Imagineering Dream

Ever since I started studying animation, I've always thought about the idea of working for Disney.  I never wanted to be a Disney animator, or any end of the television and film production. Strangely enough that's the one area I have had a little experience.  The area I've always wanted to work would be the Imagineers.  I've even stated to every employer that I've ever had, if the Imagineers wanted to hire me, I'd quite my current job in a second. I've never actually tried to get a job with the Imagineers, but I have thought about applying.

The Imagineers are the people at Disney that design the theme parks.  They're the people that hide all of the treasures, and work on every little detail.  They not only think about the grand scheme of the park, but also the parts that you don't realize you're looking at.  If I was to ever work for the Imagineers, I think I would enjoy working on the little details more than the big picture. These are the elements that I look at when I visit any Disney Park.  Sometimes I even look in the wrong place (like backwards) on a Disney ride just to see if they thought about every detail.  I have on a few occasions seen a dark square or fire exit, but I've also been surprised a few times too.

When I lose myself in the Disney parks, it's not always in the story; sometimes I lose myself in the magic and the magicians as well.

Do You Love A Parade?

I'm of mixed opinions when it comes to Disney parades.  I want to participate in the fun times, dance with characters, listen to music, and see cool floats.  However I know that the parades are also the best time to visit popular rides because so many people watch the parades.  When I've visited Disney in the past I've always gone for the idea of not seeing the parades and going on the rides when the crowds are thinned out, but maybe this trip I might want to try something a little different.

I want this visit to be more than just a re-hash of my past visits, and I think watching a parade and getting into the parade spirit might be a great way to mix it up a bit.  I do find the idea of lining up for the parade up to an hour before it starts a little daunting.  But we're planning 8 days at the park, and I think it might be worth the wait to see at least one parade.  The next question is which parades are worth seeing and which ones are worth a miss.

I'm thinking that the Magic Kingdom probably has the best line-up of parades.  Most of all I want to see the Spectral Magic parade at night if it's still running.  I might also be up for something filled with characters and street dancing during the day.  Animal Kingdom is probably the place I'm least likely to want to see the parade.  It's a jungle themed parade with the main Disney characters, and it just doesn't float my boat.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Cleveland

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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Cleveland will be our last stop on our Epic adventure in the USA.  I think it's a very appropriate place to end this journey because it has one of the greatest museums in the entire country, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  I've been to Cleveland a few times, and I've always had an OK time.  There really isn't much to do downtown, other than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but there are a few nice restaurants.  I figure at this point we'll probably be a little burnt out anyways, and happy that we only have one "thing to see".

We'll also take the time in Cleveland to buy any last minute USA products that we couldn't find in Indiana.  Then it's off back to our home and native land.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Indianapolis

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I've been to Indianapolis many times, mostly because it's where my father lives.  Allison has also been to Indianapolis before, so it could prove to be difficult to find something new to do.  Our first priority is to visit with family, but after that I was thinking of trying to get tickets to the local AAA baseball team.  The Indianapolis Indians are one of the most successful baseball teams ever.  They have held the record for winning more games than any other baseball franchise.

Our stop in Indianapolis will probably also be a great spot to buy some American stuff.  In Canada there are a few products and stores that we just don't have.  Allison and I want to pick up a few "American" things before we head back over the border.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Chattanooga

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I have to be honest, the main reason we chose Chattanooga as a stop on this trip is the song.  I desperately want a photograph of me standing next to some kind of train in Chattanooga.  After a little research on the subject, I've learned that Chattanooga has a few other claims to fame that might be worth exploring as well.  Most recently they've become the first city to have their own font.  Now that might not seem to interesting to most of you, but I'm a graphic designer, and a nerd, so it's pretty darn fascinating.

I've also learned that Chattanooga is the birthplace of the pickup truck.  I've never owned, or even driven a pickup truck, but apparently there's a museum dedicated to this form of transportation.  Why not broaden my horizons a little and learn about a truck that can in fact pick stuff up.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – St Augustine

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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St Augustine is very close to Disney World, you may be asking yourself, why don't you just head straight to the park instead of stopping just short.  There are two reasons we chose St Augustine as a stop right before our trip, and here they are:  First of all we want to have our first day at the park be a full day.  We're planning on staying at St Augustine the night before we're supposed to check in.  Then we're going to head over to our resort first thing in the morning, check our bags, and get ourselves started on the theme parks.

The second reason we want to stop at St Augustine is the city itself.  This is the oldest continuously inhabited city (by Europeans) in the USA, and it shows it.  The architecture in this city looks fantastic, and I think considering our epic adventure it only makes sense to visit a city with such a history.  I also think that this city will give us a little of the Florida vibe before we walk into the Mickey Mouse utopia.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Rhode Island

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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Two of our stops on this trip are to visit family that live in the USA.  One of the stops with famliy will be in Rhode Island.  I've visited Rhode Island in the past and I visited the Lizzy Borden house.  Other than family, this was the only things I could really think that I'd wanted to visit in this state.  Sure it has nice stores, and it has a nice coast line, but are there any other attractions that one can't miss in Rhode Island?

I decided to look up a few tourist attractions in Rhode Island, and this is what I found:

Apparently Rhode Island is home to the first Synagogue and the first Baptist church in the USA.  While I'm not a huge fan of religion, this might be interesting.

I came across the "Culinary Archives & Museum At Johnson & Wales University", which apparently is a museum dedicated to restauranteuring and the hospitality industry.  It sounds strange enough that it might be worth a visit.

Finally, there's a place called "Benefit Street", that is of some kind of historical value.  I'm not really clear what's there, but Trip Advisor highly recommends it.

I'm not really sad that there doesn't appear to be too much to do in Rhode Island because that will give me more excuse to visit family.

More Than Disney, The Stops We’ll Make Along the Way – Washington DC

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this in the past, but Allison and I are planning to drive to Florida and back as part of our Epic Disney Adventure.  We figure that getting to Disney and back has to be as epic as the visit to Disney itself.  For the next few post I’m going to talk about some of the stops we plan on making on our way to and from Walt Disney World.  Most of these “plans” are works in progress, and we’re constantly changing our minds as we go.  Some stops will be long, others only a few hours, but we want to taste a little bit of the USA before we go visit the House of Mouse.

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I've been to many capital cities in my life, all over the world, but I have yet to visit the capital of the United States of America.  I also know very little about this city.  I know what I've seen on television shows and movies, so my expectations are pretty much monuments and museums.  Since we have a limited time here, I'm probably going to stick to my expectations as well.  Our time here is so "limited" that I still don't really know how long we'll have here.  It could be an over night, it could be a meal and one quick visit to one or two monuments.

My advantage, monument wise, is I don't have any connection to any particular monument.  The presidents represented were never my president, and the war monuments are to a country that is not mine.  I'm not putting down their importance by any stretch, I'm just saying that I have no particular monument I need to see.  My choice of monument is more based on what films it's appeared in, and artistic merit.  That's why, if I could only choose one monument to visit in Washington DC, I think it would be the Lincoln Monument.  It looks cool, and it's been in many TV shows and movies.