The window with a lamp
 

Please tell us more!

If this is a tease just to brag about how you got into the apartment, it worked. Pics, please?

i love that picture. do share.

Are you talking about that thing on Disney auctions or something where you get a bunch of stuff including a tour of Walt's apartment? It's pretty expensive.

Oh, found the link: http://disneyauctions.go.com/cgi-bin...aunbr=67110342.

And yes, it's very pretty inside Walt's apartment. It was amazing looking through the window from the inside down onto Town Square.

oh my... current bid is at $ 4,102.00.

it will certainly be interesting to see where this ends.

thanks for the link.

so, anybody else wanna share your experience?

I don't always give Walt the nod or wave, but some days, the lamp does catch my eye. I think it especially beckons when we close the park and saunter our way slowly to the exit.

I love showing it to day guest friends.

"That was Walt's apartment, above the fire station. He'd stay the night up there sometimes, and be up early to walk the park and make sure things were perfect. The workers knew he was here if the lamp was on in the window. After he died, they left it on all the time, to show that Walt is always here."

Everyone that I've related this short tale to seems touched by it, regardless of how much of a Disney person they are. What a lovely symbol of Walt's commitment.

Current Bid:$ 5,002.00 Time Remaining: (5 hours)

Damn, I just walked by there and never looked. Thanks for the reminder, you can be sure it will be stop number one on my next visit...

If anyone is serious about bidding you should know that NO picture taking is allowed in the apparment. No photo, no video, with or without flash, zero, nadda, zippy.

No pictures, but memories to last a LIFETIME!

Actually, someone apparently emailed Disney to ask about this, and they're saying photography is being permitted on this event. I know that photography was not permitted on another recent event. When I was in the apartment, we were allowed to take pictures, though I didn't have a camera so I didn't personally take any.

winning bid: $ 6,752.00

:cheers:

You know, when you start adding in airfare and Grand Cal stay...someone got a pretty good deal for such an exclusive experience.

I just wonder about this one:

Now what exactly does that include....?

:blush:

Assuming they needed the airfare....
I was wondering what happened if they were local.

Not to mention balcony seating for fantasmic and dinner at the Blue Bayou.

Holy cow! That really was a great deal.

i wonder what Walt would have thought about seeing Space Mountain from his Town Square window...

I wonder how the main street magic shop would have looked with an extra story added on.....

Well, this is a very strange and timely post for me. Here is a picture of me and my fellow castmembers when I used to be in Hotel stores stock. I'm the big guy in the middle of the back row (as if you couldn't guess that.:blush: ) Seated in front of me is the manager for Hotel / World of Disney Merchandise from a couple of years ago, Andrew Young (he's the guy making the moose ears.). He got us the chance to go into Walt's apartment as a thank you for all of the hard work we put in redoing the stock rooms from the ground up. A task that took us a couple of weeks of hard work to complete. It was a great thank you! I would have never imagined having the honor of getting to see the inside of this hallowed place in Disneyland!

The reason this post is strange and timely for me is that Andrew Young passed away three days ago. I didn't remember his face until I read this post and remembered the time he gave us this moment in Walt's apartment. It's strange how things sometime fall into place. I will be forever greatful for his gift to us, and will miss him. There have been others I have worked with who have passed, and I will remember them with fondness and smile remembering the good times I've shared with them. Andrew, you gave me a great memory.

a warm and wonderful post, Hades. Thank you for sharing that memorable experience with us.

or the look on Roy's face as he discussed going over budget with Walt.;)

:eek: DAMN!


Boy am I glad iSm & I are getting it for free in a few weeks.

I'm in

Hades, that was a very sweet and touching post. I hope that you will often remember Andrew, as well as dear old Walt, when you stroll through Town Square and glance up.

Don't boast, Draco! ... these people aren't worth it. :evil:

Must....resist....negative....mojo....

:p

Well, the actual quote turns out to be "Don't boast, Draco! You needn't bother with these people." But the sentiment remains. I would have preferred zapp not say anything about this.




Until afterwards.

i think about the apartment alot lately. i imagine what it was like for Walt when he lived there.

Link

i imagine it was pretty awesome to wake up in Disneyland. i imagine an early spring morning, 1957. Walt takes the latest Variety under his arm and steps out onto the terrace to enjoy a fresh cup of Hills Brothers coffee.

streams of golden sunlight filter through the lattice and vines. He spies the happy faces of children stepping into Town Square for their first time.



"You'rrrrrre attention pleazzzzzze" bellows in the distance. the Fred Gurley pulls into the Main Street station.

Clang Clang - Clang Clang! his attention is brought to the north end of Town Square to see a beautiful draft horse pulling a street car. Clip Clop Clip Clop.

the smell of freshly baked croissants accompany his wife, Lillian, who brings out a beautiful china platter filled with lovely pastries. she returns again with a fresh squeazed container of orange juice, Sunkist, i presume.

Walt reads the headline to her. Sleeping Beauty is a smash hit. he reminds her of their visit to Zermatt and asks what she thinks of bringing the Matterhorn to Disneyland for a themed attraction that will feature the park's first thrill ride.

with a twinkle in his eye, he reveals more plans for a new Tomorrowland, that will give guests a glimpse all the way into the 1980's!

BANG! BANG! a jungle cruise skipper has just saved a boat load of guests from certain death after a hippo charged the boat. but all is well, the natives begin singing a chant.

Walt can't wait to go have his morning walk around the Park and kisses Lillian gently on her cheek. she smiles and say's "have a good day, dear".

i bet he'd think these people are worth it. they are his guests.

YES THEY DO!!!!! :D

Um, I know I have photos to upload, but I can't do it from work - some of them need to be edited, and I have no photo editor here.

Oh



My



Goddess!!!!!

Sure SOMEONE must have pics?

I mean. we have to prove that dreams DO come true, right?

Working on that...... considering I've got about 70 photos to go through..... :blush:

You could say "Oh my Walt!" as that was about as close to a Disney Mecca as anyone could get.

What an amazing experience. I feel very lucky to have been involved.

When I get a moment to breathe (busy weekend!) I'll post pics...

Is someone going to explain for those of us terminally unhip outsiders?

Recently ML, NA, €, CP, GD, Disneyphile, GusGus (my wife*), and myself had the honor and priviledge of taking a tour of Walt's apartment. We then enjoyed what they called a continental breakfast (which was far more than a continental breakfast) on the Terrace (which is adjacent to Walt's apartment and just now I realized is right above the bathrooms between the Fire Station and City Hall). Becky Phelps, the Disneyland Ambassador joined us for breakfast.

As if that weren't enough Disney Geek Nirvana to keep us in a dazed stupor, we then were further amazed to get a trip on the Lilly Belle!!!

When one of us has the time (or in my case; awake) we can and will share more details.



* Since she never posts here and not everybody knows her, I felt compelled to 'splain

You are all very lucky.

Some pictures of the day
 

Some pictures of the day

Unfortunately, pictures of the actual apartment are not allowed. The closest we could get was the door leading from the apartment to the Terrace:



A view to die for from the Terrace looking down on Town Square:



The Disneyland flag as viewed from the Terrace:



The Lilly Belle interior:



Some needlework that Lilly herself made for the Lilly Belle. A little worse for wear, but still a wonderful sight:



Some very happy swankers:



These photos are reduced in size. If anyone is interested in the full size (~2MB) originals, please feel free to IM me with your email.

Incredibly jealous, but very thrilled for all of you! :snap::cheers::snap:

Alll I can manage to sputter is, well, WOW. What a totally incredible book for all of you. Thanks for sharing this, truly is a dream and a wish the heart of every Disney and Disneyland fan makes. That it's a dream come true could not have happened to a nicer bunch of people. I'm failing miserably at not being just lime green with envy.

Awesomeness! What a geekfest pilgrammage to Mecca!

wow! That is really cool.

Wow.


Wow.


Wow.


I do not envy the decission that had to be made by the person who allowed me this opportunity. And I thank him profusely for including me. I'm still having a hard time comprehending that I've actually been there (and sat on Walt's bed, no less!), it's a memory for a lifetime.

Now I'm just waiting for the name Cadaverous "Red Longjohns" Jen to become commonplace backstage :D

:) Very awesome!

I'm so happy for you all.

Now, do I have to bow when I meet you guys, or was that gonna be expected anyway??

Yes, you must bow.

And, I would imagine, scrape.



But the cool thing was ... I got to TOUCH each and every one of them yesterday. Some of Walt's rub-off-ness from decades ago must have vicariously rubbed off on me. I hold atoms of Walt Disney in my hand, which will never be washed again!!!

Damn... and here I thought my knee pad days were over.

Yes, and you'll be hearing from my lawyer about that too :D

Well seeing how much Walt and Lillian liked red, is it any wonder that red lon johns are the perfect Disney tribute?

But on a more interestin note - someday Lisa will have to post her ghost pic from the Lilly belle - was it Lillian? Walt? or some other train loving spook?

I have many pictures to download.

Yeah... I'm looking forward to that one.

Here are my pics.

It was a dream come true. I can't imagine how I've come so far in only 5 years of Disney geekdom. Six years ago I didn’t know the apartment existed.

I never expected to experience this ever. I feel very blessed and lucky. All of us wished that everyone could be there.

It really was akin to a religious experience. By the time we walked up the back stairs I was more excited than I've been in a long time. Nancy, our guide, told us that she wanted to make sure Walt wasn't sleeping, so she had ML ring the doorbell. Just a silly, soft-hearted moment like that sent a quick thrill up my spine. What if he really was in there?

As we walked in, all the sillyness evaporated leaving us with the stillness of the Apartment. We walked with our hands behind our backs until Nancy offered us a seat. It felt like a bizarre movie, as we all sat down with the utmost care.

I thought of how Chris always talks about our group oral history as Nancy began telling us the stories. We sat with eyes shining as she spoke of Him sleeping here as Disneyland was built...of Him entertaining His family here...of the one and only time a reporter got a picture in here. I sat right next to The Lamp, not daring to put a hand near it. We looked on at the artifacts, the things He'd had, in the room He had lived in, in His Park.

I was hushed and awed and inspired.

Then it was out onto the porch where we still felt the tingle of being up here but without the delicate touch. I've never had breakfast food that's that good at Disneyland. Ready when we came in, served hot and fresh, with china and linens. All manner of tea and coffee, hot chocolate and orange juice, fruits and bagels and pastries, cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage, and as much of it as we could stuff ourselves with.

We were there a long, leisurely time. Then ML ushered us out the door and over to the train station where the Lilly Belle was waiting for us. Waiting! The grand circle tour flew by the windows but I was so involved in being inside this amazing car to even notice. Ambassador Becky was telling me about working with Steve Martin when we were passing Primeval World.

It was a morning I’ll remember forever. Many, many thanks to ML for making this possible.

^ What a wonderful account. Mui magical.

and i as well. i am so very happy that you could join me! i love your account of our magical visit and thank you so much for sharing the pics.

awesome picture of your reflection!!!:snap:

Great pictures. Thank you for sharing them.

CP ~ Thank you for sharing your account of the visit to Walt's apt. As a true Disney Geek I had goosebumps reading it.

MickeyLumbo ~ Darling, can I just say that you are without a doubt one of the coolest people I know? What a sweetheart! What a wonderful host and ambassador for Disneyland! What an amazing experience.
:)

it was amazing. and the word "amazing" doesn't quite cover it. one cool thing was the timing of our VIP round trip on the Lilly Belle. when we returned to the Main Street station, we were led off the train to discover the Mayor of Main Street hosting the re-dedication ceremony and Mickey and Pals marched up the steps. it concludes with the opening day speech by Walt and a dove release.

it was a gift, beautiful gift box and a stunning ribbon and bow!

i only wish that i could have invited more.

Great pictures. I too have goosebumps. What an honor.

Seriously you all are so lucky and priveleged!! I too got goose bumps and am envious as hell yet I am so happy for all of you!!! And that little bit about ringing the doorbell to make sure Walt wasn't sleeping is one of those touches that makes you believe in the magic. HIS magic. Good report and photos you lucky ducks!!!

Well, I still haven't downloaded my pics, but the memories will never fade. What an incredible experience this was. I don't remember every being in a place that filled me with such incredible awe. I was almost speechless. We walk in Walt's footsteps often at Disneyland, but to be in the two place that were designed especially for he and Lillian is beyond amazing. I'm not always one for hero worship so I was a bit surprised by the coplete reverence I felt while in HIS apartment. HIS Tom and Jerry set, HIS toaster, HIS and HER beds and collections.

The apartment is very small and cozy, not at all grand as I expected. It is tastefully decorated with antiques Lillian collected herself. The predominant color is red and it is a very comfortable place to hang out in - even for the short time we were there. The pictures are all of family or of the beloved park. Each chair has a littly footstool in front of it done in needlework with a doily protecting it. There is a lovely Victorola and another music cabinet that played rolls similar to a player piano. The kitchenette was mostly for bar use with the Tom and erry set on the counter, a toaster, and a variety of glassware. An old potholder was in the drawer. It was a perfect little get-away spot, near the bustle of the Park but removed and relaxing. The patio was such a reat vantage point to view the rest of the park. The sounds from Main Street could be heard as well as the "Hokey Pokey" dancers in the Jungle Cruise. Later on, the gunshots from the Hippo pool could be heard. We could feel the excitement of the park but were in our own private sanctuary. Walt and Lillian (and their guests) must've felt the same way.

I am so privledged to have been a part of the group that got to experience something that I never thought I'd see. Thank You ML for inviting me along on this incredible journey.

I will cover our ride on the Lilly Belle and the ghosts of doiley's past in another post.

Lisa should post the haunted funnelcake picture (special guest stars: GD & CP). It's interesting. I think it's a light flare, Lisa says it's a ghost. You be the judge.
:)

I wannna see!! Please???

All I can say is that I didn't feel any chills at that moment.

I actually can't wait to see it because the pics we have on the camera of the two of us in the LillyBelle didn't come out well.

This is the best I got.

very ambassadorial.;)

Actually, I meant of just the two of us. We did get this one.

I also like this pic:

I WILL download soon.

:( Linky no workie

Hmm, I'm guessing she meant this one.

I wonder which one of us will post photos first. ;)

(No, I still haven't uploaded them all.)

Now I'm hungry for cheesy scrambled eggs and sausage.

Well, I want to try some cheese crisps......and how do I do that? (Sorry to ask in the wrong thread!)

Let's PM, shall we?

Yeah, I meant that one.

Wow. Bastards. You lucky lucky bastards.

ML - I could have guessed what a phenomenal friend you are without this, but wow! What an amazing gift. You couldn't have picked a worthier crowd to share it with, either. Talk about the experience of a lifetime!

Thanks for the pics, CP. And to everyone who's posted their experiences for allowing us to live vicariously through your posts. I'm so happy for all of you. And insanely jealous! :cool:

^^ please know it sucked to not be able to invite everyone.

(thank you for your kind words)

We know you would have brought us all if you could have brought us all. I'm glad you all had such an incredible experience.

^^ True that. Know that all of us feel nothing but joy (and insane jealousy ;) ) for those of you that went. :coffee:

Heck, even I am happy with the selection of people. Good peeps all, and all folks who would revere and appreciate and be duly moved by this unique experience.

You did good, ML. (as usual)





And, well, there's still a chance that I might get there someday.

It's about time!

Here's the creepy pic.



And the rest of the photos are located here:

http://photos.xenarchy.com/thumbnail...lbum=39&page=3

I still need to upload all of my photos, and then I'll post them. I'm having a bit of a distraction right now, so it's not top priority for me.

Will do it soon though.

Thanks for posting the "ghost pic"!

What really interests me about the photo is that NA left enough space for the apparition to be caught on pixels.

It really does look like a funnel cake.