On Sunday, July 20th, there was a great signing at Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn, plus a chance to visit the L.A. Zoo! Christopher Merritt and Don Hahn were signing their book, The Happiest Place on Earth, for the 70th anniversary of Disneyland! The book was published on July 15th and has a price tag of $60 for a hardcover with 320 pages and plenty of pictures.The book was sold out for the signing! Merritt worked as Art Director and Production Designer on the many Disney parks around the world. He also wrote Knott’s Preserved: From Boysenberry to Theme Park, the History of Knott’s Berry Farm (2010). Hahn is known for producing The Lion King (1994), directing the documentary, Waking Sleeping Beauty, and wrote Yesterday’s Tomorrow: Disney’s Magical Mid-Century (2017). A must own book for anyone interested in Disneyland and Disney Parks!
There was a long line that just kept getting longer as the day went on. Walt’s Barn was probably the most crowded I’ve seen it at in the times I’ve been there. This is great, I hope more and more people come to this special place. Also, there was a bit of a queue to get into the barn, and U learned the side area was used for gardening. I like seeing all of the artifacts and objects from Walt’s time at the barn. I asked about the existing parts of Nature’s Wonderland from the model in the barn. A volunteer pointed out the two tunnels with existing track. He said the rest of the model was in the area of Galaxy’s Edge. One part I may have skipped is Ollie Johnston’s Station. The scale models continue with a tiny train chugging around. Still, one of my ambitions since it so close, was to make a visit to the L.A. Zoo which is just down Zoo Drive.
The Los Angels Zoo & Botanical Gardens features free parking and also rows of outside vendors, fantastic! The address of the zoo is 5333 Zoo Dr. Check out the zoo's website: https://lazoo.org. The outside sign has been changed, but was in the opening of the sitcom, Three’s Company. The small plaza leads to stairs. Kinda disappointing with photographers there. There should be fountains, a small kid’s playground area, also if possible keepers bringing around some ambassador animals like a snake under shade. This summer is the opening of the Cape Vulture Plaza. Alongside the stairs, there should be factoids like when the zoo opened and how many acres it occupies. To the left is a nice harbor seal enclosure with rock work, waterfall, and pool.
A little ways up and to the right is the enclosure for two rescued illegal pet alligators, Reggie, and I was surprised that was another alligator, Tina. So a word of warning on a hot day, the animals may be out of sight, there is no shade in front of viewing windows or areas for visitors to look in. So there were a number of resting animals. One of the surprises at the Honolulu Zoo and Nashville Zoo is how the exhibits are integrated in the landscape, so it feels like you are walking around a safari. This could provide shade and resting areas for the animals and guests. There is a mister in the chimpanzee enclosure. I have seen misters and fans throughout Universal Studios Hollywood. Tents and theming from the various parts of world; Africa, Asia, and the Americas would also be great. Maybe snacks and drinks from different countries in carts at the various locations.
A crack in the rock work had a meerkat getting shade. I hope that signs are especially showcased since there was a mother who said to her child, “Look, it’s Timon!” Ugh. A nice pond had trumpeter swans named Webby and Dewey, I really like the names of the animals displayed! The flamingo enclosure had a small atrium like area. What looked like the leader honked to another reluctant flamingo past the gate, like “Join the party!” The other flamingo was shy and kept stepping back! I really liked seeing the “zeh-bor-ah”, zebra, walking around his dusty enclosure. Part of the Animals of the Drylands. The cape vultures are stunning with the rockwork and one checked out visitors behind the wall.
Then, it was time to get some vittles for myself, at Pink’s Hot Dogs. Onwards from there was the giraffes also at Animals of Africa. I found out from my own research that they were called camelopard in Old English. I imagine travelers trying to describe a giraffe would try the best to describe it with some animals they might know. I also liked seeing the okapi, which was identified by Sir Harry Johnston and the species was later called the Okapia johnstoni! Walking back, no gorillas seem to be out, but the orangutan enclosure is elaborate. Nice netting and swings so the orangutans can move all over the enclosure. I did like the mist that blew across a walkway! Finished up with the reptiles of The Lair, at the end is a green pool with gharials, a crocodile with a long, thin snout. I noticed with their swimming that they have their limbs to the side, almost like a pull toy, with the tail pushing them along. It always great to stop by Walt's Barn especially for the Christopher Merritt and Don Hahn signing! Plus a visit to the L.A. Zoo is exhausting, but great to see the animals!
#WaltDisneysCarolwoodBarn, #ChristopherMerritt, #DonHahn, #TheHappiestPlaceOnEarth, #LosAngelesZoo, #Reggie, #Tina, #Webby, #Dewey, #CapeVulturePlaza, #TheLair
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