Effects courtesy of Picnik.com

Before Downtown Disney offered innumerable menu choices, the Disneyland Hotel served up its own assortment of enjoyable restaurants.  My favorite was the cult-classic Monorail Cafe.  If you are unfamiliar with the Monorail Cafe, it was an up-beat diner situated across from the Monorail station.  However, one of my favorite Disneyland Hotel memories was at Stromboli’s Ristorante.  Stromboli’s replaced the Cafe Villa Verde and was housed in the “rotunda,” where Goofy’s Kitchen now resides.

During dinner, the characters from Pinocchio would visit your table, while you dined on quite yummy Italian fare –  that actually came from a menu, not a buffet! 😉  My family loves Italian and we were excited for a character meal with some of the more obscure Disney characters.

For whatever reason, my grandmother – who was only in her 70s at that time – could not remember that Pinocchio’s father’s name was Geppetto… she was quite certain that his name was, in fact, Giuseppe.  Throughout the planning stages of our trip it became our family joke that we were going to have dinner with Giuseppe… but the real fun came when we actually met our friend Giuseppe.

It would appear that dear, old Giuseppe had imbibed in an adult beverage or two before coming to work that day… on his way to our table he ran smack into the light hanging over the table next to us!  With the restaurant being fairly empty that evening, Giuseppe felt he could spend a little extra time at our table, weaving between my mom, my grandma, and me, and otherwise entertaining us with his “antics.”  Now, I must say that I am not accusing Disney or any of its cast of any wrong-doing that evening at Stromboli’s… perhaps Giuseppe was just a very exuberant character, I don’t know… but I do know that he was quite the entertainer.

Since the closing of Stromboli’s in 1999, during the Disneyland Hotel’s major overhaul, my family has had some great meals at Goofy’s Kitchen and we always find the characters to be quite engaging.  However, never have we had another meal quite like our dinner at Stromboli’s, and, every now and then, we throw in a Giuseppe joke at dinner and bust out in uncontrollable laughter.

My Disney family took quite a hit this week, and it sent shock waves through all of us.  I’ve never mentioned it before on Rays of Disneyland due to social media rules, etc. but I worked at the Disney Store, here in Denver, off and on, for nine years.  I worked at three different stores and had roles ranging from seasonal part-time, to Lead, and everything in between.  I met so many great people and built an amazing Disney family.  Unfortunately, in February of this year, Disney made the decision to close the store I was working at, without an opportunity to transfer.  Our entire Disney family got together and sat in our now empty store after the last guest came through the door.  We laughed and cried and enjoyed being together.

Now, eight months later, we are gathering again – digitally at least – to support two of our family members.  I found out last week that two wonderful ladies, that I have worked with for years, have been diagnosed with some pretty serious illnesses.  In deference to their situations, I won’t go into too much detail, but if you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen that one of them had massive surgery for a large brain tumor, and the other has a type of autoimmune disorder.  Both were struck suddenly and unexpectedly and took us all by surprise.

I’ve been reminiscing a lot this week about my time with my Disney family at my second home, the Disney Store.  Our store opened about 17 years ago.  It wasn’t the first store in Colorado but, for me, it was the most special.  The store was just a few minutes from my house in a mall that my mom and I frequented.  If I haven’t said it before, this store was special.  As I got older, even when I was working there, my Disney Store became my escape, my retreat.  When I had a bad day, no matter how big or how small, my mom and I would pile in the car after work and head to the 1.5 miles to the mall and into the pink and green Store.  It was our family seeking peace in our Disney family.

I made such good friends there.  Not only was it cozy and magical – in all of its mid-90s splendor – but the people were unlike any others.  We all shared a love for Disney… more than any other Disney Store I’ve been in, these folks worked there simply because they loved and believed in the company.  Many of us were working second jobs at the Store less because we needed the money and more because we needed the Store.  I was perfectly willing to work somewhere between 45 and 60 hours a week at my regular job and spend nights and weekends working at the Disney Store.  It was just that good.  I firmly believe that when Disney closed store 505 they lost many of their most devoted and dedicated employees.

I can’t adequately explain the feeling that being in that store gave me… but if I could bottle it and sell it, I think it would be the answer to world peace.

So, if you are reading this right now, I consider you to be part of my extended Disney family. 🙂  And, I need your help.  Please send all of your thoughts, prayers, and pixie dust to the former Cast of Store 505… we need a little extra these days.  I think this one’s going to take a lot, so it may take all of our faith, trust, and pixie dust to get this Disney family back on track, but trust me when I say that we all will appreciate it more than you know!

Photos Courtesy of Rebecca Bohmann

After two warm, but cloudy days, September 23rd bloomed into being with all the bright, shining promise of sun that a birthday should hold.  And, I was awakened by a knock on the hotel room door and a special delivery of one, stunning, Princess Tiana birthday cake, which we ate heartily for breakfast!  Every day should be this good!

Full of cake and with my birthday Mickey ears squarely on my head, we ventured out for an unparalleled birthday extravaganza.  First stop: a real breakfast to complement our cake breakfast. 🙂  I chose my favorite place in all the Land… the Carnation Cafe.  And the best part?  Birthday wishes and a picture with Chef Oscar, my favorite Disney “character.”

A birthday in Disneyland means all of my favorite things… pirates, ghosts, space rangers, and Neverland (oh my!)… and we accomplished them all!  I was even surprised by a birthday guitar serenade from Ernie, another of my favorite Disney “characters.”  If you haven’t met Ernie, he is the older man with the beautiful soul, who has played the jazz guitar in New Orleans Square for as long as I can remember.  He gave me a wonderful birthday treat!

The plan for the evening was dinner at the Napa Rose, but –

not being an adventurous eater, AT ALL – we diverted to plan B, Steakhouse 55, when nothing on the Napa Rose menu excited me.  I know, I know, for all of the Disney foodies out there, it is surely sacrilege, but Steakhouse 55 provided a lovely birthday dinner, really unrivaled by any other I’ve had. 🙂

The perfect way to cap off a birthday – and keep my inner child happy – was a trip to Build-a-Bear for a birthday Jo Bro bear… no I’m not kidding, and no, I’m not embarrassed! 🙂

It was really fun and helped soothe that aged feeling one gets when they are finally only one year away from the big 3-0. 😉  Full, happy, and beaming we returned to our hotel room, ready for the next day’s adventure to begin.

Coming up next Tuesday… D23 Destination D.

The view from our Bonita Tower balcony, May 1991

When Downtown Disney at Disneyland opened in 2001, my excitement was for a new park, a new hotel, and a new shopping district was tempered by my disappointment in the changes made to the Disneyland Hotel.  The renovations began in 1998 and by 2001 gone were the only remaining buildings from 1955, the Monorail Cafe, the shopping area, and the beautiful Marina.  Little did I know that just nine years later, I would step onto the grounds of a Disneyland Hotel where a crane sat in a pit that once housed my beloved Horseshoe Falls and koi ponds… but that’s a different post for a different day.

The Disneyland Hotel of my childhood was billed as a playground outside of the theme park… a retreat from the hustle and bustle of Disneyland proper.  One 1991 hotel brochure billed the hotel as,

“Staying at the Disneyland Hotel is just like staying at Disneyland. It’s a playground with a marina, tennis, games, boats, dancing, lots of free entertainment, 11 restaurants and lounges, shops all around and even a tropical beach. And the Disneyland Hotel is the only hotel on the Monorail, so guests may enter Disneyland Park via the Monorail Station with the purchase of a daily Disneyland Passport.”

It was the kind of resort hotel that you would be sure to carve time out of your vacation to explore.  The centerpiece of this retreat?  The Marina.  The Marina spread throughout the large courtyard area of the hotel, primarily, in what is now the Neverland Pool.  This glistening body of water was replete with paddle boats and a large, underwater arcade.  I have very fond memories of both.

The first time my family stayed at the Disneyland Hotel was in 1991, as we stayed at the Jolly Roger Hotel across the street from the hotel for our first Disneyland visit the year before.  The second we stepped out of the shuttle and onto Disneyland Hotel property, we were hooked.  Our room in the Bonita Tower had a Marina View, so we could see and hear the fun below us right from our balcony.  I had read in our guidebook that the Disneyland Hotel arcade was not to be missed, and I remember my mom taking me into the underground arcade and spending more time than she probably would have liked playing The Simpsons pinball with me. 🙂

The paddle boats were a whole other adventure… my mom and I loved paddle boats.  We rode them at a local amusement parks and I remember them being lots of fun.  For some reason, however, Disney seemed to have purchased the industrial quality boats for their Marina playground because these weren’t ordinary, light-weight paddle boats.  My nine-year-old legs didn’t seem to be helping my mom navigate the Marina waters in these, increasingly heavy, little boats, and by the time we reached the center of the Marina, I’m pretty sure my poor mother thought we would be out their for the rest of our vacation… she was worn out!  🙂  We never knew exactly why these were the hardest boats we had ever peddled but we did laugh a lot and we had a lot of fun… and, eventually, we made it back to the dock.  The only problem is that we were paying for the amount of time we spent out on the Marina, so my mom got a very expensive workout that day!

These are the kind of memories that flashy, new water features and a “Wedding Lawn” will never be able to duplicate.  I’m sad to see so many of these truly unique and special pieces of the Disneyland Hotel being demolished and hauled away.  What are your favorite memories of by-gone Disneyland Hotel experiences?

It’s a lazy, breezy song for a lazy, breezy Sunday afternoon… about a year ago I discovered the song Disneyland by Five for Fighting while lsitening to my favorite podcast, Window to the Magic.  I instantly fell in love. 🙂  The song, is actually a romantic ballad of sorts, but comes off as an ode to the Happiest Place on Earth.  I love this song so much.  In fact, one of the best moments of the D23 Destination D event was when Tim O’Day played a clip from the song during his Happiest Place in Pop Culture presentation.

I found this awesome fan video on Five for Fighting’s YouTube page, and I have to admit that I cried a little the first time Walt came on the screen.  I love how each piece of the video “interacts” with the lyrics, making the perfect accompaniment to an awesome Disneyland tribute song… enjoy! 🙂

Okay, so it’s true, I just can’t get enough of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, so visiting her home in Pixie Hollow at Disneyland is one of my favorite things in the world. 🙂  So, in honor of what seemed to shape up as fairy week on Rays of Disneyland, here are some of my favorite images from Pixie Hollow.

1. I haven’t picked up my copy of Beauty and the Beast Diamond edition, but I did have the awesome opportunity to see the Sing-a-Long version on the big screen last week.  It was so great!  I’ve always wanted to be able to sing-along with reckless abandon to Disney movies at the theater!
2. I love when October rolls around and they start playing Halloweentown movies on the Disney Channel again. 🙂 I even got to introduce my grandma to these favorites this week.
3. I finished reading the second Hidden Mickey book – Hidden Mickey 2: It All Started… – just before vacation.  Absolutely couldn’t put it down!  If you are a Disney/Disneyland fan, these are a MUST read! 🙂
4. On a non-Disney note: my favorite Fibro Fog moment in awhile… I’ve been driving for over a month with expired license plates because I had absolutely no recollection that they needed to be renewed… oops.
5. So, it’s Day 8 of NaBloWriMo and I’ve made six of eight posts.  Not too shabby I’d say, especially since I was averaging one or two posts a month before this!