Astro Jets>Tomorrowland Jets>Rocket Jets>Astro Oribtor

Well, much like my fascination with signage it didn't take too long before I broke out the first of the Tomorrowland nighttime photos. Presented here, in all of its unusual glory, is Disneyland's Astro Oribter. The attraction was moved to the front of Tomorrowland as part of the 1998 overall renovation of the land and takes its theming from Disneyland Paris's Orbitron, Machines Volantes. It appears the attraction was moved from its previous perch atop the loading and unloading station of the PeopleMover due to weight considerations. This picture was taken by the author in July, 2007.

Third Man on the Mountain

The Matterhorn Bobsleds, located at the juncture of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland within Disneyland, was conceived as a wonderful opportunity to 'hide' the central pylon of the Disneyland Skyway and provide a roller coaster E-ticket attraction in the park. Opened in June of 1959, the Matterhorn Bobsleds was the first tubular steel roller coaster in the world and featured the trademark forced perspective technique to make its 147 ft. height seem even larger.

The attraction has received moderate updates in the past, notably the enclosure of the hole the Skyway buckets passed through and the creation of the set pieces within the ride. Visitors today might be lucky enough to catch the climbers on their ascent up the mountain, be on the lookout for yodelers, too. If you're interested in a true-life adventure, check out 'Third Man on the Mountain'. This picture was taken by the author in July, 2007.

Jewel of Orleans

Anyone who's a regular visitor to this site knows of my penchant for signage within Walt Disney World. Well, suffice it to say, my fascination continued during my recent trip to Disneyland; here's my first DL signage photo for your consideration.

The Jewel of Orleans is listed as a fine estate, one-of-a-kind jewelry store located in New Orleans Square. Per Walt's original desire to make New Orleans Square as real as possible, Disney worked with shop owners to relocate their franchises to Disneyland. When Disney closed the original perfume store within New Orleans in 1996 they returned to New Orleans to find a suitable replacement; they were unable to do so and entered into an agreement with an estate jewelery store located in San Francisco. Jewel of Orleans features art-deco and other similar period pieces as well as more standard fare. The shop and its operators are fabulous; please be sure to stop in a take a look next time you're there. This picture was taken by the author in July, 2007.

Disneyland at 52

A fortunate turn of events led to a one-day visit at Disneyland. The home of the untouched 'Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room', Adventureland at Disneyland is quite different than from Walt Disney World. Here we can see the entry sign just as you enter Adventureland from the main hub on your left. Opened in 1963, the Tiki Room features one of the longest continuous sponsorship of an attraction in the Disney Parks, the attraction was updated via restoration in 2005 for Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration. Unlike the edition at WDW, 'Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room' is true to form and delivers a stunning 13 minute audio-animatronic show every 20 minutes. This picture was taken by the author in July, 2007.

Stayed tuned for more photographs!

An upcoming trip to Disneyland should provide many more photos for posting in the weeks and months to come. Look for updates as early as next week.