Main Street Question!

[Pizzapants]

Every time i go to Disneyland, Main Street becomes my "ignored" land. I really like walking through it and looking at the outsides of the buildings, the names in the windows, Walt's light, and things like that. But in my mind, i've never explored the insides of the buildings (except the Opera House. I love it in there.) My question is, am i missing anything? Or has it all pretty much turned into generic gift shops and ice cream parlors? Thanks!

[Sam]

Re: Main Street Question!

Like everything in D-land there is details to be seen in every shop on main street. I never really buy anything but I still go in the shops and look because the places are really nice to look at.

[frecky]

Re: Main Street Question!

Like everything in D-land there is details to be seen in every shop on main street. I never really buy anything but I still go in the shops and look because the places are really nice to look at.

Agreed. Thats pretty much the only reason I ever go into the stores now.

[hollywood1939]

Re: Main Street Question!

I look at the names and the details, never really go inside because it's usually packed in there (i.e. Emporium) so since you can basically buy the same things anywhere in the park I go somewhere else for it.

[Barbaraann]

Re: Main Street Question!

I haven't been to Disneyland enough times to comment here too intelligently, but I think that the Penny Arcade, and the Baby Care Center at the end of Main Street are worth exploring.

[frecky]

Re: Main Street Question!

I haven't been to Disneyland enough times to comment here too intelligently, but I think that the Penny Arcade, and the Baby Care Center at the end of Main Street are worth exploring.

You know, the first time I went in the Baby Care Center, I was so amazed with everything in there. So was my daughter. I cant tell you how excited she was to pee on a toilet that was so low to the ground and had its own little saloon style doors.

[hollywood1939]

Re: Main Street Question!

You know, the first time I went in the Baby Care Center, I was so amazed with everything in there. So was my daughter. I cant tell you how excited she was to pee on a toilet that was so low to the ground and had its own little saloon style doors.

A baby picture of Walt is also at the Baby Care.

[frecky]

Re: Main Street Question!

A baby picture of Walt is also at the Baby Care.

Really? We will have to investigate!

[Aladdin]

Re: Main Street Question!

You probably know about some of these:

The firestation is not a store,

The theater still shows old Mickey Mouse cartoons

The penny arcade does have some of the old movie machines
and don't overlook the huge calliope on the back wall! It only
a quarter or so to play a song, and there are a wide variety of
old fashioned tunes to choose from.

Be sure to catch a few more showings of the Donald/Steve
Martin 50th movie. Does anyone know if they will keep showing
this in the Opera House for a while longer? Hope that they
are smart enough to put it on dvd! I would love a copy.

Another nice way to view the buildings on Main Street is by
riding one or more of the vehicles that travel up and down.

And of course the entertainment on Main Street really sets
the time and the mood: the piano player at Coke Corner,
the Dapper Dans, DL Marching bands and smaller groups
thereof which changes from time to time.

I understand there is fall street entertainment planned, too.

And at Christmas time the carolers are always enjoyable!

Oh, of course the Parades on Main Street. You have to see those!

And don't forget the Carnation Cafe. It really quite a gem on
Main Street. My first time eating there occurred this summer,
for breakfast (and I'm not a breatfast eater usually)

And at night, as the park begins to close, I enjoy a sundae from
the Ice Cream Parlor, sit on a bench at Christmas Tree point,
and just enjoy the music and lights on the buildings of Main Street.
Always a nice way to wind down after a usually busy day.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Main Street Question!

Here are a few things to do:

Look for the horse stalls in the fire station (to house "Bess" and "Jess"). Ring the bell. Check out the pole Walt may have slid down. While you're there, check out the fire wagon. It used to be a ride.

Listen to the party line at the Market House, or play a game of checkers.

Look at the street lamps and figure out where they came from.

Examine the cannons in Town Square.

Look at the flag base and try to guess where it came from.

Look at the displays ABOVE in the Emporium.

Listen to the funny sounds on East Center Street (by the lockers).

Check out the horse tie posts.

Look for forced perspective.

Look for the Mezzuza.

Think about when Walt said that Main Street represented the "crossroads of an era." Then try to think about why there might be electric street lamps in Town Square, and gas lamps lining the rest of the street. Or why horse cars share the road with gasoline powered cars.

Look at the Main Street Vehicles, and think of Bob Gurr--they're all his creations (which is why they're called "Gurrmobiles").

Anyway, for too many, Main Street is merely the avenue to the thrill rides.

To Walt, it was the most personal of all his lands. When you walk Main Street, you're basically walking through Walt's mind--an Avenue of Imagination.

[PrincessY]

Re: Main Street Question!

Main Street is one of my favorite places to sit and soak up DL atmosphere. And people watch.

[wickeddisneygurl]

Re: Main Street Question!

look at the windows of the emporium

go in inside the emporium and look up

look up in some of the other stores as some have displays up above around the edge of the store

look through the penny arcade

[PragmaticIdealist]

Re: Main Street Question!

As with almost everything in Disneyland, the interiors of Main Street, U.S.A. are as interesting as the exteriors. Even though Pressler's generic merchandise still takes center stage, the shops, themselves, do have some imaginative atmospherics that have been retained.

[aaronpaulcustoms]

Re: Main Street Question!

I sometimes like to look in the shops and pretend like im going to buy something, but than i look into my walet and all i have is a Five-er left over from the day. Darn! some of those specialty shops like the disneyana one just are way out of my budget! IMO nothing really to see. Just walk through it to get to other lands, fireworks, and when u exit the park

[Hakuna Makarla]

Re: Main Street Question!

Every time i go to Disneyland, Main Street becomes my "ignored" land. I really like walking through it and looking at the outsides of the buildings, the names in the windows, Walt's light, and things like that. But in my mind, i've never explored the insides of the buildings (except the Opera House. I love it in there.) My question is, am i missing anything? Or has it all pretty much turned into generic gift shops and ice cream parlors? Thanks!

Awsome question !! you know I to have never gone inside but a few stores on main street. I will be sure to stop in to all the buildings I can get into this trip, thank you I just never thought of main street before. wow imagine that ,not looking into all the sotres, buildingand and such. stupid me, I need to !! thank you Pizza pants I am going to make a point of doing it all when I go in 2 weeks!

[Brer Bear]

Re: Main Street Question!

Be sure to catch a few more showings of the Donald/Steve Martin 50th movie. Does anyone know if they will keep showing this in the Opera House for a while longer? Hope that they
are smart enough to put it on dvd!

If it's anything like HISTA, it should be playing there til 2050...:lmao:

[aerinpegadrak]

Re: Main Street Question!

If it's anything like HISTA, it should be playing there til 2050...:lmao:

Hopefully not that long, but it's gonna be a while.

One of my friends who's not with the company anymore once told some guests waiting for churros in Town Square, with a perfectly straight face, that Walt and Lillian were huge enthusiasts of antiques, and that the cannons in Town Square were actually used by Alexander the Great.

[PLAZAINN1]

Re: Main Street Question!

You can go inside Arribas Bros. and watch them cutting names into the glasses or next door you can watcy the silhouette artist create your profile with scissors. I still have mine of Walt and Mickey, which they do not do anymore. You can watch the candy makers do their craft, or sit in the Victorian house facade, people watch and listen to the turn of the century music and see what tunes you could recognize.

[aerinpegadrak]

Re: Main Street Question!

You can watch the candy makers do their craft, or sit in the Victorian house facade, people watch and listen to the turn of the century music and see what tunes you could recognize.

Well, some of it's turn of the century. There's an awful lot of Music Man and Oklahoma on the soundtrack as well.