Back to Disneyland!

 

Sleeping Beauty's Castle: awake again!

We couldn't wait any longer and so have already been to Disneyland twice since it reopened on April 30. I thought I would cry once we entered, but it felt so natural to be back that we just walked right in as if we hadn't been gone for 14 months. What a relief!

May 5

Due to COVID restrictions, attendance was capped at 15% when the parks first reopened. Crowds were minimal and Main Street practically deserted. We walked right onto the Star Tours ride and "it's a small world."

Deserted Main Street

No line at "it's a small world"

We did wait in line for the Haunted Mansion, which was "updated" during the closure. I looked forward to the changes, but couldn't see a thing thanks to my fog-inducing mask. Though I'm completely "pro-mask," sometimes a glasses-wearing gal has got to see! A good excuse to return to Disneyland once masks are no longer a thing . . .

In line at the Haunted Mansion

Disneyland's newest ride, "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance," broke down the last time we visited the park back in March 2020, so we were determined to get aboard this time. Luckily, Tim was able to get us virtual passes on the first try. Unfortunately, however, we had to wait 4 hours before we could board. Nevertheless, the ride was amazing: lots of cool video effects and animatronics, but definitely overwhelming, especially with foggy glasses. Another attraction to ride once all mask mandates are lifted.

Greeted by a battery of storm troopers on Rise of the Resistance

"Park-hopper" tickets are available for those wanting to visit both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure (DCA) on the same day. But, unlike the Before Times, "park-hopping" is now strictly regulated in order to limit attendance in each park. Guests choose whether they want to start their visit in either Disneyland or DCA and then have to wait till 1PM to cross over. It was well after 1PM when we exited Rise of the Resistance, so we high-tailed it over to DCA, where there was absolutely no waiting for our favorite rides: Soaring' Around the World, Radiator Springs Racers, and Toy Story Mania. Talk about your silver lining! We returned to our hotel room several hours later, tired but happy.

Racing through Radiator Springs

June 8

A month later, Disney opened Avengers Campus, the highly-anticipated new "land" dedicated to all things related to the extremely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). We purposely timed our second visit to the parks until after "Marvel Land" opened on June 4.

To enter Avengers Campus, guests must either physically wait in line—sometimes for up to 6 hours!—or get a virtual boarding pass for the land's only new ride, Web Slingers. Virtual passes are available only twice a day at 7AM and noon. We were standing in the middle of Disneyland's Adventureland when Tim whipped out his phone to try getting our passes. Apparently, everyone around us was doing the same thing, because at noon a collective cheer erupted! We all made the virtual queue! Now all we had to do was wait 5 hours till our group number (122) was called. Meanwhile, we rode the newly renovated Snow White ride (not worth the 20-minute wait) before heading over to DCA.

Waiting in line for Snow White

Disneyland popcorn for lunch

Our group number was finally called at 5:15PM, Not only were we going on Web Slingers, we were now allowed inside Avengers Campus. Yay! What a long day, but well worth the wait. The ride uses advanced 3D arcade technology. Except instead of shooting with "guns," you flick your hands as if slinging webs a la Spider-Man. Frantic but fun. So glad my glasses didn't fog-up!

In line inside Stark Industries warehouse

Avengers Campus entrance

Afterward, we strolled around Campus, where there are plenty of shops to buy Marvel merch, plus the Pym Test Kitchen. The best part, though, was seeing various Marvel characters interacting with the guests. We were too tired to stick around to see them perform—climbing walls, fighting villains, and flying (Spider-Man)—but did see Iron Man (my favorite), Loki (Tim's fave), Thor, and Spider-Man pose for photos. We then hobbled back to our hotel, where we collapsed in a happy but exhausted heap.

Iron Man

Loki

Avengers' Quinjet atop Stark Industries building

Words of Advice

Although the parks are still not operating at full capacity, 35% attendance in June was noticeably more crowded than 15% the month before. In May it took less than 20 minutes to go through security before lining up to get into Disneyland. The wait was twice as long this week.

Hundreds (thousands?) of people ahead of us on the security line

Besides virtually queuing up for the newer rides, guests must also order their meals through the Disney app. One of the most hyped attractions of Avengers Campus is Pym Test Kitchen, where food comes in all kinds of crazy shapes and sizes. The menu sold-out almost immediately, leaving us with only popcorn for lunch!

Disney parking doesn't open till 7:30AM, so don't arrive too early. Also, because of social distancing, there are no shuttles carrying guests from the lot to the parks. Everyone has to walk. We stayed in a hotel across the street and walked in from Harbor Blvd.

Because of social distancing, physical queues look much longer than they are. In our experience, the lines actually moved pretty quickly.

Finally, the parks are still not fully staffed, so some attractions, eateries, and shops remain closed. Make sure your favorite ride is actually open before schlepping all the way to Anaheim. 

And, oh yeah. Don't forget to have a magical day!

A Touch of Disney

                                                                               

A little over a year since closing its Anaheim resort, Disney partially reopened its Disney California Adventure (DCA) park to host a marketplace event, called "A Touch of Disney," for five weekends in March and April. No rides, just food and shopping. Still, we were so desperate to return to the parks that we waited online for 6 hours—two hours before the entire event sold-out!—to buy tickets. We finally got back inside DCA yesterday.

Despite unflattering media reviews of long lines and overly-expensive food, we had a wonderful time. Disney's insistence on a contactless purchasing system involving an app and QR codes was annoying, but we eventually figured out how to order food. After an hour on our own, our good friend Heather and her son joined us, making the day doubly special. I thought for sure I would cry from missing the parks so much. And yet, once we entered, it felt so natural to be back it was like coming home. Looking forward to when the parks reopen for real at the end of April.

Tim, me, Micah and Heather with Walt—masks required except when eating or drinking 

Must have Dole Whip, even when the weather is unseasonably cold

With Miguel from Coco

Photo op on faux set from Wandavision

Pixar Pier before sunset

Trees blooming in Carthay Circle

COVID Vaccines

 

 Getting inoculated at Dodgers Stadium 

Finally. Something to report on this blog!

 

Tim and I got our first COVID vaccines. But, as we know, nothing is ever easy. Let’s just say, despite the fact that California is the most populous state in the country, the supply has been spotty with even medical providers receiving either no or not enough vaccines. Our provider Kaiser Permanent advised us to get vaccinated wherever and whenever we could. It looked like many weeks before we'd get vax’d.

 

Then two things happened. The governor lowered the first tier age group to 65 years or older and our friend Heather—a true wiz at navigating the internet—got us appointments via a secret scheduling website. At that point, I was not enthused about going to mass inoculation sites, like Dodgers Stadium or the Forum, because of the long wait—even Sir Patrick Stewart, Star Trek’s Captain Picard, had to wait in line for 4 hours, for pete's sake!—so Heather found us openings at nearby Ralph’s supermarket pharmacies. Tim got his vax last week. But the supply ran out before I could get mine, so it was back to square one for me.

 

My abhorrence of mass vaccination sites continued until Karen went to Dodgers Stadium and got her shot in an hour and 10 minutes. Other friends started sharing their success stories on Facebook as well. So, with Karen’s help, I mastered the county’s appointment webpage. Unfortunately, there were no openings on my first try. Karen was determined, however, and so when she called me the next day with news of available appointments, I was able to schedule one at 3:50PM on Friday. Not enthused about traveling to Dodgers Stadium during rush hour traffic, but I was starting to get desperate.

 

We left the house at 2:30PM. An hour later, we joined a line of cars streaming into the stadium parking lot. A volunteer from CORE, Sean Penn’s Community Organized Relief Effort network, stopped us at the gate and asked how many people were getting vaccinated. She then wrote a big number #1 on our windshield in blue felt-pen. We followed the cars in front of us into the stadium parking lot. The feeling was so familiar; but instead of going to a baseball game, I was going to get my first COVID shot.

 

Looking through the windshield at our big, blue #1

 

 As if we could go any faster!

 

Getting closer

 

We followed the same cars for the next two hours, driving slowly up and down make-shift switchbacks on the northwest end of Dodgers Stadium’s massive parking lot. In the distance we could see the tents where the vaccinations were being administered. We listened to Sirius’s Soul Town channel and danced in our seats. We arrived at the tents as the sun was setting. By then, our bladders were bursting, so we decided to brave the outhouses. “Very nasty,” a woman warned as I approached one of the facilities. I shrugged and went in. She was right.

 

After another half-an-hour waiting in the car, a CORE volunteer came over, took my information, opened the car door, and asked me to dangle my arm. The shot was relatively painless--I told the guy he did a good job—and then we had to wait yet another 20 minutes to make sure I didn’t have a bad reaction. We drove home in the dark during Friday rush hour. 

 

The tents

 

The entire adventure took almost 5 hours. Still, well worth the peace of mind of being inoculated against COVID. We’ll do it all over again in a month for shot #2.

AMTRAK to Seattle

Trees changing colors in Oregon

Life goes on despite the pandemic and an all-consuming election. Missing my sister, who lives in Snohomish, WA, and wanting to meet our new grand-niece, we decided to travel north to visit family. My one stipulation: no airplanes till a reliable vaccine is developed. So we once again booked an AMTRAK sleeper car to Seattle, like we did to New Mexico back in February (a million years ago!). This time, however, the trip was 33 hours one-way, requiring two full days on the train. Again, not the most comfortable sleeping accommodations, but truly a relaxing ride. Plus the scenery was spectacular, as you can see below.

Mirror selfie in our "bedroom" cabin

Waiting for the train to depart

Quick stop in Klamath Falls: looking toward the back

of the train

Tim heading back to our car. Pleasant weather going up,

but 29 degrees in Klamath Falls on the way home. We stayed

in our cabin.

Dawn the next morning. Note the train's shadow as we

zip along.

Lush Oregon

Thrilled to see so many yellow trees

Quick stop in Portland: cool neon signs

at the station

Grocery shopping in Snohomish: 16 kinds of apples!

With grand-niece Vera Rose

Heading home: Seattle King Street train station

Spectacular station interior, beautifully 

renovated in 2013

Amazing 1906 masonry

Ceiling detail

Rebuilt Tacoma Narrows Bridge after the original bridge

famously collapsed

Are the farm workers in Salinas really this happy?

We didn't see any in the fields, so don't know.

Saw several rocketless launch pads while traveling through

Vandenberg Air Base, on the California central coast.

Always a thrill for me to see, even if no missiles in sight.

Big curve approaching San Luis Obispo. Can see the end

cars of our train.

Living in the Time of COVID-19

 

Face masks or coverings are now mandatory in L.A.

 

All life changed eleven weeks ago because of coronavirus. On March 16, Angelenos were mandated to stay at home as all but “essential” businesses and services were shut down. Schools went online, live performance and sporting events were postponed, and amusement parks closed.

Still our lives remain relatively unaltered. Retired now for almost five years, we’re used to being at home, though there are many things we miss—like exercising at the gym, going to the theater and movies, eating at restaurants, and, of course, Disneyland. Our summer trip to Spain is canceled and it’s doubtful we’ll be taking the February 2021 Panama Canal cruise we booked several months ago.

We count our blessings every day, however. Two people we know had the virus, only one of whom survived, and know of another who tested positive but apparently is OK. Thankfully, our family members and dearest friends are all healthy and either retired or still working, so that’s a major silver lining.

Though we are coping well with the “new normal,” this entire experience has certainly been strange. Just leaving the house now triggers a mental checklist of items to bring along: ubiquitous face masks or coverings; our homemade spritzer of alcohol for disinfecting hands; and water bottles, so we’re not tempted by public fountains if we get thirsty. My backpack purse— which used to be more purse than backpack—now feels like a full-on backpack. Camping anyone?

Shopping for groceries was crazy, the first week of the shutdown, as people panicked and began hoarding food staples and paper products. We went from one crowded store to another looking for basic items, until one morning Tim called me from our local market, where he’d gone to get a cup of Starbuck’s.

“There are no lines!” he whispered conspiratorially into the phone.

“Is there food on the shelves?” I asked.

“No onions, but lots of other stuff.”

I ran right over. No onions, potatoes, broccoli, or carrots, but did get lots of fruit and Roma tomatoes. We were set for a while.

 

Empty shelves the first week of the shutdown

 

 Tim and the world's largest roll of toilet paper

The hoarding phenomenon is now a distant memory as markets tend to be pretty well-stocked with food and other essentials, though cleaning products and alcohol are still in drastically short supply. Many stores have signs on the floor directing customers to move all one way down each aisle to enable the preferred 6-foot safe “social distance.” We have also learned to shop first thing in the morning, otherwise we’ll have to wait on line outside stores that (thankfully!) limit the number of customers inside. Monday mornings before 8AM are best.

 

 Directional signs on market floors

Our days are fairly redundant: get up, exercise via YouTube zumba or walk 2-3 miles, work on projects around the house (e.g., organizing closets, cupboards, and old photographic slides), sometimes attend a virtual meeting or webinar on Zoom, read Facebook for two hours, and watch TV at night. And, of course, eat. Making dinner is now a daily highlight as we both enjoy cooking (and eating!). My personal goal is to throw away no food, leading to some interesting reuse of “left-overs.”

 

 With libraries now closed, our Little Free Library

has been very popular during the shutdown. Thanks to 

friends and neighbors for keeping it well-stocked.

 

Haircuts al fresco! Salons are closed, so my

hairdresser came over and cut our hair on the

back patio.

We’ve also started going on weekly “excursions” to change the scenery and just get out of the house. We drove to Santa Barbara to buy our favorite chicken take-out and did the same on a drive to San Diego for our favorite taquitos from El Indio. One night, we went to nearby Dockweiler Beach to see the bioluminescent waves caused by “red tide” algae and did a quick trip to Orange County to take pictures of our favorite artist SHAG’s murals on a new business park building. Yesterday we did take-out from The Original Farmer’s Market—very eerie being two of the only customers there.

 

 Gotta eat! Bought home 4 dozen uncooked taquitos for

us and two friends.

Amazing waves at Dockweiler Beach

 

SHAG mural

 

Mural #2

 

Eerie Farmer's Market

 

Ironically, as most of the world is stuck indoors, nature proceeds with its usual magnificent spring and early summer floral displays. We visited the L.A. County Arboretum last week and, of course, our own gardens were truly glorious this year.

 

 Backyard gardens

Our blooming Octopus Agave grew to 16 ft.

 

Five weeks ago, we started hosting a weekly “happy hour” for neighbors every Friday at 5PM. We provide the chairs. They provide the conversation and laughter. It’s been a wonderful release and just a terrific way to reconnect with our nearest friends. We hope the tradition continues long after the pandemic ends.

 

Setting up chairs for our Friday night happy hour