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

[Disney Irish]

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.

I get what you're saying, I'll have to find the video. I posted it here back in the beginning I think.

Anyways there is many things Disney could do to expand all of DLR. I wouldn't even be surprised if in 20 years they decided to raze DTD and use that for park expansion. Who knows, well Disney does. But I really could imagine a future where DLR almost doubles in size by going both west and east, as well as far north as the 5 will allow. I know most people here would think me crazy, but anything's possible. Pipe dreams I know.

I hope D23 in 2023 for the company's 100th anniversary they announce a large expansion project for DL proper as well as the DLR as a whole. I would say at D23 in 2021 but I still think we'll be reeling from COVID19. Anyways, like I said pipe dreams.

 

[DLR92]

I could see DtD being taken down in the next 5 years to be honest. It's already partially empty and the virus is going to make more tennants go out of business with no park operations to support them.

Oh boy that will make staying at GCH less appealing. I always thought DtD isn’t design well. It a small strip walkway with not much retail space.

 

[Darkbeer1]

I think GcH would be just fine with its own restaraunts + the park restaurants. DtD was built at a time when shopping malls were the cool thing and it is no longer relevant.

Shopping Malls are still relevant.

More for meeting/gathering locations, and why you have seen more entertainment/dining and services instead of retail in the mix.

But for Tourist locations, shopping is still a key activity.

DtD is great for tourists on their arrival/departure dates, plus on days without a ticket, and now, a reservation.

 

[NobodyElse]

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

Those are vintage, olde-time suitcases. Something modern like a Samsonite or American Tourister would have really stuck out like a sore thumb. It's that attention to detail that puts Huckelberry's one notch up on the competition.

Speaking of "modern" luggage, I believe if Rainforest Cafe would have given their gorillas a suitcase, their DTD location would still be thriving.

 

[DrAlice]

But for Tourist locations, shopping is still a key activity.

DtD is great for tourists on their arrival/departure dates, plus on days without a ticket, and now, a reservation.

This. We always do our souvenir shopping on the morning that we are leaving the resort. Although, for our family, we could deal with far LESS retail than what is currently there. All we care about are the Disney-related stores and the Lego store. The rest of the stuff is just overpriced generic stuff that can be found elsewhere.

We would prefer more dining options that are varied in EXPERIENCE. Just off the top of my head, I think of: old school "automat" type of place or maybe one of those Japanese restaurants where the food goes by on boats. A dining experience that makes memories for my kid is what would work, IMO. There's a reason that Rain Forest Cafe did so well, even though their food wasn't so hot. The kids remember it and want to go back. Having said that last bit, it doesn't have to be a "kid's place" either, just unique. I'm not advocating for a Chuck. E. Cheese. *shudder*

 

[DrAlice]

Random thought after writing the bit about the Japanese boat restaurant:

How fun would it be to have a burger/comfort food type of place where the food "drives by" in little cars?

 

[TiggerDad]

Random thought after writing the bit about the Japanese boat restaurant:

How fun would it be to have a burger/comfort food type of place where the food "drives by" in little cars?

There used to be a restaurant in Seattle that used model trains.

 

[cmwade77]

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.

There is actually a lot of expansion space in Disneyland, like the old motorboat lagoon area.

The space they use for water storage during refurbs, etc.

 

[Curious Constance]

This. We always do our souvenir shopping on the morning that we are leaving the resort. Although, for our family, we could deal with far LESS retail than what is currently there. All we care about are the Disney-related stores and the Lego store. The rest of the stuff is just overpriced generic stuff that can be found elsewhere.

We would prefer more dining options that are varied in EXPERIENCE. Just off the top of my head, I think of: old school "automat" type of place or maybe one of those Japanese restaurants where the food goes by on boats. A dining experience that makes memories for my kid is what would work, IMO. There's a reason that Rain Forest Cafe did so well, even though their food wasn't so hot. The kids remember it and want to go back. Having said that last bit, it doesn't have to be a "kid's place" either, just unique. I'm not advocating for a Chuck. E. Cheese. *shudder*

100% agree with everything you just said. We tend to do our shopping the day we leave too, while we're waiting for our time to be taken back to the airport. We tend to browse during our time there, and then decide for sure what we want and purchase it on the last day. I also don't care about buying some expensive watch or candle, but more things to remember our trip by. And YES more varied dining experiences are desperately needed. That's why we loved Rainforest, the food was just okay, but it was just a fun place to be at, and different than anything we'd ever been to before, so we have a lot of happy memories there.

 

[SoCalMort]

....How fun would it be to have a burger/comfort food type of place where the food "drives by" in little cars?

 

[TP2000]

Those are vintage, olde-time suitcases. Something modern like a Samsonite or American Tourister would have really stuck out like a sore thumb. It's that attention to detail that puts Huckelberry's one notch up on the competition.

Speaking of "modern" luggage, I believe if Rainforest Cafe would have given their gorillas a suitcase, their DTD location would still be thriving.

I used to love those commercials!

There used to be a restaurant in Seattle that used model trains.

Yes! I had forgotten all about that place. I went a few times in the early 70's; it was located near the arboretum, in Madison Park if I'm remembering right?

EDIT: I think the Madison Park place I'm thinking of was a French creperie we used to go to for brunch. The mists parted a bit and now I think the train restaurant was actually in Pioneer Square? This was before the King Dome was built in '76 and Pioneer Square was a rather funky part of town. I still can't remember the name of the place. But the train delivering your food is unforgettable.

So many fun restaurants in Seattle back then! 13 Coins with those MASSIVE bar stools, The Velvet Turtle with its infamously trampy yet classy lounge, Ivar's Salmon House, Burgermaster and their incredible crab melts delivered by roller skating waitresses, the swanky tea room at Frederick & Nelson, etc.

Back in the 70's Ivar Haglund, owner of the Ivar's restaurant empire, paid for Seattle's waterfront July 4th fireworks every year out of his own pocket as a thank you to the city that gave his hard working Norwegian immigrant family such a wonderful life. I miss what Seattle used to be.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I liked when Downtown Disney had the House of Blues.

 

[TP2000]

Oh, see, that's fun!

Although the place that @TiggerDad and I am remembering 50 years ago in Seattle was more upscale, or at least not themed to a diner. It was kind of a legitimate restaurant with nice decor, except with this elaborate model train system that wound around the dining room. TiggerDad, am I remembering that right? Or did 50 years of fading memory make it seem swankier than it really was?

 

[TP2000]

I liked when Downtown Disney had the House of Blues.

Really? I thought it was a bit of a stretch to have House of Blues there, especially when rowdy bands performed and brought in a punky local crowd to scare the tourists.

Although, I do wonder if Downtown Disney mall management realizes the mistake they made by kicking House of Blues out and sending them over to GardenWalk. I can't imagine Splitsville and their horrible midwest sushi is pulling in the same amount of locals and crowds that House of Blues was able to on average.

There's also an unused expansion pad for Downtown Disney located just north of Splitsville and Tortilla Jo's. It was supposed to be a DisneyQuest but then that got canned and they could never find a large tenant who wanted to pay the big bucks to go in there. It's sat empty for 20 years now, and obviously it's not going to have any takers anytime soon while they struggle to maintain the shrinking number of tenants they have left.

 

[TiggerDad]

Oh, see, that's fun!

Although the place that @TiggerDad and I am remembering 50 years ago in Seattle was more upscale, or at least not themed to a diner. It was kind of a legitimate restaurant with nice decor, except with this elaborate model train system that wound around the dining room. TiggerDad, am I remembering that right? Or did 50 years of fading memory make it seem swankier than it really was?

Found it:

Iron Horse (restaurant) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

At least the one I remember. We would go before games at the Kingdome. Well, maybe 3 or four times total.

 

[choco choco]

There is actually a lot of expansion space in Disneyland, like the old motorboat lagoon area.

The space they use for water storage during refurbs, etc.

Yes, Disneyland has plenty of places that can be repurposed.

We were strictly talking about ways to expand the boundaries beyond the current one.

 

[TP2000]

Found it:

Iron Horse (restaurant) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

At least the one I remember. We would go before games at the Kingdome. Well, maybe 3 or four times total.

Fantastic! That's it, The Iron Horse! Most of my years in Seattle pre-dated the King Dome, so I must have gone to The Iron Horse before that. Wikipedia says it opened in 1971, so I imagine my vague yet warm memories of the place are from the Nixon/Ford era, rather than the Carter era of the King Dome

My Seattle years ended shortly after I saw Star Wars in June or July of '77 at the Cinerama Theater downtown along the monorail tracks, not far from the Westin Hotel. After securing tickets for Star Wars, the group of friends I hung out with then decamped to the lobby cocktail lounge of the Westin for a couple hours waiting for the 10pm showing. I remember distinctly that evening, as the guy who organized the evening and insisted we were going to love the movie was the son of Senator Charles Percy and he drove a giant white Cadillac DeVille while his charming wife Penny had a cute white Mercedes convertible. Funny the things that you remember decades after they happened.

@TiggerDad when did you live in Seattle?

If they built a new version of The Iron Horse in Downtown Disney, would a model train delivering your food be considered Instagrammable, I wonder? Would folks enjoy such a thing in the 2020's? Or would today's customers just continue to stare silently at their phones while the train sat there in front of them waiting for its food freight to be unloaded?

 

[NobodyElse]

So many fun restaurants in Seattle back then! 13 Coins with those MASSIVE bar stools, The Velvet Turtle with its infamously trampy yet classy lounge, Ivar's Salmon House, Burgermaster and their incredible crab melts delivered by roller skating waitresses, the swanky tea room at Frederick & Nelson, etc.

And don't forget Dick's for hamburgers.

(It's been a while since I've been censored. Just wanted to make sure that function was still in tact.)

PS: Clam chowder at Ivar's always seemed better than it probably was. Thank goodness for fuzzy memories.

 

[TP2000]

And don't forget ****'s for hamburgers.

(It's been a while since I'be been censored. Just wanted to make sure that function was still in tact.)

PS: Clam chowder at Ivar's always seemed better than it probably was. Thank goodness for fuzzy memories.

You know what's funny??? I had originally typed the name of that famous Seattle drive-in, but then I erased it because I knew it wouldn't get past the silly censors here. But yes, I remember that place. I used to go to the one by Green Lake in Wallingford.

There was also a local burger chain called Herfy's, I used to go to the one near the U District, it was very good.

 

[Ismael Flores]

Oh boy that will make staying at GCH less appealing. I always thought DtD isn’t design well. It a small strip walkway with not much retail space.

I see the retail space disappearing completely. DTD in Anaheim would be better suited to be more of a large food and entertainment court with little to no retail.