Long live the Eastern Gateway or how I learned to love the Anaheim City Council after the election.

[choco choco]

The JW Marriott has a set of large doors on the second level that open into the mall. In fact, the nearest location to that entrance is an upscale restaurant, Huckleberry's, scheduled to open when the Hotel opens.

Huckleberrys - Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist!

Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist! Huckleberry’s serves the best Breakfast and Lunch this side of the ol’ Mississippi so why not come see for yourself?

www.huckleberrys.org

Huckleberry's?? Upscale???

 

[Jiggsawpuzzle35]

The JW Marriott has a set of large doors on the second level that open into the mall. In fact, the nearest location to that entrance is an upscale restaurant, Huckleberry's, scheduled to open when the Hotel opens.

Huckleberrys - Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist!

Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist! Huckleberry’s serves the best Breakfast and Lunch this side of the ol’ Mississippi so why not come see for yourself?

www.huckleberrys.org

I peeked inside there a couple of weeks ago when I went to Bubba Gumps. It’s not upscale. Kinda of a nicer looking Black Bear Diner.

 

[Old Mouseketeer]

I remember when you said they couldn't relocate any of the buildings back stage prior to GE, and then again prior to MMRR. And yet here we are post-GE and construction started on MMRR, all former backstage areas you said were impossible or improbable to relocate.

I know you have some inside knowledge based on your relationships with former and current CMs, but never say never. If Disney is motivated they will relocate any one of those buildings for expansion space. They appear to have no issue inconveniencing CMs in order to expand. And I fully expect the same in the future.

So given the recent changes to DLR over the last couple years anything is possible. I suspect Disney has any number of plans sitting there waiting for the right time which includes relocation of everyone of those backstage areas, including TDA if needed. Which BTW may include going underground, where BOH ends up being under new FOH attraction areas. Actually I'm not sure why Disney hasn't done more of that in recent years at DLR.

Anyways, just my opinion which I'm sure you'll jump all over.

I'm not going to jump all over it. Prior to announcing Galaxy's Edge, I would have expected about half of what they did. The Staff Shops were long overdue, as was Circle D Ranch. In hindsight, Horticulture and Motor Pool should have been no-brainers, but I didn't see the options. Recycling and Pyro Storage were something I didn't have on my radar at all. Rerouting the DLRR and ROA were a complete surprise. MMRR caught me by surprise--and honestly, part of it was how it impacted people I know in Entertainment. The results are, frankly, mixed. I hear Tech Services got more room.

As far as clearing out the North Service Area, let me be a little more measured in my assessment (more thought, less pontificating). Until someone can show me how tearing down TDA makes sense from an amortization and write-down standpoint, color me skeptical. Any expansion back there is impacted by Pyro lockdown, and any proposals for tunnels face a lot of very expensive and logistical obstacles. I honestly don't know how much space they need on-property for staging merchandise and loading in-park delivery vehicles. Could they downsize 50%? Maybe. But I assume they are already running a JIT system from the Ontario warehouse. If they could relocate the Motor Pool to Ball Lot, then why didn't they do it for SW:GE? And if they can downsize backstage support for Entertainment, why didn't they do it when they moved out of N-19? If they can downsize the Parade Float Warehouse, how much and where do they put it? That leaves the TDA parking structure. Maybe they could build a structure on the Harbor CM Lot at Harbor and Ball (which they should have done two years ago) and run a shuttle to TDA, in addition to Harbor Point (which everyone I know is in favor of).

So let me make a good-faith estimate: Reduce Merchandise by 50%, Parade Floats by 25%, and move Motor Pool and TDA parking. But TDA stays--they can move some more departments off-site and put a few more Entertainment offices in there--maybe one third of the second or third floor. Maybe you move Parade Floats to where TDA Parking is. Best case--you might pick up the footprint of the Parade Float Warehouse, half of Merchandise Warehouse, and the two buildings flanking Pyro Farm. Functionally, however, I'm going to bet on one more ride for SW:GE, and that's it. But I've been wrong before.

 

[DLR92]

Huckleberry's?? Upscale???

Perhaps he meant Tocca Ferro? It the only onsite restaurant listed on their website? lol

 

[TP2000]

Thank god It about time there a JW Marriot in Anaheim! It beautiful on the outside!

I'm a longtime Marriott customer, and now a happy Bonvoy member after their merger with Starwood. The JW Marriott brand is a really good one; I love the bed linens and room furniture, and general level of polish they provide. The average JW Marriott outshines the Grand Californian when it comes to customer service and panache. The JW Marriott in Palm Desert is a personal favorite.

This is the first of Anaheim's Five Star hotels that took almost 20 years of political haggling to pull off. That story is long and labored, but suffice it to say this JW Marriott will offer the best service that Anaheim has ever seen. Once it opens, of course.

i wouldn't exactly call it beautiful LOL like every new hotel in Anaheim it is a brown boxy building.
Still think that they made a mistake of not looking back at some of the original hotel designs for the area. The original designs had the hotels integrated with the mall by adding outdoor patios and pool areas over the roof tops of garden walk. It gave clientelle direct access to the eateries and shops. It sure would have helped the mall as well

It is a bit bland. The Anaheim Planning Commission has definitely fallen into a trap where they approve whatever corporate stucco box that gets proposed. See: Platinum Triangle apartments circa 2008-2019 as a great example.

But... compared to what the Anaheim Resort District mostly looked like from 1975 to 2015, this JW Marriott is a huge improvement for the area. It may be boxy and bland, it may be the cheapest JW Marriott the brand has ever built, but for Anaheim it's slick and new and exciting. That doesn't speak well for Anaheim, but it is what it is.

 

[TP2000]

The JW Marriott has a set of large doors on the second level that open into the mall. In fact, the nearest location to that entrance is an upscale restaurant, Huckleberry's, scheduled to open when the Hotel opens.

Huckleberrys - Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist!

Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist! Huckleberry’s serves the best Breakfast and Lunch this side of the ol’ Mississippi so why not come see for yourself?

www.huckleberrys.org

Are we absolutely sure this Huckleberry's place is "upscale"?

I've never heard of Huckleberry's, but they appear to have about a dozen restaurants across central California. This "Coming Soon!" Anaheim location will be their first in SoCal, and judging by their website and menu the Huckleberry's concept looks like a rather conflicted cross between a Cracker Barrel (which I enjoy) and a culturally misplaced Coco's.

I may be wrong, but I hesitate to label any establishment as upscale when their menu includes the phrase....
"YOU'RE GONNA LUV 'DIS"

Am I really gonna luv 'dis? What makes Huckleberry's so confident in that bold claim?

 

[DLR92]

I'm a longtime Marriott customer, and now a happy Bonvoy member after their merger with Starwood. The JW Marriott brand is a really good one; I love the bed linens and room furniture, and general level of polish they provide. The average JW Marriott outshines the Grand Californian when it comes to customer service and panache. The JW Marriott in Palm Desert is a personal favorite.

This is the first of Anaheim's Five Star hotels that took almost 20 years of political haggling to pull off. That story is long and labored, but suffice it to say this JW Marriott will offer the best service that Anaheim has ever seen. Once it opens, of course.



It is a bit bland. The Anaheim Planning Commission has definitely fallen into a trap where they approve whatever corporate stucco box that gets proposed. See: Platinum Triangle apartments circa 2008-2019 as a great example.

But... compared to what the Anaheim Resort District mostly looked like from 1975 to 2015, this JW Marriott is a huge improvement for the area. It may be boxy and bland, it may be the cheapest JW Marriott the brand has ever built, but for Anaheim it's slick and new and exciting. That doesn't speak well for Anaheim, but it is what it is.

It a bit bland compared to one in downtown LA. But honestly maybe replace the street line Fan Palm Trees for Canary Island Palms to give the architecture more flare.

 

[Disney Irish]

I'm not going to jump all over it. Prior to announcing Galaxy's Edge, I would have expected about half of what they did. The Staff Shops were long overdue, as was Circle D Ranch. In hindsight, Horticulture and Motor Pool should have been no-brainers, but I didn't see the options. Recycling and Pyro Storage were something I didn't have on my radar at all. Rerouting the DLRR and ROA were a complete surprise. MMRR caught me by surprise--and honestly, part of it was how it impacted people I know in Entertainment. The results are, frankly, mixed. I hear Tech Services got more room.

As far as clearing out the North Service Area, let me be a little more measured in my assessment (more thought, less pontificating). Until someone can show me how tearing down TDA makes sense from an amortization and write-down standpoint, color me skeptical. Any expansion back there is impacted by Pyro lockdown, and any proposals for tunnels face a lot of very expensive and logistical obstacles. I honestly don't know how much space they need on-property for staging merchandise and loading in-park delivery vehicles. Could they downsize 50%? Maybe. But I assume they are already running a JIT system from the Ontario warehouse. If they could relocate the Motor Pool to Ball Lot, then why didn't they do it for SW:GE? And if they can downsize backstage support for Entertainment, why didn't they do it when they moved out of N-19? If they can downsize the Parade Float Warehouse, how much and where do they put it? That leaves the TDA parking structure. Maybe they could build a structure on the Harbor CM Lot at Harbor and Ball (which they should have done two years ago) and run a shuttle to TDA, in addition to Harbor Point (which everyone I know is in favor of).

So let me make a good-faith estimate: Reduce Merchandise by 50%, Parade Floats by 25%, and move Motor Pool and TDA parking. But TDA stays--they can move some more departments off-site and put a few more Entertainment offices in there--maybe one third of the second or third floor. Maybe you move Parade Floats to where TDA Parking is. Best case--you might pick up the footprint of the Parade Float Warehouse, half of Merchandise Warehouse, and the two buildings flanking Pyro Farm. Functionally, however, I'm going to bet on one more ride for SW:GE, and that's it. But I've been wrong before.

And your good-faith estimate might end up being true, or it might be wrong. My point is never say never. Just because we can't imagine or believe it won't happen, given the right business motivation, may actually end up happening.

I remember seeing Tony Baxter giving speech last year (or might have been 2018) where he said he was given a presentation on the future of the Parks by Disney. He said in that speech that Disneyland has large expansion spaces that the public doesn't even know about. That gives me indication that he's talking about BOH areas, and even TDA if needed. Not to mention possible land deals that are not public, just my suspicion but not impossible. And this was outside of the EGW project I believe. So it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next decade or two. Hopefully I'm still kicking around this great blue marble we call earth to see it happen.

 

[NobodyElse]

Am I really gonna luv 'dis? What makes Huckleberry's so confident in that bold claim?

Wow.

gonna luv would normally drive me nuts, but I'm almost blinded to them by that apostrophe preceding dis. Can anybody reasonably explain that (even in the context of the Huckelberry's Menu Universe)?

 

[MisterPenguin]

Wow.

gonna luv would normally drive me nuts, but I'm almost blinded to them by that apostrophe preceding dis. Can anybody reasonably explain that (even in the context of the Huckelberry's Menu Universe)?

They author may have thought that you need the apostrophe to represent a missing letter or two, like: 'twas or l'il for "it was" and "little."

What's more unnerving is the need to capitalize "sub."

 

[NobodyElse]

They author may have though that you need the apostrophe to represent a missing letter or two, like: 'twas or l'il for "it was" and "little.

Sure. I'm pretty familiar with that concept. Now, just let me know what letter(s) that apostrophe is replacing and I can move on in peace.

What's more unnerving is the need to capitalize "sub."

That's easily overlooked when you realize they're charging less that a cent for that upgrade.

"What's that you say, kind server? There's an up-charge for sweet potato fries? Here's a penny - keep the change."

 

[choco choco]

I remember seeing Tony Baxter giving speech last year (or might have been 2018) where he said he was given a presentation on the future of the Parks by Disney. He said in that speech that Disneyland has large expansion spaces that the public doesn't even know about. That gives me indication that he's talking about BOH areas, and even TDA if needed. Not to mention possible land deals that are not public, just my suspicion but not impossible. And this was outside of the EGW project I believe. So it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next decade or two. Hopefully I'm still kicking around this great blue marble we call earth to see it happen.

I'm pretty sure Baxter is talking about expansion spaces for the Resort as a whole, and not strictly Disneyland proper. I have a hard time believing "Disneyland [park] has large expansion spaces the public doesn't know about." We can all see it what's immediately around the park and see the physical limitations. The 5 freeway and Harbor are immovable. The entrance sequence is set for eternity. The only way it expands is to the west, depending on how they deal with Disneyland Dr (this is the one road that is conceivable could be re-routed) and the parking structures.

The north is cumbersome, on account that the cost-benefit option for expanding up there is low. It's too far a walk from the entrance and you need some semblance of backstage space. The more interesting question for that area is if it is worth it to lose the fireworks in order to gain more open air theme park acreage.

 

[TP2000]

Wow.

gonna luv would normally drive me nuts, but I'm almost blinded to them by that apostrophe preceding dis. Can anybody reasonably explain that (even in the context of the Huckelberry's Menu Universe)?

I wish you could have seen the look on my face as I stared at that online menu. And then when I got to the parting comment on the very last page "YOU'RE GONNA LUV 'DIS", my jaw literally dropped wide open.

I've decided that I actually do luv 'dis, but not quite for the reasons they were probably aiming for.

What's more unnerving is the need to capitalize "sub."

View attachment 481188

You caught that too! Thank you. The thought that the word "substitute" is too fussy and needs to be abbreviated also had me laughing.

I'm now fascinated by this Huckleberry's concept. Do we have any central Californians here who can fill us in?

I just read their backstory and/or mission statement on their website. I'm fully all in on this now, and I would have paid cash money to be in the conference room when this lilting prose was written for their website...

It’s been said that Huckleberry’s serves the best Breakfast and Lunch this side of the ol’ Mississippi so why not come see for yourself? Right away you’ll know you’ve found a place to escape from the everyday….the weeping willow tree sparkling with fireflies, the faint din of crickets chirping and the unmistakable rhythmic sound of Southern music in the background. It seems as if you’ve been carried away to the Bayou in just a few steps. All of the folks you meet are friendly, charming and real.

If they have actual Blue Bayou-esque LED fireflies in a fake willow tree in the lobby and a cricket chirping soundtrack "din" coming from ceiling speakers, I'm going to lose it. And staffed by real people, no less. Why can't this place be open NOW?

Huckleberrys - Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist!

Southern Cookin’ with a California Twist! Huckleberry’s serves the best Breakfast and Lunch this side of the ol’ Mississippi so why not come see for yourself?

huckleberrys.org

 

[NobodyElse]

I'm now fascinated by this Huckleberry's concept. Do we have any central Californians here who can fill us in?

Thought 1 : We need to track down Jim in Merced / Modesto from the old LaughingPlace forums.

Thought 2 : "Holy repressed-memories, Batman! I've BEEN to a Huckelberry's!" It had to be at 5 - 7 years ago. My nephew wanted to meet for lunch at one of the Fresno locations, because his young grade-school girls liked to eat there. I think I had a sandwich of some variety, and a lemonade in a mason jar. I recall it being as "themed" as maybe an Islands, Black Bear Diner, Lone Star, or perhaps an old family-owned Italian place. So, more effort than Coco's, but it was no Blue Bayou.

Pictures stolen from Google Maps:

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

Looks great! The suitcases tossed in there as theming is just like modern WDI.

 

[TP2000]

Thought 1 : We need to track down Jim in Merced / Modesto from the old LaughingPlace forums.

Jim in Merced. Talk about a blast from the past! You've got a very good memory.

I think I'm getting Huckleberry's more now. I just wonder why they felt the need to go with this faux Bayou theme, but somehow I am glad that they did. I've already decided that I am going to go there if/when they open at GardenWalk.

And if I can't hear the din of the crickets in my booth, I'll be demanding to speak with the manager!

I'm gonna luv 'dis.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Looks great! The suitcases tossed in there as theming is just like modern WDI.

For shame! Disney does more than a few suitcases. They do dozens and dozens of suitcases!!

 

[MisterPenguin]

Jim in Merced. Talk about a blast from the past! You've got a very good memory.

I think I'm getting Huckleberry's more now. I just wonder why they felt the need to go with this faux Bayou theme, but somehow I am glad that they did. I've already decided that I am going to go there if/when they open at GardenWalk.

And if I can't hear the din of the crickets in my booth, I'll be demanding to speak with the manager!

I'm gonna luv 'dis.

And the Sweet Potato Fries are less than a cent, my huckleberry friend!

 

[Darkbeer1]

And in regards to the November, 2020 election in Anaheim.

Anaheim Independent - Civic affairs in OC's largest city.

Civic affairs in OC's largest city.

www.anaheimblog.net

Anaheim Independent - Civic affairs in OC's largest city.

Civic affairs in OC's largest city.

www.anaheimblog.net

 

[Jedi Stitch]

Huckleberry's are Billy McHale's up here in Seattle.