Disney After Dark

Last night, the drive from the 405 N to the 5 N (via the 55 freeway) took 45 minutes. That particular strip of freeway stretches not more than 4 miles, but every car in Southern California was on it. I told CS earlier that I would meet him around 6:15 at City Hall in Main Street, U.S.A., and the slowness of traffic had me worried for quite a while. But once I reached the 5 freeway, traffic moved, and I arrived at the Disneyland parking structure 20 minutes earlier than I expected.

I've owned a Disneyland annual pass almost consistently for the past 13 years; CS for a bit more, until last year when money became tight and more important things like food, shelter and a car forced him to give his pass up and cancel our usual outings. Luckily, this past Christmas, CS received the gift of an annual pass, and we finally managed to find the time to hit the park together.

Once he fought his way through traffic, found a spot in the parking structure, and casually strolled into Town Square, we were off, making a bee-line for Tomorrowland. Within the remaining hour the park was open, we rode three attractions that offered long lines during regular hours: Space Mountain, the Finding Nemo Sumbarine Voyage and Buzz Lightyear's Astroblasters. (The picture was taken from the exit of the submarines, using my new-fangled cell phone camera.) By the time we exited the Astroblasters, the park had officially closed. We followed the mob of people toward the exit, past the open (and crowded) shops along Main Street and wandered along Downtown Disney to the Grand Californian for a late dinner.