Souvenir Friday- Plaza Inn Serving Tray

One of my favorite spots in Disneyland is the Plaza Inn, once known as the Red Wagon Inn. For many years the Colombian Coffee Growers sponsored the restaurant. The food served at the Plaza Inn has not changed much and it is still the place to go for Fried Chicken. The design of the tray focuses on the coffee growers and not much on the architecture of the restaurant although the border detail is very Victorian and fits into the Main Street design. This is also a larger size tray than the first two I posted.

Autopia and Monorails

Two more red slides, this time featuring the Tomorrowland Autopia and the Disneyland Monorail. The first image shows a gaggle(herd, colony, flock, pod, murder, brood) of Autopia cars waiting to be put on the track and driven by guests. Note the great Disneyland license plate on one of the cars.

The next image shows the lovely freeway of tomorrow with the Alweg Monorail station in the background. The soft colors are nice in this shot. Note the rear license plates on the car in the middle of the image.

More of the Majestic Matterhorn

Two more slides in the grouping of red tinted slides. First up an image of a speeding Monorail in front of the Matterhorn. The juxtaposition of nature and technology leads to a great scene. Unfortunately the hand that held the camera was not very steady (and the film stock turned completely red.)

The second image shows the walkway towards the mountain. Not many images were taken from this angle.

The Lovely Matterhorn

I recently acquired a small set of slides that unfortunately had turned completely red. I was hoping that the magic of Photoshop would bring the slides back to life. It is interesting to see if color correction will work on slides. Within the same batch of slides, color correction will be great and the color comes back and other times it still has the red tones that never quite disappear. The first image still has touches of red. The photo features a Horse Drawn Surrey, posters at the front of Tomorrowland and signage for the Monsanto Home of the Future. (Looking at it now, I think I need to flop the image....)

The second image is blurry as it was taken from a speeding Monorail. The color on this came out really nice.

Here are the two images flopped and another round of color correction.

Attraction Posters In Action

Nothing brightens up my day more than a nice photograph (or two) of the attraction posters in action. These two images show the poster fence at the entrance to Disneyland. The first image shows the train in station and a very uncrowded entrance plaza. Some very nice and rare posters are on display.

The second image shows the other posters that are in the shade in the first image. Also the Kalamazoo handcar is visible.

Souvenir Friday- New Orleans Square Serving Tray

Another of the serving trays in my collection, this one was used in New Orleans Square restaurants. The restaurants included the Cafe Orleans and The French Market. I can just imagine myself sitting on the terrace listening to a nice jazz band on the stage. The design features a great stenciling design reminiscent of the wrought iron balconies found in New Orleans.

Top of the World Contemporary Resort Walt Disney World Part 4

The last two images from the Top of the World at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. This image shows the ferry heading towards the Magic Kingdom with a full load of guests.

Next up is a picture showing the canal leading to the Seven Seas Lagoon with a resort launch heading towards the Magic Kingdom. It would be nice to stitch these images together for a panorama especially if you knew the layout of the ground.

Top of the World Contemporary Resort Walt Disney World Part 3

Two more images from the Top of the World at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. First up is a view of the Seven Seas Lagoon with the lovely islands and the Monorail track in the background.

The second image shows more of the Monorail track with a nice shot of the monorail speeding on the track.

Top of the World Contemporary Resort Walt Disney World Part 2

Two more views from the Top of the World at the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. The first image shows Space Mountain and Cinderella's Castle.

The second image shows a bit of the resort but also the waterway between the resort and the Seven Seas Lagoon.

Top of the World Contemporary Resort Walt Disney World Part 1

Two snapshots of the view as seen from the Top of the World at the Contemporary Resort in Walt Disney World. The photographs are circa 1975 and show the neat courtyard and flag pole. On a quick look, I thought it was a giant landscaped clock, but now just see it is an architectural design. The gardeners are working on the landscaping in the second image. Look for more snapshots of the view in the coming week.

Souvenir Friday- Casa Mexicana Serving Tray

I have always collected items from the many Disneyland restaurants. Several of the restaurants are a buffeteria style with guests ordering their items and carrying the food on trays. The trays are big and some have unique graphics for the restaurant. In the mid-1990s, many of the trays went to a generic, non-identified tray with no graphics. Disneyland then sold off the trays to the cast members via the boneyard sales Disneyland used to hold yearly. I was able to purchase several of the restaurant specific trays. This is from one of my favorite childhood restaurants, Casa Mexicana. This restaurant was our late lunch spot and I can remember going through the lines and receiving my Mexican food on a similar tray.

Monorail In Black and White From Skyway

Two nice early snapshots of the Monorail in Tomorrowland as seen from the Skyway. First up the Monorail is in station with guests loading into the cars. The image is very sleek.

The second image shows a nice three car Monorail on the beamway. I like the sleek bullet like look of the vehicle.

Black and White Leftuggies

Borrowing Major Pepperidges word for images of Disneyland that are just okay, today's posted photographs are just okay. Although I do have to admit that there is no bad photograph of Disneyland as I have universal love for any vintage Disneyland picture. The first photograph is of the Plaza with the Matterhorn in the background. However, the photo really just shows the sky and the asphalt.

The second image could have been spectacular but the moving Skyway bucket caused a blurry picture and there is still lots of sky. I still like the photograph for the newness of Tomorrowland in 1959.

The last shot is at least a slightly different view of the Mark Twain, but is once again blurry so the details of the guests are just not there. The excitement of docking and running off to another attraction is visible in the faces of the crowd.

Major Pepperidge your royalty check is in the mail.....

Boring Castle and Smoking Indian

The two black and white snapshots from 1959 are a mixed bag. First up is a pretty boring shot of Sleeping Beauty Castle with the majority of the image being the sky. I do like the family dynamics heading across the drawbridge.

The second image is spectacular featuring the Cigar Store Indian out in front of the Frontierland Trading Post. I like the man filming and wonder where that film is now?

Views of Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm

The ghost town at Knott's Berry Farm was themed to a western town that had seen a bust and now a boom. The first image shows the result of a gunfight with a dead gunfighter being removed from the scene by the undertaker and the Wells Fargo agents having regained the stolen gold assay bag.

The second image showcases the stables where one could rent a hoss or a mule. Also note the great sign for the steak house on the post. I think there should be a dapper day for Knott's Berry Farm with everyone in classic 1940s and 1950s clothing as seen in this photo.

Souvenir Friday- TWA Los Angeles Disneyland Travel Poster

One of the most iconic travel posters for Disneyland is the 1955 poster created by TWA to promote flights to Los Angeles and the newly opened Disneyland theme park. The graphic is used on several other items including flight brochures, flight plans, and contest forms. The poster features graphic representation of many iconic structures in Disneyland including the Rocket to the Moon, Sleeping Beauty Castle, Frontierland Stockade, Jungle River Cruise launch, and Main Street Station with a TWA airplane flying overhead.

Hanging With The Boys at Knott's Berry Farm

One of the most photographed locations at Knott's Berry Farm is the characters hanging outside of the Gold Trail Hotel. Handsome Brady and Whiskey Bill have sat at the bench since the late 1940s and greeted visitors. The first black and white snap shot features a young man sharing a smoke.

The next image shows how popular the scene was with guests. I find as many shots of these two as I do of the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland.

The Old Mill on Tom Sawyer's Island

Two more snapshots from 1959 in glorious black and white. The two images feature the Old Mill on Tom Sawyer's Island in Frontierland. The first image shows the Old Mill from across the Rivers of America. The Mill looks very rustic and covered in vegetation. In the background guests are fishing.

The second image is from the dock closest to the Frontierland dock and where the Jungle River Cruise water combines with the Rivers of America water. This dock is no longer exists. Lots of different vessels are out on the river including canoes and the Columbia with the Mark Twain in Fowler's Harbor drydock.

Mountain and Sweeper

An interesting couple of snapshots from 1959 feature not only my favorite mountain in the world, the Matterhorn but also a nice cast member image. First up is a nice portrait of the Matterhorn with the great lamp post decoration featuring the new for 1959 attractions. The family captured in the image appear to be sizing up the mountain.

Next up is the standard Sleeping Beauty Castle photograph with a custodial cast member right in the middle of the image. I like the rolled up sleeve giving him a rebel look and he is wearing one of the first style name badges.

Two Black and White Beauties From Knott's Berry Farm

Two black and white snapshots from Knott's Berry Farm in the early 1950s. First up is the chief posing with a guest in front of the music hall. The chief really strikes a pose.

Next is an image of two visitors (mom and daughter)enjoying the cactus garden.

Souvenir Friday- Disneyland Railroad Bolster Plate

This is an original bolster plate from the Disneyland Railroad. A bolster plate is the cover for bracing under the train cars. The bracing cushions the car and makes the ride smoother. You can see the plates in use at Disneyland looking at the bottom of the train passenger cars by the wheels. There are reproductions of the plates out there, but they do not have the paint and are lighter metal.

Porpoise Show Flroridaland 1970

One of the main attractions at Floridaland was a trained porpoise show. Based upon the guide brochure map, the stadium was situated next to Sarasota bay at the end of the park. The show looks like it was similar to shows at Sea World and other aquatic amusement parks, but the guests would have already walked past a tropical entrance, ghost town, hillbilly stills, boot hill and a deer garden. I like the two Tiki's on the stage. I wonder Wayne Coombs who was the premier tiki carver did those?