If I had to think of a favorite place of mine, it would absolutely be Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. My family and I have visited Disneyland more than a dozen times. Ever since I was diagnosed with my heart disease, Disneyland has been where my family goes to escape reality when life gets rough. Having a life-threatening heart disease can keep my mind occupied at times; thankfully, Disneyland is one of the few places I can go where I don't worry about my heart disease. Even though I can't ride all of the rides, I have the best time there with my family when we go on vacation.
When I step through the entrance of Disneyland, I feel like I am entering a whole new world. Colorful banners, characters, and shops are all around. Scents of cinnamon churros and vanilla whip through the air, making my mouth water. Restaurants and food carts are all around, offering delicious selections everywhere I go. However, I think the one dish that tops them all is the Monte Cristo at Blue Bayou in New Orleans Square. The fried ham and cheese sandwich with a berry jam is one of the best things I have ever had.
The Delicious Monte Cristo
Our family is in the park from the moment it opens until midnight. We make sure to utilize every minute we have, riding all of the rides we can in the shortest amount of time. With the park being split into five different "lands", we hop back and forth throughout the day to ride our favorites as efficiently as possible.
While there are dozens of awesome rides at Disneyland, I think my favorite would have to be Radiator Springs Racers, located in Cars Land. Based on the Disney movie "Cars", we hop into a race car and take a ride through Radiator Springs, before eventually having an actual race with another car. Moving at such a high speed and feeling the wind rush through my hair is exhilarating, while also feeling as goofy as Lightning McQueen when he races.
Disneyland will always hold a special place in my heart. Our family planned to go to Disneyland in May, but our dreams were ruined after the pandemic began. While we have to postpone our trip until everything is safe again, I will always be ready to go back to the "Happiest Place on Earth".
My family and I at "Goofy's Kitchen", one of the restaurants on property
Oh, I know Disneyland in Anaheim, Nathan.......and from WAY back in the day: my parents took me there in 1969 I guess, because it was when I was in kindergarten. And it is so true about how the rides are not about thrills but instead about the magic: when I was little, my favorite was the Small World ride, with all the dolls from all around the world: Small World ride: link ... And also the submarine that I thought really WAS going deep deep deep under the water. When I went back years later, I felt betrayed when I saw that instead of descending deep into the water, they just blew bubbles up over the windows to make us think we were going twenty thousand leagues under the sea! So many people had their spring and summer vacations wrecked, but Disneyland is patient: that is one institution you know will be there eager to greet you again as soon as it is safe for you and your family! And in the meantime, maybe you can do a theme park type of project for this class: finding some mythological story or fairy tales or legends and thinking up the theme park rides that could bring that story to life in the form of a ride! At least to me, that idea gets my mind racing, thinking about what it means to translate the magic of a story into a park experience!
ReplyDeleteOr........ the amazing folklore and stories associated with New Orleans, Cajun culture, Creole culture. If that is something you are interested in, Louisiana folktales await you online... just to take one example: Louisiana Folktales: link ... it is one of the most story-ful states in the USA. :-)