Detour

With a flashing beacon on top and chevrons painted on the side, the FastPass machines at Test Track are just another part of the show. Now if they would put out Road Closed barricades when they are out for the day instead of just tarping them that would complete the scene...

Churros for breakfast

An obsession of sorts, churros are everywhere at Disneyland and DCA. I first encountered them at Taco John's [a taco joint around the upper Midwest] and they are somewhat hard to find at Disney World. But out on the west coast you barely finish one of this tasty instant-sugar-buzzes and there is another stand just a minute away waiting to fill that cinnamon-sugar void in your life! Over in Flik's Fun Fair the Imagineers had some fun mixing the theming [the land is full of over sized food cartons and the likes] with this craze and came up with Chur-O's - the cereal that tastes just like Churros! Think you can guess what they sell at this stand?

Your ride is here

Talk about feeling like you're in the Hollywood of the '30's! This beautifully restored car used to reside on Sunset Blvd, as of early January it was missing from its post. I'm not sure if they moved it to allow for more holiday crowds in the street, hopefully so because it is a wonderful addition to the street. I'm afraid I can't identify the model but if there are any car folks out there now is the time to speak up!

Under restoration

Sorry for the lack of posts in the last day and a half - I had to go help respond to a bit of trouble at work

Anyways - I'm back! Did you know that the good citizens on Main Street have organized a Restoration Society? City Hall was being refurbished earlier this year and the signs around the building all bore the logo of the Main Street Restoration Society. Judging by the pristine condition of Main Street the society has a lot of support!

Go right, no wait, left...

The direction signs around Future World add to the futuristic feel with their space age fonts, lights, and design yet they also add another thing, kinetic energy. The twirling parts on the tops of many of these signs add motion, adding to the feel of a future on the move. Sound familiar? Think Tomorrowland - the TTA/Peoplemover, Astro Orbiter, etc. all help portray a tomorrow on the move. This is just a smaller version of the same sort of idea...

Happy Birthday!

Happy 15th Birthday, Toontown! Jeff over at 2719 Hyperion beat me to it by a day; the 24th was the first day it was open to the public but on this day in 1993 the official grand opening was held.

Tucked back by it's a small world, this land is full of fun gags and details that folks of all ages can enjoy. And now 15 years old it seems like it has hardly aged at all, the gags are still funny, the attention to details still continues (and grows over the holidays with all the Toon-type decorations) and most of all, kids still flock to Toontown to go meet the big cheese and the whole gang. While Disney World has picked up its own version, there is nothing quite as whimsical and crazy as the original.

Harambe Recycles

This bumper sticker can be found on bulletin boards around Harambe. They are mainly in combinations of red, yellow, and black. This one was pretty weathered and was more white than yellow but you still get the idea... So where can I get a couple of these to decorate my recycling bin?

Take out, anyone?

Looks like Link over at the Muppet Vision security desk has been having Chinese take out for lunch... Those binders don't seem to be all that important from the way they are tossed up there on the shelf - yet they are doing a great job of supporting the all-important office fan!

Good to the last toon

Coffee cans are just as useful in the Toontown households as they are in our garages and basements. Mickey is putting an old can of Maxwell Mouse Coffee to good use holding nails at his house...

Numero 62

Around back of the Cantina de San Angel you can find the entrance and staircase up to Numero 62. Unfortunately the sign says Se Prohibe La Entrada, no admittance... That's ok, you've got enough to do just polishing off that good food. Still, if the residence in the rear is #62, what's the address of the Cantina?

Safe crackers

Either there are a lot of good crooks in the area or the Village Lock and Safe seems to have gone to a new self-service model since everyone that goes to it walks away with money... Tucked behind the Village Haus, this ATM is trying its best to blend in to the rest of Fantasyland and a time well before its own.

Balcony with a view...

If you turn around and look up as you leave the Tower of Terror exit store you'll see a very ornate second level balcony. They didn't stop the incredible detail work at the entrance to the hotel, yet most tend to funnel right out and don't take a look back to see what they are missing. If you think about it, many families split up and those who don't want to try their luck at surviving a 13 story fall wait back here so why no make it a visually interesting area. There are so many balconies, terraces, and more around the parks - I would love to just pull up a chair and watch traffic go by from some of them...

Leash laws

Keep Dinosaur on Leash - and the folks at the golf course called and want their club back (and Mac and Don's Supper Club wants their hat back). This big guy appears to be having a bit too much fun while hanging up on the wall at Chester and Hester's. There is a wealth of creativity in this store and one could spend quite a bit of time not shopping but just looking at all the fun the imagineers had decorating the shop.

Monorail to Epcot...Center?

At the Polynesian Resort they have a number of signs to the monorail stations both at the hotel and the TTC. Some of those signs still show signs of the classic Epcot Center days. Look at how the spacing is with & Epcot. It looks like it isn't spaced quite right - or is it? Turn Epcot into Epcot Center and it fits perfectly. When the name changed they simply removed Center from the signs by apparently sanding down the raised letters. Even up until a couple years ago there were still a few signs where you could read where they only partially sanded down the Center. I'm still trying to find a photo of one of those but for now here is one where they took off the Center completely...

Please connect me to Rick's Cafe...

Ok, so maybe you can't get to Rick's Cafe from here all that easily but you can still find pay phones tucked in the back of the Morocco pavilion. A working pay phone seems to be a relative rarity in this day of cell phones. Yet there are a few around the parks that are in service - for now at least. This classy Arabic-English sign hangs near the alcove housing the Morocco phones.

Fork in the Road

Bringing a new (and tasty) definition to fork in the road over in Toontown!

Ride the MTA

Monstropolis Transit Authority, that is. Over in California Adventure at Monsters Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue you enter through the transit authority's terminal and ride in city cabs. The indoor queue has all sorts of ads for local Monstropolis businesses and the MTA.

The eye in the M is a nice touch, it ties back to the Monsters Inc. logo but also appears to be staring through the other two letters. And check out the lamps with the claws in the queue!

Winter winds...

While from the west coast, this seems rather appropriate with my return to frigid weather from another trip to Disney World (with a ton of new photos)... Wrapping across some of the beautiful lamps along the route from the Grand Californian lobby to Downtown Disney, Old Man Winter blows a cold blue cloud along the top of the lamp. The artists did a wonderful job all around the resort bringing the Arts & Crafts style to life. Keeping track of the lights alone is a task - there are so many different varieties!

Børk! Børk! Børk!

The Swedish Chef is expanding his talents. First it was just culinary, then working the projector room at Muppet Vision, now adding film editing to the list. From quick cuts to cold cuts this guy does it all.

And now I'm off for some fun in the sun, will be back in a few days with plenty more photos for the blog!

Good Food

Eat at the Tusker House. The sign, elephant and all, beckons weary travelers to enjoy the food inside. The hand painted EAT sign, homemade electrical wiring,and slightly rundown looking façade all add to the ambiance. And true to the sign, the food really was good there. I've not been to the new buffet but the old fast food was tasty and eating out back on the patio was always an enjoyable time, especially if they were cooking or doing the dishes upstairs.

Paging Mr. Morrow...

...Mr. Tom Morrow. You're party from Saturn has arrived. Please give them a ring.

One of the most underrated rides in all the Disney parks, the TTA/Wedway is a wonderful way to kick back, relax, and take a second story tour of Tomorrowland. And all this with little to no line! A trip aboard the TTA is a must do for me every time I visit the Magic Kingdom. Be sure to ride it at night, too. Not only do you get a totally different show with the neon lights, your eyes are better adjusted to the darkness and you can get a new view of Space Mountain's track...

Ice Cream Gods

Hey - if their ice cream is preferred by the gods then who am I to argue? This colorful ad is on one of the many push carts around Animal Kingdom. Dig that hat of ice cream cones. I think I'll take what he's having...

(edit - for some reason the label Animal Kingdom is creating errors so I'm using Disney's Animal Kingdom for now till I can figure the bug out... And now back to the regularly scheduled programming)

Smash 'em, crash 'em fun

There are bumper cars over at Flik's Fun Fair but they don't really give you the feel of the classic sparks-flying, rubber-burning, whiplash-inducing fun that you can still find riding the bumper cars at fairgrounds and carnivals. However, you can still find one real bumper car in DCA. Take a look inside Treasures in Paradise and you'll find one up in one corner of the store. There are more old ride artifacts inside the store to discover as well...

The Five Laws of Show Biz

The sign in the Studio One Company Store says it all, you can trust the Muppets to set 'em straight. So this means that we were actually right when working on sets, after all it is the crew that brings the show to life. Besides, you shouldn't really argue with the folks running the power tools...

At our other store...

Over in Adventureland the proprietors of Tropical Imports are hawking their goods, unfortunately not all of it is at this store. If rare and exotic souvenirs are what you are looking for you might be out of luck at this store. Now if I could only find their other store...

Welcome Aboard!

I'm Andy, your skipper here at The Backside of Water. We'll be taking a tour of the world of Disney theme parks. I've been a fan of Disney for as long as I can remember and vacations to Disney World and Disneyland are always a great time. But it isn't just about the rides. It is about the experience, the atmosphere, the theming, the whole show. Ever since the first time I set foot in the parks the magic of Disney has been in my blood. I enjoy taking photos at the parks and discovering the details that make everything from ride queues to restaurants to hotels so impressive. It is part of what makes the experience so unique - yet the everyday guest often doesn't notice them. Hopefully you'll learn something new or see something that you haven't seen before at the parks. So hop on board and enjoy the ride!