Main Street, U.S.A. is often the forgotten land. We might browse through some stores, watch a parade, or grab a baked good, but I think for most of us, the walk up Main Street is simply a way to get to the rides. In my new series, Meet Me Down on Main Street I am going to slow us down and take a closer look at the details waiting to be discovered. Come stroll with me as we explore Walt Disney’s dream.
Have you every been in a time machine? Well, you get the feeling of traveling in one when you walk through the tunnel under the train station and come out on Main Street, U.S.A. The dim light of the tunnel removes you from the present (the ticketing area) and transports you to the past (Main Street, U.S.A.). The music is lively, the grass is greener, and the hustle and bustle gives you the feeling that you have arrived at a happier time.
While I think of it as a time machine, Walt Disney saw it as the opening of a movie. The movie starts as you enter the tunnel. The posters on the walls are like the opening credits. Scene one starts when you enter Main Street, U.S.A. and continues as you walk toward the castle. Time machine or movie the divide between the everyday world and the magical world of Disney is a great way to build anticipation.
Walt designed Main Street from his memories of growing up in Marceline, Missouri, but like everything in the Disney parks it is more idealistic than realistic. I think this is wonderful. We have to live in reality, with it’s ups and down, every day. I look forward to visiting a place where the glass is always half full. Happiness squared.
Both the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World and Disneyland have a Main Street, U.S.A. and at first glance they might seem the same, but there are subtle differences. Since Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom is larger than Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom is also larger. The time period of Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom is also set a little closer to the 1900s so there is more use of electricity and new-fangled items.
No matter which park you visit on your Disney vacation take a moment to pause as you walk onto Main Street. Stroll around Town Square. Notice the music, the smells, the colors, and the textures that surround you and take you back in time.
Goofy Book: I recently found a wonderful book called:
.I’ll be including some of the trivia from this book in my Main Street U.S.A. series. I am also referencing:
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland
The Imagineering Field Guide to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World–Updated!
These books are available through Amazon. If you buy them through my website you help support A Goofy Idea and I thank you for the thought.
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