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Looking back at Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary

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Ken Pellman, once an erstwhile sweeper at Disneyland and Imagineer aspirant, writes another excellent Kenversations column. This one doing the time warp back 15 years to Disneyland’s 35th Anniversary Celebration.

American Express is the official credit card of Disneyland, so have it handy for those purchases. If you want an ATM, well, there’s a Bank of America Versateller west of the Main Entrance.

Vending carts are so few they are actually listed in the Souvenir Guide. There are popcorn wagons, churro carts, and ice cream carts, but no cotton candy stands.

Refreshments are not allowed on attractions or in interior waiting areas.

Wistful nostalgia aside, Ken’s column gets at some of the differences between today’s Disneyland, largely a corporate affair designed to separate you from your money, and a 1990 Disneyland at the very end of its period of unrestained excellence with the last echos of Walt’s men just fading away. The next 20 years, greek tragedy. Where do we go from here? Has anyone asked Bob Iger that question?