Disneyland

My mom, Aunt Ed, and a friend of theirs are on their way to Disneyland! I wish I were going! They are going to see it decorated for Halloween and enjoy all the wonderful rides, etc.
As a kid, I have about a million memories of Disneyland - I went a number of times due to my A. Ed living near L.A. and my Dad going to some grocery conventions in the area. I remember playing with the little sample boxes he would get at the conventions.

And no matter how old I get - it is ingrained in me how "we do Disneyland." It's reflexive for me to approach any trip to Disneyland in this fashion. Someday I hope to take my kids and pass on this crazy neurotic tradition to them.

We have our system (really my mom & aunt's system) of how to make sure we get the most out of Disneyland. First, you must understand we are ride people. That's ultimately why we are there. You have to arrive as soon as the park opens - which means be at the gates when the park opens ready to go. Hit the big rides first - the ones with the longest lines (space mountain, Indiana Jones, etc). Then from there you can space out the other rides depending on where you are in the park and where your fast passes take you. In the afternoon when it gets hot, we take a trip back to the hotel for naptime (more so when I was young and needed the nap). After missing the heat of the day it's back to the park to ride more rides. The first day on any trip to Disneyland I was allowed to watch the Light Parade - now they have some other parade. The next day (we were usually there for more than one day) - there is no watching the parade - it is prime time to ride the rides while everyone else is watching the parade. And that's how we do Disneyland!



I'll never forget one trip when I was younger, my mom and I rode Splash Mountain late at night. As soon as we got off the ride soaking wet, we were freezing cold - we ran to the nearest souvineur shop and bought sweatshirts to keep us warm! It may not seem that exciting, but when you're a little kid running through Disneyland at night with your mom in search of a brand new sweatshirt is pretty exhilirating!


My one and only tea cup riding partner!

Ah...Disneyland the happiest place on earth ;)