Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Dark star


I think I'm emerging from post-Disney decompression. What a strange, strange place: I spent a lot of time imagining what a city owned and operated by Disney would be like because that's essentially what they have going down there. Once you enter the Mickey zone, an amazingly elaborate system of roads, freeways, transportation including buses and boats and monorails, becomes apparent. Everything is pristine and and well kept and unnerving. I really think that somewhere they're thinking of building Disney towns. I mean, Martha Stewart is doing it, building her own gated community. Disney could buy, say, North Dakota just for a trial run. Or the moon. They could terraform the moon and begin the colonization with a low-grav theme park. At first, I was kind of terrified by the prospect but I really want to go to a low-grav theme park, so Walt's minions, you have my blessing.


I rode the Tower of Terror, which was awesome: they have little grips to hold at your sides but as I can't do that I really rose from the seat. Otherwise, I didn't ride much I had to transfer into: too much hassle.

Here's a pic of me and Ryan with Minnie. I'm not sure what's up with the date on the pictures.

Oh, yeah: I saw a naked woman while there.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hate to tell you this but Disney has already built a gated community. It´s called Celebration, Florida and it´s surreally sterile and well kept, as one would expect.

Paul said...

I knew it. It's an idea they couldn't possibly resist.

Karri Paul said...

But on the moon? Count me in!

Matthew Thorburn said...

I remember reading an article about Celebration in, I think, the New Yorker a few years back and it just sounded really creepy.

C. Dale said...

My sister and her husband LIVE in Celebration! They love it, but Jacob and I find it weird.

Eduardo C. Corral said...

You could serve soup in your chin dimple!

Anonymous said...

Disney Mecca, Paul. That's how you and I can get rich. The Arabs are used to waiting in line. Mohammed Mickey, the exploding Israli bus ride, magic sand mountain....

el

Anonymous said...

great picture, paul.

rad

Oliver de la Paz said...

Tell me about this naked woman . . . was she wearing a Goofy head?

Anonymous said...

Oh sure, encourage him, Oliver.

Anonymous said...

There's a dark-side to well kept (beyond the whole Stepford quality).

I was chatting with a friend about the Abercrombie look book, a style guide that dictates how their employee's dress, look, groom themselves, etc. and happened to mention Disney's "no ugly people" hiring policies -- he told me his cousin (brother?) had worked at Disney and was not attractive.

Had he been a costumed character?

"No -- but he was in and out of the park before it opened." At this point my friend began to look uncomfortable.

So what did he do?

"He was hired to come in and shoot pigeons in the mornings before the park opened."

Anonymous said...

el:

Don't forget the Smite the Infidels log ride and the Martyr-Sash-Making arts and crafts tent

Anonymous said...

Right, not only did they build Celebration...they filmed the Truman Show there as well (pretty sure about this).

--Matt G.

Anonymous said...

I thought that was filmed at Seaside, Florida. My husband's mother sold real estate in Celebration when it was being built. VERY lucrative--they sold the whole town in a couple of years.

Anonymous said...

Someone died on the Tower of Terror. Sorry to be a downer.

Montgomery Maxton said...

I bet the town market in Celebration doesn't sell mousetraps.

Anonymous said...

The Truman Show was definitely filmed in Seaside, Florida.