The final chapter of my recent Southern California trip was a day at Disneyland Park. Disneyland is the land that Walt built, and the only Disney Park that he saw completed.
It had been raining all morning, and stopped right around when I took this picture. What a great way to start a magical day!
The rain made for beautiful reflections from the Main Street buildings.
The casual Disneyland visitor may not be aware, but the second floor of the Disneyland Fire Dept. is where Walt’s apartment was (and still is, for the lucky few who get to see it).
The signature cherry trees flank the Partners Statue at the end of Main Street.
Sleeping Beauty Castle is nowhere near the scale of Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World, but up close its small size makes it very charming.
The Disneyland Railroad was closed since they are building Star Wars Land, but visitors can still have a look at the train and talk with the engineers. Above is a photo I took through the window of the Lilly Belle car.
While chatting with the engineers, the Disneyland Band appeared. I got some shots from the station up above.
The buildings along Main Street are still festively decorated for the 60th anniversary celebration.
The Matterhorn is ever-present at Disneyland. It sure is an interesting contrast to the palm trees over by the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
It serves as a more fitting backdrop for the Dumbo ride in Fantasyland.
I’ll admit that I really love the Casey Jr. Circus Train Ride. It gives a great view of the Storybook Land, and makes for lots of fun photos, like the one above.
I enjoyed Mickey’s Soundsational Parade from near It’s a Small World. I never tire of photographing parades!
I love when the characters pose for the camera!
My 135mm lens is great for close ups and distance shots like the one above.
Next up was the Storybook Land Canal Boats, which takes you by the miniature homes of many a Disney character.
Above is one of the many small houses you’ll encounter on the ride.
Above is the miniature Agrabah from Aladdin.
Above is Cinderella’s Castle.
They even have the kingdom of Arendelle from Frozen!
Over in Mickey’s ToonTown, I photographed Minnie’s house. It was fun to walk around a land that no longer exists at Walt Disney World.
The light was just about perfect when I took this photo of Mickey on top of a fountain.
Thee architecture in ToonTown is wonky and whimsical.
I didn’t get a chance to ride It’s a Small World this time around, but I did manage to get this shot of its Mary Blair-designed exterior.
Shortly before it was time for dinner at Café Orleans, the most gorgeous sunset occurred, so I ran around the Partners statue, grabbing as many shots as I could.
Although the Liberty Belle wasn’t in operation, it still made for a great photograph.
New Orleans Square was replaced by Liberty Square at Walt Disney World.
Paint the Night Parade was both exciting and difficult to photograph.
After watching the parade, I photographed the fireworks from the same spot, over It’s a Small World.
After the fireworks, spotlights light up the sky behind Sleeping Beauty Castle.
I love photographing Disney parks at night. The crowds are fewer, and everything looks a little bit more magical.
Of course, all good things must come to an end. I took one final photo on Main Street before it was time to say good-bye.
