[Question] DCA--What is the hub?

[MactheMan]

One of the biggest complaints about DCA is the layout. Specifically the lack of hub. But there must be a hub somewhere, right? This made me think, where is the hub. Let's take a look at a map and possible hubs.

Bugsland


Bugsland may very well be the hub of California Adventure. It connects to four lands: Hollywood Land, Buena Vista Street, Pacific Wharf, and Carsland. Specifically, it joins the two biggest rides in the park: Radiator Springs Racers and Tower of Terror. With the opening of two paths within the land, Bugsland is no longer a dead end, but a major artery to the park. Every visit, I can't not go through this land. Additionally, Bugsland connects to the only major undeveloped expansion pad, making it an even more major player in the future.


Pacific Wharf


This small land stretches its tentacles to 5 lands: Carsland, Bugsland, Buena Vista Street, Grizzly Peak, and Paradise Pier. This land joins the two halves of the park together, and is home to the parade route. It touches all the biggest and most popular lands in the park, including the enormous Paradise Pier, new Carsland, and Buena Vista Street entrance plaza. The only downside of this is that it doesn't touch Hollywood Land and lacks the distinctive circular shape of most hubs. Due to its awkward shape, it lacks a firm grip on any land in particular.


That spire in Paradise Pier


This mysterious object looks the most like a hub. This kinetic sculpture sitting on a flowerbed, surrounded by benches, mirrors the famous Disneyland hub, with Paradise Pier taking on the role of Fantasyland. This land touches all the lands Pacific Wharf touches, minus Carsland, Bugsland, and Buena Vista Street. Despite these shortcomings, it still maintains the iconic cumuliform nature of the iconic hub. It is located in the near dead center of the park as well.


So, what do you think?

[Coolwowzer]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

The Hub is in Buena Vista Street right in front of the Carthay Circle Theatre. Where the Walt and Mickey Statue resides

[MactheMan]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

No. Buena Vista Street only connects to three lands: Hollywood Land, Condor Flats, and Pacific Wharf. It doesn't connect to the most popular lands in California Adventure: Cars Land, Paradise Pier, and even Grizzly Peak. It is located at the very front of the park, like Town Square in Disneyland. It is not very centrally located.

[Uncle Bob]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

The "hub" in DCA is the parade corridor from Carthay Circle to the Paradise Pier Pillar of Mystery. It's an elongated hub with two end node hubs.

[socalkdg]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

Disagree. Carthay Circle connects to the start of the main street of Carsland with just a minor transitional walkway. Plus look for Grizzly Peak to be combined with Condor Flats.

I get to the circle and go right to grizzly/Condor, left to Hollywood, , or straight for a few steps then branch sharp left to Bugs, angled left to Cars Land, or straight to pier area. Works for me.

[WDW1971]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

In my opinion, I have always viewed the hub of DCA being from in front of the Carthay Circle where it connects to Condor Flats, Buena Vista Street, and Hollywood Land, to the "El Camino Real/Performance Corridor" where off it lies a bug's land, Cars Land, and Pacific Wharph, and finally the spire as you call it where there is Paradise Pier and Grizzly Peak.

DCA has an elongated hub.

[MactheMan]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

So Pacific Wharf?

[ssaamm]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

No. Buena Vista Street only connects to three lands: Hollywood Land, Condor Flats, and Pacific Wharf. It doesn't connect to the most popular lands in California Adventure: Cars Land, Paradise Pier, and even Grizzly Peak. It is located at the very front of the park, like Town Square in Disneyland. It is not very centrally located.

Disneylands hub only connects to 4 lands and misses some of the lands with hugely popular attraction (Haunted Mansion, Pirates and Splash)

[Gwenchanter]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

I agree, the hub is the Buena Vista Street circle. There is no written law that says a hub has to connect a specific number of lands. (Disneyland's hub does not directly connect to Toontown, Critter Country or New Orleans Square)

Disneyland is master planned and layed out much better than DCA in my opinion, and DCA's overall layout and traffic flow is weird and meandering but it does have a most definite albeit not totally centrally located hub.

[Coolwowzer]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

According to the logic formed in the main post, you have been contrasting the main hub of Disneyland to a hypothetical main hub of DCA. You think that basically the hub should be either paradise pier light house, pacific wharf, or Bugs land, and those make scene utilizing the logic. Though im going to have to disagree with you when saying that the Carthay Circle is not a possible location of the DCA hub if not the Hub already. The hub is supposed to be the spokes and wheels of the resort, which Carthay circle Connects into three of the five lands in the park. Bugsland, Golden State (which includes Condor Flats, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf and Napa Winery), and Hollywoodland. Grizzly Peak is the icon of the park and is largely in view, similarly to the Matterhorn from Dl hub, and easily accessible through Condor Flats. Bugs land is right behind the Cathay Circle and connects to BVS at the same place as Golden State. In the DCA hub there is a Partner Statue placed to side because the theme of the land is prior to Walt's success where Walt and Mickey are the center of attention in Dl because they have made their success. Carthay Circle Theatre is the Castle icon of the DCA hub. Elias and Co. is the Emporium of the hub. FF&P Cafe is the Plaza Inn of the Hub. The Parade Route passes through the Hub and Town Square is located under the hyperton bridge. Carthay Circle also features a trolly similar to the Dl horse drawn trolleys Carsland and Paradise Pier are like the Toon Town, New Orleans Square and Critter country of Dl and just because they aren't on the Hub are still very popular and attract a lot of attention. Toon Studios, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom all have similar setups in that they are more present in the front of the park and may not connect directly to the biggest attractions but do connect to the majority of the lands.

[MactheMan]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

Golden State (which includes Condor Flats, Grizzly Peak, Pacific Wharf and Napa Winery), and Hollywoodland.

Grizzly Peak, Condor Flats, and Pacific Wharf are all individual, separate lands.

[DARTH MAUL]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

It's obviously Carthay at BVS. Not including it in the poll seems to be a way of directing us to an opinion that you just don't like it. Similar to saying people complain about the layout, which I've never heard. It's not a Castle park. Non castle park layouts vary quite a bit if you look at them, and they should. This is like trying to debate what the E-ticket is in Cars Land. It's not really up for opinion. It might not link to EVERY land, but neither does Disneyland's (toontown, new orleans, critter coutry).

[MactheMan]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

I didn't include Carthay because I thought it was obvious that it wasn't the hub.

I don't know about you, but I only go through BVS twice, at the beginning and end of my visit. Opposed to the DL hub which I criss-cross through. I feel all the options I picked where lands that you had to go through to navigate within the park once inside. You just aren't naturally drawn back to the Carthay Theatre after venturing into the other lands.

[DARTH MAUL]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

I almost never go through the hub at Disneyland. All their lands, except for CC and TT link to the others. It's not a necessary pathway.

[Uncle Bob]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

I didn't include Carthay because I thought it was obvious that it wasn't the hub.

I don't know about you, but I only go through BVS twice, at the beginning and end of my visit. Opposed to the DL hub which I criss-cross through. I feel all the options I picked where lands that you had to go through to navigate within the park once inside. You just aren't naturally drawn back to the Carthay Theatre after venturing into the other lands.

I rarely go back to DL's hub during the day, but that doesn't mean it's not the hub. Although, I disagree that Carthay Circle alone is DCA's hub, I think it has dual hub with a central corridor.

[MactheMan]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

/\Interesting point.

[DARTH MAUL]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

I rarely go back to DL's hub during the day, but that doesn't mean it's not the hub. Although, I disagree that Carthay Circle alone is DCA's hub, I think it has dual hub with a central corridor.

I think the point of a hub is that it's the only one of its kind in the park, but ok. I don't see anything else in the park that comes close to being one. Also, if you look at what the imagineers had in mind for repurposing BVS, this was definitely what they had in mind.

[Coolwowzer]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

If DCA has two hubs then the path to Its a Small world and Frontierland is all apart of the Dl hub. (that my friends was sarcasm if you haven't caught on by now)

[calsig31]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

It's obvious. It's the Sunshine Plaza.

[Coolwowzer]

Re: DCA--What is the hub?

It's obvious. It's the Sunshine Plaza.

My new favorite person!!!! LOL