Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [196]
SUNSHINE PLAZA
The entrance to DCA was designed to look like an old-fashioned painted-collage postcard. As you pass through the turnstiles, note the gorgeous mosaics on either side of the entrance. One represents Northern California, the other Southern California. After passing under the Golden Gate Bridge, you’ll arrive at Sunshine Plaza, where a 50ft-tall sun made of gold titanium ‘shines’ all the time (heliostats direct the rays of the real sun onto the Disney sun). A Michael Eisner–penned plaque here explains that the park celebrates the richness and diversity of California, its land, its people and ‘the dreams that it continues to inspire.’ For a personal moment of inspiration, close your eyes and stand in the plaza to hear – over the blaring beach music – the simulated sound of the surf as produced by the plaza’s fountain. A neat trick.
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DCA FASTPASS ATTRACTIONS
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (Hollywood Pictures Backlot, below)
Rockin’ California Screamin’ (Paradise Pier, right)
Mulholland Madness (Paradise Pier, right)
Soarin’ Over California (Golden State, right)
Grizzly River Run (Golden State, right)
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HOLLYWOOD PICTURES BACKLOT
California’s biggest factory of dreams is Tinseltown, presented here in the guise of Hollywood Pictures Backlot, complete with soundstages, movable props, and – of course – a studio store. If you’re early, you’ll have an unobstructed look at the forced-perspective mural at the end of the street, a sky-and-land backdrop that looks, at least in photographs, like the street keeps going. Very cool. The big attraction, though, is the 183ft-tall Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a 13-story drop down an elevator chute in a haunted hotel – one eerily resembling the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. From the upper floors of the tower, you’ll have stellar views of the Santa Ana mountains, if only for a few heart-pounding seconds.
A BUG’S LAND
With its giant clovers, rideable insects, and oversized scraps of faux litter, A Bug’s Land is understandably beloved by the 36-inches-and-under set. The attractions here were designed in conjunction with Pixar Studios after its film A Bug’s Life. Little ones have a great time splashing in the ‘irrigation systems’ at Bountiful Valley Farm. (Come during the heat of the day so they don’t get too cold afterward.) But the best attraction is the 3-D It’s Tough to Be a Bug. Hilarious and oddly touching, it packs some unexpected tactile surprises.
GOLDEN STATE
Broken into sections that recognize California’s cultural achievements, the Golden State has several distinct areas. Condor Flats recognizes the state’s aerospace industry. Its main attraction, Soarin’ Over California, is a virtual hang-gliding ride using IMAX technology; it’s sure to give you ‘bird-envy’ as you float over the state’s most beautiful landscapes and sights, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Yosemite Falls and, of course, Disneyland itself. Enjoy the light breeze as you soar, keeping your nostrils open for the smell of the sea, orange groves and pine forests blowing in the wind. Grizzly River Run takes you ‘rafting’ down a faux Sierra Nevada river; you will get wet so come when it’s warm. Raise a glass to Napa at the Golden Vine Winery. Its wide, centrally located patio is a great place for relaxing and regrouping.
PARADISE PIER
If you like rides, you’ll love Paradise Pier, which is supposed to look like a combination of all the beachside amusement piers in California. The state-of-the-art Rockin’ California Screamin’ roller coaster occupies 10 acres and resembles an old wooden coaster, but it’s got a smooth-as-silk steel track: the beginning of the ride feels like you’re being shot out of a cannon.