Exactly. Its the Hollywoodland that never was. That's the appeal. I could walk down a small-town Main street past streets lined with shops all around Anaheim, but nobody thinks Main Street USA is a bad concept. It is the fantasy aspect that makes it charming.
Yeah, perhaps an even better comparison is Buena Vista Street. It could easily be argued that Buena Vista Street is redundant because Los Angeles is a short drive away. But that would ignore the unique charm of Buena Vista Street. It takes you to an idealized version of LA from a different time and place.
It is undeniable that Hollywood Land needed attention to bring it to the same level of detail as Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Had they gone through with those improvements, that section of the park would be one uninterrupted stretch of beautiful architecture. The Red Car Trolly would have journeyed through a loving and idealized version of Los Angeles. It would have terminated with Tower of Terror on one side as an anchor.
I remain glad I was able to visit the park before Pixar Pier, Mission Breakout, and San Fransokyo were added.
My ideal Disney California Adventure would include everything in the 2016 park (which I regard as peak DCA minus the WoC Neil Patrick Harris edition [nothing against the man, it was just too much]). Add in a refurbished Hollywood Land that rivals Sunset Boulevard at DHS. Disney could use the theater facades to install E Tickets to their big franchises (Avengers Coaster for example) without making an entire land. Then a Bugs Land could have been demolished and replaced with a loving celebration of California's hispanic culture. It could have included something like a Coco attraction. Maybe something akin to Sinbad at TDS, only with the characters Coco. That would let you soak up the music and environments in a relaxed way. DCA could use a good high-capacity boat ride.
While many people rightfully complain about the Epcot renovation, no park in the last decade has degraded more precipitously than Disney California Adventure. Avatar will be a beautiful addition to the park. But it won't fit into the park at all. In fact, the park itself has gone from a largely cohesive and beautiful experience, to one of the most jarringly disjointed. It's sad, because I remember the triumphant renovation of Condor Flats into Grizzly Peak Airfield. It felt like everything was going in the right direction. But then things started to fall apart.
It's all water under the bridge though. I hope they wow us with this new Avatar land!
