Art for A Different Version of the Grand Californian Hotel

What is this? Well, it's the original Imagineering plan for the Grand Californian Hotel! Is it me or does this look a lot more like what you'd find in Solvang?

Don't get me wrong- I like the look. It's charming and so very different than anything else Disney Imagineering has done in the past. But it has a European flavor to it that doesn't capture the essence of California. The current Frank Lloyd Wright flair with its Craftsman focus is on target.  Will we ever see another themed resort at Disneyland? My guess is not for many years.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

The Blunder and the Beauty of a Downtown Disney Christmas

In  the middle of coming to SoCal for a funeral, I was able to sneak away for a brief dinner at Downtown Disney. As you can tell from the photo above, three cuties got away for a morning there as a birthday celebration fell in the midst of all the memorial services. 

These sweet little guys are beautiful, but their surroundings in this photo show the blunder of what Disney did to a lovely little area for the Christmas season of 2019. Even at night, it just isn't attractive!

Much like the awful Pixar Pier transformation at Disney California Adventure, you have to wonder exactly what they were trying to accomplish and at how much of an expense. 

 Splitsville looked much nicer with its indoor Christmas tree visible on the upper level. Yet, something charming and worthy of the name Disney was missing from it all. When you add in the wasteland that is the area around Rain Forest Cafe, Disney Springs in Florida comes into focus as the finest example of retail art outside any Disney theme park. It's truly a shame as the Grand Californian and the iconic Disneyland Hotel are so nice in their own very different ways.

Things look better when you see the park entrances. However...Our youngest daughter hadn't been to DCA 2.0 since right before Cars Land and Buena Vista Street or even Mermaid. Hadn't seen World of Color either. She and her husband chose to go to DCA so she could see the changes, Radiator Springs Racers in particular. They went shortly after opening time. She found Buena Vista Street beautiful but with nothing to do. Saw and loved the popular Cars Land, declared RSR great, walked the park after doing Soarin'. 

She absolutely hated the Pixar Pier transition (she has a strong love for classic Imagineering as does her Dad). They soon decided DCA was still not worth the money of a full day ticket. Thinking Disneyland was still much was better, they went to guest services for a park hopper. Arrived on Main Street shortly after 12 Noon. Both had a great time at DL (loved Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run) but will not go back to Anaheim's second Disney Park for a very, very long time.

The Grand Californian lobby was as stunning as to be expected! Its elegance speaks of classic Disney and is worth a visit on its own. Just the beauty piece the resort area needs this time of year. When will the suits learn that hip and edgy do not win out over classic Disney done well? Maybe in 2020.

(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)

Rare California Adventure and Grand Californian Concept Art

Imagineering's R. Tom Gilleon created a beautiful slice of concept art for the ill-conceived and executed California Adventure theme park. Here's the view from the winery portion looking at Grizzly Peak and the Grand Californian Resort- probably the most successful piece of the expansion from a design point. 

Back when it all was made public in 2001, let's just agree that the public was not impressed. Thankfully, many years later, Robert Iger admitted it was a mistake -a brand withdrawal- and committed the funds and talent to make the renewed park something closer to what it should have been at opening.

The new shiny Cars Land and Buena Vista Street were unparalleled successes for the little park, but the suits later under much of what was gained by changing Twilight Zone Tower of Terror to Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout. Things only went from bad to worse when the already awful Paradise Pier took another downgrade and became Pixar Pier. Talk about a brand withdrawal!

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Just to Brighten Your Day

Here's a beautiful photo to brighten your day! I cannot remember where I first saw this, so no credit today to the photographer, but this is just a lovely shot of the gardens of the Disneyland Hotel in Paris.

Just beyond the building is the French Magic Kingdom, Disneyland Paris. This was the first time the Disney Imagineers placed a hotel at the entrance to a theme park, but it wouldn't be the last. The Grand Californian opens up to California Adventure, but it is the elegant Mira Costa that sets the standard as it sits alongside the borders of Tokyo Disneysea. Incredible resort and amazing theme park together!

A Grand Californian Adventure: Part One

Aloha regular and new readers of Insights and Sounds!

Some of you may remember me from my trip reports to Walt Disney World last year. (Editor's note: The multi-part series starts here with a comparison between Disney and Universal.) Thanks to the generosity of this blog’s author Mark Taft, I am back to do an in depth investigative report on Disneyland’s 60^th.

My wife Sue and I first stayed at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel back in 2010. As big fans of the Wilderness Lodge, one can understand why the thematic similarities would appeal to us. 

While some may call it “Wilderness Lodge Lite”, I feel the resort has its own identity/game plan and isn’t necessarily trying to totally mimic its Florida cousin.  Due to space limitations, GC definitely has a cozier, more intimate feel (eschewing the “WOW” factor one gets when walking into the lobby of WL). This lends itself to a more authentic feel that this could be a place that exists outside in the real world. Service and cast members are both top notch with security going above and beyond the call of duty (more on that later). The cast member who checked us in, Jeremiah, was extremely helpful and even comp us fast passes due to a slight mix up in the reservations. The rooms are clean and comfortable, but nothing extraordinarily spectacular. 

The Lobby. You just HAVE to click on this one to see it full size!

Gorgeous!

With two fantastic restaurants, and entrance straight into California Adventure, is this hotel worth the price tag? At a shade under $300.00 (which is what we paid back in 2010), the answer is an emphatic YES! At $550.00 per night, “Are you kidding me?” can be heard echoing throughout Radiator Springs Valley! Yes, this is what I reluctantly paid for during our stay there. There is no way I would have booked  at GC were it not my wife’s birthday. 

Sue is not a big Disney fan, but she was gracious enough to allow me to stop off at Disneyland before heading to Vegas. I have horror stories about our Super 8 Motel stay trying to save a  few dollars during our last visit. Not wanting a repeat performance, I bit the bullet and booked the hotel. Putting aside that no room (talking your standard affair, not a suite) is worth that type of money to me, we did have a wonderful time at the resort.

My wife and I were able to enjoy meals at both in-house restaurants, Napa Rose and Storytellers Café. We’ve been to Storytellers before, and always for the breakfast buffet. You can’t go wrong with the selection and quality of food here. And although I seem to run into Chip and Dale at every character meal, the service and theming make them more than bearable.  

Stories waiting to be told.

Overall, I think Storytellers is one of the nicest looking restaurants at any Disney resort and the way it integrates into the overall theming of the hotel is first rate. I definitely give Storytellers the edge over Whispering Canyon Cafe at the Wilderness Lodge.

While breakfast was on familiar ground, this was our first time dining at Napa Rose. It was either here or Carthay Circle Restaurant for my wife’s birthday, and Napa came in second (more on that in Part Two).  But it’s the end results that really matter…and Napa Rose was the clear winner. Not to say that Carthay was bad (it was great), but the food quality and selection at Napa was just that much better.  

We started off with the "Seven Sparkling Sins" as an appetizer. I can’t do any better than Disney’s official description,  so I'll just copy and past Disney's explanation:

"An array of tantalizations featuring spicy beef & peanut roll, curried crab taco, seared ahi nacho, shrimp in cucumber wrap with lemon dill creme, citrus cured salmon corn cake, tangerine grilled scallop and grape leaves with pheasant for two".

Immaculate in presentation, this appetizer proved to be worth the $45.00 price tag, with the spicy beef and ahi nacho my two favorites (probably because its so reminiscent of Hawaii food). As with our meals at WDW, we split the entree and went with the Skillet Roasted Prime New York and added a side of Truffled "Mac & Cheese" Orecchiette Pasta.

Although we had celebrated Sue’s birthday the night before, our waiter still presented my wife with a complimentary birthday dessert (Chocolate ice cream with a cookie foundation and a pinch of sea salt. The contrasting flavors of sweet and salty made it quite a treat!). Overall, it was our best dining experience of the entire trip!

Author Len and his wife Sue.

I suppose I should touch a bit on Downtown Disney…Disneyland’s shopping/dining venue. While there is nothing wrong with the assorted shops and restaurants, I think most folks coming over from the East coast will be sorely unimpressed. The Florida counterpart was already in a different league prior to the theming change, but now that Disney Springs is coming into fruition, the Anaheim complex seems even more underwhelming. It’s hard to place the blame squarely on Disney’s shoulders. The limited space really hampers what one can do in terms of creative ideas and visual synergy. Nonetheless, that area could use a strong thematic narrative like Disney Springs.

Up Next: Disney California Adventure

(Photographs copyright Len Yokoyama.)

Sneak Peak: DCA's Condor Flats Becomes Grizzly Peak Airfield

It seems as if one of the "gifts" to celebrate the 60th birthday of Disneyland includes even more cosmetic work on its much younger sister, California Adventure. 

The addition of Cars Land, the revamping of Paradise Pier and the full on cosmetic surgery of the Sun Plaza into Buena Vista Street has made Anaheim's second park finally worthy of the Disney name. She certainly was an unattractive child, but as she's entering her teen years, she's shaping up quite nicely! And there's more to come.

Coming your way soon. Photo from MiceAge.

MiceAge is reporting that DCA's Condor Flats will be melted into the Grizzly Peak area. Newly renamed Grizzly Peak Airfield. This will involve a transformation from the dry desert landscape into the lush greenery of the California forests. The news is nothing new if you've kept your eyes open- and if you have a copy of Jason Surrell's The Disney Mountains: Imagineering at It's Peak. Inside is this piece of concept art that shows it all.  

The newest park map shows Condor Flats closed.

Click on this for a larger image.

From the always excellent Magic Eye website.

Instead of cactus greeting guests coming off Carthay Circle, the pine trees will welcome guests to a mountain top airstrip. Soarin' Over California now sports a fresh mountain look, and everything around it will fit seamlessly into the atmosphere as Grizzly Peak looms in the near distance. Given the work is mostly new landscaping and much paint, the finished product should be done by the Summer season, hopefully at the beginning of it. 

Another slice of DCA 1.0 disappears.

In the old days, as much as I loved the look of the desert airstrip, it was truly an abrupt change to round the bend and find the Grand Californian Resort, then the geysers of the rapids adventure. But that was DCA 1.0, when transitions mattered little, hip and edgy was the order of the day, and the suits felt as if the guests were too dumb to notice the company had delivered an inferior product but charged full fees for it. It certainly was cheap. (Take a look at my multi-part series Bargain Basement Imagineering. This approach created some of the shallowest, themeless attractions ever to be seen at a Disney park.)

With the success of DCA 2.0, a new day has dawned. Here's hoping that Phase Two of the renovation begins as Condor Flats goes away. And what else was in that book, anyway?

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Wonderful DCA

What a wonder of incredible Imagineering was Disney's California Adventure at opening! This simple map shows the vast nature of the park and the surrounding expansion. Well, at least the rest of the building project truly was wonderful. The Grand Californian Resort and Downtown Disney stand among the best projects of its type.

As for the second Anaheim park, California Adventure became the laughing stock of the industry with its less than stellar line up of attractions. No amount of press could save it. Superstar Limo was instantly famous as was the Maliboomer- all for the wrong reasons. This led guests and the general public to overlook some of the very good aspects of it. Disney's Michael Eisner had a flop squarely on his hands. Thank God cooler heads eventually approved the billion dollar expansion, bringing us Buena Vista Street, a revamped Paradise Pier, and Cars Land.

Want to read more about the development and eventual revitalization of California Adventure with some concept art? Go to the series Bargain Basement Imagineering. It begins here.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Disney Imagineering and 4240 Architecture

Do you love the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World? Are you entranced by the magnificent artistry of the Animal Kingdom Lodge? Perhaps the West Coast stylings of the Grand Californian is more your type of lodging. However you answer, you just have to check out the website for 4240 Architecture. The name of their now deceased Principal, Peter Dominick Jr., might sound familiar. A great site! It's chockful of wonderful concept art and photographs of these Disney projects. What about "5280" you ask? That's for the Mile High City, Denver, where this firm is located.
(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Downtown Disney's Retail Therapy

An evening at Downtown Disney is designed to pull money out of your wallet! It is not just a visit to Disneyland or California Adventure that requires a significant cash outlay. Yet this retail expansion of the Disneyland Resort is currently the most successful addition.

An early morning tram ride left me at the entrance to the ticket booths well before opening time. As is my custom, I always buy my tickets the night before, so I had plenty of time to walk around and enjoy the quiet before hoards of guests come in. It is just beautiful here, and the planter and seating (above) is even elegantly designed and executed.

Whether it was the closed World of Disney store or the soon to open La Brea Bakery, I found the area to be quite DisneyWorldesque, an unexpected taste of what it is like to be in Florida while enjoying a vastness of scope and scale not found in Anaheim.

For all the flaws I find in the expansion's design and execution, there is one aspect I absolutely love: everything is together and easily accessible. Two theme parks, three hotels, and a shopping district all within a few minutes walk. In Florida, you have to get on the monorail or the ferry boats, in a car or hop a bus, to go from one spot of the enormous resort to another. Although most times it is easy, just try going from Port Orleans Riverside to Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner and then go back to the Contemporary Resort for drinks, and you'll see what I mean.

In the evening, as the lights turn on and the sun goes down, Downtown Disney takes on a new flavor and the absence of lakes and deep expanses of lawn just disappear. Since guests are leaving or heading to the parks, the area has a vibrancy that is glaringly missing from the Walt Disney World version of the shopping area. It's a great place to people watch!

The Catal restaurant serves up a decent bowl of pasta for a not-too-much out of the ordinary price. The Uva bar is elegantly lit and very inviting in the warm evenings. It seems the locals have discovered the downtown district as well, and that only makes sense as backyards tend to be smaller and public spaces must carry the burden of also being places to walk and relax as well as provide retail therapy.

A quick journey through the World of Disney, and I was lured by Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen. Last year's lunch more than held its own with anything I've eaten in New Orleans, and the beignets are among my favorite treats ever. Even though I was happily full after a nice meal at Catal, the thoughts of the pastry lingered. I didn't cave in, however.

My wife and I strolled the grounds, stopping into the Grand Californian for a peek. It was a terrific way to end our evening out as for a moment once more, we felt like we were at the Walt Disney World Resort instead of the middle of California. This alone proves the success and failure of the resort expansion. It's not the new theme park that brings a Disney feel to the area (at least for now); it is a elegant and lovingly designed detail of the new hotel and the shopping street that up the ante. Hope the suits at the Walt Disney Company and the amazing Imagineers are listening and learning.

(Photos copyright Mark Taft.)

4240 at 5280

Do you love the Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World? Are you entranced by the magnificent artistry of the Animal Kingdom Lodge? Perhaps the West Coast stylings of the Grand Californian is more your type of lodging. However you answer, you just have to check out the website for 4240 Architecture. The name of their Principal, Peter Dominick Jr., might sound familiar. A great site! It's chockful of wonderful concept art and photographs of these Disney projects. What about "5280" you ask? That's for the Mile High City, Denver, where this firm is located.

(Concept art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)

Grand Californian 1.0

The original plan and design for Grand Californian Hotel looked alot more like what you'd find in Solvang instead of the beautiful hotel we have today. Here's one instance where the Imagineers and designers went the most stylish and expensive route in their plans. Of course, this was for a hotel and not DCA the theme park. But I still feel we are in for somthing good! We shall see.

(Art copyright The Walt Disney Company.)