parktrotter

I will now have to make a sharp turn, into another (but really, really different) example of Eisenhower-era Vacation Futurism. We decided tonight to go to Disneyland for a few days after I finish my quarterly grading ordeal. The trip was off as of this afternoon, but then we found a hotel that is cheaper than the Disneyland Hotel. We’ll see how barbaric.

I have a complex relationship with the whole Disney octopus. I grew up in Burbank, the Los Angeles suburb in which Walt Disney built his studio. As a child, The Mouse was always there, a few blocks away. Here’s an example: about the year 1971, if you got off the northbound Ventura Freeway at Buena Vista, you could see, from the top of the offramp, into a small fenced lot belonging to Disney. There sat a row of old Volkswagen Beetles, all painted the same color, with the number 53 all over them. Just as Lassie was played by many different collies, so was Herbie played by many different cars: these were Beetles for the original Herbie the Love Bug movies, awaiting the next sequel. The photo above nearly duplicates the scene, even though it was taken at a rally in Great Britain. Burbank is not that green.

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