You Are Now Approaching Disneyland
J. Sanders
Driving south on the 101. You are passing the following:
- the Sunkist building in the Valley.
- the World Famous Sherman Oaks Galleria, on your right.
You have to make a decision soon; 5 or 101. You usually tkae the 101,
even though it takes longer, because...
- you are now passing World Famous Universal City, home of Universal
Studios. Walt is nearby.
- Jeffrey's Fine Automobiles. The big wagon from "Damnation Alley" is
outside. You wave at it.
- The little jungle-like area of palm trees and overgrowth next to the
Hollywood Bowl. What *is* that place?
If the weather permits, you can now see the LA skyline ahead. To your
right is Hollywood in all its brownness. The Capital Records building,
which is really *damn* weird when you think about it.
- the Western Exterminator sign with the guy with the mallet faking out
the mouse.
- Griffith Planetarium *might* be visible through the early morning haze.
- Right: the Bekins Storage building that looks like it should collapse
under age and disuse. Left: Queen of Angels Hospital, ditto.
You zip through Downtown LA in two seconds flat and worry about getting on
the Santa Ana. There (it's 1975, remember) is the "Brew 102" sign, the
first real indicator that, yes, you are indeed going to go to Disneyland
today.
(Actual Conversation from 1973 follows...
Me: "Mom, where is downtown LA?"
Mom (annoyed at traffic and Not In The Mood to explain certain urban
planning specifics): "You see that sign? The one that says Brew
102? That's the border of downtown LA."
Me: "Oh. Okay. [one minute of silence] Where does it end?")
- Across the LA river and into non-descript overpass territory. If you're
the passenger, you can look back and see the Back Side of Downtown LA.
- Access Road Land. You will meet up with and fade away from, but always
come back to, the commercial strippage on either side of the hurricane
fences on the freeway. Big trucks are spewing diesel smoke, a big
associative smell/memory.
- The big hotel that used to advertise quality big-name entertainment like
Ruth Buzzi and Schecky Greene. It's right across the freeway from some
kind of factory. What was that hotel called?
Now you're hitting the heart of the thing, though traffic is really
threatening to crawl here. Once in 1979 during a terrible traffic jam, a
foreign visitor pulled up alongside and rolled down his window and yelled
"Which way to Disneyland?!?" And you replied, "Follow us!" And they did.
Highlights here include:
- the Fabulous City of Commerce, which seems to consist solely of a golf
driving range and an aqueduct.
- "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which I believe sold pancakes.
- The Fabulous (and I mean it) Uniroyal Factory with Egyptian frescoes
and monuments, now a slightly less-than-fabulous outlet mall.
- the billboards are promising BIG FUN AHEAD, even the Knott's ones.
- the Red Devil Fireworks Company.
- the sign that says "PIKE" and makes you think about roller coasters
(them that know, know; them that don't, won't.)
Now passing the city of Buena Park's tribute to Walter Knott, Knott Blvd.
How come you can't see the big parachute tower from here? It doesn't seem
like Knott's is that far from the freeway. Oh well... you can take this
road and drive by the Movieland Wax Museum and an Alligator Farm, if you
like. (Remember, this is 1981).
- The Japanese Deer Park. Boy, I wonder what that's like. Who cares,
though, I'm going to Disneylaaaaaand...
- You recall a Carpeteria Man somewhere around here. Maybe, maybe not.
Boxcars, definitely.
Through some non-descript places with acoustic freeway walls, some green
shrubbery, some overpasses, and then you see...
One (1) Matterhorn. You're here. Spot the cool Sheraton Hotel that looks
like a castle. You're in there. You made it. Turn left at the sign that
says "DISNEYLAND - (arrow pointing either direction)".
And it only took 46 minutes!
--
The Pigdog Journal
Staff Publication of the Spock Mountain Research Laboratories;
http://www.pigdog.org
Holmby Hills
J. Sanders <pig...@best.com> wrote in article
<5rv9fa$m4g$4...@nntp1.ba.best.com>...
> Driving south on the 101. You are passing the following:
> - the Western Exterminator sign with the guy with the mallet faking out
> the mouse.
>
>
on
> the Santa Ana. There (it's 1975, remember) is the "Brew 102" sign, the
> first real indicator that, yes, you are indeed going to go to Disneyland
> today.
>
> The Pigdog Journal
> Staff Publication of the Spock Mountain Research Laboratories;
> http://www.pigdog.org
Wow!...the Western Exterminator guy and the Brew 102 sign! These images
are burned into my mind and I always associate them with a trip to DL.
Thanks for the great ride. One other thing I always remembered was the
Global Van Lines (?) building (I think it had a big metal "globe") right
next to the offramp for DL.
Mrliver1
I dont consider myself at disneyland until i see the monorail barn just
inside the gates near the freeway...and on a side note If you leave the
park at about 8:00pm heading East on Ball towards the five you can see the
Light Magic Floa..Stages park right between the Monorail Barn and the
"Weanie" building
-Mr. Liver
Scott M. Leonard
J. Sanders wrote:
>
> Driving south on the 101. You are passing the following:
>
> - the World Famous Sherman Oaks Galleria, on your right.
>
> You have to make a decision soon; 5 or 101. You usually tkae the 101,
> even though it takes longer, because...
<major snippage!>
Cool- now somebody needs to do the same thing for us Northbound
travellers!
tk421 8:-)
J. Sanders
Scott M. Leonard (tk...@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
: Cool- now somebody needs to do the same thing for us Northbound
: travellers!
I only did that once, visiting Disneyland after spending a few days with
my relatives in San Diego. It was very disconcerting, to say the least.
remove the numbers Bruce Bergman
"Holmby Hills" <NoS...@NoSale.no> wrote:
>J. Sanders <pig...@best.com> wrote in article
><5rv9fa$m4g$4...@nntp1.ba.best.com>...
>> Driving south on the 101. You are passing the following:
>> (EDITED)
>> - the Western Exterminator sign with the guy with the mallet faking out
>> the mouse.
Still There, and that mouse is still shaking.
>> You zip through Downtown LA in two seconds flat and worry about getting
>on
>> the Santa Ana. There (it's 1975, remember) is the "Brew 102" sign, the
>> first real indicator that, yes, you are indeed going to go to Disneyland
>> today.
The whole Brew 102 warehouse has been gone for a few years, and is
now a parking lot. Now if Caltrans would only take a bit of that room
and widen the freeway a bit and/or straighten out the bend that goes
around where the building was. (The ~1910-20 brewery building was
there first....) The curve is a quick left-right S-bend that is a
Dramamine-tester for anyone in a large or high profile vehicle doing
55 or over.
>> --
>> The Pigdog Journal
>> Staff Publication of the Spock Mountain Research Laboratories;
>> http://www.pigdog.org
>Wow!...the Western Exterminator guy and the Brew 102 sign! These images
>are burned into my mind and I always associate them with a trip to DL.
>Thanks for the great ride. One other thing I always remembered was the
>Global Van Lines (?) building (I think it had a big metal "globe") right
>next to the offramp for DL.
Sadly, the Global Van Lines building, with it's big Globe with a
fountain at the bottom (Think of a 15 foot globe floating on a geyser)
is gone also- It was where the big green Team Disney building and the
second bridge for eastbound Ball Rd. is now. Look at an old map ('88
Thomas Bros 11C6) and you'll see Global Way off of Ball Rd.- It simply
isn't there anymore.
Another missing landmark is the Camping World store just before the
offramp, which has moved up the freeway to Buena Park and the LA
Co./Orange Co. Line so they can build a new offramp for Disneyland
Drive. (For plans see the various Disney California Adventure pages)
But all is not lost, there are still some constants on the way.
Going over the Four Level interchange entering Downtown L.A., one of
the concrete civil engineering marvels of the early freeway era. The
Goodrich Tire plant where the Egyptian facade was saved and is now The
Citadel outlet mall. The *BIG* (400 foot?) KFI broadcast tower at the
LA/Orange Co. line. The Hubbell Electric distribution center is still
right there by the freeway about a mile to the north.A
Gee, wonder why I remember all this. Could it be 'cause I've been
going there quite regularly for the last 36 years? Naaahhhhhh.....
--<< Bruce >>--
--
bber...@westworld.127-0-0-1.com ** REMOVE THE NUMBERS from the Address to reply!! **
Bruce Bergman, P.O. Box 394, Woodland Hills, CA 91365-0394
Electrician, Telephone Switching & Outside Plant, HVAC-R, all-around Troubleshooter
'Current-ly' with: Westend Electric (818) 889-9545 San Fernando, Simi, Conejo vlys.
Author of The Alt.Disney.Disneyland FAQ Webpage - Coming Soon!
WARNING: No Spam Zone. Do Not Send any Unsolicited Commercial E-Mail, If you're lucky it'll
go straight into the Bit Bucket. If you're NOT lucky, I notify ISP's as needed.
snopes
J. Sanders <pig...@best.com> wrote:
> Now passing the city of Buena Park's tribute to Walter Knott, Knott Blvd.
> How come you can't see the big parachute tower from here? It doesn't seem
> like Knott's is that far from the freeway. Oh well... you can take this
> road and drive by the Movieland Wax Museum and an Alligator Farm, if you
> like. (Remember, this is 1981).
Yeah, but it rained in 1981. Better take this route in 1980 instead.
- snopes
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| snopes was laboratory tested for safety. As with any other poster, |
| should irritation or discomfort result, discontinue reading immediately. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
(*)
In <01bc9f53$a4a5ea10$1f50eecd@walt> "Holmby Hills" <NoS...@NoSale.no>
writes:
>Wow!...the Western Exterminator guy and the Brew 102 sign! These
>images are burned into my mind and I always associate them with a trip
>to DL.
>Thanks for the great ride. One other thing I always remembered was
>the Global Van Lines (?) building (I think it had a big metal "globe")
>right next to the offramp for DL.
Yeah, that's long gone. The Team Disney building sits there. I may
be totally wrong, but didn't the Disney Company own a part of Global
Van Lines at one time? (I also heard they owned part of Star Milling
Company out in Perris -- a chicken feed supplier.)
Back to memories along the I-5 Freeway -- how many people remember that
billboard (in Commerce) for Pepto Bismol. It was there for YEARS, but
disappeared a couple years ago. It showed a cartoon guy driving, with
a frantic look on his green face. It said "Diarrhea -- the Last Mile
is the Longest!" Only in L. A.!!
Genghis
shos...@ix.netcom.com((*)) wrote:
> Back to memories along the I-5 Freeway -- how many people remember that
> billboard (in Commerce) for Pepto Bismol. It was there for YEARS, but
> disappeared a couple years ago. It showed a cartoon guy driving, with
> a frantic look on his green face. It said "Diarrhea -- the Last Mile
> is the Longest!" Only in L. A.!!
LOL!!! Yep, I remember it!
But how `bout this?
Anyone remember the Little "Coppertone" Girl, with her little dog
playfully pulling down her bathing suit?
One of the strangest animated billboards, ever.
Genghis
--
"They came, they sapped, they burnt, they slew, they plundered, and they departed."
- Anonymous witness who escaped the Mongols' invasion of Bukhara
(Please remove the NOSPAM portion of my e-mail, if replying to me. Apologies for any inconvinience.)
Bart David
In article <genghis-2708...@p14.hwts12.loop.net>,
gen...@NOSPAMloop.com (Genghis) writes:
>
>shos...@ix.netcom.com((*)) wrote:
>
>> Back to memories along the I-5 Freeway -- how many people remember that
>> billboard (in Commerce) for Pepto Bismol. It was there for YEARS, but
>> disappeared a couple years ago. It showed a cartoon guy driving, with
>> a frantic look on his green face. It said "Diarrhea -- the Last Mile
>> is the Longest!" Only in L. A.!!
>
>
>But how `bout this?
>
>Anyone remember the Little "Coppertone" Girl, with her little dog
>playfully pulling down her bathing suit?
>
>One of the strangest animated billboards, ever.
My favorite billboard was for the Andersen's Restaurant, in Buellton (?)..
all across the state, these signs were there.. Did the one in LA say 365
miles ahead?
*************************
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J. Sanders
Bart David (bart...@aol.com) wrote:
: My favorite billboard was for the Andersen's Restaurant, in Buellton (?)..
: all across the state, these signs were there.. Did the one in LA say 365
: miles ahead?
Andersen's Split Pea Soup? Yep, I shuttled back and forth between LA and
Santa Barbara a lot when I was a kid, so I saw the billboard a lot. They
also have one of the Split Pea Soup restaurants in Santa Ynez in the
Central Valley. You can't miss it if you're driving I-5 - miles upon
miles of nothingness, and then a patch of brightness with a windmill.
David D.
pig...@best.com (J. Sanders) wrote:
>Driving south on the 101. You are passing the following:
>
> <snipped>
>
>- the Fabulous City of Commerce, which seems to consist solely of a golf
> driving range and an aqueduct.
>- "Uncle Tom's Cabin", which I believe sold pancakes.
>- The Fabulous (and I mean it) Uniroyal Factory with Egyptian frescoes
> and monuments, now a slightly less-than-fabulous outlet mall.
>- the billboards are promising BIG FUN AHEAD, even the Knott's ones.
>- the Red Devil Fireworks Company.
>- the sign that says "PIKE" and makes you think about roller coasters
> (them that know, know; them that don't, won't.)
>
Don't forget the Nabisco building off to your left (east) of I-5,
a sure sign that you were getting VERY close to DL.
>Now passing the city of Buena Park's tribute to Walter Knott, Knott Blvd.
> <snipped>
>And it only took 46 minutes!
------------------------------------------
Another Southern Calif. native who grew up
loving the 'Happiest Place on Earth'
*
* email - ddingman AT execpc DOT com
------------------------------------------
Paul Antonissen
In article <jonnEEI...@netcom.com>, jo...@netcom.com (Jon Nadelberg) wrote:
>In article <5s8kkt$nsi$5...@nntp1.ba.best.com>,
>J. Sanders <pig...@best.com> wrote:
>>Bart David (bart...@aol.com) wrote:
>>
>>: My favorite billboard was for the Andersen's Restaurant, in Buellton (?)..
>>: all across the state, these signs were there.. Did the one in LA say 365
>>: miles ahead?
>>
>>Andersen's Split Pea Soup? Yep, I shuttled back and forth between LA and
>>Santa Barbara a lot when I was a kid, so I saw the billboard a lot. They
>>also have one of the Split Pea Soup restaurants in Santa Ynez in the
>>Central Valley. You can't miss it if you're driving I-5 - miles upon
>>miles of nothingness, and then a patch of brightness with a windmill.
>>
>
>
>Ever actually eat there? I ate at the one in Buellton once, having
>succumbed to many years of seeing the advertising billboards all
>across the state. The entrance was right next to a children's
>play area, so the first thing that struck me as I walked in was a
>very strong stench of urine. Not a good first sign in any
>restaraunt. The food was ok, I ordered the split pea
>soup, and discovered in the process of eating it why I never
>eat pea soup. I don't like it. I got a mild allergic reaction
>from the food, which indicates that it wasn't the freshest stuff around.
>
>Other than that, the place was a tourist trap that, like most
>tourist traps, made absolutely no logical sense. Why was this
>place here? Why are they so hopped up about pea soup? Why
>does the state allow them to put all these really annoying billboards
>up on every freeway within a 1000 mile radius? Why can't I get the
>stench of used diapers out of my nose?
>
>The little dutch themed town of Solvang is a couple of miles away. It's
>always good for some pickled herring or a cinammon roll. It's a
>far more enjoyable place to visit, and a far better meal can be found there.
Solvang is nice, but it's Danish, not Dutch.
***************************************************************
-Herr Pauly
"I pragmatically turn my whims into principles." -Calvin
J. Sanders
Jon Nadelberg (jo...@netcom.com) wrote:
[Split Pea Soupland]
: Ever actually eat there?
Yep, in Mammoth Lakes. Everyone I was with LOVED it. It made me
sort of nauseous.
: The food was ok, I ordered the split pea soup, and discovered in the
: process of eating it why I never eat pea soup. I don't like it. I got
: a mild allergic reaction from the food, which indicates that it wasn't
: the freshest stuff around.
I agree, which is why whenever anyone tells me "you must come to this
place, which is far away, to have this thing, which they only sell here
and is the best thing in the whole world of its type of thing", I make
DARN sure I really like that thing before nodding my head vigorously.
For instance, I was recently quite prepared to make a special trip to New
Orleans just for the coffee at Cafe du Monde, which, I was assured, was
worth risking death for. Then I was informed that the coffee in question
was chickory coffee, which I do not like, and in fact makes me hurl
violently.
So it's a good thing, I guess, that I didn't go all the way to New Orleans
to find that out. Though there are other perfectly good reasons I'd like
to go there
: Other than that, the place was a tourist trap that, like most
: tourist traps, made absolutely no logical sense. Why was this
: place here? Why are they so hopped up about pea soup?
Who invented liquid soap and why? From the "World Guide to
Vegetarianism": http://www.veg.org/veg/Guide/USA/California/Buellton.html
Pea Soup Andersen's:
"Their specialty, the pea soup, is vegan."
I guess that's a good reason, if you're a vegan.
: Why can't I get the stench of used diapers out of my nose?
I think that's the soup, not the playground. That's a really ghastly
smell, isn't it?
I hope Pea Soup Andersen isn't reading this.
: The little dutch themed town of Solvang is a couple of miles away.
Danish, but your intentions are good. That was my favorite place to visit
when I was on vacations at my grandma's place in Santa Barbara.
Incidentally (and isn't everything?), when you're travelling along 101
right before Buellton, you might notice a section of freeway that, after
you turn inward from the coast, shoots through some rolling hills, past
water towers and pasture-y looking places. Smack dab in the middle of
that section used to be a "town" called Gopherville; the highway goes
right through its former downtown. It consisted of a truck stop, a
general store, a diner, a few other buildings and small homes and the
like.
I know about it because my grandfather, in addition to owning the truck
stop, was the Mayor of Gopherville and Town Founder. There used to be a
big sign near Buellton that said "Goofy the Gopher says: Come Visit
Gopherville!" I have a picture of it somewhere. The only thing left of
the town now is a tree by the side of the freeway and one of the
aforementioned water towers.