Disneyland: A Review

Hello there, welcome to my review of Disneyland. It has been a while since I reviewed a place but I'm doing it now. I went to Disneyland and California Adventure from Monday to Wednesday. My grandparents who took me had been there on the opening years in 1955-1956. Apparently it has changed quite a bit. Even from my grandma's more recent visit in the 80's it has changed quite a bit. The layout of the park is very clever, how it is split into lands. After the first 45 minutes, you know your way around and it's a five minute walk from almost anywhere to almost anywhere–without all the crowds. The addition of the "Downtown Disney" section of the park and numerous hotels and restaurants has created a new revenue alone for Disney. I stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, yeah I know–fancy! There was also the choice to stay in the Disneyland Hotel and the Paradise Pier hotel which I think is in California Adventure.
Anyway, the whole land idea was really cool...and well done. Every aesthetic choice, while not being very accurate, looks great nonetheless. Adventureland had the Indiana Jones ride which was very fun with its endless bumps and cool animatronics and Tarzan's Treehouse which was sort of a disappointment because how could Tarzan build something that complex. He was raised by apes! Frontierland had the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad which was a pretty fast roller coaster in the mine shafts of the west. Fantasyland had the Matterhorn which was sadly nonoperational and the Teacups which were. I also went to "It's a small world" which was ironically enlarged because of the American Obesity Epidemic! Tommorowland, my favorite had the spectacular fast paced Space Mountain, the indoor simulator Star Tours, the Finding Nemo Submarines formerly 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea with its holograms and animatronics, Innoventions formerly Carousel of Progress houses the Home of the Future and outside the fun mini-ride Astro Orbiter. New Orleans square housed the Haunted Mansion with its spooky animatronics and Pirates of the Caribbean with its replicated pirate cannon fights. Critter Country, formerly bear country had the fast and wet flume ride Splash Mountain with a pretty scary 50 foot plunge. Last, but not least Main Street, USA. No rides are to be found here, but the pure aesthetic of the rows of turn of the century store fronts and original soda fountains are enough to wow you.
Then California Adventure. Man, this place deserves a review of its own. It is divided into 3 main areas each inspired by a piece of California history. The Hollywood Backlot with Sunset Drive and Hollywood Boulevard show the film business in the 50s and 60s. It has some rides based on Monsters, Inc like the Quest to Save Boo which is an animatronics driven ride showing Mike and Sully's quest to save Boo. A Bugs land features a ride and a great 3-D show involving other cool special effects and cool decor showing small items huge, as a bug might see them. Also the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a long drop down a dilapidated hotel's elevator shaft. Paradise Pier is modeled after beach boardwalks and piers. It has a large roller coaster called California Screamin' which I chose not to ride. (Fine you can laugh. ) It also has a large ferris wheel and other attractions including Goofy's Flight School which is a roller coaster. It goes pretty fast around sharp turns, simulating the effect of having a horrible pilot. Also there is a ride called Soarin' Over California near the entrance. It suspends you in a giant simulation of flying over california, hosted by Patrick Warburton. The Golden State includes some of california's more natural things. A replica of Fisherman's Wharf in S.F is lodged between the Golden State and Paradise Pier. But anyway, The Golden State features a whitewater rafting ride called Grizzly Peak Whitewater Rafting Adventure which was fun but no worth the hour and ten minute wait. So that was my three days at disneyland. Remember beware of hitchhiking ghosts.