Happiest Place on Earth?

Travelling from Las Vegas to Los Angeles is like a trip from the Id to the Super-ego or from the brainstem to the pre-frontal cortex. Both communities are based on imagination.   Las Vegas is based on the dopamine controlled reptilian hindbrain whereas Los Angeles is based on the serotonin-controlled mid-brain buried just behind the pre-frontal cortex.  Both have no reflection on reality.  Although referring to Los Angeles as a thoughtful community is like saying Molson Canadian is fine wine.

Disneyland, Universal Studios, Hollywood, MGM, Knot’s Berry Farm, Six Flags, etc. etc. etc.  Need I say more?  This is a more innocent imagination than Las Vegas.  Don’t get me wrong I love imagination.  Most of my life has been spent wandering through the imagination and I have not always been positive what is real – my dream world or this world.  That presupposes that either one is real. 

My only concern with the imagination industry here in Los Angeles is when fiction is purported to be reality. The US, as I have said, is good at two things; space and entertainment.  The entertainment industry, intentionally or not, has a huge effect on the attitudes and understandings of the audience.   What a great and subtle way to influence people to your way of thinking.  Portray the “enemies” as stupid, evil and fanatical and the Americans as clever, noble and unbeatable when, in fact, things are often the reverse. This is called propaganda and the US is very good at it.

The place we stayed in Anaheim, the Hotel Peppertree, is worth mentioning.  It is a small, independent hotel in an area that is primarily Mexican.  The hotel itself looks as if it was smuggled across the Rio Grande in the middle of the night and is hiding from the authorities behind a huge stand of Palm Trees.   The room was large with a kitchen and it’s own courtyard that included a fountain.   The grocery store across the street is called the Vallarta and reminded us of the grocery chain in Mexico called “Mega” and it primarily caters to the Mexicans.  We thought we would stay a few days to give Telen a chance to study for her conference and me a chance to dig out my sketch stuff. 

On our first night, as we were sitting watching TV Telen heard water dripping that was not the fountain.  We went into the bathroom to find water pouring in through the ceiling – not dripping – pouring.  I ran down the hall to the desk and reported our inadvertent downpour and the clerk came down to view.   He said a number of abrupt words in Spanish that are probably best left un-translated.  The upshot was that the tenants upstairs had left the bathtub running.  So that meant we had to relocate to a different room on the second floor that was nicer (flat screen TV, gas stove) although it had a balcony rather than a courtyard.  I liked that courtyard.  And, it was cheaper! 

Since we were in Anaheim we had to make a visit to the Big Cheese.  I thought we should go during the week because the kids would be in school and it would be less crowded.  Telen suggested we go on Sunday because they are open until midnight and they had fire-works.  We went on Sunday.  Everyone goes to Disneyland on Sunday.  The seven-kilometer trip to Disneyland took slightly more than one hour to complete.  We managed to go on four rides that day because the line-ups were at least one hour long.   Except the “Rivers of America” ride which had no waits and ties with a Steven Harper speech for excitement.  The interesting thing about the River’s of America ride is the way they refer to it as the Rivers of (reverential pause…wait for it….) AaaMEricaaaa!!  Almost woke me up!

Telen on the Disney Wild Thrill-ride: the Carousal

Disneyland is a great idea.  The imagination and creativity is wonderful for children.  I loved seeing the little girls walking around (or being carried) in their “Princess” dresses and the little boys wearing their pirate hats.  I even saw one guy wearing a Mickey Mouse hat, a Disney T-Shirt, a Yoda backpack, carrying a Light-Sabre and had his face painted like a cat.  I think he was right into the spirit of things.

The "Incredibles" in the Pixar Parade

Disneyland, however, is a little too “America the Beautiful” for me.  It has American flags flying everywhere and tries to portray Mainstreet USA as an American ideal.  The Fantasmic show in the evening has Mickey Mouse killing or destroying his evil enemies.  A simplistic answer to a complex question.  And this is for kids?   Indoctrinate them young, I guess.   It is also looking a little shop-worn these days – a little in need of an upgrade.  Maybe I am getting a little old but the magic in the Magic Kingdom has a need for an infusion of pixie-dust.

Disneyland-Pixar Parade - seriously!

I love the weather here.   Warm (maybe too warm – but I am NOT complaining) and not too humid.  I love the palm trees, the banana trees, the hibiscus growing wild, the bougainvillea hanging down over the balcony and the blue skies.  Southern California has something to say for it climate-wise.  I wonder if we could trade Labrador for it.  I think Labrador is bigger…

 Ok, maybe we will throw in Winnipeg.