Mother's Day 2008

Did You Know? - For years we celebrated by having family over but in recent years as families grow up, the kids needed their on time with their own families so Sue and I began going to Disneyland.  We begin the day with a Mother's Day brunch at Catal (the happiest food place on Earth) then proceed to one of the parks for a few hours of rides and people watching! Please join us...

Did You Know? - Catal Restaurant is located in Downtown Disney, Anaheim. Catal, from the town of Catalonia in Spain, offers a complete menu of flavors inspired from the Mediterranean Rim. The menu features seafood, meats, pastas and salads with influence from France, Spain, Greece and Italy.

Did You Know? - The best part about the Catal Restaurant and Uva bar is its location. It's smack in the center of a very busy thoroughfare in Downtown Disney, the perfect spot to relax and people watch. The venue has a vaguely Parisian sidewalk cafe feel to it, with large red and white umbrellas and a garden perimeter.

The main bar is flanked by a half dozen massive torchieres draped with strands of naked light bulbs. Tables are cozy, with wrought iron furniture and heat lamps when needed.

They offer a fine wine list and specialty drinks, which are complemented nicely by a light multi-ethnic tapas (appetizer) menu from nearby Catal Restaurant. The Uva bar offers a clean, elegant setting for a quick drink that will mainly appeal to adults.

To all who believe in the power of dreams... welcome. Here we pay tribute to the dreamers of the past... The native people, explorers, immigrants, aviators, entrepreneurs and entertainers who built the Golden State. And we salute a new generation of dreamers who are creating the wonders of tomorrow ... From the silver screen to the computer screen ...

From the fertile farmlands to the far reaches of space. Disney's California Adventure celebrates the richness and the diversity of California ... Its land, its people, its spirit and, above all, the dreams that it continues to inspire.

— Michael Eisner, February 8, 2001

Did You Know? - This 55-acre theme park was constructed as part of a major expansion that transformed the Disneyland area and its hotels into the Disneyland Resort and consists of five areas: Sunshine Plaza, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, The Golden State, A Bug's Land and Paradise Pier. Most of them are meant to resemble various aspects of California, its culture, landmarks and history

Did You Know? - The vehicle (called a carriage) consists of three rows of seats under a wing-like canopy. After guests have been safely restrained in the vehicle (using standard lap seat belts), the canopy descends and a cantilever system lifts the chairs forward and into the air with the guests' feet dangling free. The vehicle is lifted forward so that guests look into a large, concave movie screen onto which scenes of California are projected. Since the vehicle is moved forward into the dome, the effect is such that guests can only see the images projected on the screen and are given the sensation of flight. The attraction features two theaters, each with three carriages.

To enhance the illusion of flight, subtle vertical movements of the seats are synchronized to the film. According to cast members who operate this attraction, the carriages do not move horizontally. Sensations of horizontal motion are created using a combination of vertical carriage movement and the turning image on the screen. In addition, scents complementing the various scenes are injected into the air streams blowing on riders. In the Ventura orange field scene, for example, guests are treated to the scent of orange blossoms. The mountain scenes are accompanied by the aroma of evergreens. The Monterey and Malibu scenes have the scent of a sea breeze while the Palm Springs and Anza-Borrego scenes feature the fragrance of sagebrush. The ride also features golfing, snow skiing, river rafting, kayaking, horseback riding, hot air ballooning, and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The ride system is a Walt Disney Imagineering-developed motion-based technology, based on a conceptual erector set model created by Imagineer Mark Sumner. One million pounds of steel provides the ride structure and 37 tons are lifted during each ride cycle.

Soarin' uses high-definition, high-speed (48 fps, twice that of the normal motion picture) film and OmniMax projectors.

Did You Know? - The attraction on takes 87 guests at a time on a simulated hang glider tour of the Golden State, flying over San Francisco, Redwood Creek, Napa Valley, Monterey, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park, Palm Springs (actually shot in nearby La Quinta over the golf course at PGA West), Camarillo, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, San Diego, Malibu and Los Angeles. The ride ends with a flight over Disneyland at Christmas, with a Christmas parade traveling down Main Street, U.S.A., decorations on Sleeping Beauty Castle, and fireworks.

Did You Know? - The Sun Wheel is a Ferris wheel with 48.8 meters diameter at Disney's California Adventure Park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The attraction's name comes from the sun face theme at the center of the wheel and was inspired by Coney Island's 1927 Wonder Wheel.

Did You Know? - The variation from the standard Ferris Wheel is that the 16 orange and purple gondolas are able to ride on interior rails so that they slide inward and outward with the gravitational force during the wheel's rotational movement. This provides for a quite a disorienting and intense experience. Motion sickness bags are even provided in each of the gondolas due to the disorienting nature of the ride. The 8 red gondolas which are on the outside of the wheel remain stationary. Guests may choose to ride either the swinging gondolas or the stationary ones upon entering the queue