Mom, You Know We're in Hell, Right? A Feb Disneyland/LA TR. Updated 8/7 x 4 The End!

[Pluto0809]

The Walt Tour Part 2 (Part 1 on previous page)

I took this next picture because my grandfather was Robert Evans. Not related to this one of course but I thought it was interesting.



There was a Disney/Ghirardelli store that we stopped in.



They were handing out free samples of the Ghirardelli squares but they were a flavor I didn’t like. Mom insisted on buying some plain milk chocolate for me. We looked around at the Disney stuff but didn’t buy anything and then headed back up the street to meet our guide. I found a few more interesting stars along the way.











I took this next picture for Jim because he’s a big Sammy Hagar fan and would have wanted to stop at the Cabo Wabo Cantina if he was with us.



A picture of the theater from across the street. I like the DHS version better.



Any Star Trek fans out there?



We met our guide and he told us to walk one more block up and we would find one of Walt’s stars.







Next up was lunch. We were headed to Walt’s favorite restaurant, the Tam O’Shanter Inn. Here’s a link to the web site if you would like to see more or peruse the menu.

The Tam O’Shanter



This picture was right inside the door.



Walt actually had his own table which now has a plaque on it but we did not actually eat at it. The restaurant had a large group coming in and that room was reserved for them. We did get to sit there for a minute.





There were dinosaurs carved into the table that the Imagineers did after Walt passed away. No idea why it was dinosaurs.



These pictures were above the table.





We were seated in the bar area. There was a bit of a mix-up and all 8 of us somehow ended up squished together at a table really meant for 6 people. But Tom went in search of a manager and before long we were moved to two separate tables of four. Our waitress was pretty rude about the whole thing and it left us with a bit of a bad opinion of her the rest of the meal.

They had two options for lunch, a carving station where you could get carved meat plates or sandwiches and then also a limited menu. Tom talked about how good the carving station was so we all ended up going with that option. Looking back I think I would have rather had the fish and chips or a burger off the regular menu. I got the carved turkey which came with mashed potatoes and creamed corn. There was also a small salad bar you could get items from but it was mostly things like cole slaw, pasta salad and potato salad. There was nothing there I liked. I was a very bad trip reporter and did not take pictures of any of our food. I don’t even remember what the other three got at this point but it was all from the carving station. We really weren’t impressed with the food at all and I’m glad it was part of the cost of the tour and not additional. I did get some chocolate chip cookies for dessert that were pretty good.

After we exited, we took some pictures outside of the restaurant.













Up Next: The Tour Continued – We Pay Our Respects

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a good tour so far, and you got to see a lot of the classic Hollywood stops. Great pictures in front of the Hollywood Sign! I'm sorry your experience at the Chinese Theater wasn't all that great though.

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a fun tour! Yeah the Chinese theater stop sounds like Times Square.

The Tam O'Shanter looks like a lot of fun. I know several people who have eaten there.

 

[missjackiemcg]

Yep, you asked me to make a plan and told me what you wanted to do, just shut up and trust me!

EXACTLY!!!

I totally forgot until I saw this picture!!! I had one of those Mickey figures when I was little, but mine was blue! Now I need to go dig around my parents house to find him

I got two free fabulous Hollywood pins. I know you are really jealous of these!

I'm jealous of both the pins and the Hollywood glasses, honestly!

THIS. IS. AMAZING. Love it!!

 

[rndmr2]

Sounds like a cool tour so far, weird that the other family didn't want to talk much.

--I have that Mrs Potts bank here in my living room right now!

Sorry you had do deal with all the aggressive people at the Chinese Theater. Cool that you got to see all those stars on the Walk of Fame.

 

[Pluto0809]

Sounds like a good tour so far, and you got to see a lot of the classic Hollywood stops. Great pictures in front of the Hollywood Sign! I'm sorry your experience at the Chinese Theater wasn't all that great though.

It was a really good tour, I'm glad we went on it. We got a great mix of Walt sights and also Hollywood ones.

Looks like a fun tour! Yeah the Chinese theater stop sounds like Times Square.

The Tam O'Shanter looks like a lot of fun. I know several people who have eaten there.

It was a really great tour but I was definitely not happy with the craziness at the Chinese Theater. I was in Times Square once back in 2005 but I don't think it was as bad back then.

I wasn't all that thrilled with the Tam O'Shanter but a lot of it might have been the rude waitress. I would definitely order something different if I went again.

EXACTLY!!!

I totally forgot until I saw this picture!!! I had one of those Mickey figures when I was little, but mine was blue! Now I need to go dig around my parents house to find him

I'm jealous of both the pins and the Hollywood glasses, honestly!

THIS. IS. AMAZING. Love it!!

I'm pretty sure I have a Pluto version of those figures in every color ever made. I've seen Mickey ones before, they are pretty easy to find on Ebay.

It was exciting to see Walt's star, I just wish there wasn't such a glare on the star so you could read his name better.

Sounds like a cool tour so far, weird that the other family didn't want to talk much.

--I have that Mrs Potts bank here in my living room right now!

Sorry you had do deal with all the aggressive people at the Chinese Theater. Cool that you got to see all those stars on the Walk of Fame.

It was a great tour, I'm glad we took it. Like I said the other family was odd. I kind of felt like we were being looked down upon because they were DVC owners while we where staying at a Good Neighbor hotel.

There were so many cool things to look at in those cases!

 

[Pluto0809]

The Tour Continued – We Pay Our Respects Part 1

Our next stop on the tour was a somber one. We headed to Glendale CA and the Forest Lawn Memorial Park to visit the Disney Family Memorial. This was one of the most beautiful cemeteries I have ever seen. Most of it we viewed out the window as we drove through and I didn’t get a lot of pictures. The pictures I did get do not come close to showing how pretty and peaceful it was there.







The Disney family has a small Memorial Garden where the ashes of several family members including Walt are interred.





As you can see, previous guests had left flowers and I wish I had thought to do something like that. Of course I’m not sure where I would have gotten them since we were on vacation. Each family on our tour was given the chance to stand in the garden and pay our respects.





Then we went inside the Freedom Mausoleum right next door (no pictures allowed inside).



It was stunningly beautiful inside and we saw the graves of George and Gracie Burns, Nat King Cole, Clara Bow and a few others I don’t remember.

We loaded back up and I did attempt to take a few pictures out the window as we drove. Not the best shots though with glare from the window.







The view of the mountains from there was breathtaking.



Next we visited the site of Hyperion Studios where Walt made magic from 1929 – 1939. After using his Uncle’s barn for a few short months, Walt moved to a storefront (we will be visiting that next on the tour), then onto a small plot of land he and Roy purchased in 1925. The studio started out with only four rooms, two small offices for Walt and Roy, a camera room and a large area for the animators and ink and paint staff.

Walt continued to expand and build on the property and by 1939 there was no more room to grown on that plot of land. That’s when they moved to The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.

Unfortunately, the original studios were torn down and a Grocery Store now sits on that site. We drove by and there was one grubby little sign along the road stating it was the former site of Hyperion Studios. Our guide asked us if anyone would like to get out and take a picture of the sign and we all declined. But thanks to the magic of the internet and google, I was able to find a picture for your viewing pleasure.



You would think such a historically significant site would have a better sign that that one!

Our guide drove us up the hill behind the former studio site and showed us the Snow White Cottages.





These cottages were used by Disney employees for offices and were most likely the inspiration for the 7 Dwarfs cottage in the Snow White movie.

He also pointed out the house that Walt lived in with his family.



And also his Uncle’s house which was the original location of the garage we visited earlier that day. The house was in the middle of being demolished, hence the dumpster out front. We may have been one of the last tour groups that got to see it.



Our next stop took us a bit further back in time to the store front space that Walt used in between his Uncle’s garage and the Hyperion Studios. I think they were only in this spot for a couple of years. It’s now a copy store but obviously the current owner takes great pride in the fact that this used to be a Disney studio.









Here’s a picture of Walt and family posing in front of this very storefront. This was on the wall in the store.



If I’m remembering correctly, one of the animators that worked for Walt drew this floor layout that depicts how the space was used during Walt’s time there.



Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

The Tour Continued – We Pay Our Respects Part 2

We got a picture there along with the current owner of the store.



And a picture outside of the building.



We loaded back up in the van and traveled to Griffith Park to visit the famous carousel where Walt took his daughters. It was here that Walt sat on a bench and dreamed up the idea of Disneyland.





I took a picture of this coin operated horse since you rarely see these anymore. I have fond memories from childhood of going somewhere and riding one that was a black panther. I don’t think I’ve ever seen another panther so maybe that was something I dreamed up?



While not one of the original benches, there was one dedicated to Walt and his daughters.





We got a picture on the bench.



Trying for an artsy photo of the carousel in motion.



The horses were all brown and black and had real horse hair tails.





The carousel was in the process of being renovated as you can tell by this next picture. Check out the panels along the top.



Our guide bought us each a ticket and we hopped on for a ride.















As you can see, Tom was very thorough with his picture taking and John was quite the photo bomber all throughout.

One of the stationary seats was restored in memory of Walt.





Off to one side of the carousel was another of the original benches used by Walt himself.







Up Next: Conclusion of the Tour and some DTD Fun

 

[missangelalexis]

Sounds like a great continuation of the tour! So cool that you got to ride the carousel!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Each family on our tour was given the chance to stand in the garden and pay our respects.

We drove by and there was one grubby little sign along the road stating it was the former site of Hyperion Studios.

The house was in the middle of being demolished, hence the dumpster out front. We may have been one of the last tour groups that got to see it.

This sounds like such an amazing tour. I've read about all these places, so it is really awesome to be able to see what they look like now. I love all the pics on the carousel and the memorials to Walt and his family. It really is incredible to see the spot where it all began with just a simple idea of kids and their parents being able to experience the fun together. I'm such a sap, it's making me teary eyed!!

 

[rteetz]

Looks like a great time on the tour. The Griffith Park merry go round would definitely be a highlight. That is also really cool that they took you to the burial site of Walt and family.

 

[Pluto0809]

Sounds like a great continuation of the tour! So cool that you got to ride the carousel!

It really was a great tour and I loved riding the carousel.

This sounds like such an amazing tour. I've read about all these places, so it is really awesome to be able to see what they look like now. I love all the pics on the carousel and the memorials to Walt and his family. It really is incredible to see the spot where it all began with just a simple idea of kids and their parents being able to experience the fun together. I'm such a sap, it's making me teary eyed!!

I totally feel you, it was quite the awe inspiring day!

Looks like a great time on the tour. The Griffith Park merry go round would definitely be a highlight. That is also really cool that they took you to the burial site of Walt and family.

I loved all of the stops on this tour but the carousel was definitely the most fun.

 

[Pluto0809]

Conclusion of the Tour and Some DTD Fun Part 1

After leaving Griffith Park, we headed to Burbank and stopped by The Walt Disney Studios. We weren’t able to go on the property but our guide was very thorough and made stops at 3 different gates. I will say that this was the only time where the tour seemed to get a little tedious. I think we would have been fine stopping at just the main gate and seeing the rest out the windows of the van. As a matter of fact, Mom didn’t even bother to get out of the van at the last stop.

First we stopped near the Roy E Disney Animation Building.





I think I need these fence posts around my yard at home.











Our second stop was here.





Finally we made it to the main gate. Mom was getting tired of climbing in and out of the van so she stayed put while the rest of us got out. I think the mom from the other group stayed in the van too.



I had seen pictures of the building with the seven dwarfs but it was really neat to see it in person. Unfortunately the trees were blocking one of the dwarfs on the far right. Dopey is on the top above the other six.







If it had Mickey on it I took a picture.



Our next stop was the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The building is massive and I could not get all of it in one picture.













The final stop on our tour was the Millennium Biltmore Hotel which was the founding place of the Academy Awards.



Tom told us that tours were technically not allowed at the hotel but he had figured out a way around that. He was going to buy us all a drink at the small coffee shop so that we were technically paying customers.

We entered through the lobby which was gorgeous.





Everything was very grand.





Continued in Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

Conclusion of the Tour and Some DTD Fun Part 2





We took a few minutes to each place an order, I ended up getting a hot chocolate since I don’t drink coffee. We found a small alcove with couches and sat for a few minutes with our drinks while Tom went over some of the history of the hotel most of which I don’t remember at this point. After we had mostly finished our drinks, we walked around the hotel for a bit. There was a hall with some photographs. Can anyone spot a familiar face in this one?



I’m sure most of you have seen this next famous photo of Walt and Shirley Temple.





We took a peek in the Crystal Ballroom where some of the early Academy Awards were held.



This bar is famous for being in the Pretty Woman movie.



Gorgeous fountain in the lobby.



And that was the last picture I took on the tour. We loaded back up in the van and headed back down to Anaheim. One thing I think I forgot to mention was the TV in the van. Tom played quite a few videos as we drove relating to the stops we made. Our trek back to our hotel took a while due to traffic but he played a longer video that helped pass the time. I will admit I think I may have dozed off a bit, the van seats were pretty comfortable and it had been a long day.

Overall, we loved the tour and would do it again in a minute. It was a wonderful way to get to see many of the sites we had only read about in the past. I think all of us would recommend this company to anyone who wanted to do a tour. I will say I was glad we did the Walt Tour rather than the Combo Tour. It was 2 hours longer than the tour we did which I think might have been a bit much.

We were dropped off right in front of our hotel around 5 pm and we headed back to our rooms to drop off the stuff we bought. John was tired and immediately laid down for a bit. Mom and I waited for a while but we were getting antsy so we decided to just head out to Downtown Disney and they could join us when the wanted. Honestly I think Mom and I were kind of happy to have some alone time to shop. John and Jocelyn never did come to DTD. Instead they went to an area called Anaheim Garden Walk with is a retail area near Disneyland. I know they walked around and got dinner but I have no idea where.

Mom and I set out and made our way to Downtown Disney.



It was time for some serious shopping!



We spent a lot of time wandering around WOD since we were able to take our time. I ended up buying a Stitch Sweatshirt.





A Mickey bracelet. This one was from the same make of jewelry as the one I bought in November that broke. I don’t think I had worn the other one yet or at least had not noticed the stone that had fallen out of that one. So far though this second one has held up nicely so maybe I just got a defective one the first time.


I went ahead and got the Boba Fett key chain I had spotted the previous day for my husband Jim.



I picked up a Stitch car decal. These are different than the old ones and are a sticker rather than a transfer.



Here it is on my car after I got home. I thought it matched wonderfully with the color of my car.



Unfortunately it lasted less than a week before disappearing off of the window. The decal seemed very sticky so I doubt it fell off which leads me to conclude that someone stole it. I was pretty mad about that one!

My final purchase was something for my brother. When we were in DL the day before, John had picked up and admired a Tiana ornament. He made the offhand comment that maybe someone would get it for him for Christmas. I took that as a hint and picked it up for him that night. I ended up giving it to him for his birthday in May and he loved it.



I know Mom bought a nightshirt and some postcards and probably a few other things I’m forgetting at this point.

All the shopping had made us hungry and our lackluster lunch was a long way in the past so we discussed where to eat. There was one place that had smelled amazing the previous night so we decided to head there. It was Naples Ristorante e Pizzeria.

I was getting a little chilly so we asked to sit inside and had a wait of about 15 minutes. First up was some delicious bread.



We both ended up getting individual pizzas. Mom chose the Margherita.



I got mine with grilled chicken which is my go to pizza topping.



I’m not ashamed to admit that I ate every bite of my pizza and so did Mom. It was so delicious! It reminded me strongly of the pizza at Via Napoli in Epcot. This turned out to be one of our favorite sit downs of the trip.

There wasn’t anything on the dessert menu that grabbed our interest so we settle our bill and headed out. I would definitely eat there again in a heartbeat.

We still did want dessert though so we headed across the way to Marceline’s Confectionery. I got a chocolate cupcake which I’m sure is not a surprise to anyone.



And Mom got a caramel apple.



We took our treats to go and headed back to the room. My cupcake was yummy, so much better than the Sprinkles one from the previous day. Mom was a tiny bit annoyed because they would not cut up her apple at the store like they do at WDW. All they gave us was a tiny plastic knife to do it ourselves. It was really hard but I managed to cut it up for her so she could eat it.

And that ends day 4 of the trip. No pin trades since we didn’t enter a park but I still got my 10,000 steps in for the day.



Up Next: We Visit the Scarier Side of LA

 

[missangelalexis]

Great pictures from the rest of the tour, I'm glad you all enjoyed it!

Nice that you and your mom could get some quality time together, sounds like a nice evening at Downtown Disney!

It is annoying that they won't cut up the apples for you! Those plastic knives they give you are pretty useless too!

 

[rteetz]

That does seem a bit tedious. Overall that tour looks like fun. The building with the dwarfs was designed by Michael Graves who was the designer of the Swan and Dolphin in WDW.

You can never go wrong with shopping at DTD. That is nice you got the ornament for your brother. The pizza reminding you of Via Napoli makes sense as Naples is owned by the same company as Via Napoli

 

[Pluto0809]

Great pictures from the rest of the tour, I'm glad you all enjoyed it!

Nice that you and your mom could get some quality time together, sounds like a nice evening at Downtown Disney!

It is annoying that they won't cut up the apples for you! Those plastic knives they give you are pretty useless too!

We had a great time on the tour and then lots of fun at DTD. Mom and I do get another day to ourselves coming up!

I had a horrible time with that knife but I was determined to get it cut up for her.

That does seem a bit tedious. Overall that tour looks like fun. The building with the dwarfs was designed by Michael Graves who was the designer of the Swan and Dolphin in WDW.

You can never go wrong with shopping at DTD. That is nice you got the ornament for your brother. The pizza reminding you of Via Napoli makes sense as Naples is owned by the same company as Via Napoli

I can definitely see the similarities between that building and the Swan and Dolphin.

And I should have guessed that the two restaurants were related, the pizza was very similar!

Thanks for both facts, I find that kind of stuff fascinating.

 

[Pluto0809]

We Visit the Scarier Side of LA Part 1

Well folks, this day has absolutely no Disney in it but I still want to tell you about some of our interesting adventures. This was the day we were renting a car and seeing some LA sites on our own. We each had something we wanted to see that day and we started off by heading to Venice Beach which was Mom’s pick. She wanted to see Muscle Beach.

But first before we got that far, we headed to breakfast at our hotel where I was very happy to see waffles.



Certainly not Mickey waffles but they weren’t bad and I love waffles. I recently discovered Mickey shaped Eggo waffles and they have become an obsession.

The rental car place was right in the lobby of our hotel and while John and Jocelyn were filling out the paperwork, I ducked into the gift shop and picked up a few items. So, OK, I guess there is a tiny bit of Disney in this post.



We were given a rather large SUV. The original plan was to have the car for just two days but for an additional $35, we could keep it one more day and use it to get back to the airport since it was so big. Considering our Uber was about that much on the way to the airport, we took that option.

It was another dreary, cool day with some rain sprinkles but it didn’t stop us from doing anything. I should have known what we were getting into at Venice Beach when we parked right across from these interesting sights. That first one is almost as scary as the Boardwalk clown pool!





We were a bit early to be on the beach front and most stores were not open yet.



There were vendors selling various art and homemade trinkets, most of it horribly bad, that were also setting up across the way from the stores.





We walked out on a pier so we could see the ocean.







It was a Sunday morning and there was a church service going on the beach. We figured out later that it was mostly homeless at the service.



It was at this point that Jocelyn mentioned that she could really use a bathroom. There were some public ones right near were we came onto the beach front so we headed over there. The bathrooms were just individual stalls with metal doors and I walked over and opened one of the doors. I’m not sure I will ever get that nightmarish image out of my head. The stalls consisted of prison-like metal toilets and sinks. That wouldn’t have been too bad but the inch of water on the floor littered with underwear and other products of “The World’s Oldest Profession” was the real disturbing part. I closed the door quickly, told Jocelyn that she really didn’t have to go the bathroom that badly and we moved on.

Venice Beach is a strange mix of the stylish…





And the strange.



There were homeless everywhere and also marijuana stores. You could smell the marijuana pretty much all along the beach front.

Jocelyn really did need to use a restroom and the rest of us were starting to feel the urge too. After walking quite a ways, we found a small restaurant that was serving breakfast so we sat down for a second round of food just to have a place to pee.

We sat along the railing in a covered outdoor porch and this was our view.



We never could decide if the person playing the piano was male or female but he (or she) was very good and provided some nice background music. I ordered some toast and a hot chocolate as my second breakfast.



I honestly don’t remember what the rest ordered and I didn’t take pictures.

After finishing our food and using the restroom, we headed back out. While we were eating, I had noticed a lady setting up a table right across from the restaurant. I kind of wanted to get something small from one of the booths to bring home but so far most of the art was pretty bad, bordering on awful. But this lady had stone carved animals and I could tell even from a distance that they were of good quality. Her booth was swamped with customers the whole time we were eating.

I ended up picking out a stone elephant to bring home. He sits on a shelf in my office and I get a ton of complements on him. She told me what kind of stone he was carved out of but I’ve since forgotten what it is.





We walked a little further and stopped to watch some skateboarders.



Continued In Next Post

 

[Pluto0809]

We Visit the Scarier Side of LA Part 2



There was one of these stores on pretty much every corner.



Quite a few junky tourist shops also.



We finally made it to the area Mom wanted to see, the famous Muscle Beach.



Unfortunately due to either the dreary day or it being a Sunday, no one was working out. I was shocked to see how tattered and worn the equipment was. Definitely not what any of us pictured.





There were homeless tents set up everywhere. This was on the one side of the workout area.



More junky tourist shops. A lot of them still weren't open.



We saw a large stage being set up and realized it was for a fashion show for Tommy Hilfiger.



We made it as far as the famous Venice Beach sign before turning around. I snapped a picture even though we were on the wrong side of it.



A few more store front pictures.





At this point we realized that our parking meter would run out soon and we would not make it all the way back in time with Mom in tow. So we found a good meeting place and John and Jocelyn started at a fast walk back to the car while Mom and I visited a few stores. She was looking for post cards and did end up buying a few. I managed to find a pressed penny machine and got this silly surfer who I’m pretty sure is smoking something other than a cigarette.



We headed to our meeting place which was one road back from the beach front. I found this fire hydrant covered in pink paint and googly eyes interesting.



Despite the weirdness or Venice Beach, I never felt unsafe except for the few minutes we were standing there waiting for John and Jocelyn to pick us up. There was a lady riding a bike up and down the street yelling obscenities at everyone. Luckily our ride arrived shortly after and we left the craziness that was Venice Beach behind. I’m not sure it was exactly what Mom thought it would be but it was sure an interesting experience.

Our next stop was John’s pick and it was San Pedro to see the Port of Los Angeles. Unfortunately, John had messed up a little. He thought the Port was further north from Venice Beach but it was actually south so we ended up backtracking over an hour to get there. We should have done the Port first then Venice Beach. He also thought there was a park somewhere where we could see the Port really well. We did find a place but the view wasn’t the greatest.









My husband Jim ships over-sized cargo for a living so he uses the Port of LA a lot. I sent him some pictures and he was pretty jealous we were so close.

There wasn’t much activity at all since it was a Sunday and we walked quite a ways along the waterfront so John ended up running back and getting the car for us again. I think I was pretty close to hitting my 10,000 steps for the day and it was only about 1 pm.

Our next stop was the Warner Brothers Studio Tour which was the pick of both myself and Jocelyn. Our tour was a 3 pm so we needed to book it back up through LA and out to Hollywood to the Studio. We were definitely cutting it close to make it on time.

Up Next: Warner Brothers Studio Tour

 

[rteetz]

Wow your Venice beach report is interesting. Muscle beach would be something I'd want to see to. Never expected it to look so bad.

Seeing marijuana stores all over would take some getting used to.