Reliving Fond Memories
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I had avoided this area of the park like a Maria Carey concert. I didn’t come all the way up the 5 freeway to ride a Ferris wheel, not when the Haunted Mansion beckons me from across the Esplanade. Still sauntering, I relaxed and read all the signs, enjoying the play on words. The bug hit again, and I wanted to experience these rides. Most of them for the first time.
The word is out for the California Screamin’ Single Rider Line. The CM frequently stops handing out the slips of paper because the lines jamming. I was told to come back in ten minutes. So I walked through the boardwalk area, and discovered a junk food treat that has become a guilty pleasure.
The best junk on the Pier!!
Boardwalk Betty’s Strips, Dips & Chips. Simple fare: Chicken strips, fries or fish and chips. Drinks and funnel cake or dipping apple wedges for dessert. I usually don’t pay much attention to the junk food at the park (which is an exercise in will power if nothing else) but this one stopped me. I tried the chicken strips. They come with fries and a choice of dipping sauces. I sat down in the nearly empty eating area, the coaster “screamin’�? overhead. I must say that I found it tasty. The chicken strips were meaty, the fries crisp (reminding me of In N Out), dipping it all in Malibu Ranch sauce. I also asked for some hot water. The CM looked at me strangely, but handed me a tall coffee cup with hot water. This is a trick I learned a long time ago. I bring my own green tea with me, nestled in a sealed baggie in my backpack. There is nothing better than green tea to help digest fried food. And this time is didn’t fail me at all. The mixture of chicken strips, crispy fries, and green tea made for a perfect meal. I’ve returned like a driven, drooling zombie a few times to BoardWalk Betty’s.
Orange Zinger, Maliboomer, Golden Zephyr. I went on one after another. Nice rides in their own way. I still couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just a nice and clean version of the LA County Fair. And on the top of the Ferris wheel I can see the Matterhorn, mocking me.
The time approached for meeting friends for dinner. I enjoyed spending time in DCA. In spite of me, the park is starting to grow on me. Instead of a failure, it seems more like the very sketchy beginnings of something better. An empty canvas that will be painted in over the years. The beginnings are there, and mistakes have been made. Once the lessons have been absorbed, that could only mean bigger and better things are on their way. Like the landscaping, which continues to fill in, and trees slowly arch over the walkways, the attractions will meet the expectations of Disney Fans all over the world. Disney enjoys a worldwide fan base. It cannot for long ignore it for short-term gain. In the end, it is the fan who makes the decisions. The best is yet to come.
No single rider here…yet.
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-- David Mink
Reliving Fond Memories is normally posted the third Wednesday of each month.
The opinions expressed by our David Mink, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted August 18, 2004