It's a Small World

Week 18: Orlando, FL

Give me your tired, your poor, your sunburned, your fannypacked, your overstimulated, your cranky and your maxxed out! For this is Walt Disney World. Now, lest you think that this will be some cynical, overly analytic response to the happiest place on earth, let me set your mind at ease. This was my very first trip to Disney World and I must say I had a very nice day. It was interesting to wander through three of the parks as a lone adult and observe the whole operation and the diverse stream of humanity passing through it. And let's face it--Disney represents everything we idealize in a capitalist culture. The parks are a living, breathing love letter to consumerism. Elaborate lengths have been gone to to create a beautiful, lush and animated backdrop against which to buy concessions and souvenirs. Product placements are everywhere you look. There is no question that these parks are works of art, but they are works of art that promote themselves constantly. It's all quite brilliant, actually.


One of our performers has a father who works for Disney, and we were very generously given park hopper passes for today. So a group of us met up at Epcot, grabbed our tickets and went our separate ways into the 28,000 acres that is the Walt Disney World Resorts. I grabbed the monorail and went immediately to The Magic Kingdom, to just see the original things that were what I dreamed about when I was a kid (and the park was brand new).
Cinderella's Castle is truly spectacular, and is just as magical as one would want it to be. I went on a few rides, pretty silly actually, especially the Haunted Mansion. But honestly, being at Disney World during peak season is an exercise in patience. Every ride, every register, every concession stand, has a line to stand in. Some of these lines have a wait as long as 80 minutes. Having tried a few of the rides, which were mainly animatronic dioramas, I decided not to spend a lot of time going on rides, because the standing in line was just a bummer and it was a beautiful day. I hate roller coasters so I was not going on any of the crazy rides anyway.




I went over to Disney Hollywood Studios park and I found it really charming. It is a very nostalgic valentine to the golden age of Hollywood and the little backlot style streets are all art deco and neon signs. I ate lunch at the Brown Derby, which, at least in terms of decor, was a very accurate recreation of the old 1930s restaurant. The attention to detail was just lovely. I have to say I think one of the most impressive things about Disney World is that it is a triumph of set design and set decoration. Craftsmen, painters, designers, fabricators, have all put incredible talent and ingenuity into these structures and displays, erecting miniature towns from Italy or Germany, or recreating the streets of New York.
It's breathtaking the amount of work that has gone into this creative effort. In fact, I think my favorite part of Disney was the World Showcase at Epcot. It is a stunning walk through a series of countries, each given its own small territory or little village.
The architecture and landscaping for each country is authentic and the workers at the stores and restaurants are all natives of that particular country. And it's just one beautiful set after another. My friend Jonathan met me in Morocco, where we had dinner at the Restaurant Marrakesh. Delicious Moroccan food, and a belly dancer to boot!

After dinner we went out to the edge of the water and leaned over a wall to watch "Illuminations," the light and fireworks show that ends the day at Epcot. This was a really beautiful display, incorporating torches, bonfires, fireworks, laser lights, and an enormous fiber optic globe. It was gorgeous. Disney is definitely a fantasy place that has been artfully manufactured, expertly orchestrated and flawlessly executed. The place attracts visitors from all walks of life, from all over the world. Some of the magic truly has to be seen through the eyes of a child. For some of us, we can see the "man behind the curtain," as it were. But even then the place is endlessly fascinating. I am very glad I had the opportunity to go.
And watching the weary red faced parents carting their sleepy, chocolatey-faced kids back to their cars, I thought, wow, those kids are so lucky to have parents like that, who would give them such a good time. And I am so lucky not to be those parents! I was tired just from walking around by myself all day, never mind pushing a stroller or chasing toddlers. Speaking of kiddies, so, my little niece Keira: I looked all over and I could not get photos taken with all the princesses as you wished. However, I did stand in line for a half an hour to get this one picture with the big man Mickey the Mouse himself. I hope that puts a smile on your face! Off to Birmingham, Alabama tomorrow, so more from there later this week.