Night lights

The lights on Main Street are always great and the twinkling movie marquee at the Main St. Cinema is a throwback to the small town movie theatres of the past. Now if they could old go back to showing more cartoons in the cinema instead of making it mostly a gift shop...

Ride the El Capitan

Another look at one of the lockers in Disneyland with their colorful suitcase stickers. The El Capitan was a train on the Santa Fe from Chicago to LA. The Hotel Sole would be in Palmero, Italy - today there is a Grand Hotel Sole in Palmero but I'm bot sure if it is the same place... Meanwhile the Winter Palace in Luxour still exists today in Egypt. So there you go, a minor lesson in history and world travel in a minute or less!

Year(s) of a Million Dreams

Here's one last look at the Year of Million Dreams - the event that out lasted its own name taking the already long Disney year to new extremes. There weren't a whole lot of remnants of the celebration when I visited last month... This banner featuring the special edition ears could still be found at the MGM gates.

See you at the World's Fair

Outside the Carousel of Progress you can find this poster, a recreation of the 1964-65 World's Fair poster where the Carousel made its debut performance. It also talks about its move to Disneyland and then to its current home at Disney World where it still entertains guests today.

Trash Can Tuesdays

Welcome to a new segment we're calling Trash Can Tuesdays. Now as you all know, if anyone can make a trash can look good it is Disney and they certainly do their best. So for the next few Tuesdays, or till I run out of trash can photos, we're going to take a look at some from around the parks.

To start it off I'm going with a photo not only of the trash and recycling cans but also of a bit of the Adventureland atmosphere in the form of the signage outside of the Adventureland Bazaar. Check out the detailing on all the elements in the photo, very nicely done!

Desktop: The return of a classic logo...

At the Polynesian bus stop this sign greets travelers heading out for their adventures. There is one small detail that caught my eye. Note the logo by the Hollywood Studios - could it be that the Earful Tower is finally making its return to replace the dreaded hat?

Welcome to tomorrow

Outside of the new Tomorrowland in Disneyland is a plaque with Walt's speech that he made when Tomorrowland was opened to the world. The speech sums up everything that was hoped for the future - especially the hope for a peaceful and unified world.

Mombasa Marketplace

The Mombasa Marketplace is open and ready for your business. Located in Harambe it stocks African gifts and more and is directly across from the Tusker House. Note all the of the detail in the sign, aging plaster, etc. making it look as if the building has been around for ages when it is really just a decade old....

Epcot Center

"Epcot is an acronym which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Its logo is a graphic representation of the Epcot Center philosophy. It symbolizes unity, fellowship, and harmony around the world. The five outer rings are linked to form the shape of a flower - a celebration of life. The heart of the logo is Earth embraced by a star, symbolizing hope - the hope that with imagination, commitment, and dedication we can create a better tomorrow."

From a 1993 guide map (the final year as Epcot Center) - they still have big ideas for Epcot back then and the explanation of the logo was quite interesting. I had no idea until recently when my sister (and fellow Disney fanatic) unearthed this classic map. The Epcot symbols are all simple yet obviously a lot of thought went into them. Now if I can find if there is more than meets the eye with the other Future World logos...

Flying Chinese take out

No, you didn't party too hard last night, you really are seeing a flying Chinese take out box. Over at Flik's Fun Fair you can hop a balloon ride in all sorts of colorful boxes, including this one.

On a separate note - The Backside of Water has a birthday today! It was a year ago that I started this crazy thing and I figured what better way to say thanks than with food. Well, ok so there isn't a single egg roll or wanton in that box but still - thanks for reading!