Happy Place Hodgepodge - May and June 2014

As much as I've hesitated to say it, I suppose the truth must come out. Right now I, Days in the Park, Chad if you prefer, am basically without an Annual Pass. Well, that's not entirely true. I have a Pass, it's just blacked out right now until the middle of August so, for all intents and purposes, I'm a Pass-less Annual Pass-holding blogger. Say that five times really fast!

That being the case, pictures and trips out to Disneyland have been few and far between over the last couple of months, which has left me scrounging a mite for things to write about and digging for pictures to put up for you loyal readers!

I was going through things last week and stumbled across a few that I had trapped in the bowels of my phone which I realized I had never posted! Hooray for old age and forgetfulness!! And with that, another "Happy Place Hodgepodge" is born! These were taken over the course of several visits during the end of May and middle of June when I made my last trip to The Parks before my blackouts began.

I also managed to spend some time in Downtown Disney earlier this week and took another load of pictures to share with everyone, and those will make up another hodgepodge for later in the week, so if you're enjoying these posts, keep checking back and I promise another one really soon.

I hope that you enjoy them as much as I enjoy taking them. The Park is so full of wonder and things to see and experience that sometimes you just never feel like you can do enough. But maybe, if I keep trying and putting these up, I'll manage to fill the same hole in someone else that looking through them again fills in me while I can't go myself.

Enjoy!

One of my absolute FAVORITE things to do every trip is just to ride the Disneyland Railroad. Grand Circle tour of Walt's Magic Kingdom, anyone?

The Mighty Ducks WERE a Disney-owned team at one point; what else would I be rocking on Main Street?!

Even trains need a little water sometimes - Disneyland Railroad, New Orleans Square Station

Pioneer Chili Cheeseburger - Hungry Bear Restaurant, Critter Country

"Honey, I'm home!" - The Haunted Mansion, New Orleans Square

Look everyone, it's Amy! Four years of friendship and still going strong! #DisneylandFriendsAreTheBestFriends

I get a chance to spend time with some amazing people at Disneyland, and my friend Brittany is one of them! If you see her (and she'll probably be at the Mad T Party), tell her I said hi!

Because what else are you going to chant at 3am in the morning when you're high on Mickey Mouse Chicken and Waffles?!

See?

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New Orleans Square Station: Disneyland's Undiscovered Secrets

Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney Babies Blog and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 2nd stop on our Magical Blogorail. For today's topic we're talking about the undiscovered things from our favorite Disney Parks; secrets, little details, all the little things that make our favorite Place so special. For today's article, we're going to be looking at a very special place in Disneyland: New Orleans Square Station. Welcome aboard again! We're glad you're back, and hope you enjoy your journey along our magical rail!

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"To all who come to this happy place, welcome.

Disneyland is your land.

Here age relives fond memories of the past,

and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.

Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America,

with the hope that it will be a source of joy, and inspiration, to all the world." - Walter Elias Disney

Perhaps if you're not a Disneyland Resort regular, the above words might possibly mean very little to you, and if so, shame on you! (I only say that because I have them committed to memory) 

When Disneyland first opened its gates in 1955, it did so to these words spoken by Walt Disney himself. The words themselves are memorialized forever in The Park, and any Disneyland fan whose worth his salt probably knows most, if not all, all of them the exact same way that I do. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I've heard them about a million times during watching the "Remember... Dreams Come True" Fireworks show. But did you know that you can still hear the words spoken, in a manner of speaking, each and every day inside Disneyland still? And probably in the place you'd least expect it.

I can remember very early on in my Disneyland Park trips, each and every time I would pull into the New Orleans Square Station on the Disneyland Railroad, you could hear the audible tap-tap-tap of a telegraph line going off. Of course, back in the old days, it was how people communicated along the railroad lines. Not morse code exactly, but by tap-tapping that little thing, companies like Western Union were able to send messages across the country in ways they never had before. So it makes perfect sense the depots at Disneyland might do exactly the same thing. But I remember always wondering just exactly what it meant, if anything. Like most of Disneyland's secrets or details, everything tends to mean something, if one can only find out what.

I honestly can't say I where I learned it from at this point (it's too far back in my future), but of course now I know (and you will too!) that the little tap-tap-tap of the telegraph line is actually putting out the first few lines of Walt's Dedication Speech (up through youth savoring the challenge of the future). How cool and awesomely amazing is that??? In fact, I believe at one point when we were riding through this particular depot, a Cast Member on the train asked if anyone knew exactly what the telegraph was putting out, and I was able to recite the entire speech on the spot; not to brag or anything! And it's always a good time when you're standing in a long line of people at the depot to pay attention to conversation because, many times, you hear people around saying the exact same thing I used to: "I wonder if that telegraph noise means anything."

So there you have it! A well known, and still amazingly enough little known secret about Disneyland, and Walt Disney himself!

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is Pursuing the Magic.

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Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Disney Babies Blog
2nd Stop ~ Days in the Park
3rd Stop ~ Pursuing the Magic
4th Stop ~ The CanaDisney Blog

Days In The Park's Favorite Things: The Mint Julep

We've spent some time in the past talking about Amy's favorite things, and we've even spent some time talking about Chad's favorite things, or Mark's favorite things, but every so often something comes along that we can all get on behind, prompting a big "Favorite Things!" from all of us.  Such is the case with this little Park classic on the tips of so many people's tongues (literally and figuratively), the Mint Julep in New Orleans Square.

Typically, people fall into one of two categories when they think of the Mint Juleps at The Park:

1. The "They taste like glorified mouthwash" camp and
2. The "They're the best!" camp

So, other than Amy (because she's an old hat and they're relatively new to Chad and Mark), we weren't really sure whether we initially wanted to try the little concoction or not.  But having done so we can proudly say, "They're the best!", with all the enthusiasm we can muster.

So first things first.  What exactly is the Mint Julep in should you so desire one?  The Park describes it as "A refreshing mint drink with a hint of lime flavor", which is actually what made us hesitant to try one in the first place, and is surely why many people fall into the "glorified mouthwash" camp.  We figured the mint would more than overpower the lime in the drink, and thus be exactly like drinking mouthwash.  But after having had several of our own, we tend to think it's more of "A refreshing lime drink with a hint of mint flavor".  In all of the ones we've had, we've never felt the mint was too overpowering; it's always been light and refreshing, which is just what we're looking for.  That said, we know it's probably still not for everyone (different people have different tastes and buds), but if you're on the fence because of the mint, we have to encourage to try it for yourself and see what you think.  It just may surprise you like it did us!  Our friend Amanda at Disney Go To Girl described the Julep in one of her articles as a "mint-flavored lemonade", and we think that's pretty close to the mark, too.

And you can see exactly how it's served up, complete with a lime, lemon, a few mint leaves, lots of ice, and a cherry on top!  Just hits the spot perfectly on a hot day in July in The Park.

Now that you know what the Mint Julep is, we suppose you'd be wondering where exactly to go to get one.  Luckily for you, we know the answer!  One place you can find it should you get a hankering for one is Cafe Orleans in New Orleans Square.  If you're going to be eating at that restaurant, it will definitely compliment your meal and with free refills, you can't go wrong.  That said, our favorite place to grab one is at the Mint Julep Bar itself, also in New Orleans Square.  It's located right next to the dining patio for the French Market restaurant.  In fact, if you are taking the Disneyland Railroad from Main Street USA to New Orleans Square, you'll most likely see the bar as soon as you de-board.  It's practically right in front of you across from The Haunted Mansion.  The drink itself will run you only $2.99 (a steal!) and is well worth the money we think.  Sometimes you pay an amount for a drink and feel ripped off a bit, but we've never felt that in this case, and we'll usually order one and either park ourselves at some nearby tables, or wander off into Critter Country, happily sipping away.

Really wanna go nuts?  Feel free to polish it off with an order of Mickey-shaped beignets too and feel those sugar energies soar!  A 3-pack with run you $3.99 and a 6-pack will run you $6.99.  But who doesn't love little fried Mickey heads with confectioner's sugar on top?

And there you have the Julep!  Again, we know that a lot of people probably don't or wouldn't like these little beauties, but if you've never tried one, they come with our highest recommendations and are firmly at the top of the list where it comes to our favorite "In-Park" treats.  Try one for yourself and see if you like it!

What say you?  Have you tried the Julep yourself?  Let us know what you think!  And if you've never tried one, and you plan to, come on back and let us know if you liked it.  We'd love to hear from you!

Days In The ParkCast - Episode 3

We're back!  Our self-imposed vacation is officially over and we're ready to get back in the saddle and continue writing about our days in The Park, or talking about them if you'd prefer, since we decided for our first day back we'd post the latest episode of our podcast: Days In The Parkcast.

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Show Notes:
Originally recorded: 4/17/2011
Final editing done: 4/18/2011
Hosted by: Chad Elliott & Mark Treiger

Intro featuring music by George Thorogood and the Destroyers “Any Town USA” – (music from music.mevio.com; Music Alley)
Recent Trip Recap
- In trouble before we even leave
- Shopping at Greetings From California and Engine-Ears Toys
- Mission Tortilla Factory
- Silly Symphony Swings
- Disney Animation Building "Animation Loop"
- River Belle Terrace
- Pooh Corner
- Fantasmic!
- Closing the night in Frontierland, Sleeping Beauty Castle & Main Street U.S.A.

Star Tours: The Adventure Continues Updates

- Destinations Announced!

- AP Preview Sweepstakes

Trivia
- Hidden Mickey Segment
- New Orleans Square Train Station

Hungry Bear Restaurant
- Listener request
- New Menu
- Fantasmic!
- Restrooms
- Pooh Corner

Outro featuring music by Bowling For Soup “Friends Chicks Guitars” – (music from music.mevio.com; Music Alley)

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Feel free to listen to our "Parkcast" here or download the mp3 directly to listen.  Alternately, you can subscribe to our podcast's RSS feed or listen and subscribe to us through iTunes.  If you do listen to us through iTunes we'd love to have you leave us a rating and some feedback - we'd really appreciate it.

Hope you enjoy!