ben and ang

  

After riding Tower, we decided to cross over to Disneyland. I've never really appreciated these Main Street Buildings as much as I should. I can just imagine the first Disneyland goers ever passing by these and thinking they were so commonplace. It makes me feel like I'm walking in the 1950s.

  

If you know Ben, you know that he's obsessed with Star Wars. I got him the BB-8 droid for Christmas and he cried (jk, maybe). So, even if Star Tours makes him super dizzy, he'll ride it, especially with a rare 30 minute wait. The cast member at the front started talking to him about Nike's, but she didn't know what the Free Run 5.0's were called and then proceeded to tell us she wanted Yeezy's. I actually told her I wanted some too. The ride itself was a little different this time around, updated with the new movie. We also sat in the very first row, so it was a totally different perspective.

Afterwards, we took a break in the fresh air because the ride made us both a little lightheaded, since we are traveling at the speed of light. I decided I wanted a corn dog to refresh my body, which would be a first for me in the years we've had our pass. It was soooo yummy, even though it was a little pricey ($8.75 without my annual pass discount for this and a bag of chips). AND I just found out that corn dogs are made with corn bread!! Mind blown. To thank Ben for sharing this lovely fact with me, I added the photo above ^-^

   

We rode Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Small World all in under an hour. We hadn't been on a lot of these rides in a while because of their lines, so I was really happy. Today, I tried to explain to Ben that Pirates and Splash Mountain have the same drop angle, but he tried to go all math tutor on me and turn it in to something way more profound than what I was saying. He was also super impressed that his jacket was wet but he didn't feel any splash - waterproof. I don't think I'd ever been on Small World during the holidays.. It was sooooo cute! It felt like a totally different ride. 

I also made Ben take this photo of me on these stairs that lead up to the Dream Suite. I've heard that these stairs used to be such a great photo opportunity, but have since been closed off. Right after this photo, this CM came up, and, without saying a word, roped the area off. Oh, well! Glad I got my photo.

Ben was really craving Clam Chowder, but when we saw the line at the Gumbo place, I suggested we cross over to California to satisfy his craving at Pacific Wharf, which usually doesn't have crazy lines. Plus, I wasn't feeling the soup thing, and I knew there was much more selection in that area. Ben and I always talk about how DCA has better food choices, but we've been on the rides in that park so many times. Good thing the two parks are a minute apart.

I ended up trying the chicken with Thai coconut curry at Lucky Fortune Cookery while Ben enjoyed his clam chowder from Pacific Wharf. It's so weird to think that the only other location of that is in San Francisco. Afterwards, we went on Ariel's Undersea Adventure - we can't seem to resist it every time we walk by it. Ben claims it's his favorite ride.

We felt unusually tired afterward, seeing as we usually only go for 4 hours maximum with about 3 rides and by this time, we'd hit the 5th hour with 6 rides under our belt. We decided to explore some of the stores and get some Starbucks before heading home for an early night.

Today felt a lot calmer than a lot of our recent Disney days, which can feel really rushed because the only convenient time for us to go on Sunday afternoons after Ben's work. I felt like we were able to take a lot of breaks today, since the lines were so short, relax, and people-watch more thoroughly than usual. It always blows my mind that people travel from everywhere around the country to go here, while it just feels like our backyard. It's so interesting to see all the different types of people enjoying Disneyland. I shared with Ben today that I only really judge the button-wearers donning the "first visit" button - I simply can't fathom someone could ever be having their first visit to Disneyland ever. We are so lucky that Disneyland is such a big part of our lives and that we are able to have our passes, starting the third year in a row now! I'm also really happy to have this blog now to articulate our Disney adventures because I feel like a lot of our trips just get jumbled up in my head. It really is our happy place, and writing about it here makes the adventure seem more new and exciting than it normally would.