Living up to the Tagline

The happiest place on earth.
No, really.

The "No, really" could have easily been added to Disneyland's advertising today and accurately described the experience my parents had during their first foray into the wonderful world of Disney theme parks and attractions (I realize that is probably a phrase that is somehow subject to copyright infringement or enforcement). Never having seen a princess's tower made real, or a Mickey Mouse in gleaming top coat and tails wave with a look that is so smiley and reassuring that you can't BELIEVE that's really Mickey and he's really waving to you, my parents were on cloud nine. And the cloud was wearing mouse ears.

They also had astoundingly unbelievable luck. They walked into the park, and Mickey was standing there. There was a 20 minute wait on Pirates of the Caribbean, and it only took us 10. We walked onto It's a Small World like we were the guy in Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" walked into the party like he was walking onto a yacht. We had it in the bag, easy. And my parents loved every minute of it. The world of laughter, the world of tears, the world of hopes and the world of fears, and even the song 100 times in a row. They loved that the trash cans were thematically different in every part of the part. They loved the flowers. They loved the characters. They loved the stories and the worlds, and everything that kids of all ages are supposed to love about Disneyland. It's as though my parents were the people Disney's ad firm followed around to gauge visitor reaction to the park, but just decided to cast 3-year-olds and 5-year-olds in the commercials that sell that image to the public, because they are cuter.

I am, as one inevitably is after a day in the happiest place on earth, spent!
Thank you, Space Mountain. And good night Mickey Mouse.