1355 – The Backside of Adventure | On a Balcony On Location

Episode 1355 – The Backside of Adventure | On a Balcony On Location

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, do not adjust your ears. Maybe adjust your pillows. If you hear cars and people cheering, that’s 'cause this is a Scoots-on-a-balcony episode in binaural audio, and that’s why…that’s what you're hearing. Welcome. If you're new, this episode’s gonna be very, very different. If you're a regular listener…if you're hearing this, it’s either you support the show directly or we got so much support that we put out this piece of bonus content to everybody, it was so popular.

 

So, this is different than a normal episode of Sleep With Me, but it still fits the goals of Sleep With Me where I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep, and kind of immerse you in my day and where I am right now, even though it might…will be necessarily…you know what I mean; and bounce around and go on tangents, go in the past, past today, past times I’ve been where I am now, all to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. So, welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep. If you support the show and you're hearing this, particularly when I’m recording this, thank you so much. We do do this together, and it wouldn't be possible without the people that support the show. So, thank you so much, and…oh, and just in case…what do you say we get on with the show? Thanks, everybody.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna attempt to do the rest.

 

What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake, whether that’s thoughts you're thinking about, feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, travel…travel; holy moly…changes in routine, you could have guests, changes in time, temperature…some of those things were what I was…changes in pillow sizes, like to the ridiculously large-size pillows, that you only have one size option that doesn't seem to make any sense for anybody unless they want…if you want one body pillow, that’s…anyway, just talking about the pillows in my room. I make a sleep podcast; I got opinions.

 

Yeah, all of it is to take your mind off stuff and keep you company so you could fall asleep, and so you don’t…so you feel like you have some company in the deep, dark night. I mean, even if you don’t feel alone in the deep, dark night, that you have somebody you feel like you could rely on that’s there to talk for your benefit, that you don’t have to talk or listen to or engage with, that’s here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep…or feel like you have some company, like a nice presence there, like I’m calling you from this balcony I’m sitting on. That’s pretty much the whole gist of it, right? I’m calling you right now. I’m gonna tell you about my day, I’m gonna tell you what I can see from this balcony, about what my friend Ray talked about, or we’ll give each other a hard time.

 

Yeah, that’s all to take your mind off of stuff and because you deserve a bedtime that has stuff like this, that’s nice or at least not bad. So, yeah, that’s what I’m here to do. What I’m gonna do is I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night. I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, and superfluous tangents. I’m gonna go off topic, I’m gonna get mixed up, I’m gonna forget what I was talking about, then I’ll go back, then I’ll say, wait a second, what? Then I’ll say, wait a second, did we stay at the Holiday Inn that one time? Ray forgot to talk about that. Or was that a Best Western? Yeah, it’s all to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff.

 

If for some reason you're listening to this and you’ve never heard the show before, this podcast is very different, even…and this episode’s very different for a very different podcast. So, if you don’t like me or the show or the style of the show, that’s okay. If you're a regular listener and you don’t like the style of the show, don't worry. That’s why we work so hard to put out a variety of stuff, a variety of bonus content, a variety of episodes, so that you always know you have something coming up and plenty of stuff that we’ve put out in the past to help you out, 'cause these on-location shows or these binaural shows or the Ray show we already recorded, they're not for everybody, but the people that they are there for, they really do work.

 

So, yeah, hopefully…that’s why we put out a variety, so then you say…some people listen to everything; other people like specific things. So, I keep trying to come up with ideas and test stuff out and then alternate. So, I’m glad you're here. Yeah, so, if you're new and you don’t like the show, give it a few tries, see how it goes, or give this episode a few tries and see how it goes. There’s no pressure to like me. Just give it some tries and see how it goes. If you're skeptical or doubtful, of course you are. You're gonna sit on a balcony and talk to me about a day researching theme park entertainments? Yeah, oh yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do. Yeah, I’m here to keep you company. Sorry, I got…I got mixed up already. What was I saying? Oh, you don’t have to like me. You don’t have to listen to me. Just give it a few tries.

 

See how it goes. There’s also no pressure to listen to me, right? Like, I’m here to just barely be listened to. You could just barely pay attention to me, or you could listen to me or you could listen to me and stop listening to me or slowly…I slowly drift away. There’s also no pressure to fall asleep with this show. I’m gonna be here over an hour because there’s no pressure to fall asleep. I’m here to keep you company whether you're awake or asleep. I’m here to the very end of the show. Ever since the early days of the podcast when people let me know how important that was for the people that can't sleep at all or are having a really tough time or need a break during the day, I’m here to the…I’m here for you to the very end of the show. Yeah, so, there’s no pressure to fall asleep.

 

My job is to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your neigh-bore, your bore-bie, your boreman, your bores, your not…your…what is it? What was that? Boris Borlaf, boring Borlaf, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your bore-bestie, your neigh…your best bore-friend f’eva to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. The episodes also are structured in a specific way, which I’ll kinda run through just in case you're new. The show starts off with a greeting; that’s so you feel welcomed in and that you're gonna be kept company and say, okay, I could check this podcast out. Then there’s support.

 

This is a bonus show initially, but yeah, the way we put it out…yeah, if you want something ad-free, support it directly, and then you get a lot of cool stuff and we're able to make cool stuff. Then after that is a long, meandering intro separate from the support. The intro is not necessarily here to put you to sleep but ease you into bedtime. Even with these bonus shows, I try to do a intro or…I test out both ways. But the intro goes on and on and on. It’s familiar. The structure of the show is familiar if you're a regular listener, but it’s different every time. I don't know, the intro’s just part of something that helps you wind down instead of just starting a bedtime story, though sometimes we do that. Then if you support the show directly, you have a feed full of 900 — I think — story-only episodes, and then there’s different varieties of bonus episodes.

 

We also have ad-free, full episodes. Some levels have all-intro and all-night episodes. So, you could kinda see what works for you. But, well, for me most of the time…it didn’t work last night, but having some sort of bedtime routine and easing you into bedtime is just what’s been shown to work. So, that’s why the intro goes on and on and on. Then if you listen to this in the free feed, there will be support, then there will be our bedtime story, which I recorded part of last night, I guess. I don't even…I tried to…I don't even know what I recorded last night now. I also recorded a piece of bonus content afterwards that won't go in the podcast feed, or if it does, it’ll be labeled 'cause it’s not sleepy at all, and I sing. But yeah, I’m gonna be here for about an hour. Yeah, what do you say we slow it down and get on with the show?

 

Alright everybody, it’s Scoots here, and if you haven't…this is a companion balcony episode. So, there will be a companion episode with Ray. I think normally I put the Ray episodes out first just 'cause he’s a superstar, and, you know, you put the…if it was…to keep the superstar happy, I put the episodes out first. Plus, it’s like…I don't know, Ray’s good at it, so…but his episode was recorded on a hand-held mic. My episode, we're recording on binaural microphones, and this is a very busy street our hotel faces, Katella Boulevard. So, I guess we both…we caught this twice and put it at the beginning, too. Just a heads up, everybody; this will also be later in the episode, but this is on-location over a balcony. There’s gonna be a lot of traffic noise. There’s people cheering as they ride California Cheerin', and there could be other noises.

 

We will do some editing to it, but this is an immersive audio episode from a balcony in Anaheim, California. We're staying at…I’m looking at the back side of Adventure, as Ray likes to say, the back side of California Adventure. So, yeah, we're actually right behind California Adventure. We have a balcony. I would say it’s not overlooking California Adventure; it has a view of it. We're about level with the tops of the trees and the top of the fence that surrounds it, and we could see the Incredicoaster or California Cheerin'. That’s the cheering noise you hear. We could see Mickey’s Fun Wheel, the Gold…the California Zephyr, and Silly Symphony Swings, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy and the Cadillac Range and Pixar Place Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and a little bit of California…what is that called?

 

Grand Californian. Yeah, we're recording these balcony episodes. They've been well received, and they're fun to do. I put on my glasses just to make sure I could see better. Also…well, I’m gonna have to take them off, though, 'cause I gotta read my notes. I should have my other glasses, too, but I don't think I brought those. Also, I have binoculars, 'cause I think…I may have figured out something Ray was trying to figure out yesterday, but maybe not. But yeah, it’s a pretty cool view. The Mickey’s Fun Wheel looks really good. I feel like it’s doing more tonight than it did last night for Ray. Maybe it was…it definitely has some areas where the lights aren't working. I guess this is the back side of the park, but…well, yeah, most of the lights are working.

 

Right now they're doing a blue, pink, and orange effect that’s really cool, and kinda circling and going towards the center. But I should tell you about Ray and I’s day. I don't even know if I could get through our day today while we sit on this balcony. Wow, without my glasses…I didn’t realize how badly I needed my glasses ‘til I just took them off. So, the goal today that Ray and I had was to go to the park…I mean, pretty much soley for researching live entertainment, because that’s our favorite thing, and I just really believe as Ray does that the people that do…the live entertainment in theme parks and amusement parks makes a big difference. These are talented, incredible people.

 

Live performances are ephemeral but they stay with you forever, and they also…I mean, I’m not a expert of theme parks and stuff like that, but if you could see the faces of the people today…I would just say to anybody that has…what do they call those? Decision-makers at theme parks…if you could go to all the live performances at any parks you have a decision-maker over and look at the faces of the people and the…I mean, especially at Disneyland, a wide diversity of people in any way you define it enjoying the live entertainment, whether it’s grandparents to toddlers, just…it’s just such a wonderful thing, and it really does make a difference. There was a time when I started to discover it and then I went to…the theme parks were just attractions. I don't know, I mean…and today my mind was blown.

 

Even though we feel like there’s been some cutbacks and stuff, we had a really great day with entertainment. We did miss a couple things, but…so yeah, let’s run through it like a trip report. Still watching the kinetic motion of the park. I will have a video of the park. I guess I’ll shoot two videos so that there’s one for me and one for Ray, so there will be a video version of this whether it’s on YouTube or somewhere else. It won't be moment-for-moment, though. Okay, so, we started off the day…we got a little bit of…we weren't trying to rope-drop or anything, right? So, we walked from our hotel towards Downtown Disney to the entrance…Downtown Disney entrance if you were to park at Downtown Disney and you were just going to Downtown Disney, or if you were entering from Disneyland Hotel.

 

Actually, I had a phone call that I was finishing up, so we walked around the Disney Hotel ground…Disneyland Hotel grounds for a little while, and they're really nice grounds. I forgot…forget about that. We didn’t look at the holiday decorations 'cause I’m waiting for family and prefer to do that with family, and go to the Grand Californian. We did go to the Pixar Place Hotel and look at their decorations when we left today. But yeah, so then we went into the park through the Downtown Disney, whatever side that is. This is west; that would be the north side, I guess? But from the Disneyland Drive entrance, I guess. I don't know. We…let’s see, that was at 9:18. Usually Ray’s doing these reports. We saw the…some of the water features there, and I already can't…creek in the back…looks like Cabana Bay.

 

Oh, there’s this Sip and Savor going up. It looks a little bit like the Cabana Bay Hotel. Then, already 9:28…okay, so, this was the most…this was the other big thing for this trip, was that Disney’s closing down the Red Car Trolley, and we want…me and Ray wanted to ride it. I guess that was another thing maybe we could record, but there’s enough good YouTubers out there that record stuff, but that’s something Disney’s gonna close. They haven't said if they're gonna reopen it or not. Before today, I would have said I’m not in a position to make a call about how bad a decision it is. I mean, clearly taking anything that offers kinetic motion and, I don't know, essence and atmosphere away from a park…but I would have just been saying it. But so, today we got to the park; that was the first thing we did.

 

We didn’t even use the restroom, which I can't believe it myself. We got on the Red Car. Josh and Joseph…Josh, who’s our announcer; Joseph was our driver…Red Car 923…and we took the car down, and it stops at Carthay Circle, then it stops kind of in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, and then it stops…it used to have a turnaround or a stop at Guardians or when it was the Tower of Fun or the Tower of Twilight, but now it just stops kind of in front of the Hyperion Theatre, which is also vacant, and then it just drives back. It doesn't actually turn around. It just changes directions. It was great narration and great waving. A couple other people made it clear they were riding it, and when is it gonna close? They said New Years. Yeah, it’s too bad. So, it sounds like it probably will not come back, but the ride is only one part of it.

 

So, then I rode it all the way back because I wanted to catch the 9:45 performance of Five & Dime, which is a jazz singer and a jazz band kinda style. So, this was…I hadn't done this…we had done it before, but not in the morning. It was bustling, man. So, first of all, Five & Dime…I probably talked about it or Ray’s talked about it. They come in in an old-fashioned car playing their…and singing. So, the singer, she’s singing, and the band is playing, and they have amplification…and the sound person in the old-fashioned car they're in. So, it’s kinda like…I don't know, they have a entrance, which is cool, and it’s cool. Then the trolleys are still running. Also today, the Citizens of Hollywood…I know that’s what they’re called at Disney Studios or Disney MGM.

 

I don't know what they're called here, but I started to see…first I saw a woman in a blue, teal coat with a dog. I did not talk to her. She had holly berries, so she was decorated kind of, and her outfit was also decorated for the holidays. Also, I said the clock on the top of the Gone Hollywood…so yeah, there’s cool architecture in that area or whatever. But so, at this point I’m sitting on a curb, I’m watching Five & Dime while…so, there’s amazing live performance going on. The trolleys are going around. The Citizens of Hollywood…so, then we had…I gotta get to my…that’s like, Page 1, man. What a day. I realize you want to rush and get on rides; so do I, but you don’t want to miss out on this stuff. So, Five & Dime, arrive by car…Water Wizz balloon on top of cafe…oh, that’s one of the billboards, Water Wizz.

 

It was…this was a atmospheric billboard. While they're driving, the singer, she says…she shouts out…somebody has a birthday button. They do a full circle of the traffic circle, and there’s five band members, a singer, and a sound guy, who’s also dressed in period dress. Okay, then…oh, they're interrupting with…they're joking with the trolley. They're…also have jokes, which kind of seems like a staple of these style of shows. I guess Vaudeville-style shows is like…they're doing jokes in-between. But even when she delivered one of the punch lines, the trolley driver knew the punchline, so he rang the bell. Okay, then after I see this one Citizen of Hollywood, she goes down…and I’m more there for the show, then I see another Citizen of Hollywood. She’s in a tricycle, like a bike tricycle. She was a mailperson.

 

I talked to her, but at this time, I didn’t. She’s talking to the trolley drivers as they go by. She’s listening to the band, waiting for people to talk to her. The bike is decorated. The first song they sang was Ain’t We Got Fun? Okay, then two other Citizens of Hollywood…I think they said they were brothers when I talked to them later. They were people that keep everybody…help everybody stay safe, and they were dressed in old-style Hollywood uniforms. So, now we have four Citizens of Hollywood we’ve seen, and they were checking the bike out. They're making sure…they're also interacting with the trolleys as they go by, then they check…make sure the bike bell works. Million Dollar Baby Five & Dime Store is the next song. Dough dance? What does that say? Pew dance? I don't know what that says.

 

People dancing, maybe? ‘Cause there was a lot of people dancing. I think that’s what it says. People dance; that’s what it says. Then the Citizens point out…oh, then I’m watching the Citizens of Hollywood 'cause they're doing…'cause my daughter is in musicals, you know? So, when she’s on stage but not in a scene…and they're supposed to be in a cafe; they're pretending, right? So, they're looking at a real hummingbird in a tree. They're talking about it. They're trying to get people to interact with them. Then I noticed some people started interacting, and I realized the person in…the woman in the bike, that’s the mailperson, she has the ability for you to send a note to Santa and put it your bike, and then you ring the bell. So, I saw some little kids doing that. So, then I had to get closer.

 

I had to come out of my shell, because I was like, I gotta at least hear what they're talking about if they're in character. I mean, this is so out of character for me. This is the kind of stuff I’m willing to do. Okay, then…again, yeah, there’s a lot of comedy. I mean, some of it’s improved and some of the Five & Dime stuff’s not, but between the Citizens of Hollywood and the band and the trolleys and the…at one point it’s like they're playing this furious jazz as a part of the song. Again, you have two separate trolleys moving. The trolleys, again, are over the top. They're like something out of Roger Rabbit. So, it’s like they're very red and big. I was just blown away, man. Then I started talking to the Citizens of Hollywood. Of course, Donna, Clive…Clyde, and Calvin. Can't read my writing.

 

So, I talked to them, I shook their hands. I asked if she was sending notes to Santa. She let me send a note to Santa and put it in her thing. It said, ‘Dear Santa, from Drew’. I put something to benefit everybody. I mean, I was on the spot. But I didn’t do it to look good with Santa. Then, yeah…then I said, oh, who else…? Yeah, they were willing to play along and they seemed happy. Yeah, then the band finished up, and I said, okay, let me let these characters interact with other people. I wanted to try to get a rundown of other Citizens, but then they were kinda more in this immersive thing, and they were telling me who lived above each store. So, then I was like, okay, I’m actually looking for the people I could track down.

 

They must have long hours, because I did not see them…it must just be a earlier-in-the-day kinda thing, which makes sense. When the area is busy, people are coming in. Then we had a FastPass or whatever you call it for Guardians, so we rode Guardians. Then we did a Single Rider for Radiator Springs. There was no wait. What does that say? Fifty-five minutes for gin hug for $22. Oh, general line, or $22 to skip the line, but there was no wait for Single Rider. Okay, at 10:48, post…oh, so at 10:48 I got off the ride, then I saw at Flo's V8 Cafe, they have a fried chicken dish with vegetables, mashed potatoes…but they also had a gingerbread shake. So, I put that down that I wanted to eat that at some point, maybe. So, that’s 11:00 a.m. Okay, lots of comedy, furious jazz…oh, I’m going the wrong way, I guess.

 

Anonymous note to Santa…okay, so then…is that…? I’m missing a page, huh? Or no? Okay, no, we came back 'cause there was…I guess this was at 11:00, maybe? Oh yeah, 11:00. Oh no…okay, gingerbread…okay, no, sorry. Okay, chill until 11:00 a.m. show, the Marvel Show, Avengers show. Oh, he rode a yellow car…oh, so then I sat outside the restrooms at Flo's V8 Cafe or near Flo V8 Cafe, and I just note; I chilled for a little while. The thing about California Adventure…and I’ll have to check Disneyland 'cause there’s so many places to sit down, and most of those places have shade. So, there was eight to ten benches just in this one courtyard, and the only reason the courtyard was there was so people could sit. So, if you had a baby, you could sit with your baby. If you wanted to rest, you could sit there.

 

If you brought your own food, you could sit there and eat…eight to ten benches, plenty of trees. Okay, then some fifties song…oh, Doo-Wop. I was listening to the music. But it was…I thought it was Right On Santa, but it’s Ride On Santa. I can't read the…my handwriting. Johnny Stanton and the Feathers, maybe? Okay, then I checked the snacks at Cozy Cone Cafe, 'cause I wanted to see what holiday treats they had there. They had peppermint soft serve that I maybe would get at one point. I didn’t, but then we went to the Avengers show at 11:00 — so that was correct — to see if it was a holiday-themed show.

 

Again, this would be something I would normally skip or just watch it as we were walking through, but because I was like, no, we gotta do our research, we did it, and it was a holiday-themed action show with Hawkeye…the new Hawkeye and the old Hawkeye. I only watched one episode of that series. I haven't caught up on it. But both Hawkeyes and their nemiseye who were in track suits…and there was a lot of action involving candy…giant candy canes, inflatable Santas…there was one of the dancing Santas that you'd see outside of a car lot, like those dancing things, presents…at one point a person had a present over their head and it was spinning around. It was really good. It was hard to see 'cause I think they just…I don't understand it, but it’s up on a balcony. But it was good.

 

Then the…a bunch of the other Avengers showed up at the end. There was also Avengers announcements over the PA system talking about getting nog. Yeah, Santa…okay, 11:15…what does this say, Scoots? That’s the Toy Drummers’ set on normal…more…oh no, you sat on the lighthouse steps; okay. It’s like I’m talking to myself, but this one I’m producing. So, 11:15, I just happened to get lucky. I was walking from the Avengers show and I was like, oh, I’ll ride the Incredicoaster. Then I saw that I hadn't even checked the times guide, but they had it set up for these holiday drummers. So, it was three drummers, percussionists, dressed kinda like toy soldiers, and…another amazing show. Again, they played about three or four songs. Found…oh, there was some sort of rice ball dessert with a case of beer.

 

That was another thing I might eat. I almost just dropped my notebook off the balcony, but didn’t. I thought I had more notes about the drumming. Oh yeah, here it is. At first they were fake drumming to the March of the Wooden Soldiers song, then they're really drumming. Then there was this Irish kinda version of the drummer song. You know, the ‘played my song for him, drum, a drum, drum’. They were doing a lot of comedy where one of them would start to show off for the audience, and then someone would say, get back in…we're working as a team, and then someone else would sneak off. Then they did a rock-and-roll version of Carol of the Bells. One of the drummers made eye contact with me, like am I rocking out as a toy drummer? Like they're playing characters, kind of. I was like, you are rocking out, man.

 

Then they were…I don't know if this was…what does that say, to Earl? Earl lunch? No, I think this was to March of the Wooden Soldiers, or maybe this was still the same song. They're drumming on each other’s drums, juggling the drumsticks between each other…oh yeah, juggling drumsticks to each other. Yeah, it was really, really good. So, and again, the Avengers show, the Five & Dime show…I mean, the Five & Dime show…so, people were dancing. There was parents dancing with their teenagers, there’s parents dancing with their toddlers, there’s grandparents dancing, there’s people bobbing their heads, and there’s people walking by, which is totally fine. Then the drummer show…I mean, people…the last time I went to it was not for the podcast; it was a few years ago. I made sure we were sitting in front on the tape.

 

But yeah, and it was a good crowd. Everybody was having a good time. The same with the Avengers show; I was sitting at a distance 'cause I had found a chair, and again, another area, an Avengers campus, where it’s like, not near the restaurant, but there’s just a ton of tables and chairs, and there’s a couple food carts. But also, people bring their food. So, it’s like, I got to just sit there and watch. There was another family by me watching while they ate their food that they brought with them. So, it is a totally different thing here than Orlando, so much different. I don't know, I’m really appreciating it today. I mean, again, Orlando does have…well, there…I think it’s only at the holidays where there’s this level of entertainment, other than Epcot.

 

But the thing is, yeah, it’s weird to compare California Adventure and Epcot, but those are the two parks I would compare not in theme or layout, but they're nice to walk around. Actually, California Adventure has more to do, and it’s walk…it’s probably not as long of a walk. I mean, Epcot’s…it’s on one…I don't know. I’m finding…I’m appreciating California Adventure a lot today. Alright, so, let me check our time here, 'cause maybe we won't do a extra Ray episode, 'cause we're at about sixty now. So, I’ll keep going until we get to…’til whenever we leave. I think there’s a good stop coming up. Alright, so we went from the drummers, then we rode Incredibles, and that was at 11:30. Then we grabbed a Coke, a bottle of Coke Zero, and walked around.

 

If you're ever looking for a quiet area…I mean, not quiet like silent, but a low-key area, you could go on the…underneath…there’s a path around Grizzly Run, kind of like…you walk through San Francisco; Little Mermaid’s on your left. There’s San Francisco bathrooms on your right. You go right, and it’s like, there’s even more benches there. Then if you keep walking, there’s probably even more benches, but it’s quiet. Yeah, so, I just drank my Coke there. I did my Duolingo because it wasn’t noon yet, and then we needed to be at the 12:10 Viva Navidad show. Ray was…went on a Ray rant about the fact that they moved the show to weekends only at some point. I have to tell you, it was…that’s a huge mistake, because I went to the show, I’ve been to the show a couple other times when we’ve come here for the holidays.

 

It is such a good show. It has dances and music from Mexico and Brazil. It has one, two, three, four, five, maybe six or seven face characters, it has giant puppets, it has giant puppets of Santa and Mrs. Claus, it has confetti, it has percussions, it has dancing, it has two styles of dance, it has a sing-along section. Again, I was able…I mean, it was packed 'cause it’s like a street party. Again, I don't know if it ever went through, but you should have seen…I heard someone, an adult…'cause Mickey, Minnie, and maybe one other character are riding big tricycle bikes at…or maybe they're riding on it and someone’s peddling it for them — I can't remember — with giant flags and a…I mean, there’s room for them, but it’s like, wow, that is so cool that they're kinda…it’s just like, again, a lot of motion and excitement.

 

Amazing show. Also, I noticed people eating the Carnitas Tortas. ‘Cause, again, this was one of the letdowns, and this has happened before, but there’s…so, there’s the Paradise…there’s a couple different stages, and this one’s called the Paradise Gardens Bandstand, but there’s also…called the Paradise Gardens Stage. But it was supposed to have a mariachi show at 12:40, I think, and I wasn’t hungry. Yeah, it was supposed to be at 12:40. So, after Viva Navidad, I kinda…I should have just sat down, but I did some walking around. Then I was like, let’s just sit and relax and we’ll watch the mariachi show, then we’ll eat lunch. We’ll get the fried chicken and the gingerbread shake. We’ll mobile-order that.

 

But unfortunately what happened was the show…the first show…they did not have the first show even though it was scheduled, and that happened one other time. Then again, I think they missed a bunch of other shows 'cause it was raining. But I did get to see it, which will be in…either Ray or I will talk about it another time. But yeah, then went to Flo's V8 Cafe. Now, when I mobile-ordered, they did not have the gingerbread shake, so I just had to mobile-order…but the nice thing about Disneyland, at least in my opinion, especially…so, Flo's V8 is a quick-service place, but it comes on plates, and it comes with a side of vegetables and mashed potatoes, and the gravy was really good, but with broccoli and carrots.

 

But in the past, I don't know if you could do it with a mobile order, but when I order it, you could also be like, can you give me double vegetables and no mashed potatoes? In this case, I would recommend…the potatoes are really good, and the fried chicken was pretty good, too. You can order…you can customize your order to have all-white or all-dark meat, which I was like, oh no…like, I think it’s extra to do all-white meat. The one piece of all-white meat that I had was a little dry, but it was really good. I think that’s where we’ll stop, right? Is that the good…? Yeah, 'cause I had three pieces of chicken, broccoli…pretty good. Then, yeah, what happened next…I don't know, Ray or I will talk about it. I think we walked to Disneyland and we continued our research.

 

But yeah, if you're at a Disney theme park or a Universal theme park or…my daughter and I went to our local theme park last year, and there was…I think we saw two really good shows there. Again, different levels of production value, but again, really enjoyable and fun. Again, great for entertaining people and…I don't know. So, yeah, I guess that’s it. Oh no…oh, you know what, everybody? This is Scoots. Scoots is gonna come up with one more…I just started winding down. But now Scoots is gonna talk about last night, and then he’ll put you to sleep. Alright, take it away, Scoots.

 

Hey everybody, this is Scoots, and thanks, Scoots. So, I recorded this earlier, then when I recorded the open, it’s about 9:10 p.m., and I’ll explain where I am and stuff right now. But I got about…oh, there was just a firework-type sound. I’m outside on my balcony. World of Color, the holiday World of Color show is going on. You can't really hear it and you can't totally see it from my balcony. You can kinda see the tops of some of the fountains. It’s like a fountain projection show and laser light show. So, I thought I’d record. I think the Disneyland fireworks go off in twenty minutes. I won't record that, obviously. I do have…I’m recording to get some stuff for what Ray recorded earlier. Okay, I can really see the fountains, but I did…I don't know, it’s night, and I thought since I’m out here, I might as well get something and record it.

 

I got my binocs, binoculars, and they do…man, I’m always so impressed when I take these. Pretty sure you could see some backstage areas. Huh, there’s a cart. Maybe that’s the Pacific…this might be backstage. I’m just looking through some palm trees. I saw some sort of food cart moving. There’s a lot of high-powered fluorescent lights back there. The show’s going on. I can see some of the fountains. All the lights are off at California Adventure on this side of the park. I also…I’m like…okay, so let’s see, is that a backstage area? Yeah, it looks like there’s a couple…what are those things? Are those picnic tables? Yeah, so, I could see a backstage area. That’s part of the coaster. When I see stuff that I’m having trouble figuring out…like something that looks like it’s on a third story. I don't think it’s the hotel, though.

 

It could be, but it looked like it was inflatables. Okay, more…oh wow, so, some of the fountains go as high as the top of the Ferris wheel. I don't know how long this show runs. Now the Ferris wheel’s sparkling. The projections are on the other side, or maybe there’s not as many projections for the holiday show. I remember once I saw the show and they were projecting things onto the Ferris wheel and onto the Incredicoaster that were just absolutely mindblowing. Now they got some big, green lights or projections going. I can't really hear the music, which is good, so then I can talk. I also looked over at Pixar Place, and it does look like those halls…each hallway is painted a different bright color, or the doors of the rooms are painted bright colors, 'cause it’s Pixar Place Hotel. Is it the Pixar Palace or the Pixar Place? Pixar Place.

 

I still believe that it’s the Disneyland Hotel. I’ll explain more when I…or, yeah, I’ll explain more when I do the intro. Really good view of Guardians with the binoculars. You could see all the colors on it. You could see the sculpture at the top that changes colors. You can see…there’s three open doors? Does that mean there’s six elevators or three sets of two elevators? Or is there two sets? I don't know. The Cadillac Range…just trying to see what else I can see. Do you see what I see? Since I can't really see World of Color…okay, I’m trying to figure out what this thing is with the inflatable. It looks like…I’m not even kidding; it’s one of those things where I’m like, is that three stories up and it’s…am I just dreaming? But I really can't figure it out. I’ll have to change where I’m standing on the balcony at some point.

 

Really get good views of the Fun Wheel. It’d be cool to look at it during the day. They don’t let people ride it during the show. I wonder how many…I can see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten carts? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…one, two, three, four, five, six…nine or ten. I don't know. Oh, the lights just went on on the Ferris wheel. So, does that mean the show’s over or was that just part of the effect? Oh, I wonder if Disney’s is ROYGBIV, 'cause they have their lights…it looks like red, green…well, they turned it off 'cause they know I was watching. No, the show’s still going on, but now they're doing a lot of effects on the wheel. It’s like, doing some jumping. Now it’s sparkling. Oh wow, it just flashed green, flashed teal, flashed red.

 

Oh, now it’s getting…wow, it’s…but also projecting colors onto it, and it’s changing colors and flashing. Red, red, red…oh wow, now they're having the cooking effects going, and they go as high as the top of the Ferris wheel. I think that’s the finale. It warms you up, too, during the finale. They're even…wow, that was cool. ‘Cause it does sound…it’d be cool when you watch the show. So, the show may have just ended, but we can't be sure. Pretty sure that’s pretty close to the finale. They do…I don't know if they do two shows a night. I want to say they do. I’d like to see Fantasmic myself at some point. It’s been a long time. Last time I saw it was with my mom and my daughter.

 

Okay, when I look straight this way, I think that’s California…Grand Californian Hotel, though when I pan right or pan left, there’s just this balcony three stories up. This is just what I’m thinking, and it looks like there’s a puppet and an inflatable cat and a light. So, that can't be right. Okay, that’s backstage or off property. Just looking through these trees. I would have never thought to spy on anything. Not like I have a good view of anything, but…Walt, are you in there somewhere? Walt, Walt Disney? Paging Walt Disney. But anytime I have…I’m sitting here looking at stuff, I might as well record, right? So, yeah, it’s Ray covering. We’re on Katella Boulevard on the back side of Disney California Adventure, and, yeah, I’m just trying to see what I could see. Ray did not use the binoculars. Remember Binaca?

 

Ray, do you remember…? He does remember Binaca. Binaca was…it had alcohol in it, I think, but you could buy it as a kid. I don't think you could get drunk off it, but it was a breath spray. I think it was just alcohol and mint or something, but it was…for some reason it was like a status thing. It was probably in eighties movies. Kids would do it to do their breath before they talked to people. But I wonder why it fell out of…like why that idea…I mean, I think they even said, oh, this only makes your breath good…smell good for a little while. But I think you probably would have had to do thousands of sprays of it to get any kind of buzz. But I’m not sure; maybe that’s why. ‘Cause I remember it would be like, don’t use any Binaca if you're gonna be driving, 'cause you could get in trouble. Okay, it does sound like…the show’s still going on.

 

The show goes on. There was a little bit of music playing in the background, but it’s barely identifiable. I think there’s tourist choppers. Oh, you can also see Fant…the lights from Fantasmic, 'cause Fantasmic is going. Wow, that was cool. I just saw some green flashes on the horizon. So, that’s something. I don't know what time it is 'cause I’m gonna have to make sure…I can always record while the fireworks are going on, but…oh yeah, there’s another green flash for Fantasmic. World of Color’s going. It’s only 9:20. So, Fantasmic’s at stage green. I don't know what happens during stage…now it’s at stage orange. Wow, it’s impressive. Unless there’s a stage show, you could really see Fantasmic. I’m pretty sure it’s Fantasmic, 'cause Fantasmic I think was at 9:00 p.m. World of Color’s at 9:00 p.m.

 

They also have a second version of the Disneyland fireworks you can watch from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which has their own plot and music, I think. I’d like to do that at some point, too. A lot of things I’d like to do. Wow, sky-high jets, dancing jets. You can hear it all. Oh wow, the Sun…the Mickey’s Fun Wheel turned into a sun wheel. Wow, okay, I think Mickey just won at Fantasmic, 'cause there was green sparklers going off and near the…kinda the…it sounds like rising music right now. A lot of high fountains. The dun, dun, dun…everybody’s holidays…ba, ba, bump. Yes, we do the holidays…the music’s even louder, so I gotta keep talking over it. I could see stuff coming up from Fantasmic, a smoky finale there, too. It sounds like that was the finale of that show. There’s still some colors coming from Fantasmic.

 

Yeah, and the lights are coming back on in the park. The California Zephyr’s lights just turned on. Oh yeah, there’s spotlights over at Fantasmic, so we're still going. Mickey’s saying, I’m gonna wash, wash, wash that villain right out of my hair. I don't know, is that the plot of Fantasmic? Yeah, he gets the buckets, then he says, I’m gonna clean you up, clean you up. Okay, another thing I’m noticing about the Zephyr with my binoculars is that is has a cool twist the way the lights in the center work. Lights are going back on on the Fun Wheel, and the Incredicoaster’s lights have not gone on yet. Oh no, there’s still fountains. So, maybe they're doing something where it’s like…now, on the first day…oh no, that’s a different one. There’s lights in the theme park. I gotta find out what that strange balcony is.

 

I’m gonna have to look at it during the day. Okay, clearly Fantasmic is…oh, more lights are coming on in California Adventure. Fantasmic’s got a lot of spotlights going. There’s still fountains going. I’m not super familiar with the progression of the show. What are those? Oh, those are the lights for…okay, then the lights are…are those the lights for the ride? I’m seeing these moving red lights. They're mesmerizing. Are those float…lasers? I’m seeing some sort of laser effect that looked like floating bubbles. Okay, big stuff going on on Fantasmic, because there’s a lot of…Mickey’s victorious, I think, you could say. The Fun Wheel’s sparkling. Oh yeah, wow, there’s a lot going on. Unless all my times are wrong and that’s the official Disneyland show…it could be, 'cause this…that’s a lot.

 

I don't know, does Mickey’s victory have that many fireworks? I don't know, and what would…? ‘Cause you can't see the castle from where I’m at. Oh wow, yeah, those are real ones, I think. I don't know, maybe they're Mickey’s. I don't know, I seem to have lost…I’m being in time-space continuum. It’s 9:25, though, so I guess that is still Fantasmic, and the show is still going. Wow. Okay, more lights are going on, so it must be…now the coaster lights are going on. Wow, so it’s like a twenty-five-minute show, which does make sense 'cause I can remember trying to get out of the park. Or, some people try to get to the esplanade just to watch the fireworks. Oh, is that…? There’s the carousel? That’s…the carousel is right there? Wow. No, no, that’s the swings, Drew. Oh, thanks. Okay, could we figure out what those lights are?

 

Any idea? No. Let’s try to figure out what those other red lights are. They could be the ride building for Incredicoaster. When I look at them with the binoculars, they could be the same red as the rest of the Incredicoaster. Just at a distance they look a different color. That’s the Lamplighter Lounge; that used to be Ariel’s Grotto. So, yeah, lights are coming on in Disney’s California Adventure, and let’s look backstage. These things…what about your mystery thing? No idea what’s…that is. I really don’t. That’s wild. Just trying to find any people. I saw one person with a cart, what I presume is a backstage area, but that’s probably where the Viva Navidad comes out of, is that backstage area there, but I don't see any floats or anything. There’s a satellite dish on the Guardians of the Galaxy. There’s some heavy technology usage.

 

So, yeah, just kicking it. Late-night recording…I have a couple sips of zero-sugar root beer waiting for me. There is a chill in the air here just like there was at home, so nothing too shocking. What about those lights? I don't know. I like…it’s gotta be the roof of the Grand Californian Hotel or some sort of Downtown Disney building, but…yeah, and I’m kinda getting this on a recording, 'cause Ray wanted to have something to play while he was talking. So, I was told I would record tomorrow. I would do the morning balcony session. But I said, Ray, how about I grab it? Okay, we got one minute ‘til these fireworks start. I don't know what it’ll be like, so maybe I can include it.

 

Since we're far enough away, there won't be any copyrighted music, so…I’ve recorded other fireworks, but I’ll just record it and then cut it out if it’s…it sounds like fireworks, which it probably will. But I guess this could be the end of the episode. So, the Fun Wheel is sparkling and twinkling, and clearly Mickey was victorious with the foes of sleep out there in…what do you call that? Fantasmic land. So, I’ll try to do a fade-out here and say goodnight, everybody. Goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)

On Location

 

Loud Car Engines

https://www.vice.com/en/article/cars-loud-engines-why/

https://www.capitalone.com/cars/learn/finding-the-right-car/the-science-of-sound-why-v8s-excite-us-fourcylinders-dont-and-evs-need-to-make-some-noise/1629

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/human-individual-differences/202305/who-wants-a-loud-car

 

Anaheim

https://www.anaheimcolony.com/colony-story

https://www.orangecountyhistory.org/wp/?page_id=225

https://www.whetstonemagazine.com/journal/in-anaheim-local-politics-meet-german-history

 

Red Car Trolley

https://thedisneyspecialist.com/red-car-trolley-at-disney-california-adventure-a-tribute/

https://www.disneylandview.net/post/last-ride-on-the-red-car-trolley-the-end-of-an-era-at-disney-california-adventure

https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/history-disneyland-transportation

 

Binaca

https://ulcersdiet.blogspot.com/2011/03/the-history-of-binaca.html

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/history-of-breath-fresheners-thrillist-nation

https://nerdbot.com/2021/01/14/wanna-spend-60-on-vintage-binaca-spray-its-wintergreen/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Do not adjust your ears

On a balcony in binaural audio

We do this all together

 

PLUGS

Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Quince; Mint Mobile; Marley Spoon

 

INTRO

Travel, holy moly

Changes in pillow sizes

Ridiculously Large Sized Pillows

Of course I have opinions on pillows

A nice presence

I’m calling you from this balcony I’m sitting on

Nice, or at least not bad

I’m gonna get mixed up

Was that a Best Western?

We strive to bring you a variety of episodes

Just give it some tries and see how it goes

I got mixed up already

No pressure to listen

Barely Listen To Me

I’m here until the very end of the show

Your Borefriend, etc

Bory Boreloff

Explaining the show structure

This started out as a bonus show

We’ll be here for you no matter what

My bedtime routine didn’t work last night

I recorded part of this story last night

 

STORY

This is a companion episode to a Ray episode

Ray’s episodes go out first because he’s a super star

He recorded on a handheld mic

Mine is recorded on binaural microphones

On a balcony in Anaheim on Katella Boulevard

The Backside of Adventure

We can see California Cheerin’ and Mickey’s Fun Wheel

Silly Symphony Swings

Pixar Place Hotel

Disney Place Hotel

A little bit of the Grand Californian

I put on my glasses to make sure I could see

Oh wait, I need to take them off to read my notes

I think I figured something out for Ray today

Mickey’s Fun Wheel definitely has some non-working lights on this side

I should tell you about our day first!

I didn’t realize how badly I needed my glasses until I took them off   

The goal today was to go to the park to research live entertainment

I think the live performances really make the park

Decision makers, please see the faces of people enjoying the live entertainment

It’s just such a wonderful thing

But we did have a great day with entertainment

Trip Report Time

Started off the day, we weren’t trying to rope drop

Walking towards downtown Disney

The Disneyland Hotel has some great grounds

I’m waiting for family before looking at holiday decorations

I guess we started on the North side

Saw some water features

Oh, a Sip and Savor is going up

Disney’s closing down the Red Car Trolley 

We wanted to ride it one last time

Until today, I wouldn’t have been able to make a call on how bad that move is

But now I’m qualified

Shout out to Josh and Joseph in Red Car #23

The Red Car Trolley Route

Some other people were riding it one last time, too

Closing at New Year’s

It probably will not come back

Then I rode it all the way back to catch the 9:45 performance of “Five & Dime”

It’s a jazz band style performance

It was bustling, man

Five & Dime are playing while riding an old-fashioned car

It’s a really cool entrance

The Citizens of Hollywood

A woman with a blue dress and a dog

She had some great holiday clothes on

That’s only page one, man!

Water Whiz Balloon, an atmospheric billboard

The band goes all the way around the traffic circle

They also have jokes with the trolley people

I guess it’s basically vaudeville

Another Hollywood citizen is a mailperson on a tricycle

I talked with her, eventually

First song they sang was “Ain’t We Got Fun”

Two Hollywood people were there to keep us safe, and I think they were brothers

Doe Dance? What? Oh, People Dance

I’m watching these Hollywood citizens do some great ensemble background work

You can send a note to Santa via the tricycle mailperson

I needed to hear that conversation

There’s a lot of improv

I talked to Donna, Clyde, and Calvin

I got to send a letter to Santa on behalf of the whole SWM community

I was trying to track down other Hollywood citizens after that

Then we rode Guardians

Then a single rider for Radiator Springs

10:48, I got off the ride

Flo’s Cafe, I noticed a lunch that I wanted to get later

Am I missing a page in my notes?

I chilled until 11 and then I saw the Marvel show

I sat outside the restrooms and chilled for a while

There’s so many places to sit down in the shade at California Adventure

There are 8 to 10 benches just in that one courtyard!

Oh there was some Doo Wop

“Ride On, Santa”

Jonny Stanton and the Feathers?

Checking out holiday treats at Cozy Cone Cafe

Then we went to the Avengers show

I wanted to know if it was a holiday show

It was a holiday themed action show

With the new and old Hawkeyes

And their nemeses were in track suits

A lot of action with giant candy canes and inflatable Santas

It was a really good show but it was hard to see

A bunch of other Avengers showed up at the end

Avengers Nog Announcements

11:15 – Toy Drummers

Oh, I sat on the Lighthouse steps

I stumbled upon the holiday drummers, to be honest

Just another amazing show

I found a quesabirria dessert that seemed delicious

I just almost dropped my notebook off the balcony but didn’t

I thought I had more notes about the drumming

At first they were fake drumming then they started really drumming

Then there was some great comedy

I made eye contact with one of the drummers

He was really rocking out to “Carol of the Bells”

Juggling drumsticks to each other

It was really good

The crowds have loved all these performances

And so many people just bring their food

It’s just so different from Orlando

I’m appreciating California Adventure a lot today

Then we rode The Incredibles ride at 11:30

Then I grabbed a Coke Zero

There’s a quiet area near Grizzly Run, if you ever need it

I just drank my coke and did my Duolingo

The 12:10 Viva Navidad Show

Ray was raving about how they moved it to weekends only

And I agree, it’s a huge mistake to not do this show more

It has dances and puppets and confetti and singalongs. It has everything!

It’s like a packed street party

A lot of motion and excitement

And so many people were eating carnitas tortas

This was at the Paradise Gardens Bandstand

There was supposed to be a mariachi show at 12:40

But the first mariachi show didn’t end up happening!

And then it was raining, too, so a bunch of other shows go canceled

I mobile ordered my lunch but they didn’t have the gingerbread shake

I appreciate that it comes with vegetables and mashed potatoes with actually good gravy

The meat was a little dry, though

If you go to a theme park, check out the live performers!

I guess that’s it

Oh wait, no it’s not

Now Scoots is gonna talk about last night

Hey everybody, it’s Scoots

I recorded this part earlier

A Firework-Type Sound

I see the Holiday World of Color show in the distance

A fountain projection show

I think fireworks are gonna go off in 20 minutes so I have to stop before then

But I figured I’d record something at night just ‘cause

I got some binocs here

I think I can see some backstage areas

A lot of high powered fluorescent lights

I can see some of the fountains

Is that a backstage area? I see some picnic tables

Oh wow, some of the fountains are going as high as the ferris wheel!

I saw this show once and was blown away by the projections

It looks like each hallway of Pixar Place is painted a different bright color

A really good view of Guardians with these binoculars

Is it 2 sets of elevators or 3?

Do you see what I see?

What is this inflatable thing? I can’t figure it out

No one can ride the fun wheel during the show, alas

Counting the carts I can see

Oh, the Ferris wheel lights just came on!

Does Disney use ROYGBIV?

Oh, no, the show is still going on

Wow the lights are flashing now!

I think this is getting to the finale

Wow, that was cool

I think they do 2 shows a night

I’d like to see “Phantasmic” myself

Last time I saw it was with my mom and daughter

I’m still obsessed with what this 3 story building could be

A puppet, an inflatable cat, and a light

That can’t be right

I didn’t think I’d be spying on things

Walt, are you in there somewhere?

Paging Walt Disney

I figure I’d ask

Ray did not use the binoculars

Ray do you remember binaca?

Explaining Binaca

High Status Binaca Spray

I wonder why Binaca fell off

Plus it had alcohol in it

Don’t use Binaca and drive

Show music is still going on

Oh wow, you can see the lights from Phantasmic right now!

Green flashes on the horizon

It’s only 9:20

Phantasmic is at Stage Green, wait now it’s at Stage Orange

There’s a lot of things I’d like to do

Mickey’s Fun Wheel turned into a Sun Wheel

I think Mickey just won at Phantasmic, based on the lights and music

A lot of high fountains

I gotta keep talking over this loud music

Okay, that sounded like the finale

The park lights are coming back on now in the park

Oh wow, Phantasmic is still going

I don’t know the plot of Phantasmic

Something else I’m noticing about the zephyr

It’s got this cool light twist in the center

I gotta find out what this strange balcony is

 I’m not super familiar with the progression of these shows

Are those lights for the rides?? Or for the show?

Are those floating lasers???

Big stuff going on at Phantasmic right now

Does Mickey’s victory have that many fireworks?

I seem to have become lost in a time space continuum

Okay now the coaster lights are going on

Okay, so it’s like 25 minutes long

Wait, the Carousel is right there? Oh no, that’s the swings

I have no idea what those red lights are

That’s the Lamplighter Lounge over there

How come I can’t see any people?

There’s a satellite dish on Guardians of the Galaxy!

Just kicking it, late night recording

I have a zero sugar root beer that’s waiting for me

A chill is in the air

I’m recording so Ray has something to look at while he’s talking

Negotiating my recording schedule with Ray

1 minute until the fireworks start

Maybe I can include it

I’ll cut it out if the fireworks end up sounding like fireworks

The fun wheel is twinkling

Clearly Mickey was victorious over the foes of sleep

Goodnight

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1355

Title: The Backside of Adventure | On a Balcony On Location

Plugs: Sleep With Me Plus; SleepPhones; Story Only Feed; Rusty Biscuit Links; Emily Tat Artwork; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Helix Sleep; Zocdoc; Progressive; Quince; Mint Mobile; Marley Spoon

Notable Language:

• Ridiculously Large Sized Pillows
• Barely Listen To Me
• Bory Boreloff
• The Backside of Adventure
• Water Whiz Balloon, an atmospheric billboard
• Avengers Nog Announcements
• A Firework-Type Sound
• High Status Binaca Spray 

 

Notable Culture:

• • Holiday Inn
  • Best Western
  • Boris Karloff
  • California Adventure
  • “Ain’t We Got Fun” song

• Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

• • “Ride On, Santa”

• Hawkeye

• • “Little Drummer Boy”
  • “Carol of the Bells”

• The Incredibles

• Guardians of the Galaxy

• • Coca-Cola
  • Duolingo
  • Walt Disney
  • Binaca

• Star Wars

•  

 

Notable Talking Points:

• Travel, holy moly
• Changes in pillow sizes
• Ridiculously Large Sized Pillows
• Of course I have opinions on pillows
• A nice presence
• I’m calling you from this balcony I’m sitting on
• Nice, or at least not bad
• I’m gonna get mixed up
• Was that a Best Western?
• We strive to bring you a variety of episodes
• Just give it some tries and see how it goes
• I got mixed up already
• No pressure to listen
• Barely Listen To Me
• I’m here until the very end of the show
• Your Borefriend, etc
• Bory Boreloff
• Explaining the show structure
• This started out as a bonus show
• We’ll be here for you no matter what
• My bedtime routine didn’t work last night
• I recorded part of this story last night
• This is a companion episode to a Ray episode
• Ray’s episodes go out first because he’s a super star
• He recorded on a handheld mic
• Mine is recorded on binaural microphones
• On a balcony in Anaheim on Katella Boulevard
• The Backside of Adventure
• We can see California Cheerin’ and Mickey’s Fun Wheel
• Silly Symphony Swings
• Pixar Place Hotel
• Disney Place Hotel
• A little bit of the Grand Californian
• I put on my glasses to make sure I could see
• Oh wait, I need to take them off to read my notes
• I think I figured something out for Ray today
• Mickey’s Fun Wheel definitely has some non-working lights on this side
• I should tell you about our day first!
• I didn’t realize how badly I needed my glasses until I took them off   
• The goal today was to go to the park to research live entertainment
• I think the live performances really make the park
• Decision makers, please see the faces of people enjoying the live entertainment
• It’s just such a wonderful thing
• But we did have a great day with entertainment
• Trip Report Time
• Started off the day, we weren’t trying to rope drop
• Walking towards downtown Disney
• The Disneyland Hotel has some great grounds
• I’m waiting for family before looking at holiday decorations
• I guess we started on the North side
• Saw some water features
• Oh, a Sip and Savor is going up
• Disney’s closing down the Red Car Trolley 
• We wanted to ride it one last time
• Until today, I wouldn’t have been able to make a call on how bad that move is
• But now I’m qualified
• Shout out to Josh and Joseph in Red Car #23
• The Red Car Trolley Route
• Some other people were riding it one last time, too
• Closing at New Year’s
• It probably will not come back
• Then I rode it all the way back to catch the 9:45 performance of “Five & Dime”
• It’s a jazz band style performance
• It was bustling, man
• Five & Dime are playing while riding an old-fashioned car
• It’s a really cool entrance
• The Citizens of Hollywood
• A woman with a blue dress and a dog
• She had some great holiday clothes on
• That’s only page one, man!
• Water Whiz Balloon, an atmospheric billboard
• The band goes all the way around the traffic circle
• They also have jokes with the trolley people
• I guess it’s basically vaudeville
• Another Hollywood citizen is a mailperson on a tricycle
• I talked with her, eventually
• First song they sang was “Ain’t We Got Fun”
• Two Hollywood people were there to keep us safe, and I think they were brothers
• Doe Dance? What? Oh, People Dance
• I’m watching these Hollywood citizens do some great ensemble background work
• You can send a note to Santa via the tricycle mailperson
• I needed to hear that conversation
• There’s a lot of improv
• I talked to Donna, Clyde, and Calvin
• I got to send a letter to Santa on behalf of the whole SWM community
• I was trying to track down other Hollywood citizens after that
• Then we rode Guardians
• Then a single rider for Radiator Springs
• 10:48, I got off the ride
• Flo’s Cafe, I noticed a lunch that I wanted to get later
• Am I missing a page in my notes?
• I chilled until 11 and then I saw the Marvel show
• I sat outside the restrooms and chilled for a while
• There’s so many places to sit down in the shade at California Adventure
• There are 8 to 10 benches just in that one courtyard!
• Oh there was some Doo Wop
• “Ride On, Santa”
• Jonny Stanton and the Feathers?
• Checking out holiday treats at Cozy Cone Cafe
• Then we went to the Avengers show
• I wanted to know if it was a holiday show
• It was a holiday themed action show
• With the new and old Hawkeyes
• And their nemeses were in track suits
• A lot of action with giant candy canes and inflatable Santas
• It was a really good show but it was hard to see
• A bunch of other Avengers showed up at the end
• Avengers Nog Announcements
• 11:15 – Toy Drummers
• Oh, I sat on the Lighthouse steps
• I stumbled upon the holiday drummers, to be honest
• Just another amazing show
• I found a quesabirria dessert that seemed delicious
• I just almost dropped my notebook off the balcony but didn’t
• I thought I had more notes about the drumming
• At first they were fake drumming then they started really drumming
• Then there was some great comedy
• I made eye contact with one of the drummers
• He was really rocking out to “Carol of the Bells”
• Juggling drumsticks to each other
• It was really good
• The crowds have loved all these performances
• And so many people just bring their food
• It’s just so different from Orlando
• I’m appreciating California Adventure a lot today
• Then we rode The Incredibles ride at 11:30
• Then I grabbed a Coke Zero
• There’s a quiet area near Grizzly Run, if you ever need it
• I just drank my coke and did my Duolingo
• The 12:10 Viva Navidad Show
• Ray was raving about how they moved it to weekends only
• And I agree, it’s a huge mistake to not do this show more
• It has dances and puppets and confetti and singalongs. It has everything!
• It’s like a packed street party
• A lot of motion and excitement
• And so many people were eating carnitas tortas
• This was at the Paradise Gardens Bandstand
• There was supposed to be a mariachi show at 12:40
• But the first mariachi show didn’t end up happening!
• And then it was raining, too, so a bunch of other shows go canceled
• I mobile ordered my lunch but they didn’t have the gingerbread shake
• I appreciate that it comes with vegetables and mashed potatoes with actually good gravy
• The meat was a little dry, though
• If you go to a theme park, check out the live performers!
• I guess that’s it
• Oh wait, no it’s not
• Now Scoots is gonna talk about last night
• Hey everybody, it’s Scoots
• I recorded this part earlier
• A Firework-Type Sound
• I see the Holiday World of Color show in the distance
• A fountain projection show
• I think fireworks are gonna go off in 20 minutes so I have to stop before then
• But I figured I’d record something at night just ‘cause
• I got some binocs here
• I think I can see some backstage areas
• A lot of high powered fluorescent lights
• I can see some of the fountains
• Is that a backstage area? I see some picnic tables
• Oh wow, some of the fountains are going as high as the ferris wheel!
• I saw this show once and was blown away by the projections
• It looks like each hallway of Pixar Place is painted a different bright color
• A really good view of Guardians with these binoculars
• Is it 2 sets of elevators or 3?
• Do you see what I see?
• What is this inflatable thing? I can’t figure it out
• No one can ride the fun wheel during the show, alas
• Counting the carts I can see
• Oh, the Ferris wheel lights just came on!
• Does Disney use ROYGBIV?
• Oh, no, the show is still going on
• Wow the lights are flashing now!
• I think this is getting to the finale
• Wow, that was cool
• I think they do 2 shows a night
• I’d like to see “Phantasmic” myself
• Last time I saw it was with my mom and daughter
• I’m still obsessed with what this 3 story building could be
• A puppet, an inflatable cat, and a light
• That can’t be right
• I didn’t think I’d be spying on things
• Walt, are you in there somewhere?
• Paging Walt Disney
• I figure I’d ask
• Ray did not use the binoculars
• Ray do you remember binaca?
• Explaining Binaca
• High Status Binaca Spray
• I wonder why Binaca fell off
• Plus it had alcohol in it
• Don’t use Binaca and drive
• Show music is still going on
• Oh wow, you can see the lights from Phantasmic right now!
• Green flashes on the horizon
• It’s only 9:20
• Phantasmic is at Stage Green, wait now it’s at Stage Orange
• There’s a lot of things I’d like to do
• Mickey’s Fun Wheel turned into a Sun Wheel
• I think Mickey just won at Phantasmic, based on the lights and music
• A lot of high fountains
• I gotta keep talking over this loud music
• Okay, that sounded like the finale
• The park lights are coming back on now in the park
• Oh wow, Phantasmic is still going
• I don’t know the plot of Phantasmic
• Something else I’m noticing about the zephyr
• It’s got this cool light twist in the center
• I gotta find out what this strange balcony is
•  I’m not super familiar with the progression of these shows
• Are those lights for the rides?? Or for the show?
• Are those floating lasers???
• Big stuff going on at Phantasmic right now
• Does Mickey’s victory have that many fireworks?
• I seem to have become lost in a time space continuum
• Okay now the coaster lights are going on
• Okay, so it’s like 25 minutes long
• Wait, the Carousel is right there? Oh no, that’s the swings
• I have no idea what those red lights are
• That’s the Lamplighter Lounge over there
• How come I can’t see any people?
• There’s a satellite dish on Guardians of the Galaxy!
• Just kicking it, late night recording
• I have a zero sugar root beer that’s waiting for me
• A chill is in the air
• I’m recording so Ray has something to look at while he’s talking
• Negotiating my recording schedule with Ray
• 1 minute until the fireworks start
• Maybe I can include it
• I’ll cut it out if the fireworks end up sounding like fireworks
• The fun wheel is twinkling
• Clearly Mickey was victorious over the foes of sleep
• Goodnight