Walt Disney World Recap Part 3, Hollywood Studios

The next stop on our many-destination recounting of the recent trip to Disney World (are you sick of it yet?) is Disney's Hollywood Studios. Originally called Disney's MGM Studios or somesuch, it was not a park that I had visited before, and is definitely not one of the "A" parks at Disney World, so going into it, my expectations were...well, not low, but not as high as they were for Magic Kingdom or Epcot. I was pleasantly surprised, however, at how much I really did enjoy what HS had to offer: a really good rendering and expanded version of what some of California Adventure is like, with fun Hollywood stuff all over the place. Various sections were more "California beach" than others, but this park sort of made me feel like I was at home...you know, because San Jose is pretty magical and all. While we enjoyed an original version of one of my favorite CA rides, Tower of Terror...

...as well as Toy Story Mania, which was enhanced by its location in the completely-fun-for-a-Pixar-addict-like-me "Pixar Alley" (I might just be making up that name, but it was a fairly alley-like setup)...
...we also got to see some cool, new (to me) stuff, like a couple stunt shows (Indiana Jones and another one with some insane car-driving and explosions that brought welcome warmth on a couple freezing Florida days) and a movie/museum combo about the Walt Disney "story" that was so perfect for someone who loves both learning and Disney, just like I do! There was a chronologically-arranged collection of artifacts from the days when the Disney brothers were not so successful, right up to the original idea and concepts for Disneyland, television, and merchandising. There were also several models of rides and attractions from the different parks around the world, my favorite, of course, was this one:

That's right, Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland! Did you know that the "front" of the castle is the side that faces into Fantasyland, on the opposite side from that which faces the hub and Main Street? Yeah, stick around...I know all the secrets.

Finally, I have to complain like a Californian about the weather. I am weak for having grown up here, where the average winter lows might dip into the 40s every now and again, but there is rarely talk of wind chill and hard frosts-- at least in the Bay Area. Going to Florida, I assumed that I could count on much of the same...and I was wrong. The first day was lovely, with shorts and t-shirts, but by the last night, I was pulling up and tying (yes, even tying) the hood of my poor, inadequate UCLA sweatshirt in an attempt to maintain sufficient core temperature. Not fun, Florida. But! It did give me the opportunity to pose next to this snowman in the "Streets of America" section of the park...
The Disney saga continues tomorrow, when I will recount another pleasant Disney Park surprise-- Animal Kingdom! I promise that someday I'll write about something other than this vacation (I have some "interview" questions to answer, I believe), but I like to keep reliving it!