Growing up and living in Los Angeles you would think that I would go to Disneyland yearly.   I’ve had my fair share of visits to the park but I had not been there in 17 years.  The last time I went was in 1992 with my mom and dad. How things have changed in my life since that last visit! In fact, I missed my whole decade of the thirties ever going to Disneyland!

I suppose there is no other attraction or icon that is so well known and visited in southern California that it hardly is a “road less traveled”.  There are also so many reviews, websites, and information about the park that it nearly seems pointless to even write about.  But alas..this week I returned.

This trip was a bit more special because rather than just going out to the park for a day I stayed overnight at the Disneyland Grand Resort and had the privilege of spending the day with a good friend.

It still is a magical place and “the happiest place on earth” even at age 40!  However, things have changed over the years.  My first visit to Disneyland was in 1972 at the age four.   I’m so old now I remember when Disneyland was free to walk around.   The “old” parking lot is now Disney California Adventure.  Back in the day, you could stroll the grounds for free and had to buy tickets to go on the rides.  Everyone then used the phrase “E ticket”…because the tickets were A-E and the E Tickets were the best rides like the Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Now it’s $69 just to get in the park but you can ride whatever you like as much as you like.   On this trip, I did manage to hit a few of my favorite rides like Pirates, Haunted House, Small World, Thunder Mountain but spent a lot of my time just strolling around the park and reminiscing. 

In some ways the park has changed over the years, and in other ways many of the things are exactly the same as they were back in 1972 on my first trip!  Which conjures up a touch of nostalgia to think of the many trips to the park with family, friends, dates, parties, grad nite!  It seems so unchanged.  But every trip out there has always been special filled with special memories.

After spending the day at the park my friend and I headed to downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Café which was quite a treat before turning in for the night at the Disneyland Grand Resort. 

Of course with my love of history I had to go do a little research on how this world destination and icon came into existence!  One day Walt Disney had a vision. It was a vision of a place where children and parents could have fun together. The more Walt dreamed of a "magical park," the more imaginative and elaborate it became.

The original plans for the park were on 8 acres next to the Burbank studios where his employees and families could go to relax. Although, World War II put those plans on hold. During the war, Walt had time to come up with new ideas, and creations for his magical park. It was soon clear that 8 acres wouldn't be enough.

Finally in 1953, he had the Stanford Research Institute conduct a survey for a 100-acre site, outside of Los Angeles. He needed space to build rivers, waterfalls, and mountains; he would have flying elephants and giant teacups;a fairy-tale castle, moon rockets, and a scenic railway; all inside a magic kingdom he called "Disneyland."

Location was a top priority. The property would have to be within the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and accessible by freeway. It would also have to be affordable: Walt's pockets were only so deep.
The search for the best spot finally ended in the rural Anaheim, California with a purchase of a 160-acre orange grove near the junction of the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5) and Harbor Boulevard.

Although, Disneyland was expensive. Walt once said "I could never convince the financiers that Disneyland was feasible, because dreams offer too little collateral." So Walt turned to Television for his financial support. "Walt Disney's Disneyland" television series offered a glimpse of the future project. This brought the idea of Disneyland into reality for Walt and the American people.

Construction for Disneyland began on July 21, 1954, a meager 12 months before the park was scheduled to open. From that day forward Walt Disney's life would never be the same.
Some 160-acres of citrus trees had been cleared and 15 houses moved to make room for the park. The area was in semi-rural Orange County, near a freeway that would eventually stretch from San Diego to Vancouver.

When the real designing came around, Walt was met with inevitable questions. How do you make believable wild animals, that aren't real? How do you make a Mississippi paddle ship? How do you go about building a huge castle in the middle of Anaheim, California? So, Walt Disney looked to his movie studio staff for the answers. The design of Disneyland was something never done before. There would be five uniquely different lands.

Bit by bit, Disneyland got ready for Opening Day. The staff worked around the clock to get ready. The Mark Twain was being moved, deck by deck, down the Santa Ana freeway to get to Disneyland on time. Finally, everything seemed to come together. The "magical little park" was really a $17,000,000 "Magic Kingdom." Walt's dream had come true and Disneyland was ready to open."
Opening day, was a day to remember. Six thousand invitations to the Grand Opening had been mailed. By mid-afternoon over 28,000 ticket holders were storming the Magic Kingdom. Most of the tickets were counterfeit.

Walt Disney was 53 when he dedicated Disneyland Park. It was a memorable ceremony. There in Town Square, Walt could look around and see the fulfillment of his hopes, dreams, and ambitions in the form of a spectacular entertainment kingdom.

Although, Opening Day was a terrible disaster. A 15 day heat wave raised temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, due to a plumbers strike, few water fountains were operating in the hot weather. Asphalt still steaming, because it had been laid the night before, literality "trapping" high heeled shoes. After opening day, the heat wave continued, and almost wiped out the park.

Beside the terrible opening day conditions, the park did eventually pick up. By 1965, ten years after opening day, 50 Million visitors had come through the gates.  And now…practicically everyone in the world knows the name and the location of “Disneyland”.