that showed a couple of screens demonstrating how the storyboards eventually are made into real images on camera.

They also had some classic Chuck Jones animation cels from Looney Tunes.

It’s not a tourist trap unless they try and sell you a photo op, so we got to sit in the couch on the set from the coffee shop in Friends, which I think was last relevant well over a decade ago but they were still selling it as an experience. I went with my own phone for the photo instead.

And I took a photo of the Big Bang Theory set just for @franandaj .

One of the fun exhibits you could try out had to do with forced perspective (a trick you may have heard about from time to time in Disney parks). They showed an example of a set from the Lord of the Rings movies in which they could use the set to have normal-sized actors portray hobbits, which were supposed to be smaller creatures.

If you look very closely, you can see the seat on the right is shifted much closer to the camera than the seat on the left. So the person on the left is further away and thus appears smaller. But the set is dressed to make it look as though they’re at the table opposite each other. Actors would have to be careful to maintain their eye lines looking straight head to where the character was supposed to be, rather than where they actually were.

They also had a fun demonstration of sound mixing in a separate theater. We were shown an intense scene from the movie Gravity. They ran the scene a few times with just certain tracks isolated--the actors, sound effects, and musical score. Then they combined all of them to show the full effect. Neat stuff.

The tour was heavy on features about the DC Universe of superheroes and the Harry Potter films. As such, we got to see lots of costumes and props from the various movies.

As you can see, Andrew had quite the time re-creating Harry Potter’s entire existence.

All in all, it was interesting and a lot of fun. As fun as Disneyland? No. But worth the time? Definitely.

We started to drive back towards Anaheim but made a detour into Griffith Park in the mountains. We had another tourist destination to check off the list: the Griffith Park Observatory. Unfortunately, every other tourist in SoCal was there that day as well, so parking was an issue. I’d read that I could park for free at the Greek theater on the entrance road if there was no performance, but…wouldn’t you know it? There was a performance that day. The pay lot by the observatory was full, so we ended up driving halfway back down the mountain for another mile before finding another parking lot for day hikers.

The good news was that this lot was free. The bad news was that we had to hike a mile back up the mountain. At least the views were nice.

Check another item off the tourist to-do list:

The Griffith Observatory was opened in 1935, built to be a public observatory providing visitors with the chance to observe the heavens and learn. It was the brainchild of a man named Griffith J. Griffith. I am not making that up.

Perhaps the best description of the purpose of Griffith Observatory I've ever heard comes from former NBA great (and notorious stoner) Bill Walton. Once during a broadcast of a basketball game in Los Angeles, the producers showed various shots of attractions around LA for...some reason. Walton, the color announcer for the game, jumped in and began pointing out the great places to see in his hometown. When a shot of the observatory was shown, Walton said (turn volume up on this link), "Griffith Observatory...where we go to gaze upon the wondrous future ahead of us...looking out for other things...that we're...trying to figure out what they are."

Profound, isn't it? With a soul-stirring description like that, we had to see it for ourselves.

At the time, the building was only open on weekends, but now it is open six days a week. They run various programs and science experiments and also have planetarium shows and other exhibits for visitors.

Down in the basement, we found an extensive exhibit charting all of the planets in the solar system.

In the interest of science and the promotion of learning, I made it my mission to chart as many facts and figures about the various planets so I could share them for the benefit of you, my loyal reader. No need to thank me—I’m just doing my job.

For added fun, we got to witness a Tesla coil demonstration. Always a good time.

And on the upper level we were treated to a nice view of the Los Angeles skyline.

This was an attempt at a photo in front of the Hollywood sign, but it’s really hard to see over Julie’s head.

We hiked back to our van. It took a lot less time going downhill. It was getting close to dinner time, so we drove to downtown Anaheim and stopped at a place called Craft by Smoke & Fire. I’d chosen this place mainly because it looked like they had plenty of artery-clogging meat options on the menu.

And they did! Lots of smoked meat which is typically a win in my book. I tried to get something unique, so I went with a brisket burrito. This is an unholy wrap filled with beef brisket, mac and cheese, sauce, cheese and cilantro.

In similar fashion, Scott got the Nashville burrito, which replaced the brisket with Nashville hot chicken tenders.

These were tasty but a little disappointing. They were very heavy on the mac and cheese, less so on the meat or flavoring. I was hoping for a “wow”, but just got an “ok” instead.

We headed back to our hotel, and wouldn’t you know it? We ended up wandering over to Downtown Disney for the evening. As it turns out, whenever Disney property is within walking distance, it’s very hard to stay away.

We ended up wandering through the gift shops (as one does on Disney property) and then decided we needed a treat for dessert. Scott had mentioned wanting to try one of the “CrazyShakes” at Black Tap, so we got in line at the takeout window there.

Now these shakes are truly ridiculous. The prices are ridiculous, too. We knew that going in, so we decided to split one among everybody. We got the Cookies ‘n Cream Supreme for the princely sum of $17.

Best $17 we ever spent? No, but it was up there. Really yummy. I’d go broke paying that much for dessert every night, though.

Coming Up Next: A return to Disneyland, this time as mere peasants. How much magic will we experience?

 

[pkondz]

Where do you go after a long, nearly perfect day after Disneyland? Well, honestly there’s nowhere to go but down after that. So you head to the airport. Sarah had to catch her flight home.

Boy when you go down... you drop off a cliff!

We figured we couldn’t visit the Los Angeles area and not do at least one movie studio tour. I mean, what kind of tourists would we

This is a truism.

The Warner Brothers Studio Tour takes roughly two hours,

Have done that one. Yours differed from the one I took, but that's probably a good thing. Variety being the spice of and all that.

this is probably a must for anyone who loves movies, and our family fits the bill there (as you may have noticed by picking up on the various movie references I like to slip into my TR’s)

Nope. Hadn't noticed.

As it turns out, this dirt road was where they filmed the T-Rex chasing the jeep in the original Jurassic Park.

Huh. See? Didn't know that/see that on my tour.

if you look closely, you can see the jeep pass the same area two or three times.

Can't see the link (at work), but will look out for it next time I watch.

I generally know more movies than TV shows, but they seemed to gear the tour towards promoting whatever was using the lot most recently. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls or Pretty Little Liars, this was the tour for you. I lost count of how many sets and buildings were mentioned in the context of those shows.

I found that our guide asked us how many people saw certain shows and then geared the tour towards what seemed the most popular amongst the riders.

We got to visit the set of “Call Me Kat”, another sitcom I have never watched. We weren’t allowed to take any photos in there, just in case some of us worked for Disney or Universal and went running back to show those companies what a soundstage looks like.

Had a similar experience. We saw lots of stuff that I didn't know anything about.

Top left. Singing frog. Quite possibly one of the funniest animated skits ever.

we got to sit in the couch on the set from the coffee shop in Friends,

I was very disappointed by that. It's obviously not the real set. Not even all that close.

And I took a photo of the Big Bang Theory set just for @franandaj .

Was that an actual set? Seems off, somehow?

They also had a fun demonstration of sound mixing in a separate theater. We were shown an intense scene from the movie Gravity. They ran the scene a few times with just certain tracks isolated--the actors, sound effects, and musical score. Then they combined all of them to show the full effect. Neat stuff.

Huh. I don't remember that. Cool!

As you can see, Andrew had quite the time re-creating Harry Potter’s entire existence.

All in all, it was interesting and a lot of fun. As fun as Disneyland? No. But worth the time? Definitely.

I'd agree with that statement

We had another tourist destination to check off the list: the Griffith Park Observatory.

I really wanted to get there, but got turned around in the hills, ran out of time, and completely missed it.

. The bad news was that we had to hike a mile back up the mountain.

It was the brainchild of a man named Griffith J. Griffith. I am not making that up.

Nah. I don't believe you.

"Griffith Observatory...where we go to gaze upon the wondrous future ahead of us...looking out for other things...that we're...trying to figure out what they are."

Profound, isn't it? With a soul-stirring description like that, we had to see it for ourselves.

In the interest of science and the promotion of learning, I made it my mission to chart as many facts and figures about the various planets so I could share them for the benefit of you, my loyal reader. No need to thank me—I’m just doing my job.

Hah! Jokes on you. I love stuff like that.
Did you hear that SpaceX will be doing their first orbital launch of Starship in a couple months or so? Or that there's a mission to Venus (DAVINCI) expected to launch by 2029. It'll be the first probe to enter Venusian atmosphere since 1984.

I dunno. Maybe you can fit 63 Earths there but I know I couldn't.

Nice view.

This was an attempt at a photo in front of the Hollywood sign, but it’s really hard to see over Julie’s head.

Pro tip: Next time, walk backwards while zooming in. You can keep them the same size while increasing the background size.

I’d chosen this place mainly because it looked like they had plenty of artery-clogging meat options on the menu.

Always a good rule of thumb.

This is an unholy wrap filled with beef brisket, mac and cheese, sauce, cheese and cilantro.

Holy crap.

In similar fashion, Scott got the Nashville burrito, which replaced the brisket with Nashville hot chicken tenders.

Sounds almost as good.

These were tasty but a little disappointing.

Well, that's a shame. They sure looked amazing.

As it turns out, whenever Disney property is within walking distance, it’s very hard to stay away.

Best $17 we ever spent? No, but it was up there. Really yummy. I’d go broke paying that much for dessert every night, though.

Looks pretty impressive. I won't be silly and ask if it got completely finished.