Disney's America is a subject that has been brought up many times. I have formed my own concept of the park, and have worked it some, but I have found a slight trouble. While I had gotten deep into planning dining, I hadn't actually put in any rides. >_> So, besides showing a little bit of my idea, I'd also welcome any ideas from out there for rides and other things, especially some help on what is important from your area that should be represented. What I have is nowhere near done. I'll just describe a few of the areas I've planned.
Anyway, the basic idea is to recreate the experience of the World Showcase, but instead of a trip 'round the world, guests will be able to take in the tastes, cultures, and sights of the ol' US of A. Representations of various regions and cities of America will surround a lagoon, although this will be much larger and elongated. The entrance will be through the gates of Disney in Orlando, which serves as sort of the welcoming Main Street area. They will then come out upon the lagoon in Miami, complete with a beach and miniature version of the strip. From there, guests can circumvent the lagoon or use the boats to cross over.
The icon of the park will be the Washington Monument, a dramatized version of which will be on a penninsula out in the lagoon in front of Washington DC. This will be a smaller area, the reflecting pool reaching on axis behind the monument to a replica of Lincoln Memorial which will hold Walt's own "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln".
A few cities over is Philadelphia, the centerpiece of which is the Philadelphia Town Hall. The Liberty Bell and Love Statue will also be present. Noticable buildings include Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Liberty Place (displayed, as most towers in the park will be, in the background like France's Eiffel Tower). A counter service restaurant, "Home of the Cheesesteak will be in the shape of Pat's and Geno's, with seating between them. They will serve both restaurants' versions of the classic as well as fries and drinks.
A little over from Philadelphia is New York. New York is seperated from the two areas on either side by waterways, and small pedestrian versions of the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges will cross these. From the main promenade, a street will go back forming a long corridor with buildings on either side. At the end will be a representation of Times Square One, which will hold a simulated taxi drive through the city. At this point, the street will branch off, the right side going under the green steel of an elevated train line and into a small area of brick buildings and a sports bar like you would find near Yankee Stadium or Shea. New York sports games will be aired here, and ESPN when there are no games. The left would end up in a small version of Strawberry Fields where a food court with the food stands being steel carts. Here, foods such as Hot Dogs, Gyros, Kabobs, and Pretzels can be found. There will be a full-service restaurant called "Anthony's" themed like a Mulberry Street (Little Italy) ristorante. On the other side of the promenade will be a ledge with those pay binoculars, and a small version of the Statue of Liberty will sit out on the lagoon. If you haven't noticed, New York is the one I've planned out most fully.
Across the Tappan Zee will be an area representing the rest of New York. First is the Hudson Valley, featuring an Indian longhouse. A small river will run through the background, and Mount Beacon can be seen beyond that. There will also be a replica of Washington's Headquarters, as well as an old Hudson Valley manor in the style of Roosevelt Manor. The river ends in a small version of Niagara Falls.
Next comes New England. Most of New England is represented by a New England fishing village, complete with dock on the lagoon side of the promenade. It will hold the park's premier seafood restaurant, a sit-down place called "The Chowdah Shack". Specialties will, of course, include the New England Clam Chowder, and Lobster will be served during dinner.
It will have entrances in the fishing village, as well as the neighboring area, Boston. The dock will continue in front of Boston, and there will be a tallship anchored there. Aside from the Chowdah Shack, there will also be an Irish pub, where Boston sports games will be aired. A replica of Fenway Park will be visible, and one corner will be accessable to the public (in other words, it's not all hidden behind the other buildings). At the base of the stadium, guests will be able to purchase authentic Fenway Franks. There will be a representation of Boston's premiere universities, and the John Hancock Tower will loom overhead.
A few areas over is Chicago. This will be divided into two parts. One one side with be South Side Chicago, a more downtown area with the Chicago River crossing through, and the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center up above. The other half will be North Side Chicago, a smaller area of brick buildings, resembling Wrigleyville. The front facade of Wrigley will be visible much the same way Fenway is in Boston.
It's getting late, so I think I'll cut it there. There's more I have in my head, but I've got to get some sleep. There's also a lot more to New York, but I didn't want to overshadow everything else too much. Of course, my idea are idyllic, and would be representative more of the final phase of the park than what it would open with. However, I have a lot more in my head, including: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio, Lad Vegas, Amish Pennsylvania, Northwest Wilderness, Seattle, Southwest Desert, Detroit, the Twin Cities, Alaska, Hawaii, and more. Ambitious, in the words of Mayor Robert "Bob" White, "you betcha." :lol: I tend to go overboard.
A show similar to illuminations would play at night, using songs representative of various areas ("New York, New York", "Tessie", "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Georgia On My Mind", "My Kind of Town", "Hooray for Hollywood", "Viva Las Vegas"). There would also be specific celebrations in different areas for different holidays. 4th of July would center on DC and Philly. St. Patrick's Day would center on Boston and Chicago (yep, we're dyin' the river green). New Years would center on New York. Mardi Gras would center on New Orleans.
Also, banners would be hung in different cities celebrating their hometown teams. On opening week for the big five sports (Baseball, Basketball (NBA & WNBA), Football, Hockey, Soccer), the cities' respective teams will be celebrated with banners hanging from the buildings. This will also be done during the playoffs for whatever teams make it.
So, in a nutshell, that's it. I hope to hear much on the idea, and ideas out there, and I'll try to update with anything new I come up with, or anything I haven't mentioned yet.
Anyway, the basic idea is to recreate the experience of the World Showcase, but instead of a trip 'round the world, guests will be able to take in the tastes, cultures, and sights of the ol' US of A. Representations of various regions and cities of America will surround a lagoon, although this will be much larger and elongated. The entrance will be through the gates of Disney in Orlando, which serves as sort of the welcoming Main Street area. They will then come out upon the lagoon in Miami, complete with a beach and miniature version of the strip. From there, guests can circumvent the lagoon or use the boats to cross over.
The icon of the park will be the Washington Monument, a dramatized version of which will be on a penninsula out in the lagoon in front of Washington DC. This will be a smaller area, the reflecting pool reaching on axis behind the monument to a replica of Lincoln Memorial which will hold Walt's own "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln".
A few cities over is Philadelphia, the centerpiece of which is the Philadelphia Town Hall. The Liberty Bell and Love Statue will also be present. Noticable buildings include Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Liberty Place (displayed, as most towers in the park will be, in the background like France's Eiffel Tower). A counter service restaurant, "Home of the Cheesesteak will be in the shape of Pat's and Geno's, with seating between them. They will serve both restaurants' versions of the classic as well as fries and drinks.
A little over from Philadelphia is New York. New York is seperated from the two areas on either side by waterways, and small pedestrian versions of the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges will cross these. From the main promenade, a street will go back forming a long corridor with buildings on either side. At the end will be a representation of Times Square One, which will hold a simulated taxi drive through the city. At this point, the street will branch off, the right side going under the green steel of an elevated train line and into a small area of brick buildings and a sports bar like you would find near Yankee Stadium or Shea. New York sports games will be aired here, and ESPN when there are no games. The left would end up in a small version of Strawberry Fields where a food court with the food stands being steel carts. Here, foods such as Hot Dogs, Gyros, Kabobs, and Pretzels can be found. There will be a full-service restaurant called "Anthony's" themed like a Mulberry Street (Little Italy) ristorante. On the other side of the promenade will be a ledge with those pay binoculars, and a small version of the Statue of Liberty will sit out on the lagoon. If you haven't noticed, New York is the one I've planned out most fully.
Across the Tappan Zee will be an area representing the rest of New York. First is the Hudson Valley, featuring an Indian longhouse. A small river will run through the background, and Mount Beacon can be seen beyond that. There will also be a replica of Washington's Headquarters, as well as an old Hudson Valley manor in the style of Roosevelt Manor. The river ends in a small version of Niagara Falls.
Next comes New England. Most of New England is represented by a New England fishing village, complete with dock on the lagoon side of the promenade. It will hold the park's premier seafood restaurant, a sit-down place called "The Chowdah Shack". Specialties will, of course, include the New England Clam Chowder, and Lobster will be served during dinner.
It will have entrances in the fishing village, as well as the neighboring area, Boston. The dock will continue in front of Boston, and there will be a tallship anchored there. Aside from the Chowdah Shack, there will also be an Irish pub, where Boston sports games will be aired. A replica of Fenway Park will be visible, and one corner will be accessable to the public (in other words, it's not all hidden behind the other buildings). At the base of the stadium, guests will be able to purchase authentic Fenway Franks. There will be a representation of Boston's premiere universities, and the John Hancock Tower will loom overhead.
A few areas over is Chicago. This will be divided into two parts. One one side with be South Side Chicago, a more downtown area with the Chicago River crossing through, and the Sears Tower and John Hancock Center up above. The other half will be North Side Chicago, a smaller area of brick buildings, resembling Wrigleyville. The front facade of Wrigley will be visible much the same way Fenway is in Boston.
It's getting late, so I think I'll cut it there. There's more I have in my head, but I've got to get some sleep. There's also a lot more to New York, but I didn't want to overshadow everything else too much. Of course, my idea are idyllic, and would be representative more of the final phase of the park than what it would open with. However, I have a lot more in my head, including: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio, Lad Vegas, Amish Pennsylvania, Northwest Wilderness, Seattle, Southwest Desert, Detroit, the Twin Cities, Alaska, Hawaii, and more. Ambitious, in the words of Mayor Robert "Bob" White, "you betcha." :lol: I tend to go overboard.
A show similar to illuminations would play at night, using songs representative of various areas ("New York, New York", "Tessie", "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Georgia On My Mind", "My Kind of Town", "Hooray for Hollywood", "Viva Las Vegas"). There would also be specific celebrations in different areas for different holidays. 4th of July would center on DC and Philly. St. Patrick's Day would center on Boston and Chicago (yep, we're dyin' the river green). New Years would center on New York. Mardi Gras would center on New Orleans.
Also, banners would be hung in different cities celebrating their hometown teams. On opening week for the big five sports (Baseball, Basketball (NBA & WNBA), Football, Hockey, Soccer), the cities' respective teams will be celebrated with banners hanging from the buildings. This will also be done during the playoffs for whatever teams make it.
So, in a nutshell, that's it. I hope to hear much on the idea, and ideas out there, and I'll try to update with anything new I come up with, or anything I haven't mentioned yet.
