Roadboys Travels: Roadboy's Long Weekend in LA

The Best Time of the Year!

Roadboy just finished a really enjoyable long weekend in Los Angeles. The leisurely trip included a return to Disneyland, a day sent at Gene Autry's Western Heritage Museum and a dim sum / Peking duck brunch on The Terrace at Pasadena's venerable Langham Huntington Hotel.

Day One: Mrs. Knotts Fried Chicken Dinner

After landing at LAX Thursday evening, our first stop was Knott's Berry Farm for dinner. Mrs. Knotts Fried Chicken Dinner is an Orange County institution. The dinner is now supersized and includes 4 pieces of chicken, salad, soup, sides and lots of hot biscuits and boysenberry preserves. Also included with dinner is choice of apple or boysenberry pie. The price? A little over $20.

My other usual stop would normally be Kings Hawaiian Bakery / Restaurant in Torrance for a KalBi plate followed by a slice of guava chiffon cake - OMG! My reverence for King's began when I lived in Honolulu. It was our Sunday tradition to brunch at the King's Bakery that used to be next to Star Market in Kaimuki. Alas no time for King's this trip.

Day Two: Disneyland
I know people that view Southern California almost solely as that place where Disneyland exists. And, some of them make trips to Disneyland with alarming regularity. As for me I love a whole bunch of things about LA. Disneyland is just one of them.

And, maybe a sign of getting old, but I have come to limit trips to The Magic Kingdom to the off season and preferably not on weekends.

The Line Wait Time at The Haunted Mansion

(Why I go in the off season)

And, like many Disney veterans, when I return I start by revisiting favorite attractions, then go off exploring.

Roadboy's 3 Disney favorites......

1. The Enchanted Tiki Room (always accompanied by a dole whip)!
I first experienced this attraction when when it debuted in 1963 and I was seven years old. The Tiki Room was the first of Disney's high tech audio-animatronic "Dark" attractions that have since come to characterize modern theme parks. It is still pure magic.

2. The Pirates of the Caribbean
This was the last attraction whose development and construction was personally overseen by Walt Disney (who even had a family apartment included above the ride itself). It opened in 1967 three months after Walt Disney's death. It has evolved over the years to be politically correct and add audio-animatronic Johnny Depp characters.

3. Haunted Mansion (Hurry Baaack, Hurry Baaack)!
Opened in 1969 this attraction was also conceived by Walt Disney who visited the Winchester Mystery House for inspiration. Developed after his death the attraction ushers guests through the mansion on "doom buggies". Love it.

The Tiki Room

(Where the Birdies Sing and the Flower's Croon)

Roadboy scrupulously tries to avoid.....

1. It's A Small World (this was created as a ride for the 1964 New York World's Fair. It was sponsored by Pepsi and proceeds from it were given to UNICEF. Now Roadboy views it as a cheap aquatic, plywood and glitter earworm factory)

2. Star Tours (a gussied up shopping mall flight simulator ride. Ugh.)

3. The Mad Teaparty (this is one of Disneyland's original attractions, but Roadboy just flashbacks to a grad night in 1974 where about 2:45 am Roadboy and centrifugal force joined to create some epic projectile vomit)

This year the park is full of (much needed) repair and construction work. Splash Mountain is totally ripped up, Main Street has a big ugly wall running right down the middle of it to conceal repairs to the trolley tracks and huge cranes herald the massive new Star Wars "Galaxies Edge" addition scheduled to open in 2019. Hopefully they will turn some imagineer attention to a serious renovation of the skanky old "Tomorrowland".

Cranes from Galaxies Edge Under Construction

Little Jedi's in Tomorrowland

It turns out timing our timing was perfect. We toured on Friday and Disney announced another hike in admission prices the very next day.

And yet, we will always return....

Here's Why

Day Three: The Autry in Griffith Park

Although Roadboy knows many visitors to LA have never even heard of Gene Autry's Museum of the American West (now simply referred to as The Autry), you really should put it on your list to see.

The permanent galleries have tributes to all things "Cowboy" including: art, history, movies and popular culture. Whoever curates this museum IMHO is wonderful.

Every Kids Dream Bedroom Circa 1959

Lesaka Waken

Maynard Dixon 1922

Bridges

James Doolin 1989

We were lucky enough to visit the day The Autry debuted its spectacular 2018 Master's Western Art show. What a joy to view such glorious art in the presence their creator's.