This week I had the privilege and opportunity to attend the Discover Buena Vista Street with an Imagineer Tour. Here’s a recap.
I greatly enjoyed this opportunity to hear and see more about one of my favorite areas of all the Disney theme parks. And, a big thanks to Jay, the Imagineer, who took us around. He was not originally supposed to give the tour and was even under the weather. So, in case you read, Jay, thank you for showing us around and it was great! With that said, there were a great many things I learned about this new entrance area for California Adventure.
The first area of Buena Vista Street had the entrance, Oswald’s and even some trivia about the flagpole area. The Pan Pacific Theater is the inspiration for the turnstile entrance. And, it is very similar to Disney Hollywood Studios’ entrance as well. The original sadly burned down within opening of the Disney Hollywood Studios. Oswald’s is not a replica of any particular station of Los Angeles, but an homage to many around there. The Chamber of Commerce is similar in that even its architecture features elements from buildings around LA. The one item noted about the flagpole area is that there’s a time capsule buried to be dug up in some years.
The next areas were talks of the stores and main area of Buena Vista Street. The highlight was learning about the transition of decades the street has between the monorail bridge. The entrance half is centered around 1920’s era architecture and decor. On the other side it’s about the 1930’s with art deco styles.
The last leg of the tour was a real treat and surprise! We got to wander around the 1901 lounge, which is usually exclusive to Club 33 members.
I was impressed with the decor and ambiance of the lounge. The furniture seemed very unique, and even had original artifacts integrated in. Papers from Walt’s desk lined a couple of tables. Several pictures were all around and featured family heritage and early studio glimpses. The bar felt like an earlier century bar with director’s chairs of the brother duo’s names and their respective wives’ names. One highlight that I had been wanting to see for quite some time is “Walt’s shadow”. It’s a projected element that shows up from time to time in the main arch.
In all, this was a delightful tour. Like I said, it is one of my favorite areas of any park, so I’m always eager to learn more. There were a great many facts that I found out from this tour. And, I’ve gained even more appreciation for what gets put in for the theme of an area like this. It is more detailed than I had thought before. It was fun to find out about the connection between Los Angeles and the buildings inspired by the great city. I wish the tour were offered more often to everyone. Be sure to check out the highlights video and some photos of 1901.
And, until next time, have a marvelous day!
