Ready when you are, C.B.

We all try to find ways to bring a little bit of the Walt Disney World experience into our homes in between trips to Florida. With that thought it mind, I thought I would expand upon an idea I touched upon during the early years of the Gazette. Today, I’m going to tell you how my wife and I have Disney’s Hollywood Studios Night at our house.

The foundation of any good Disney’s Hollywood Studios Night at home is the same as if you were in the park, quality entertainment! The format we utilize is the film festival, specifically we pick a couple of our favorites that are featured in the scenes of The Great Movie Ride. We exclude the finale compilation and the films of the previews in the queue, even though these all make appearances in some way, shape, or form later in the attraction, in order to maintain a list that is as vital to the attraction as it is manageable to collect. For those of you needing a checklist or cheat-sheet, I present to you the scenes of The Great Movie Ride in film:

Footlight Parade
Singin' in the Rain
Mary Poppins
The Public Enemy
The Searchers (Given the dialogue of John Wayne’s Audio-Animatronics, Hondo would work as well)
Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly)
Alien
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Horror Films of the 1930s and 1940s
Tarzan the Ape Man
Casablanca
Fantasia
The Wizard of Oz

After you select the films you’re going to watch, our last festival included Casablanca, Singin’ in the Rain, The Public Enemy, and The Wizard of Oz, you’re going to have to figure out food and drinks. With recipes from all over Walt Disney World readily accessible on various websites and in Disney cookbooks, you shouldn’t have too hard a time finding a way to recreate your favorite meal from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We opted for Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie during our most recent evening. On Wednesday, we’ll be back with our step by step view of how we created the dish.

Beverages could be as simple as grabbing your favorite Coca-Cola or Gold Peak Tea product, but when you go through putting together a special evening, you want a special drink too, right? Many of the drink recipes from Disney’s Hollywood Studios are also easy to find online, but there is another option. With a wide array of wines featured in the restaurants of the park, especially at the Brown Derby, there are many bottles to choose from that can be found in your local grocery or wine store. For a starter’s list, look to the Brown Derby’s Red Wine Flight of the Stars! To pair with the pot pie, I actually opted for the MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir, and found it a quite tasty combination.

So, there you have the basics! Want to add a bit more to your Disney’s Hollywood Studios Night? Listen to music from the park as you prepare your meal, dress up like your favorite streetmosphere character, or even shot off a couple of bottle rockets after the sun sets. Want to make this a bit more family friendly? Make it a Star Wars or Muppet film festival, use glowcubes in a Shirley Temple, and rather than draw your own favorite Disney characters hand out crayons and coloring books! The point is, as many stars as there are in Hollywood, there are just as many variations for you to make this evening special and unique for your family!

Disney This Week - 26 August 2012

Jeremy Morrison reminds those preparing to visit Walt Disney World to keep an eye out and plan for the possibility that Isaac may dampen their vacation at Spins The World.

It’s not yet September, but it is never too early to start preparing for Halloween. Luckily, Suzannah DiMarzio has us covered with Walt Disney World’s Halloween merchandise at Zannaland.

Sarah Holodick finds out that The Wave is not messing around with their “Everything On It” Bison Burger Flatbread, and shares the results with Eating WDW.

Free is always good at Walt Disney World, which is why The Disney Food Blog and AJ Wolfe are reminding readers about the free Authentic Taste Seminars taking place during the 2012 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Melissa Loflin takes Makin’ Memories along for a meal at Tutto Italia.

An updated Citrus Swirl shirt concept from Richard Terpstra at DesignerLand? Why, yes please, and thank you!

Photography in Walt Disney World is a different creature altogether, and Melissa Knight offers up her tips at Disney on Wheels.

Adam and Andrew remind readers of the Disney Hipster Blog that small resort shops, like Johari Treasures, are worth exploring.

The idea of a personal Food and Wine Festival away from the promenade is the brainchild of Chris Fore over at Adventure Veranda.

Matt Hochberg presents Studios Central with a list of awful attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that should have been left on the editing room floor.

I got around the Disney community quite a bit this week. I was able to join Lou Mongello to discuss the hidden treasures of Future World on the WDW Radio Show. Also this week, my second piece for the Disney At Night series being conducted by Mouse on the Mind and Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley ran this week. In this article, I discuss the Top 7 Disney After Dark Must Dos.

Silent Saturday - Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest Ceiling (March 2012)

What if

If you ever visit Epcot, specifically the Imagination pavilion, before 1999 or have studied the early years of the park, then you know precisely where this staircase and elevator led. For those you who haven’t, I’m willing to bet you’ve wondered what lies at the end of this staircase. Well, wonder no more!

Once upon a time, the second floor of the Imagination pavilion featured a play and explore area known as the Image Works, think What If Labs but on a much grander scale, and this stairwell and circular glass elevator were the portals that accessed the Image Works. The first thing you would notice, beyond the activities that filled the entire second level, was the sun shining through the clear pyramid walls that form the pavilion and the incredible views of Epcot that were offered from this vantage point.

The vistas would soon give way to the real reasons guests were there, the colorful and mind-boggling experiences that filled every corner of the Image Works. There was a rainbow tunnel to run through, electronic coloring books where your pictures were displayed on the walls above and around guests, and pin tables where you could watch movements as they happen or make a real impression on something. Through video magic guests could interact with the Dreamfinder during one of his adventures, there were also musical bubbles, a photo taking device where you could manipulate your looks, and octagons of brightly colored light that played music.

The Image Works were the total sensory experience, from sight to hearing to touch and everything in between. No matter which of the activities you chose to partake in once you reached that second floor, they each required one thing to make them go, the power locked inside your imagination!

If you've just joined us, welcome aboard

Five years.

When I began the Main Street Gazette on August 23, 2007, I was certain I had a world of advice and thoughts to offer up to a community on the verge of coming into its own. Then, after a few months, I found that I had run through every idea I had scratched down on a notepad before I began. The Gazette, however, wasn’t done with me and through trial and error (Remember when I penned my own version of the stories found in Walt Disney World attractions?) I found segments that worked and continued to tweak the ideas until they were something special. If I’m being totally honest with you, I am still continuing to reach for new ideas and fine-tune those we have to make sure the Gazette is the best reading experience I can put forth.

At the time the Gazette started there were a handful of forums, a few podcast, and so few blogs dedicated to Walt Disney World that I could count them on a single hand. These days there are new and wonderful sites and viewpoint cropping up each day, and I am continually amazed by what I find all throughout the Disney community.

The kid that began this journey five years ago wouldn’t have believed I would be asked to present a Walt Disney World history presentation for a local library, much less speak with CNN about the fortieth anniversary of the Vacation Kingdom. He would scoff at the idea of speaking with giants like Bob Gurr or George McGinnis about their work. Just the thought of being on a podcast or writing for a magazine wasn’t even the brightest wishing star in the sky. That wasn’t what he wanted to do, that wasn’t why he started the Main Street Gazette. He started it for everyone out there who wanted to know more about Walt Disney World.

I closed that first article with words from Roy O. Disney’s dedication of Walt Disney World and the Magic Kingdom. In that dedication Roy said, “May Walt Disney World bring Joy and Inspiration and New Knowledge to all who come to this happy place.” These are the words that I have strived to live by, and the standard to which I have held every story on the Main Street Gazette to, for these past five years. I hope that you’ve caught a glimmer of knowledge, a hint of a smile, and spur to move you forward somewhere in these pages. If I have given each of you that, then I feel I’ve done what I set out to do.

Personal heroes have become friends whom I now consider family. People I had never spoken to, from all over the world, before I started the Gazette are friends I confide in and count myself blessed to have in my life. The Main Street Gazette has afforded me an innumerable amount of opportunities and brought so many wonderful people into my life (I’ve decided not to list you all individually here as it is a ridiculously long list and I am terrified that I will leave a name off of the list that I didn’t mean too. However, each and every one of you knows who you are and how very special you are to me!). Yet, as I have said before, and still believe in my heart, the greatest gift I have been given is that you, the readers, come back to hear what I have to say each day. Thank you, from the bottom of heart.

So, I’ve blathered through food and history, opinions and news, and every little detail in between for five years on the Main Street Gazette, and I’m only just getting started. I’m sorry I forgot to bring the party favors, but that just gives me something to shot for in five years when we celebrate ten years together, right?

A hypnotizing display

I’m not sure I have the words for how great this single dish is from the Polynesian’s Kona Cafe. The Asian Noodle Bowl is a steaming bowl of broth, noodles, and other tasty bits. Here’s how the menu describes it:

Spiced Beef Broth with Strip Steak, Asian Vegetables and Rice Noodles

That is perhaps the most undeserving and underwhelming explanation of a meal anywhere in Walt Disney World. Chopped greens, peppers, onions, mushrooms and other shredded vegetables fill the spaces between the rice noodles and strips of beef. The rice noodles are thin and chewy, with a bit of crunch from the noodles that haven’t absorbed the broth. The strip steam is thinly sliced, tender, and very juicy. All of these elements are listed in the menu, but they don’t do the bowl justice, and the additions that aren’t listed are what truly make the course.

The spiced broth is solid on its own, a bit of spice and salt, along with the flavors from the meat and vegetables in the rest of the dish. However, the Asian Noodle Bowl is accompanied by a small cup and a won ton soup spoon. The cup contains a puree of peppers meant to turn up the heat on the concoction. The lovely server presented the meal with the warning that the pepper mixture would really make my taste buds feel the burn, so I should slowly add in how much I needed to reach my desired heat level. As I like all things spicy, I ended up using the entire paste and enjoyed every bit of the sweat that broke across my forehead. Also, the sour twinge provided by the lime wedges were great at cutting the brininess of the broth and bringing out the fresh flavors of the vegetables and pepper sauce.

I guess I did have a few more words about the Asian Noodle Bowl than I thought, but if you only take away one word for this dish, let it be ‘delicious.’

Howdy, folks, and welcome

Check in folders have modified with some regularity throughout the forty-plus years that Walt Disney World has been welcoming guests to its property. Each resort’s folder, specifically those resorts that have been present since 1971, had its own unique style for a majority of its time in the Vacation Kingdom. My obvious bias is for the folders of Fort Wilderness, like this beauty from 1979.

The cover featured the Davy Crockett clad Mickey Mouse, complete with musket, an RV campsite, recreational canoeing, the zipline from River Country, and the Fort Wilderness Railroad that would have only been sparsely utilized after 1977. The back features a map of the entire resort, as well as an inset map of the Walt Disney World property. Meanwhile, the interior of the folder featured information on dining, shopping, comfort stations, recreation, nighttime activities, including the campfire, Marshmallow Marsh and the Electrical Water Pageant, as well as a bevy of other informative tidbits.

Some of the material covered can seem a bit out of place, especially given the upbeat or positive slant it is presented in, but it’s always fun looking back. Take, for instance, the section on Plant Life.

Plant Life: Please help us preserve the natural beauty of our trees, shrubs, flowers and other plant life. Also, please be cautioned that not even Fort Wilderness Resort is exempt from a little poison ivy.

I don’t know about you, but there are not many things I can think of that could ruin a vacation in Walt Disney World quicker than ‘a little poison ivy.’ Leave it to Walt Disney World, however, to make a painful rash sound like a potentially innocuous souvenir.

The words and images of early Walt Disney World and Fort Wilderness Campground Resort will live in my heart forever and will always make me smile.

Memories are forever here and now

Rumors this week are that The Magic, The Memories, and You! will have its final performance early next month. Before you start crying foul and sending snarling emails to Walt Disney World, let me say that all signs indicate that this will be a reworking of the show, not an entire scrapping. The technology that allowed for photographs and other images to be projected upon the castle will remain, but the name, music, and theme of the show is likely to be overhauled.

The Magic, The Memories and You! premiered in January of 2011 and featured photos taken around the park being inserted into various story components, such as pirates, it’s a small world, or balloons, with Cinderella Castle being utilized as a giant projector screen. With the ability to swap out or add in new scenes, including summer and holiday additions, there has always been something new to see with The Magic, The Memories and You!

Like many of Walt Disney World’s time-tested shows and parades, The Magic, The Memories and You! tugs at guest heartstrings through its stories and songs, but the true value of the show came from the incredible projections. Honestly, there were times when I watched the show that I thought the castle was being lit up by traditional lights, only to realize that an image of the Cinderella Castle was actually being projected onto the castle. That sort of realism and imagery is an incredible tool around which to build a show, and I suspect the new version of the nighttime Cinderella Castle show will embrace this technology.

I will be sad to see The Magic, The Memories and You! leave in September, but I feel as if the show’s run of almost two years has only been a prelude of what is to come next. The whispers are that the new projection show will debut somewhere around the holidays this winter, and I cannot wait to see what the next step in its evolution is!

Disney This Week - 19 August 2012

George Taylor share his love of Picture Spots with the readers of Imaginerding.

The latest additions to the margarita menu at La Cava del Tequila are covered by AJ Wolfe and The Disney Food Blog.

 

Melissa Sue Sorrells Galley is totally psyched for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, and is review some of her favorite dishes, like Griddled Cheese, at Mouse on the Mind.

 

Makin’ Memories takes Melissa Loflin to the Tri-Circle-D Ranch for horseback riding.

Sarah Holodick samples the wings at Cookes of Dublin for Eating WDW.

The Disney Hipster Blog has a great story involving Adam and Andrew and free funnel cake from Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

By the way, you can get more of me over at Mouse on the Mind this week and next week as I share a couple of Disney at Night stories. This past Thursday, I discussed Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Night.

Silent Saturday - Sassagoula Steamboat Co. (April 2011)

The true heart of my country

For some time now we knew that changes were coming to the France pavilion in Epcot. The forthcoming expansion of the Boulangerie Patisserie has had many salivating and just waiting for their chance to partake in the new sweet and savory selections. As it turns out, however, the refurbishment is so much more than just the Patisserie. Here’s the breakdown for those of you who may have missed the kitchen shake up!

Boulangerie Patisserie – The Patisserie is moving to a new space near the rear of the pavilion. The new set up will include an expanded and new seating area, as well as a display bakery where bread will be baked for their entire pavilion throughout the day. The old storefront? It is going to be used for a new forth dining stop in the pavilion, a Glacier ice cream parlor!

Chefs de France – This staple of the World Showcase dining circuit is going to see no changes.

Bistro de Paris – New from top to bottom! From the uniforms of the servers, to the dining environment and restaurant name, not to mention an entirely redesigned menu, there isn’t an aspect of this marquee dining experience that isn’t being plussed.

I have always thought that France was one of the most complete pavilions in World Showcase. Think about it. It has shops that highlight the main exports and noted products of its home country. There is a beloved and long-standing attraction, the only change that has come to Impressions de France since the park opened in 1982 is to upgrade the film to digital. To top off the French connection we have a trio of restaurants that feature the wide range of classical French culinary techniques, each meeting a specific need and price point.

This restaurant overhaul has some concerns however. Most notably, the diehard fans of Bistro de Paris. While there are elements of the Bistro experience that will be missed, I believe this is a chance to improve a crowd favorite. The yet to be named restaurant, overseen by the renowned Bocuse family group, has brought in a new chef from a 3-Star Michelin restaurant. With that kind of food cred, I’m willing to try any plate he can create.

I’m glad to see my favorite pavilion in World Showcase getting some love, and I’m thrilled that it’s coming in the form of new and expanded menus! I whole-heartedly believe that these changes will only solidify France as the place to eat, people watch, and be.