Memories
 

The original Disneyland Hotel was like having your dessert after a fine meal (Disneyland). There was so much to do there and the atmosphere was electric. I still like it but I sure miss many of the things that were torn down.

One of my greatest memories was, sitting outside the shops on a bench (facing West Street) on a warm summer evening, just relaxing and watching all the people walk by. All of a sudden, a band walks up (not the Disneyland Band) and asks for any Disney song requests. This was a drummer, some horns and other instruments. It was totally spontaneous. I spent the next half-hour belting out Whale of a Tale, Mickey Mouse Club March, Beauty and the Beast and so many other classics. It was a wonderful experience.

From what I know, the waterfalls are safe although I am not sure they let you walk down really close to them any more. Did you know, Bonita Granville Wrather helped design those falls? I have copies of her personal pictures of when they were being constructed.

www.magicalhotel.com

My suggested new names for the towers:

Lohan Tower
Raven Tower
Hannah Montana Tower

Guests can still walk along the paths behind the waterfalls but if it's a rainy day or a bit foggy they close them. Also I think Disney closes those paths after a certain time at night.

I'm glad they're safe and it's cool to know that Bonita helped design them!


No, no, no. They need more 'magical' names like:

Firecrotch Tower (featuring the Fugs N Jugs suite)

I did not know that. Cool history abounds at the DLH. Thanks for the info!:snap:

Disneyland Hotel
 

Lot's of history at the Disneyland Hotel.

DLH:

First major Hotel west of the Mississippi after the war (WWII).
First highrise building in Anaheim.
First Hotel to use solar power to generate energy (Bonita Tower 1978).
First fully computerized Hotel.
First designed, family oriented Hotel.
First Hotel with an operating/working Monorail system.
First Hotel with a glass elevator.
First Hotel to accept credit cards as forms of payment.
First western Hotel with an operating Heliport.
First Hotel to have seasonal rates (off-season and on-season).
First Hotel with a television in every room (some even had color TV's).
First Hotel that was fully air-conditioned.
First west coast Hotel with its own radio station KEZY.

www.magicalhotel.com

Sigh - I'm missing the swank already. As I mentioned already, I still remember how cool the place was growing up in the 60's - it set a standard for the time, which sadly seems to have become commonplace. Still, the nostalgia runs deep for me - thanks original dh.

Hey original_dh, if you have any input can you encourage them not to follow the modern trend of super soft beds with 19-inch thick mattress pads? If I do ever stay there I'd like to not end up sleeping on the floor.

Just one reserved room with granite-like mattresses and I'd be happy. Or put select-comfort beds in each room.

I don't know if I would say that it was it's "own" radio station. Yes, the studio's were on the hotel property, but KEZY was not owned by Disney or officially affiliated with the hotel (to the best of my knowledge and limited research).

I never said it was owned by Disney or affiliated with the Disneyland Hotel. For that matter, most of the stores and restaurants were independantly owned and operated through leases with Wrather. The Hotel wasn't even owned by Disney or even affiliated with Disney until 1988. The Wrather Corporation owned the Disneyland Hotel and had no affiliaton with Disney.

Really, Kevy, that was quite the quibble. You might as well have pointed out the much more obvious that it wasn't the Hotel's monorail.


I bet that's not even their water in the waterfalls.