Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wayback Machine: This Grump's First Trip to Disneyland

The Grump and his mom at Main Street USA (Disneyland)Being that my "real" life, the one that pays the bills, is taking up a bit of my time right now, I thought I would put up a quick pictorial post.

This is me, with my mom, on Main Street USA at Disneyland. According to the note on the back of the picture, this was taken January 22, 1972 [Ed. Note:  Thanks George for pointing out the date was wrong.  I wasn't still in a stroller in 1992]. I was born on September 8, 1971, so you can do the math on how old I was (a little over 4 months).

According to my mom, we were moving from Dayton, Ohio to San Marcos, California in 1972 due to the fact that my dad was getting a job transfer with NCR. My parents and I were in California on a scouting mission in January 1972 and they decided that a trip to Disneyland was in order.

There weren't many pictures that are preserved from that trip. This was one that really stood out to me.

Some things of note:

  • Look how empty Main Street is. Granted it's January, but I doubt you'd find it this empty now.
  • Note the Theme Park fashion choices of the early 1970's. There are men in sport coats and women in slacks. Not a pair of jeans in sight. Also, a lot of dress shoes. Heck my mom is wearing some sort of pant and vest combo.

Heck, back in that day, it looks like you could sport a huge Theme Park Footprint and still not get in anyone's way.

Who knows, this may have been the source of the pixie dust that fills me to this day.

[Editor's Note: Yes, I know that I appear to be copying the niche that Major Pepperidge at Gorilla's Don't Blog fills with the wonderful pictures of old, but this picture (along with a couple others) are just too irresistible for me to not blog about]

*Wayback Machine is a nod to Mr. Lou Mongello and Jeff Pepper who use that term all the time on their WDW Radio Show when they do their Disney Scene Investigations of Disney Things of the Past

 


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Ray--

You look funny without the beard.

And the floppy hat.

And the camera strapped around your neck!