Main Street U.S.A - A different type of blog....
"I'm Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street U.S.A......." - A song you hear as you stroll down the main thoroughfare at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Hello amazing readers, I figured I would share some interesting information about Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.
There are so many interesting items and things that you may or may not have noticed on your way to the "hub" or the front of Cinderella's Castle. If you know of anymore that I did not mention, please share them in the comments below!
As you enter the park, you will notice the ground is red, why you may add? Well contrary to what some say, Walt wanted you to feel welcomed to the greatest and most magical place on Earth, so, they rolled out the red "carpet" or concrete in this case for you! Now, you are "on stage" with the employees famously called "cast-members".
Once you enter into the park from the railroad bridge, you will notice an American flag in the town center, with what appears to be many American flags on top of the buildings. There is only ONE American flag on Main Street and that is the one in town center. All the flags on the tops of the buildings are considered pennants. What is the difference? Great question, the flags or pennants on top of the buildings are either missing a star or strip, this way the flags do not have to be lowered at night. These pennants disguise the lightening rods, as you all know, Florida is known for its 10-15 minute thunderstorms. At 5 p.m. everyday, there is a ceremony that goes on for the lowering of the flag. This is an emotional tribute to America as well as a recognition of a service member, who carries this flag down Main Street with their family by their side.
Carrying on, did you know you could get your haircut in the Magic Kingdom? Well for gentlemen you are in luck, there is an actual operating barber shop! Believe it or not, the prices are pretty close to what you would pay for your local barber, however, the reservations make it completely not worth it, however, it makes for great blog material.
Forced perspective is used quite frequently on Main Street. The building that surround you look to be three stories tall, however the second and third floors are smaller than the previous floor. This in turn makes Cinderella's Castle look larger than it really is. For those wondering, the castle is 189 feet tall, one foot below the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation in 1971 (the year the Magic Kingdom opened) that requires a red beacon to be placed on the top of the building. Walt thought by placing this beacon on top, it would ruin the "magical" experience.
As you walk up Main Street, you will noticed there is a mailbox on one of the light posts. This mailbox is an actual mailbox, and emptied every night by a cast member. Now, this was much more exciting when I was a child, because postcards were more in use, makes me feel like an old man!
A side interesting fact, you will not be able to purchase bubble gum anywhere on ANY Disney property. When constructing Disneyland in California, Walt visited other amusement parks and noticed how dirty and unappealing these parks looked, with gum stuck to the bottom of benches, etc. For all my New Englanders out there, have you gone to a certain park in Salem, New Hampshire and rode the wooden rollercoaster? Do you remember seeing the wall of gum before you board the trains? If you do not, please check it out, it definitely is a memorable sight! Also, keeping with the clean theme, Walt would stand at the entrance at Disneyland, pass out candies, he observed how far people would go before the candy wrapper was discarded. Walt then decided that all trash cans in Disney should be no further than 27 feet from each other. Next time you are in Disney World or Disneyland, count how many trash cans are around you, I bet around eight!
As you continue down Main Street, take a gander at the windows. The windows have names of people associated with the Disney Company early on. For example: "If We Can Dream It - We Can Do It!" - Roy O. Disney - Dreamers & Doers Development Co., and ode to Walt's brother Roy. They also have the different names Walt used to purchase the Disney World property, my favorite is AYEFOUR Corporation, named after Interstate 4 (I-4), that runs through the Orlando, Florida area.
The last two items I have are once you get to the front of the castle, you will notice a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Did you know, that is Mickey Mouse's actual size? There is only one partners statue that you can actually touch, out at the Disney art studios in California, all other statues are surrounded by a knee high fence. Finally, as you turn around, you will notice you actually walked up a hill as you made your way to the castle. You will notice that you are now looked into the second floor of the train station at the entrance/exit of the park.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this different kind of blog.
Hello amazing readers, I figured I would share some interesting information about Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom.
There are so many interesting items and things that you may or may not have noticed on your way to the "hub" or the front of Cinderella's Castle. If you know of anymore that I did not mention, please share them in the comments below!
As you enter the park, you will notice the ground is red, why you may add? Well contrary to what some say, Walt wanted you to feel welcomed to the greatest and most magical place on Earth, so, they rolled out the red "carpet" or concrete in this case for you! Now, you are "on stage" with the employees famously called "cast-members". Once you enter into the park from the railroad bridge, you will notice an American flag in the town center, with what appears to be many American flags on top of the buildings. There is only ONE American flag on Main Street and that is the one in town center. All the flags on the tops of the buildings are considered pennants. What is the difference? Great question, the flags or pennants on top of the buildings are either missing a star or strip, this way the flags do not have to be lowered at night. These pennants disguise the lightening rods, as you all know, Florida is known for its 10-15 minute thunderstorms. At 5 p.m. everyday, there is a ceremony that goes on for the lowering of the flag. This is an emotional tribute to America as well as a recognition of a service member, who carries this flag down Main Street with their family by their side.
Carrying on, did you know you could get your haircut in the Magic Kingdom? Well for gentlemen you are in luck, there is an actual operating barber shop! Believe it or not, the prices are pretty close to what you would pay for your local barber, however, the reservations make it completely not worth it, however, it makes for great blog material.
Forced perspective is used quite frequently on Main Street. The building that surround you look to be three stories tall, however the second and third floors are smaller than the previous floor. This in turn makes Cinderella's Castle look larger than it really is. For those wondering, the castle is 189 feet tall, one foot below the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation in 1971 (the year the Magic Kingdom opened) that requires a red beacon to be placed on the top of the building. Walt thought by placing this beacon on top, it would ruin the "magical" experience.As you walk up Main Street, you will noticed there is a mailbox on one of the light posts. This mailbox is an actual mailbox, and emptied every night by a cast member. Now, this was much more exciting when I was a child, because postcards were more in use, makes me feel like an old man!
A side interesting fact, you will not be able to purchase bubble gum anywhere on ANY Disney property. When constructing Disneyland in California, Walt visited other amusement parks and noticed how dirty and unappealing these parks looked, with gum stuck to the bottom of benches, etc. For all my New Englanders out there, have you gone to a certain park in Salem, New Hampshire and rode the wooden rollercoaster? Do you remember seeing the wall of gum before you board the trains? If you do not, please check it out, it definitely is a memorable sight! Also, keeping with the clean theme, Walt would stand at the entrance at Disneyland, pass out candies, he observed how far people would go before the candy wrapper was discarded. Walt then decided that all trash cans in Disney should be no further than 27 feet from each other. Next time you are in Disney World or Disneyland, count how many trash cans are around you, I bet around eight!
The last two items I have are once you get to the front of the castle, you will notice a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Did you know, that is Mickey Mouse's actual size? There is only one partners statue that you can actually touch, out at the Disney art studios in California, all other statues are surrounded by a knee high fence. Finally, as you turn around, you will notice you actually walked up a hill as you made your way to the castle. You will notice that you are now looked into the second floor of the train station at the entrance/exit of the park.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this different kind of blog.
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