Here it is - the novel that is my Backstage Magic Trip Report - Report complete

[Dolby1000]

Get out your popcorn, I can be long winded!

So, as many of you know, DW and I decided to take Backstage Magic (BM) tour last fall, so we waited a long 9 months for our trip. First, the cast:
Dolby1000 – A shy, introvert who leaves all trip planning to his DW. Oh, you don’t believe that do you? Okay, I’m a 50 year old guy with a love for all things entertainment. The reason BM appealed to me is probably due to the fact that whenever we watch a DVD we go through the extras first. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by how the movies, TV shows and theme park rides are put together. DW and I have done several of the backstage tours at DW, so learning about the original Disneyland was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss. My biggest concern was traveling with about 30 other people as DW and I always travel alone and on our schedule, so having to put my vacation in the hands of others was way out of our comfort zone. I worried how much I would like it as traveling with others, who also had, OMG, children, was a bit scary to me. DW and I don’t have kids and are totally not used to being around them, or even traveling daily with them. Oh the terror! Oh the worry! Oh the horror! Now please don’t go on a rant telling me about being around kids, we knew when we booked the tour there would be families. You can’t do Disney without being around families. We know that. Finally, as my fellow ABD’ers can tell you, I’m not really that shy.
DW – We’ve been married 26 years. Of the two of us, she is much more the Disney fan that I am. She has read Walt’s biography. When I described this tour to her, I saw in her eyes how important it was to get her to CA to see Walt’s house and everything to do with Disneyland. We tried to go to Alaska for our 25th anniversary, but the budget didn’t allow it. So, this BM tour was making up for the missed AK trip. Now, I know we all love our spouses and to us they are all special and that daily we all have our crosses to bear. But, DW’s job situation is really unpleasant and due to reasons I don’t want to go into here, isn’t really something she can change. So, my priority for the week was to give her something special, something to take her mind off of the daily grind, the daily icky stuff. I told her that if at any time I started to get upset at the schedule, the lack of doing things my way (I am very anal) or complained about ANYTHING, she was to put me in my place. I told her the focus of the trip was to work on enjoying what we were doing; not worrying about what was coming next or what we might be missing or doing otherwise. Over the course of the next 6 days, we’ll see if I was successful.
Lastly, if you monitor these boards, you might be aware I was concerned about two things:
• Our days as Disney and CA were Grad Nights.
• Carsland was opening and that DCA was closed on the day we were supposed to be there.
If our schedule had permitted it I would have changed to a September or October trip and ABD offered to change the dates with no fee. But, DW’s work schedule didn’t work well for a fall trip and cancelling the trip was out of the question, so we were committed.
Day 0
What, day 0? What the heck is day 0? Well, the BM started on Sunday with Day 1. We arrived on a Saturday, which now has to be Day 0. Okay, everyone on board with that? Day 0 it is then.
We flew Southwest, which was great since I used miles for the trip and therefore saved about $700, which made the cost of the BM trip not quite as costly. The weather was quiet that day and our flight left right on time, and landed about 15 minutes early. Since we were not at the gate exactly on time, the pilot quickly apologized. I do so love Southwest and their sense of humor.
We arrived at baggage claim, having not had to pay any fees to haul the baggage, once again, thank you Southwest, and lo and behold, this nice man had a sign with our names on it. Just as promised. Just as promised became a theme for the trip. ABD was always there when needed and very organized.
The bags arrived and soon our driver was heading us for Hollywood. You know, having someone else drive, navigate and avoid traffic is something I might get used to.
I had no idea where we were going, but thankfully the driver did. As we approached Hollywood (he told us, that is how I know), he turned onto Highland Avenue. Wow, big deal, Highland Avenue. We have a Highland Avenue near us back in Lisle, Il.
Oh, we were on THAT Highland Avenue. As seen in Beverly Hills Cop and countless other films and TV shows, we were on the famous street with all the towering palm trees growing in the median down the center of the street. Cool. Hard to take a picture of them from the back of the car, so I don’t have a picture of it, but it was a really neat start to our trip. Here is a web site that has some really good images of the street:
http://bigorangelandmarks.blogspot.com/2007/12/no-94-palm-trees-and-median-strip.html

So, shortly thereafter, we arrived at the Renaissance hotel. A nice lady directed us to check-in who, once they saw my ID, had a key waiting and we were in our room within a matter of a minute or two. They were ready for us. We were on the 6th floor in the back of the building, not a great view, except for, I don’t know, seeing the Hollywood sign. That was cool, a daily reminder of where we were and what we were going to see. The sun was out, which, we were to experience over the next 6 days, was not something we were going to see nearly as much as one might imagine for Los Angeles.

Okay, so we were not there for the hotel room. Luggage quickly disposed of, clothes we needed for the next 3 days unpacked, let’s go talk a walk around and see what we can see.

Well, from where the car pulled in, we had no idea what was in store. You don’t see the Beverly Center, the El Capitan theatre, the Kodak, er, Chapter 13, er, Dolby theater, or any of the shops or the people from the lobby. Wait, this was Saturday, it wasn’t the Dolby Theater, at least not yet officially.

We walked out of the 2nd floor exit. Took a few steps, and my goodness, the stores, the mall, the Walk of Fame, Grauman’s, and the people, oh my goodness, and we thought that Disneyland was going to be crowded! Look, there’s a Transformer, Spiderman (who knew he wore Nikes), Black Spiderman (what’s with the Reebok’s, come on, get on the same costume page, geez), movie Batman and creepy Joker, TV Batman, Darth Vadar, Superman, Super Girl, Wonder Women (hey, are those wigs and, er, are those real? You know what I mean) Michael Jackson (standing by his star, of course) and some really, really weird dude in nothing but a dirty bikini, what’s up with that? Want a picture? Got $5? Got $10? Hey, some mother shouted at her kids, get away from that man (the bikini guy)! We avoided him too.

Say, I’m starving! Nothing to eat pretty much all day. We debated for a few minutes, trying to find something we could relate too and something that wasn’t the same thing we could find locally. I mean, they had a California Pizza Kitchen, but we have that at home. Instead of the Rolling Stone place, I looked at DW and said, really, this is supposed to be a Disney themed trip and darn it, I want ICE CREAM! Who can argue? We managed to get across the street and found the Disney Soda Fountain to be rather empty, even though it was around 5PM.

Our first meal in CA was at the DSF. I had a Chicken Caesar Salad and DW had a French Dip. I don't do food pictures. Nothing truly exciting, but we were hungry and I will admit the food was rather tasty. Instead of fries, DW went with the fresh fruit side, so I cannot comment on the fry part. We tend to share a lot and I have to say, I liked the salad, the lettuce was fresh, the dressing tasty, the croutons crunchy and the they used shaved parmesan cheese, which I prefer over grated. The even gave me some extra dressing which I really didn’t use because I like to use lesser amounts. The chicken was nicely grilled and not dry, which is a challenge for chicken breast. DW’s sandwich was good as far as French Dip’s go, nothing special, but the bread was fresh and they gave a good au jus, although they need to give just a tad more. But, really we were there for the ice cream, weren’t we. DW built her own sundae of vanilla ice cream, caramel and pecans and I had the black and white, vanilla ice cream with hot fudge topped by chocolate ice cream and marshmallow. Again, sorry, no pics, but the sundae was really good and had the marshmallow drippnig down the sides so it was fun and messay to eat. Thankfully, extra napkins were provided.
Well, travel day can be tiring, and even though it was still early, we called it a night pretty quickly. We took a short walk to get over the ice cream high and took a few pics over at Grauman’s and the Muppet’s star on the walk of fame before going back to watch the Hollywood sign fade in the sunset. However, I did get in a couple a really good night shots of the El Capitan Theater and the Disney Soda Fountain. And, I didn’t care if it was only 70 degrees with a cool wind, the pool was open and I went for a swim. I just about turned into a Popsicle coming out. It was light’s out early for us, ready for a day on our own in Hollywood.

Soda Fountain Sign at night:

El Capitan at night:

Downtown LA from 4th floor of the hotel:

Star Trek at Grauman's

Okay, so a long day 0, and this was the shortest day!
Dolby1000

 

[kmcrosby]

Great start. We're really excited to read your TR. We're going on the BSM in Aug and are wishing the summer away waiting for the trip.

 

[jnjusoioa]

Awesome start, can't wait to read and see more.

 

[Dolby1000]

Day 1 – Do you want to go to the Oscar’s or do you want to go to the mall?

So, for today, we were mostly on our own. Something we normally enjoy and today would be no different. We had received a message the night before (Day 0, let’s not go over that again) that our guides would be in the lobby between 10:30 and 2PM and we needed to check in with them during that time. Okay then, exciting!
Being from the Midwest, two hours ahead of pacific daylight time, we were awake pretty early, around 7AM. Couldn’t fall back asleep, so we decided to get up and enjoy our day. Open the curtains so that we could view our exciting Hollywood sign. Oh, so this is what they call June Gloom. The sign was nowhere to be found. Gray skies greeted our shiny faces. According to my weather app, it was 59 degrees. 59! In June! We brought shorts and tees! The day’s predicted high was only 72. Heck, it was going to be 92 at home (I am a warm weather junkie, missing a 92 day was something I would not normally be doing). DW said, DEAL WITH IT.
Well then, DW speaks, I listen. We are on vacation and regardless of this gloomy thing; we are going to have a nice day! So, I put on my one pair of jeans and a cool California mustang (the car, not the horse) shirt I picked up at Kohl’s, brushed my teeth so that they would shine as I smiled and made ready for the day.
Breakfast, we are going to need something for breakfast, something vacationy. Yes, that’s what I told DW, we needed a vacationy breakfast. Now, neither her nor I really like breakfast. But, we planned on walking the Walk of Fame, which is not a short walk for those who have never been there, so we couldn’t just skip out and run. Lookie over there, right across the street from the hotel entrance, a 24 hour donut shop. That is what I call a vacationy breakfast! Donuts and Diet Coke (don’t go there, we are both soda-holics and DC is our morning coffee). So, after one maple long john (DW) and one chocolate long john (dolby1000) we decided to wait on our long walk and go tour the Kodak Theater as tours started at 8:30 and it was now 8:15. Cool, the theater of the Oscars.
Hum, if only we could actually FIND the Kodak Theater. See, my iPhone app says it is right here, I mean we are literally standing on top of it. DW pointed out that all she could see was the Dolby Theater. The what, what? My name Disname is Dolby! There is a theater named after me? Who cares, I want the Kodak one. So, we ask at the ticket counter, where is the Kodak Theater? Oh, I get it now; Kodak declared bankruptcy and couldn’t afford the naming rights anymore. They are being replaced by the Dolby people. The Kodak is now the Dolby1000, er, the Dolby Theater and the tour starts in 5 minutes.
So, after a bit pricey charge of $15 per person, we got our tour of the now known as Dolby theater. I admit, it is a really neat entertainment venue, home to a film type Cir show (which we didn’t see, too much $$$) and the Oscar’s. And some amazing foggy glass that appears foggy when looked at from an angle yet is clear when looked at directly. Really cool. Now, don’t tell the DW, but between you and me, not worth $15, more like maybe $5, but the DW really, really enjoyed it, so DH, committing to making sure DW is kept happy and blissful, kept quiet (a true change for me). What was truly neat was looking at the pictures of how they set the place up of the Oscar’s. You see, the theater is part of a mall, the Beverly Center, I think. When the stars shine in late March, the red carpet takes up about a half of a block on Hollywood Blvd, which is where the fans sit. This is all right by the El Capitan, the mall at the Renaissance Hotel and the theater where Jimmy Kimmel is taped. The TV cameras work hard to avoid showing us that, but the stars are walking on the road (covered in 18,000 sq ft of red carpet). When they turn to go into the theater, they really aren’t. Going into the theater that is. Oh, they make you THINK they are walking directly into the theater, but they aren’t. They are walking into a mall, yep, nothing but a bunch of storefronts for purses, cupcakes, clothes and fudge. Amazing how we don’t see that part, isn’t it. They (the ever popular theys) have to cover all the storefronts to prevent Louis Vuitton window shopping (I hoped I spelled that right), and yes, there is a Louis Vuitton shop there. It had a $50 fee for admission and a $20 fee just to look in the window as you walked by, so we put our gaze elsewhere. So, the gallant, exquisite and star-bangled Oscars take place in a mall. A friggin mall. Maybe it was worth the $15 after all, just to be able to laugh at everyone next March.

Entrance to the Dolby Theater, or the Dolby Mall walk to the Dolby Theater

The things on the pillars are the best picture winners:

Now, it was 9AM, still too early to check in with our guides and so we decided we could now walk up, or is it down, the Walk of Fame. Without the sun in the sky, I had no clue which way was North, South, East or West. So, based on the fact that, as I noticed the previous night, as the sun was setting the downtown areas of the city of Los Angeles were, surprisingly, to our east, and that the gloominess seemed to come from the other direction, which made that west we started walking east on Hollywood Blvd. Is everyone turned around about now?
We had fun looking at the stars names as we continued along. Once you get a few blocks from Hollywood and Highland, the foot traffic really thins, especially on Sunday morning. Sometimes, the simple joy of just walking hand in hand with your spouse is enough to make a day wonderful. We didn’t talk about work, home, health of my mom or her mom (76 and 86); we only noticed the stars and discussed those that we knew and the works they were known for. We already had found some of what we were looking for, just relaxing and enjoying each other’s company.

Oh look, the Muppets! And someone's shadow, I won't say whose.

Shortly, we came across an outdoor market, a farmer’s market. Now, we have farmer’s markets here in IL too. Yeah, right. What do we grow here? Corn and soybeans. Wow, can you imagine the thrilling markets we have based on those? Our town’s market, on Saturday, has 14 booths, only 3 of which are actually selling farm type stuff, like corn. We also do have some seasonal fruit from June – August, but the seasons are short. Strawberries last 2 weeks, just about anything, except the corn, runs about two weeks.
Holy heck, I didn’t even recognize some of the types of fruit and vegetables being sold. I have never seen so much fresh produce in my life! What looked to be a small one block market actually took out about 12 city clocks. My goodness, fresh fruit, veggies, meats, cheeses, sea food, and crafts, with food booths of every LA ethnicity present cooking up all sorts of good smelling stuff. Too bad we were still full of donut, this place was pretty cool.
We then continued our walk up to Hollywood and Vine. I don’t know how much further it goes. Took some pictures of the Capital Records building and we started back.
We got back to the hotel around noon and went to the lobby to find our guides. There they were, easy to find in ABD shirts. We were warmly greeted by Christian and Diana. Our first official ABD contact. We talked for a few moments, told them we did not get the letter with the schedule change (neither did several other members of our group we were soon to discover) and once the schedule was clear (switching up day 4 and day 5) we were told to meet at 4:45PM for dinner to meet the rest of our ADB’ers. They seemed very nice and we would get to know them a lot better over the next 5 days.
So, early dinner means early lunch. We weren’t really that hungry, but we also knew this probably was our best chance to try In and Out Burger as there was one about 4 blocks away. I live for a good burger and hearing so many people go on and on about In and Out meant that I had to try it.
I was going to go into a huge playful paragraph about In and Out in this space, but, since this really isn’t a part of the official trip, I’ll omit that and instead just say that In and Out Burger didn’t impress us at all. The burger was average, way too much onion, sauce uninteresting and our fries (we split a single order) were cold. Don’t know how a place could be as busy as that and have fries that have been sitting too long.
That afternoon we went for swim, wondering if others using the pool were part of our tour. It turns out, one party actually was, but we didn’t know that until 2 hours later.
We were in the meeting spot at 4:40, 5 minutes early and were the next to last group to arrive. So, a punctual group as the last party was just behind us. When working with a tour group, punctuality is important and our group was off to a good start.
Everyone started to slowly introduce themselves and to get to know each other. The guides (remember them, Christian and Diana) took introductory pictures of all the families and said that we would get a CD of all the pics they took after the trip. They also were very good at juggling their ABD cameras and those of the guests as they took multiple pictures. I was very happy as DW and I travel a lot, but we rarely get really good pictures of us together. That evening, over a really nice buffet dinner, we had a private meeting room and the group began to form. We got our ABD lanyards. Pinless, empty lanyards. That was immediately addressed as everyone got an ABD pin. This pin is only given to groups like ours and you can probably find one on eBay somewhere. Won’t be from me or DW though. Every pin we got on this trip is special to us and not to be traded. Perhaps I’ll try to put them together and take a picture of them. Some were part of the trip; some were purchased along the way.
After dinner, every family had to get up and say what part of the trip they were looking forward to the most. Now, had I known some of the surprises that lay in front of us, my answer might have been different. But, as of Sunday evening, DW was looking forward to Walt’s apartment at Disneyland and I was looking forward to the Jim Henson Studios, home of the Muppets and former home of Charlie Chaplin. That was to happen on the morrow.
One of the members of the group was Rick, who is also my age, and his son Tyler, who was turning 18 on the trip. We quickly became as thick as thieves. Our personalities and senses of humor just jelled. In fact, as soon as I got home, we became Facebook friends. We also got along really well with Patti and her daughter, Mark and his daughter (who became best friends with Patti’s daughter). On this first evening, there were about 8 of us that didn’t want to leave the dinner area we were talking so much and learning about each other. It was so much fun to sit there and talk Disney and not get the sneers or impatient sighs when discussing Disney with non-Disney people. Here, we all loved Disney and wanted to share this love. I did notice that the children on the trip, of which there were 2 at our table, were exceedingly well behaved and quite intelligent and friendly. I could talk to them! One of the young ladies, who is only twelve, wants to be a pediatric ophthalmologist. I told her that when I was twelve I couldn’t even pronounce pediatric ophthalmologist! My worry about the kids eased considerably and was totally gone by the next day. My hat’s off to the parents of these great kids. We retired to our room to rest and prepare for the next day. I tried another swim and once again was Popsicleized. Yes, that is a word, look it up.

So ends day 1.

Tomorrow, our first full Disney day! Whose chimney did we see? Come back tomorrow, same Disney board, same Disney thread.

Dolby1000

 

[nunzia]

Loving it! We did this trip the first year it came out and it still goes down as one of my favorite trips. Can't wait to read more and see how the tour has changed. (we were lucky in our tour that there were only 13 of us..teeny group so we moved fast)

 

[guess1928]

I have a question, were you able to catch the fireworks at Disneyland? fireworks are a must do for me in DisneyWorld so I would want to see them in Disneyland. just curious, we are seriously thinking of doing this trip in October.

 

[MickeyWatch]

Great start Ocean Wave Dave. I didn't realize you had a 24 hour start on us before we arrived. So that's how you found the time to do all those extra Hollywood things.

 

[Dolby1000]

I have a question, were you able to catch the fireworks at Disneyland? fireworks are a must do for me in DisneyWorld so I would want to see them in Disneyland. just curious, we are seriously thinking of doing this trip in October.

Patience, I'm finishing up wrtng day two as week speak. But, so as to not keep you in suspense, yes, we saw the fireworks on Day 3 from the Fantasmic seating area and from Day 5 from right in front of the castle.

They are spectacular and perhaps if you stay tuned you might learn something else about them on my Day 5 report (oh the suspense )

Dolby1000

 

[JacksGirlz]

Patience, I'm finishing up wrtng day two as week speak. But, so as to not keep you in suspense, yes, we saw the fireworks on Day 3 from the Fantasmic seating area and from Day 5 from right in front of the castle.

They are spectacular and perhaps if you stay tuned you might learn something else about them on my Day 5 report (oh the suspense )

Dolby1000

Waiting with bated breath

 

[guess1928]

I can't wait to hear the entire trip report. I wanted to hear it all before I book, I don't know if I can wait getting very anxious.

 

[Dolby1000]

Day 2 – It’s time to play the music. . . . . . . . .

Rise and shine, breakfast is at 7:00 AM and we depart on our Star Tour (not the amusement park ride but the tour of stars homes) promptly at 7:45. I will tell you this; don’t go on this tour expecting long, lazy days of lounging poolside or in the spa. These are 5 long, long days and you have got to pace yourself. This is not a complaint, rather the opposite. This is an expensive tour and I would expect nothing else. The tour has a lot to offer in a short period of time and this makes for long days. So, get yourself out of bed, shower and get to breakfast.

Breakfast both days was in the hotel restaurant, but, now this is interesting, the hotel, in the 4 days that we’ve been home, has changed names. It is now the Lowes Hollywood Hotel; no longer the Renaissance and, surprise, surprise, all the restaurant names have changed. So, going forward, I have no idea how to compare anything we had to anything that is to come. The breakfast was buffet style, with an omelet and waffle station and all the regular goodies one has come to expect from such a place. Not “wow”, or “amazing” but certainly good enough and satisfying. Our guides (who can tell me their names) told us to eat hearty, it was going to be a long morning and they were not kidding.
So, at 7:45 we all met in the lobby and there were Christian and Diana (darn, gave that away) already waiting for us. We also met Matt who was taking the tour as a guide in training. Let me take a short time out here to acknowledge the great job of organization that Christian and Diana did for all 5 days. They were quite careful not to show us how they did it, or if there was an issue, we never saw it. Sometimes one would disappear for a few moments organizing the next event, but we always had one or the other with us when on a tour event. They also gave us their cell phone numbers and told us to call them 24/7 if we had any issues. DW and I never had any, so I cannot speak to how well they respond, but my instinct tells me that ABD has seen it all and that both of them were ready at an instant to provide us with anything we needed. Did I tell you they smiled all the time? I’m sure they had much shorter nights than we had yet they were never anything less than cheerful all the time. Yes, I know that is what they are being paid to do, but they really did the job exceedingly well and I never, ever felt like I had to put on my PM hat to comment on anything. I had left my trip in ABD’s hands and they delivered. Not once did DW have to put me in my place complaining about trip details, C and D (tired of typing their names now) did everything they needed to do so that I didn’t worry. Kudos to them. I Don’t have a lot of experience with tour guides, this being my first one and all, but for any future tour, C&D set the bar pretty darn high.
So, where was I, oh yes, time to tour the star’s homes. Now, on our own, this is something DW and I would not normally do. We aren’t really into TMZ and Entertainment Tonight and star watching and all that sort of stuff. And, as was the usual, the June Gloom was in full force this morning, so riding in an open air van was going to be a chilly option and once we got into the hills, we wouldn’t really see much as the cloud deck was pretty low. But, we paid for the tour and had committed to having fun and enjoying what we were doing no matter what.
So, that is just what we did. We sat with Rick and Tyler and just laughed and laughed during the two hour riding tour. We drove by Walt’s original LA house.

Then we drove along Mulholland Drive and into Beverly Hills. Along the way we stopped for pictures at an overlook near the Hollywood Bowl. As posted below, you can see I’m not exaggerating about the June Gloom, but we were having such a good time the weather didn’t impact us at all.

We had a very entertaining tour guide (C&D came along but turned over the touring duties to the official Star Tour guides). Things I took away from the tour:
Rodeo drive is only 2 blocks long and just a block away from other less pricey options like Pottery Barn.
Beverley Hills lines each of its major streets with different types of trees, these streets are really beautiful.

Saw the Wayne Manor from the 60s Batman TV series, it actually is in a public park and anyone can go and see it.

Saw the chimney and flagpole of, can you guess, if you guessed Brad Pitt you’re wrong. It was Tom Cruise’s house. Yes, Tom Cruise! Too bad he was not climbing either of them. His house is not public and you will be arrested if you want to see more. Please don’t ask me how I know this.
Saw homes for Ellen, Al, Tony, Merv, and well, too many mention. None of these stars were out cutting their grass.
Saw the Iron Man house or at least the one they used as the base. Special Effects were used to make the house more Stark like.
It was a very fun tour, especially with DW, Rick, Tyler and myself kidding with each other and with the tour guide. My sides hurt from laughing so much.
We returned to the hotel and prepared for our next stop. First, as we all had drunk coffee or soda at breakfast, the critical bathroom break. Now, we traded the open air star tour vans for an official tour bus with our official driver: Don. C&D also introduced us to water and snacks, of which there were always plenty. We did not go hungry or thirsty on the trip. Don was yet another trip person who was always smiling. He drove a pretty mean bus too. I didn’t think a bus could do a wheelie, but let me tell you, Don taught me otherwise. No, I kid, Don is very kind with a warm and generous smile and provides a very safe and secure bus trip.
So, we left and settled in for the drive to the Jim Henson studios. C&D gave us the safety spiel for riding on the bus. I noticed that we passed the In and Out the DW and I had walked to the previous day. Then, for some odd reason, Don stopped the bus. I looked at DW and wondered what was wrong when I noticed the door opening and people getting out. I looked out the bus window to see Kermit, dressed as Chaplin, staring at us from the roof of the Henson studios.

Wait, we’re here? The studio is a block and half from where we were yesterday!? We could have walked here and taken all the exterior photos we wanted? Yes, the Jim Henson studio is not located near any other studio. It is in the middle of a normal, regular neighborhood. You can walk right past the gate on your way to getting sub-standard burgers (I know, Dolby, give it up already).
So, we took some pictures outside (we were rapidly falling behind).

INSIDE THE GATE, WE ARE STANDING INSIDE THE MUPPET STUDIOS.
Moment of silence please. Thank you.
Okay, since we were a large group, we got split into two teams, Team Diana (Rock On!) and Team Christian (the OTHER team). Our studio guide was named Grant. He was not exactly type of person you would expect to be at a major studio. Grant was rather soft spoken and seemed, I don’t know, he didn’t seem have the energy C&D had. Oh, he was very friendly and knowledgeable and answered all our questions and everything, but still, he just seemed a bit, a bit laid back, I guess.
So, our group went first to the “offices”. We saw some cool stuff and were allowed to take some pictures. Then we went into a small room. There were a lot of neat clay models for us to gaze at and a real “life” Baby Sinclair (“not the mama”) from Dinosaurs under glass and not to be photographed (darn). Then Grant gave us a demonstration. Now we saw the real Grant. It was amazing how quickly the energy kicked in, Grant Lives! There he was, oh I see it now, he really is a performer, give him something to play and Grant came out big time.
Oh, wait, what did he demonstrate? I’m not going to tell you. Pay the money and take the tour. Evil Laugh (see the Muppets). What Grant demonstrated shows how Brian Henson and his talented group of people keep their art alive and I’m not going to spoil it for others. I mean, it was really spoilery. If you don’t want something truly magical spoiled, walk out of this room before the demo. Me, however, spoil me all you want, I crave the backstage stuff and I have to say, I was flabbergasted. These people are so creative, doing things I cannot even imagine one doing, I’m floored with envy at their imagination. Now, if you truly want to know what is going on inside these sacred walls, I suggest using a tool called “Google”. However, it is one thing to see it on Youtube (and it ain’t me posting), but another thing altogether too see it in front of you, live.
Moving on, here is the workshop where Charlie Chaplin built his amazing sets. CC you say? Yes, in its original form, the Henson Studios were Charlie Chaplin’s studios. History is alive here. Most of Chaplin’s buildings remain standing and in use even though they were built around the 1920s. You can feel it and step in it. Oh wait, I almost forgot, and then we walked into reception where a display case of award after award was on display. The kind receptionist took out an Emmy, a real, totally awesome, many years old Emmy. Guess what, we held it. I tried to take a picture but they came out a bit fuzzy, hopefully, the ones D&C took came out better. For those who need to know (and you don’t), I have also held an actual Oscar won by Gary Rydstrom for Sound Effects editing for Backdraft. He was won 7, count ‘em 7 Oscars for sound. He is now on the Board of Directors for Pixar as he worked with them from the ground up. He learned under Ben Burtt. His dad was my dentist and brought the Oscar in during one of my appointments. Okay, back to the trip report. . . . . .
Then, as if we hadn’t seen enough, Grant took us into the actual studio, the actual place CC worked, where City Lights (look it up), all of CC's shorts, and TV programs such as Perry Mason, Red Skelton, Dragnet and hosts of other shows were, an still are being, made. When we were there it was empty, but still had the rigging for Sid the Science Kid, which is recorded there. Well, it wasn’t totally empty. Grant took us to a camera set up for Muppet taping, like they did on the Muppet Show and Sesame Street. There, he took DJ 1 (sorry, I don’t remember what show he was from) (oh, wait, the wonder of Google, DJ 1 was one of the Muppet DJs on Animal Jam, whadda ya know and Grant was one of the performers, will wonders ever cease) and did a live Muppet demonstration. He showed us how the puppeteer works the character from below and how they avoid the camera while keeping us in the frame the whole time. I can write about it all day, but you have to see it to understand it. Again, put DJ in Grant’s hands and he came alive, he was DJ. And DJ was hilarious. Later, in the courtyard, Grant, er DJ, was kind enough to pose for some pictures.

The trip could have ended there and I would have been very happy. (Don’t take that to heart ABD, truly, we do want the rest of the itinerary). But, I’ll never forget being at the Henson Studios, seeing what Grant did and meeting DJ. I would not deny if someone pointed out that I was just bit teary eyed leaving. It was a dream comes true visit. And, our tour was just beginning. Damn, I’m getting teary eyed all over again re-living it. It was just that awesome.
So, now that we’ve completed the Star Tour and Henson studios, anyone hungry? So, Don hauled us over to the Tam O’Shanter for some lunch. Walt ate here a lot, and lookie here, we could sit at his table. So we did.

The lunch of prime rib, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach was excellent. The prime rib was particularly good, rivaling anything I’ve here in Chicago, truly tender and flavorful. And, the company, well, by now much of the group had begun to come together and we lunched with Morgan and Margaret from Seattle and Michael and Sarah from Fl, who also work at Animal Kingdom, driving the safari trucks. It was a great lunch.

SPOILER ALERT - - - - - - - - - - SPOILER ALERT- - - - - - - - - -
DO NOT READ THE REST OF THIS POST IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE REMAINDER OF DAY 2 A SECRET. THERE WILL BE NO PICTURES, SO YOU CAN JUST SKIP TO THE NEXT POST TO AVOID A SPOILER, A MINOR SPOILER, BUT THE NEXT STOP IS NOT ON THE PUBLISHED AGENDA. HOWEVER, THIS STOP IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC EVERY SUNDAY AND THE SPECIAL SPOT IS OPEN EVERY THIRD SUNDAY, SO EVEN IF YOU DON’T DO THE TOUR, ANYONE CAN VISIT THIS PLACE, SO LIKE I SAID, A MINOR SPOILER.

















Spoiler Alert – Final Notice

So, now we had a surprise. As many people may know, Walt loved trains. In his suburban (not sure of the city) home, he had a huge backyard railroad. Much of the equipment and the barn Walt worked in have been saved and restored by the LA Steamers, a model railroad club located in Griffith Park. The Steamers club is open to the public every Sunday and Walt’s barn is open every third Sunday. We got a private visit on a Tuesday afternoon.
Another really cool place. Now, I like trains so this was really special to me. The LA Steamers opened the barn and gave us all a train ride, a ride very similar to what Walt had in his backyard. Words fail me here. You just have to go and see it for yourself. The barn is full of a lot of memorabilia and the train ride is far longer that you might imagine. It is a real operating railroad with lights, switches, track and operating trains that you can ride.
What made it so special though were the volunteers. They go out of their way, on a Tuesday, to welcome our group and share Walt history and stories and to run the train. What they do out there is a labor of love and when we arrived they were truly happy to see us, it was not “oh no, another ABD day, let’s get this over with” but, “look at these wonderful visitors, let’s show them what we have.” Great, great people. C&D literally had to drag us out. I would join in a second if I lived out there.
Now, this is not on the published agenda, but I imagine most, if not all tours end up here. The volunteers I talked to said the ABD tours were special for them and they didn’t want to miss any. However, this stop is entirely dependent on these wonderful folk and it takes several of them to make the stop possible. So, although I imagine this stop happens nearly all the time, there may be circumstances that do not make it possible, so I cannot promise you’ll have the same experience.
Oh yes, I did buy a couple of really cool pins here and we also purchased a really cool print we are going to frame.

END OF SPOILER SECTION

As C&D passed out snacks and water, we made our way back to the hotel and ended a long, but wonderful, wonderful day. Until DW got sick at dinner. (She was fine an hour later, something had just disagreed with her). Thankfully, it was a dinner on our own night, so no one needed to know. Until now, now that I’ve posted it.
Well, the dinner we tried to eat (at least I did, I wasn’t the one feel a bit under the weather), was at BoHo’s and it sucked. To be fair, DW was not ill due to BoHo’s, she was already feeling kind’ve blue when we walked in. We had Chicken Cesar Salad and they served it “deconstructed” style, three full Romaine lettuce leaves, half (or a really small) chicken breast that was as dry as death valley, almost no dressing, powdered cheese (ick) and one small toasted piece of bread that was to serve as a crouton. All this wonderful crap for $20. Each. Not recommended. Even another In and Out burger would have been better (I know, I know).

Coming up:
Day 3 – What are those people thinking of next?

See you soon, we're halfway home!

Dolby1000

 

[jnjusoioa]

How awesome!!! I am loving hearing about this report!!! Can't wait to go on it!!!!!! Sounds beyond amazing!!!!!

 

[Skatetigger]

Thank you so much for your report, DH & I are going in October so this is very helpful.

Quick question on yoru lunch at the Tam...did you get to pick off a menu or was that what was served. I love prime rib but just more curious.

Loews has excellent food (or at least the ones I have been to), so guessing the hotel should be the same

 

[Dolby1000]

Thank you so much for your report, DH & I are going in October so this is very helpful.

Quick question on yoru lunch at the Tam...did you get to pick off a menu or was that what was served. I love prime rib but just more curious.

Loews has excellent food (or at least the ones I have been to), so guessing the hotel should be the same

We were given a special lunch menu with three entrees on it. I honestly don't remember the other two, but one was vegetarian. The other one I think was some sort of chicken dish. As soon was we heard the it was known for Prime Rib, well, the choice was made.

We also could have soup or salad, DW and I each had the salad and it was a good basic salad.

Dessert was a strawberry something, a Trifle, I think. It was very rich and quite good, considering I love strawberries, but I noticed most people didn't finish it, it had a unusual texture.

here's another random thought, come to think of it, for anyone who is vegetarian, there were always veggian choices at all of the meals.

And, we had two people who had gluten allergies and the one time we sat with them the chef was quite concerned that they were comfortable with their meal preparation (no contamination), meal choices and that they had delicous meals. They said the meal was very good, so I can only state that the chef did what he sent out to do.

Dolby1000

 

[nunzia]

Great report!. We did not get a Stars Tour on my BM (so never saw Walt's house )...we had lunch at Henson Studios (did you guys not go into the Creature shop or did I miss that? We did..they were working on Where the Wild Things Are puppets and we had some demonstrations in there..no pictures allowed). Does the tour no longer do the El Capitan/Soda Shoppe and Jimmy Kimmel? or is that still to come? I see it's changed up some

 

[Jax1970]

I'm hoping to surprise DH with this trip in a few years for his 50th, so just loving the detail in your report. Thanks!

 

[Dolby1000]

Great report!. We did not get a Stars Tour on my BM (so never saw Walt's house )...we had lunch at Henson Studios (did you guys not go into the Creature shop or did I miss that? We did..they were working on Where the Wild Things Are puppets and we had some demonstrations in there..no pictures allowed). Does the tour no longer do the El Capitan/Soda Shoppe and Jimmy Kimmel? or is that still to come? I see it's changed up some

We did not do El Capitan (was a bit disappointed about that one dropping off the itenary) nor JImmy Kimmel or the Soda Fountain (we did that one our own however, as you saw in day 0).

Grant said that while we were there the creature shop was empty and only some extra office work was going on in there so there were no creatures to see. Obviously, this could change at any time.

We did see some clay models of a lof of things, but also, no pics.

Dolby1000

Keep those questions coming!!

 

[Addicted to Dopey]

We did not do El Capitan (was a bit disappointed about that one dropping off the itenary) nor JImmy Kimmel or the Soda Fountain (we did that one our own however, as you saw in day 0)

They took El Capitan off the itinerary as well as Jimmy Kimmel and the Soda Fountain??? What did they replace all that time with?

 

[DisneyKevin]

They took El Capitan off the itinerary as well as Jimmy Kimmel and the Soda Fountain??? What did they replace all that time with?

They have rearranged the first two days of this Adventure.

The Disney Soda Fountain is across the street from the hotel, so that's very easy to see.

It's my understanding that it became very difficult to work around the Jimmy Kimmel schedule and that has been replaced with the tour of the Hollywood and the Stars homes.

Lunch at the Tam o'shanter has been added.

Last time we were at the Tam, we met Dick Van Dyke.!!!!!

Keep your eyes open!! You never know who you will see.

 

[Addicted to Dopey]

Jimmy never really interested me that much, but the El Captian tour seemed really cool. I'm sure it can change again between now and Dec 2013 as well!lol