The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth Read Online Free PDF Page B

sometimes in court).
    On a stroll through the park, one will hear snippets of Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Armenian, Farsi, Hindi, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and the Queen’s English, to name a handful of the languages spoken, not to mention sign language and dialectic variations from across the United States.
    I’ll never forget hearing the thick New York patois of a woman ordering French fries for her kids near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad .  When you’re an easterner with ancestral roots in New York City, hearing a beautifully chewy slice of “Noo Yorkeze” on the west coast is a rare treat.  (Unfortunately, in this case the woman was browbeating her family about their food orders; she seemed to be in the throes of what our family calls a Disneyland meltdown .)
    You’ll hear flat Midwestern twangs at the resort, and the cadences of  “Minnesota nice” (“you betcha!”), as well as the sweet-molasses crawl of Southern drawls, the dropped “r”s and “wickeds” of eastern New England, and the Valley-speak and surfer lingo of Southern California.
    There are Indian Guests in turbans and saris , Muslim Guests covered head to toe by abayas and hijabs , as well as westerners in shorts and T-shirts.  There are ambulatory Guests and Guests in wheelchairs, elderly Guests and infants, whites, blacks, Latinos, Asians, Middle Easterners, and Native Americans all rubbing elbows and often jammed together in long queues for food or fun.  It’s a big, contemporary melting pot, where all are welcome, not an exclusive bastion stalled in 1955.
     
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    The more I visited Disneyland , the more I became intrigued by its history and its operational models and methodologies.  How did the resort hit all the right buttons?  It was entertaining, fun, and creative; it was relaxing and refreshing; it was clean, courteous, and efficient, democratic in its spirit, and a benevolent dictatorship in its flawless execution.
    Who wer e the teams of geniuses behind Disneyland ?  How (and why) did they summon the inspired audacity to build their own railroad lines and freeways and castle, their own euphoric society, to carve their own formidable mountain range?
    I began a voracious reading program, devouring books about the resort, the other Disney parks, the Disney Company , and (of course) that astonishing storyteller and entertainment mogul, Walt Disney himself—because Disneyland never would have existed without Walt .
    Disney ’s history, its management and customer service principles, and its artistry and engineering all made for fascinating reading.  At the back of this book, you’ll find a section called “Resources & Recommendations” that lists Disney -related books I’ve read, CDs I’ve listened to, and DVDs and websites that I recommend.
    Whether you’ re planning your first visit to Disneyland , or your fiftieth visit, whether you’re a business person, customer service rep, manager, artist, scientist, carpenter, accountant, student, writer, or homemaker – whatever your profession or your interest in Disney , you’re sure to find something of interest on that list.
     
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    In retrospect, my middle-aged fascination with Disneyland makes sense.  In my youth, I’d always been a fan of playgrounds and fun parks.  It was an interest I’d lost as an adult, but its roots were deep.
    M y siblings and I were lucky to have parents and an aunt who brought us not only to museums, art galleries, observatories, plays, and other educational venues, but also to fun parks, from Taunus Wunderland in Germany, to the alpine slides and amusement parks of New England and Pennsylvania, not only to the big sites but also to the modest county fairs and small travelling carnivals.
    We had our challenges like any family, but in some ways we were Rockwellian.  Dad was always gainfully employed both in and out of the Army.  Mom was home during most of our childhood, baking Toll House cookies ,