Many would agree that Paradise Pier is at its most beautiful at night. Standing in the glow of the neon and chase lights evokes warm memories of childhood and countless hours spent roaming old-fashioned parks like this. Well, maybe not quite like this.
Just as Main Street, U.S.A. presents an idealized vision of Walt's memories of small town America 50 years prior to the opening of Disneyland, Paradise Pier brings us an oceanfront park of half a century ago, but more beautifully realized than reality ever was.
With the ongoing re-imagining of Disney's California Adventure, many of the sights in the photos presented here are already gone. Rising in their place is a vision of an even grander Paradise Pier, evocative of the Victorian era parks of the early 20th century.
The nostalgic feel of the boardwalk carries through beyond the attractions to the interiors of the shops of Paradise Pier as well. At Sideshow Shirts, a larger-than-life carnival barker presides over a selection of "Curiosi-Tees."
At the other end of the boardwalk is Treasures in Paradise, filled to the rafters with antique carousel animals and an original classic bumper car, along with reproductions of the panels from King Triton's Carousel depicting historic California parks from The Pike to Pacific Ocean Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment