DISNEYLAND FACT OF THE DAY: We know that Disneyland has only one entrance. Walt understood the function of an entranceway, or threshold, said John Hench in the book Remembering Walt. The threshold is supposed to embrace you. Its where you feel like youre entering some very special place. Against the advice of seasoned operators of fairs and parks around the country, Walt Disney opened Disneyland with only one entrance. Whereas many experts thought there needed to be a variety of convenient ways to get into the park, Disney thought that multiple entrances might confuse guests, and reasoned that hed be better able to control the visitors initial Disneyland experience if he welcomed them through a single portal. Once their admission tickets have been purchased, guests stream into Disneyland through 32 covered turnstiles. Guests find themselves 75 feet from a giant Mickey Mouse face carefully formed out of planted flowers. For decades the smooth concrete here was red; many observers have speculated that this was Disneys way of extending an inviting red carpet to his guests. Today, guests are still greeted by reddish pavers. Even at this stage when guests have paid their way into the park and have passed through turnstiles, the park is still not clearly visible. Revelation comes once guests walk through one of the two tunnels on either side of the manicured Mickey garden. Each of these arched tunnels is decorated on the inside with eight beautiful attraction posters, and each tunnel is topped with a plaque that quotes Walt Disneys declaration about the wonders just ahead: Here you leave today and enter the worlds of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy. The tunnels lead guests under the train tracks and into Town Square, where Main Street and all its enticements await.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 03:25:33 +0000