BrightShinyObject
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2013
I grew up in Southern California but I wasn't too interested in Disneyland beyond my younger days. It's a guy thing. When I was 6 or 7, I was excited to go but somewhere around 12 or 13 it became that place for girls, little kids and tourists. I went to college in the area and I saw some of my friends getting season passes. But they had girlfriends and I naturally concluded they were whipped. Things changed when I had a family of my own and Disney magic took its hold swiftly and completely. The first time we took my oldest -a very girly girl who can never get enough of princesses and mermaids - she came in a Rapunzel t-shirt but left in a Cinderella gown. Pricey but it was worth it. We became annual passholders last year and even though we had to yank cable to budget for it, I consider it one of my best entertainment purchases.
So last friday was Dapper Day! Finally, little princesses aren't the only ones who get to dress up. I'm a big fan of formal wear. It's just alot of fun dressing like a grown up. The whole casual dress movement might have started off to "free" us from formality, but it operates more like an injunction. You MUST wear that t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops or you're clearly unwell.
What I wasn't looking forward to was the heat. Summertime in Southern California is mild but you can really start to bake in the fall. The week prior was a string of triple digit temps and Friday was no different. This did not bode well for a day of dressing up. Particularly for fellas. The more layers we have, the better looking our outfits get. I had an unlined seersucker sportcoat that was perfect for warm weather but when it's 97 outside the parking structure, er no.
The heat did thin the crowds out. We arrived at 3 and we were able to get onto the the kid's favorite rides with very little wait time. Pirates (twice!) Astroblasters (thrice!), Star Tours, - the wait times didn't top 20 mins and most of that time was spent indoors and airconditioned.
Dapper Day brought out the hipsters and their skinny suspenders (with clips) paired with a belt. The belt and suspenders look is supposed to be ironic, I guess, but so many of them wore it that started looking banal. Still, they were well behaved. I'll take them over the trash that infests Magic Mountain. Outside the hipsters, there were some die hard dressers that, despite the heat, still rocked that sportcoat. Some even in three-peices. My favorite outfit was on a couple who came in late 1800s costume. Tall hat, tailcoat, vest, cravat. The fella even had his mustache twirled. Undoubtedly dapper.
We had dinner in the park. I'm really pleased with the quality of Disney's food. The French Market's french dip is one of my favorites and I wish they served it for dinner. Counter service food is obviously not gourmet, but it's pretty good especially compared to how it was when I was younger. In fact, it seems like many amusement parks are upping their food game. Universal Studios and Legoland also have great offerings. The only one that seems to be stuck in the past is Magic Mountain.
I was surprised that the park closed at 10. We saw Fantasmic and tried to leave before the fireworks ended. Half the park had the same idea and the path out of Adventureland was really jammed. We should have taken then train out. We got to see the fireworks - certainly better than looking at the back of somebody's head - but it's a much different experience without the music. By the time we got to Main Street, the fireworks were just ending and the park was closing so there was another big traffic jam through to the exit and then to the parking structure trams. Kudos to Disney for running as many trams as possible. We didn't have to wait too long before we were on our way out.
In spite of the heat and the early closing, we had a great time. It was fun to see people dressed up and I can't wait to pull out that seersucker for the spring Dapper Day.
So last friday was Dapper Day! Finally, little princesses aren't the only ones who get to dress up. I'm a big fan of formal wear. It's just alot of fun dressing like a grown up. The whole casual dress movement might have started off to "free" us from formality, but it operates more like an injunction. You MUST wear that t-shirt, shorts and flip-flops or you're clearly unwell.
What I wasn't looking forward to was the heat. Summertime in Southern California is mild but you can really start to bake in the fall. The week prior was a string of triple digit temps and Friday was no different. This did not bode well for a day of dressing up. Particularly for fellas. The more layers we have, the better looking our outfits get. I had an unlined seersucker sportcoat that was perfect for warm weather but when it's 97 outside the parking structure, er no.
The heat did thin the crowds out. We arrived at 3 and we were able to get onto the the kid's favorite rides with very little wait time. Pirates (twice!) Astroblasters (thrice!), Star Tours, - the wait times didn't top 20 mins and most of that time was spent indoors and airconditioned.
Dapper Day brought out the hipsters and their skinny suspenders (with clips) paired with a belt. The belt and suspenders look is supposed to be ironic, I guess, but so many of them wore it that started looking banal. Still, they were well behaved. I'll take them over the trash that infests Magic Mountain. Outside the hipsters, there were some die hard dressers that, despite the heat, still rocked that sportcoat. Some even in three-peices. My favorite outfit was on a couple who came in late 1800s costume. Tall hat, tailcoat, vest, cravat. The fella even had his mustache twirled. Undoubtedly dapper.
We had dinner in the park. I'm really pleased with the quality of Disney's food. The French Market's french dip is one of my favorites and I wish they served it for dinner. Counter service food is obviously not gourmet, but it's pretty good especially compared to how it was when I was younger. In fact, it seems like many amusement parks are upping their food game. Universal Studios and Legoland also have great offerings. The only one that seems to be stuck in the past is Magic Mountain.
I was surprised that the park closed at 10. We saw Fantasmic and tried to leave before the fireworks ended. Half the park had the same idea and the path out of Adventureland was really jammed. We should have taken then train out. We got to see the fireworks - certainly better than looking at the back of somebody's head - but it's a much different experience without the music. By the time we got to Main Street, the fireworks were just ending and the park was closing so there was another big traffic jam through to the exit and then to the parking structure trams. Kudos to Disney for running as many trams as possible. We didn't have to wait too long before we were on our way out.
In spite of the heat and the early closing, we had a great time. It was fun to see people dressed up and I can't wait to pull out that seersucker for the spring Dapper Day.
