Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [202]
Arriving at Disneyland and DCA is like arriving at an airport. Giant easy-to-read overhead signs indicate which ramps you need to take for the theme parks, hotels or Anaheim’s streets. The system is remarkably ordered.
PARKING
All-day parking costs $11, cash only. Enter the ‘Mickey & Friends’ parking structure from southbound Disneyland Dr at Ball Rd. (It’s the largest car park in the world, with a capacity of 10,300 vehicles.) Follow the signs and take the tram to reach the parks. The lots stay open until two hours after the parks close.
The lots for Downtown Disney are reserved for shoppers and have a different rate structure: the first three hours are free, with an additional two more free hours if you have a validation from a table-service restaurant or the movie theater. After that you’ll pay $6 per hour, up to $30 a day. Downtown Disney also has valet parking from 5pm to 2am for an additional $6 plus tip. Cash only.
Each of the three Disneyland Resort hotels has a parking area for guests.
Train
The depot next to Angels Stadium is where Amtrak ( 714-385-1448; www.amtrak.com; 2150 E Katella Ave) trains stop. Tickets to/from LA’s Union Station are $12 (45 minutes), to San Diego $24 (two hours).
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GETTING AROUND
Bus
The bus company Anaheim Resort Transit (ART; 714-563-5287, 888-364-2787; www.rideart.org) provides frequent service to/from Disneyland from hotels in the immediate area, saving headaches from parking and walking. An all-day pass costs $3 and must be bought before boarding at one of a dozen kiosks or online, otherwise it’s $3 each trip. Children under nine travel free.
Many hotels and motels have free shuttles to Disneyland and other area attractions, so check at the reception.
Monorail
Take the monorail from Tomorrowland to the Disneyland Hotel, across from Downtown Disney, and save about 20 minutes of walking time. It’s free if you’ve bought a park admission ticket.
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AROUND DISNEYLAND
Disneyland’s not the only game in town. Within five easy miles of the mouse house you’ll find several sights and attractions worth a visit in their own right. Anaheim’s streets are laid out in an easy-to-navigate grid, with most neighborhoods flowing seamlessly from one to the next. So get out, explore, expand your horizons. It is a small world, after all.
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KNOTT’S BERRY FARM
They bring ’em in by the busloads to Knott’s ( 714-220-5200; www.knotts.com; 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park; adult/3-11yr $50/19), the first theme park in America. Just 4 miles northwest of Anaheim off the I-5, Knott’s is smaller and less frenetic than the Disneyland parks, but it can be fun, especially for roller-coaster fanatics, young teens and kids who love the Peanuts characters.
Opening hours vary seasonally, so call ahead. On days that the park is open past 6pm, special admission prices apply for entry after 4pm (adult/child $25/19). Check the website or call for the latest discounts – some can be substantial. Bring dry clothes and bathing suits for the kids. Parking costs $10. There’s free three-hour parking for Knott’s California Marketplace.
The park opened in 1932, when Mr Knott’s boysenberries (a blackberry-raspberry hybrid) and Mrs Knott’s fried-chicken dinners attracted crowds of local farmhands. Mr Knott built an imitation ghost town to keep them entertained, and eventually hired local carnival rides and charged admission. Mrs Knott kept frying the chicken but the rides and Old West buildings became the main attraction.
Today the park keeps the Old West theme alive with shows and demonstrations at Ghost Town, but it’s the thrill rides that draw the crowds. The newest is 2007’s spinning Sierra Sidewinder, a coaster that rips through banks and turns while rotating on its axis. Nearby, the suspended, inverted Silver Bullet screams through a corkscrew, a double spiral and an outside loop. From the ground, look up to see the