DAMES DO HALLOWEENTIME: Part Two

After an amazing early afternoon at ESPN Zone, we were re-energized and ready to head over to Disney’s California Adventure for more Halloween fun! Our first stop was the brand new Carthay Circle Lounge, where everything old is new again!

It’s an art-deco styled restaurant and bar based on the Carthay Circle Theater here in Los Angeles, one of the most famous movie palaces of the golden age of Hollywood, not to mention the location of the 1937 premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

We lifted our noses teasingly, and strutted right on in towards the bar, where we oohed and ahhed over a menu of vintage cocktails, like the Pimm’s Punch, the Classic Dirty Martini, and my personal favorite -- the very delicious Hemingway Daiquiri.

We even shared a Lobster Pad Thai Roll snack to sample the food, and made a plan to come back with dinner reservations one day, to try the Jalapeno Cheddar Bacon Biscuits – raise your hand if all four of those words make you salivate…

Twenty minutes later, I’d determined that Carthay Circle Lounge is a great place to sit back, put your pinky up, and sip something delicious. It’s décor is simple – black and white photographs, long curtains, stained glass windows – but believe me when I say that the place oozes class. And for the cherry on top of the proverbial sundae, if you listen every so closely, you can even hear the jazzy renditions of your favorite Disney tunes over the lounge speaker.

Oh Carthay Circle, you know just how to win this Disney Dame’s heart.

After our jazzy good time, on our way to the Ladybug Boogie in Bug’s Land, we were delighted to run into a very special guy!

And then something very unexpected occurred. Leigh stopped, cleared her throat, looked to her fellow Dames, and made an announcement.

She was ready to try something new.

She was ready to leave the past behind.

She was ready to plunge thirteen stories in the baddest elevator you’ll ever board.

Allow me to give some context so that you know just how special this moment was: For the past two years, I’ve made many unsuccessful attempts to get Leigh to ride Tower of Terror. She has always been very clear that she would have to be “blacked out and carried on” if it was ever going to happen. And don’t think I didn’t consider that option. ;-)

I’d begged. I’d pleaded. I’d blackmailed. Still, I’d always managed to end up walking by that architectural gem of a hotel, fantasizing and thinking to myself, “one day…”

 

I had no idea it would come so soon. But boy was I glad it did.

She was very nervous in line – she paid close attention to all details around us for clues about what she would soon encounter. She made many references to being crazy, and even one about death by Disney ride. She repelled our attempts at distracting small talk. And after the library video, I just knew she was going to run immediately for the chicken emergency exit. But our girl was on board!

She’d made up her mind, and she wasn’t turning back.

She did SCREAM BLOODY MURDER FOR WHAT SEEMED LIKE AN ETERNITY as we buckled up pre-ride, though. But we forgave her for that. ;-)

So how did she fare, you ask?

She. Loved. It.

She enjoyed every bit of the Tower of Terror, and was so excited that upon exiting she threw her hands up in one of those college girl “whoooooo!” moments, and promptly fell down a few stairs.

But I’d never seen someone so happy to have conquered a lifetime fear. And I’d never been so happy to see someone do it. So we decided to celebrate at the Mad T Party happening just beyond the ride, where we were immediately met by the out-of-control fun, the out-of-control color, and the out-of-control madness that lies inside!

We quickly took in the amazing sights – Tweedledee and Tweedledum on stilts, Alice doing lead vocals for the band onstage, and our favorite part, the very festive bar in the corner, entitled Drink Me.

And when the Dames see a sign that says “Drink Me”, well…we do as we’re told. ;-)

 

We had a great time dancing under strobe lights to the music of the band, who sang everything from Top 40 Hits like Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” to oldies but oh-so-goodies, like Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”...

...and we even took out a few minutes to play the games in the Alice in Wonderland themed arcade, which is, I’m just gonna say it, WAY more fun than the Tron themed one that lived there before.

And when it was time to go home, we were truly sad to leave Wonderland and the time of our lives.

Disneyland, as usual, left us charmed, amazed, and grateful for friendship.  

I even finished the weekend off with a nostalgic Facebook post noting that “the amount of fun I had with my girls should be a crime in the State of California.” But there’s only one place in the world you can have fun that big anyway.

And I’m guessing you know what it is. :-)

DAMES DO HALLOWEENTIME: Part One

Two weekends ago, change was moving quickly over the horizon in the lives of the Disney Dames. Among us, we’d experienced a bad break-up, quitting a stressful job, and welcoming one of our best friends back home after three years in North Carolina pretty much all in the same week. Needless to say, we had much to celebrate/mourn, and we knew just where to do it!

With our hearts on our sleeves and our annual passes in our wallets, the Dames met early on a Sunday morning, and geared up for what would become an epic Disneyland trip…

After our usual stop at Starbucks for iced lattes and refreshers, we began the Disney day by getting Fastpasses for Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.

This seasonally revamped attraction is a MUST DO during Halloweentime, but always crowded. You’ll likely have to wait a few hours before you can use your Fastpass, but you’ll cut your wait time by 60% (at least). So in the meantime, you can squeeze in a few other rides, like we did.

Star Tours had a very short wait time, so we jumped right on for a ride on the Endor Express! The new version of this ride is incredible. 3D and a randomized sequence of stops and Star Wars cameos really takes it to the moon, if you will. ;-) If you haven’t experienced it, run don’t walk.

Next up, we dashed over to Adventureland to ride another favorite of ours, Indiana Jones Adventure, only to find that…Dum dum dum dum…duuuuuuuummm…!!!

IT WAS CLOSED for renovations! Notice our severe disappointment below, as our Indiana dreams were dashed.

...ah well...there's always next time...sigh...

At this point, we realized we still had a little time to kill before our Fastpass time, so it seemed the perfect time to try something new, ie: Innoventions! And with the realization that the temperature was slowly exceeding ninety degrees, I ran ahead to the attraction and waited for my friends to arrive.

What did I do to pass the time? What any girl would do to keep herself from melting into a puddle of aloe vera lotion and Mac liquid studio fix – I walked in and out of the entrance door, letting the air conditioner fan hit me. Over. And over. And over. And let me tell you, it felt like heaven. *Because in my picture of heaven, there are white tuxedos, unicorns, and a strong air conditioning unit hidden in a fluffy cloud.* But I digress…

 

Innoventions is a very intriguing walkthrough attraction that has been rumored to be on the chopping block for years. Created in 1998, it’s a warehouse of sorts with futuristic inventions like virtual videogames and voice activated appliances for you to marvel at. Problem? The inventions inside aren’t so futuristic anymore. :/ In the age of Facebook, Wii and the iPhone, Dance Dance Revolution isn’t so amazing, and can even seem a bit…I’m just gonna say it.

Vintage.

Even still, I’m glad we got to experience Innoventions. It’s fun to play the videogames...

...sit in the new Honda SUV...

...and most of all, walk through the Dream Home. In every room lies something cool. The kitchen is named Lillian, and “she” takes stock of what you need from the grocery store, pulls up recipes on a virtual screen, and even turns music and water off and on by your command. In the teenager’s bedroom, you can freeze your dresser mirror to take a photo of yourself and even pull up Facebook and email on it.

This is a cool house, trust me. It’s the Jetsons' proposed future crossed with our practical future, and it’s amazing. If I had the force within, I would magically uproot the home, send it flying through the air thirty-five minutes North, and drop it on a plot in the middle of Inglewood for myself. If only dreams were real…

After leaving Innoventions, it was finally time to board the very scary Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy! This is one of my favorite parts of Disneyland’s Halloweentime -- the entire feel of the ride is much more intense and creepy than it is the rest of the year. Unlike the starry skies you ride through in the regular version, this version sends your pummeling through the complete darkness with a mysterious ghost chasing you along the way. I won’t spoil it for those that haven’t yet experienced it, but there’s also a very fun surprise in the end that will leave you breathless!

Definitely check it out when you can, but remember Halloweentime ends on November 1^st!

After an early morning of spooky fun, we were pretty hungry and ready for our usual late morning pit stop at ESPN Zone, where we refueled for the second half of the day.

With a backdrop of Sunday afternoon football, we had much-needed girl talk, a very scandalous tweeting session, and some very refreshing mojitos made by our favorite bartender, Guillermo!

And of course a trip to ESPN wouldn’t be complete without a photo…or two….or three…or four. ;-)

Stay tuned for DAMES DO HALLOWEENTIME: Part Two, where we had our first visit to Carthay Circle, partied with the Mad Hatter, and one of us conquered a lifetime fear!

This is how we get down. ;-)

IF THE VILLAINS HAD WON...

Ever wonder what would have happened if some of Disney’s most popular villains had won the final battles in their movies – if Scar had remained King of the Jungle, if Jafar hadn’t been banished to the Cave of Wonders, if Gaston had maintained a better grip on that castle balcony?

Artist Justin Turrentine (of www.DeviantArt.com) took a stab at answering that question this Halloween season, as he tucked himself away in the land of what almost was and created these beautiful drawings featuring your favorite Disney villains!

I took the liberty of writing some fun captions for each – post your ideas of what the characters are thinking in the comments section below...

"Ooh...surf AND turf. I'm making today my cheat day..."

"Smile with your eyes, smile with your eyes..."

"What? You didn't think I could look this fierce alone, did you?"

"Is this chair a little wobbly to you? That's the last time I go Ikea. "

"And I'll throw in two glass slippers and a Target gift card..."

Brace yourself this Halloween. Looks like evil is making a comeback. ;-)

HALLOWEENTIME AT LAST!

It's here, it's here! That's right, it's Halloweentime at last, and time to make this year's spooky season better than ever! And as usual, Disneyland is ever up to the challenge.

Anyone else get chills when this commercial comes on? ;-)



Stay tuned for our first spooky, fear-defying visit of the month to Disneyland's Halloweentime, and buckle your seatbelts for a month of ghoulish fun! But remember...beware the hitchhiking ghosts!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Something Wicked This Way Comes...at Disneyland!

It's that time again -- that's right, we're just one short week away from the official start of Fall, the most wonderful time of the year!

Everyone has their reasons for loving Fall. For some, it's the Fall leaves...

For others, it's the Fall fashion...

And still for others, it's the fact that their children are back in school...




(Shout-out to my Mom, who LOVED this commercial, and also became maniacally excited when it was Back-to-School time, LOL)

While these are all amazing aspects of the season, for the Disney Dames, the best part of Fall without question...is HALLOWEEN!

We love Halloween!

We LOVE Halloween!

...and did I mention we love Halloween? ;-)

So luckily for us, Halloweentime at Disneyland starts early! It's an incredibly special time of year for the three of us -- we so look forward to the change of decor, the seasonal sweet treats, and the spooky ride updates! And as usual, the attention to detail employed by the Imagineers, who work through long nights to make the holiday come to life, is amazing!

Check out some of my favorite highlights from Dames Do Halloweentime Past below, and stay tuned for more spooky-themed Disney posts next month!

In the meantime, Halloweentime at Disneyland begins THIS FRIDAY, September 14^th, and runs through October 31^st. So if you haven’t been, check it out! And if you have, check it out again. Every year is a little bit different, and who knows…you may just see the Dames there! ;-)

Disneyland: A Voice of Liberty

I’m not the least bit bashful when I name the amazingly cool and educational Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln as one of my favorite Disneyland experiences.



I usually have to drag the other Dames kicking and screaming, and even sometimes go alone while they get corn dogs or take photos elsewhere in park. But thanks to Mother Nature and the unusually hot temperatures of last weekend, this time convincing the Dames to sit in on the air-conditioned Great Moments was a cinch. ;-)

And what awaited us just outside the theater was a brand-new treat that made the heat much more bearable. No, not froyo…something way better: The Voices of Liberty!





The Voices of Liberty is an acapella singing group that debuted at Disneyland back in June to accompany Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln with sweet, sweet sound. For about fifteen pre-show minutes, they dazzle you with eight-part harmony on American standards such as America the Beautiful, This Land is Your Land, and Grand Ole’ Flag. *Shout-out to Mrs. Thibodeaux, my fourth grade teacher, who made us sing one of these EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. before the start of class, so I knew all the lyrics and could sing along.*

The Disney parks are well-known for providing a forum for great, budding talent and Disneyland’s Voices of Liberty are no exception. As a singer myself, I’m a bit of a song-snob (I’ll admit it!) and very critical of voice performances, but these men and women were fantastic! Completely on key, completely on time, completely in sync. Leave it to Disney to accept nothing less than perfection. Not to mention that completing a five-song acapella set in a cotton-burlap-polyester blend in 90-degree heat is no easy feat – but they did it with the effortless grace of Civil War-era ladies and gentlemen, making me, as usual, yearn for a classier time long, long ago and far, far away.

Inside the Great Moments exhibit in the theater’s entryway is a short film documenting Abraham Lincoln’s rise from a tree-chopping young man, to a lawyer in Illinois, to our nation’s 16^th president. If you don’t know much about his life and presidency (and even if you do), this exhibit is fascinating. I love walking around the early model of the White House and taking in the Civil War-era dim-lit chandeliers and décor, and for those not as interested in all that, there’s an entire exhibit on the history of Disneyland as well. *Be sure to take a look at the original blueprints for the park while you’re in there. You’ll find that much has changed over the years.

After the film ends, you are invited inside the theater for the show. But this time, the Voices of Liberty started us off with another medley of patriotic tunes, and I have to say I loved every minute of it! I kept thinking that I wish they always started off this show! What I really loved about this portion of things was when they did a medley paying homage to those that fight for our country. They sang the song of each branch of the military, and as they did, called out for anyone who serves or has ever served in that branch to stand, so that we could applaud and thank them for their service, something that isn't done nearly enough.

During the Navy song, an old man a few rows in front of us stood up very slowly, but surely. His legs undoubtedly moved a little differently that day than they had when he fought for our country, but he wanted his moment anyway. And we wanted to give it to him. And as his eyes teared up to our loud applause, I felt so lucky to be there.

Then came the short introductory reel about Lincoln. It includes a music video, “Two Brothers”, about a family whose sons were split apart by the Civil War. One fought for the Confederacy, and the other for the Union. One particular hook in the song always stands out to me:

“One was gentle, one was kind. One was gentle, one was kind. One came home, one stayed behind. The cannonball don’t pay no mind. The cannonball don’t pay no mind, if you’re gentle or if you’re kind. It don’t think of the folks behind…”

*Note: this is NOT the video from Disneyland, just the song.

This song haunts me every time, as it reminds me of the harsh realities of war and the ultimate pices paid to keep our country safe. So by the time the curtain rises next, revealing an eerily-realistic animatronic Abe, I’m feeling all kinds of patriotic!

His speech is referred to in the show as “ten short sentences” that changed the world, that he had no idea would become immortalized. So every time I come to the show, I try to actually count the sentences. I’ve counted 14, 16, 19, and even 21 over the years (and that’s being generous with punctuation), but never as few as 10. It’s a pretty long speech, really. Someone can’t count here. But I digress…

It's such a well-written speech that by the end, you are energized, excited, and you may even jump to your feet screaming "YES WE CAN!" Oh wait...wrong President. ;-)

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln is an underrated treasure. It’s a great show for a mature audience, and an even better show for youth – it’s a fun way to introduce them to such an important time in our history, and may even inspire them to seek more knowledge of it. It's a must-do! Since it’s right near the Disneyland gates, it’s tempting to walk right by to get to more exciting rides or to get to bed after a long day of fun, but next time take a few minutes to stop and check it out. I think you’ll be happy you did. And if you get there before September 18^th, you’ll get to see the Voices of Liberty up close and personal!

In the meantime, thank you Disneyland and Voices of Liberty for reminding us in the midst of fun how blessed we are to be Americans. For reminding us how grateful we should be to the men who fought for our freedom long ago.



And to the many that fight for it every single day.



Thank you for bringing a tear to that former soldier’s eye.

And for making that a moment I will never forget.

ASIA'S FAVORITE RIDE: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

I am a girl who longs for the polished glamour of Marilyn Monroe and Dorothy Dandridge. Who reads true crime novels. Who wears cherry red lipstick and evening gloves. Who hosts murder mystery parties. Who listens to Ella Fitzgerald while cooking. 

And I am a girl who, on a dark, stormy night alone in the house, curls up with a bowl of Top Ramen and a few of my favorite scary movies.

So for a girl like me, Disney has never done it better than with the glamorous mystery of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

If you’ve been to Disney’s California Adventure and/or Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, you’ve seen the tall, gorgeous building looming in the distance, beckoning you to summon up the courage to step inside. This ride possesses a slightly different character than other Disney attractions, abandoning the bright, cheery whimsy of fantasy, and taking you to depths a bit darker.

You feel it the moment you step inside the Hollywood Tower Hotel – that unsettling feeling that something is very off. And it is. On every piece of furniture is the dusty abandonment of a far more glamorous time, and brushing by your ear is the soft, solemn whisper of one starry night cut short.

 



Your challenge is to take the pieces of the puzzle left scattered in those whispers and make it complete.

If you haven’t experienced this MUST-DO attraction, here’s a short summary (SPOILERS AHEAD):

The premise of the ride is that you are the guests in an old hotel that was abandoned after the mysterious disappearance of five members of Hollywood glitterati. The line queue weaves you through what was once the gorgeous lobby of the hotel for the who's who. And in the library, the one-and-only Rod Serling introduces you to the fateful night in 1939 when everything changed…

Shortly thereafter, you are led to the Boiler Room, where you board the hotel's maintenance elevator (the main one is still "out-of-order"), hang on tight, and hope for a better fate than that of those before you. ;-)

Needless to say, this ride is not for the faint of heart.  It’s got thrills, chills, and an end drop sequence that can bring out a high-pitched scream in the toughest of men. But there’s nothing like the rush you feel when you arrive back on the ground floor to that familiar four-note hook, and you inevitably smile and say, “I want to do it again!”

I rode Tower of Terror for the first time when I was fourteen, and my best friend and I repeated it twelve times in a row, in hopes of breaking a record FAR larger than we realized at the time. But hey, it was a valiant effort. ;-)

So for all the girls who ever watched Twilight Zone episodes on their daddy’s laps…

Or ever read more Agatha Christie books than they can count...



Or ever threw a 1920s speakeasy-style Murder Mystery Party for their birthday…

This one's for you. ;-)

-Asia

***If you too adore all things vintage and mystery, check out the horror anthology that I write for: The Palmer Hotel, with my very own mini-mystery in Room 1210***