The Plaza Restaurant and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor-The Literal Connection

Years and years ago, in the very early days of Main Street U.S.A., there was a literal connection between the Plaza Restaurant, and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor, immediately next door.  From the day the Magic Kingdom on October 1st, 1971, up to an unknown date, there was an archway which connected the two spaces.  It's a neat little piece of Magic Kingdom history that very few people seem to know about.  The only evidence of the connection, is the elaborate molding that still exists around the space where the opening was once located.

The Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

The Plaza Restaurant

This first photo, although blurry, comes from an old Walt Disney World Pictorial Souvenir book.  If you look carefully beyond the ice cream cones, you can make out an opening on the right. That's the arch that connects to the restaurant on the other side.  The opening in the middle of the photo is the exit door, which still exists.

This next photo is taken from the inside of the Plaza Restaurant.  In it, you can see the ornate molding  above the section of wall which marks the spot where you could travel between the two

establishments.  The two paintings are flanked by vertical pillars, the left pillar partly concealed by a service area wall. 

This next photo shows the current wall inside the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor on the left hand side of the shop, and clearly shows evidence that there was an opening here.  If you look to both the left and right of the teal panels, you'll see some beautiful woodwork at the tops of the pillars.  In this photo, the woodwork on the left pillar is partly obscured by the air curtain machine above the door.

This little piece of Magic Kingdom history, just adds to the mystique of Main Street U.S.A. in those early years of the park.  

Classic Tomorrowland

Changes are underway in the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland.  With the Tron attraction being imported from Shanghai Disneyland for Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary, the color palette of the east coast land of the future is getting a bit of a refresh.  By the looks of things, it appears that Tom, Becky and Huck are giving the land a white wash with a a secondary layer of blues.....look familiar?  Here's a great shot of the original Tomorrowland entrance, after the completion of the big expansion of '75, which brought Tomorrowland favorites, Space Mountain, StarJets, PeopleMover and the Carousel of Progress.  As usual, everything old is new again!

Continuing our Journey on the Skyway

 

Well, it's been over a year, and I apologize for leaving you stuck on your trip from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland aboard the Skyway.  That's a long time to be dangling above the hordes below.  Now that we've got the ride going again, let's see what's ahead.....

 

Looking back, from where we came, we can see Mr. Toad's Wild Ride on the left, and down below to the right, behind the trees, is the lagoon and the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction.

 

If we turn around, in our Skyway bucket, you'll see that we're approaching the turn in the route.  Below us is the Tomorrowland Speedway, and in the distance, Space Mountain.

 

 

Getting closer to the turn, we've got a great view of the load area, and storage area, for the Speedway.  In the backround, looms the Contemporary Resort Hotel, a great backdrop for Tomorrowland.  So many transportation systems in one picture....the Skyway, the Speedway cars, the WEDway PeopleMover, and in the distance, the WDW Monorail.  What a great day to be floating above the Magic Kingdom!

 

 

All too soon, our journey is over and we pull into the Tomorrowland terminal.  Notice the water feature below the Skyway buckets....it appears that the water is coming off the loading platform itself.  Nothing like water to add atmosphere to the surroundings.

And here we have a picture of the Skyway buckets as they pass in front of Space Mountain on their final approach into the station.  Although the Skyway gave away some of the "Magic" in the Kingdom, by showing off some ugly roof tops in Fantasyland, there was still no better way to get away from it all, while still being in the thick of it, by taking a trip on what was one of my favorite attractions in the Magic Kingdom.  Long live the Skyway. 

 

 

Aloft in Fantasyland

Well, my last quick post mentioned what was to come that following weekend...well that was in July, so I guess I'm a little late with this post. Well, better late than never, right? While sorting through some old Walt Disney World pictures, I found this group (which I obviously took on the same journey) of my travels on the old Magic Kingdom Skyway attraction. For those of you who remember the attraction, I hope these pictures rekindle some memories. For those who didn't experience the skyway, I hope these images quench the appetites for those in need of the Magic Kingdom of olde...especially Fantasyland. Enjoy!

This first picture was taken underneath the skyway between "it's a small world" on the left, and Peter Pan's Flight on the right. The Fantasyland Skyway station is directly behind us.



This next picture was taken just as the skyway bucket was leaving the Fantasyland station.



After we left the station, I turned around and took a picture of the Fantasyland Skyway station we had just departed from.



A few seconds later, still facing backwards, I snapped this picture....note Pinocchio's Village Haus Restaurant on the left with the old brown shingles. Today, while there a still a few brown roof shingles left, most are a bright blue.



The final picture in this first group, shows Cinderella's Golden Carrousel with the old white canopy. Also featured is one of the many planters that have disappeared with the recent Fantasyland renovations and expansion.



Our journey will continue later this week, with a conclussion of our trip to Tomorrowland aboard the Skyway!

A Taste of Next Week

Just a taste of next weekends entry!

The Flower Market on W Center St

Well look who's here....yes, it's me, steve2wdw with a "new" entry. I had a few free moments and decided to try to get into the weekly habit of posting here at The "Old" World. Since so much refurbishment has been taking place on Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom, I thought that I'd post a few pictures of the old outdoor Flower Market on West Center St. The area is now part of the Emporium, but was once an open street, much like East Center St which still exists. Although the flowers were not real, they sure looked real, and it was truly a sight to behold from Main Street proper. Enjoy the pictures!

So where have I been....obviously not posting here. I will start again real soon. I'll be traveling with my wife to California next Thursday (the 9th of Sept.) for a family wedding then will be spending three days at Disneyland. No, I'm not excited at all. Then at the end of September, I'll be taking a solo trip to WDW where I'll be staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge in a Vacation Club studio. As for the picture I posted, well guess where I'll be on October 8th. Yes, I'll be one of the first in line. Thanks for being patient, and I'll see you again...real soon!