The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Seen through a thin web of overhead Trolley wires, the supernaturally twisted Tower of Terror rises above Hollywood Land at DCA.

It's the only ride at Disneyland resort that still scares me every single time I climb aboard. The anticipation during the story scenes--knowing what's coming--creates one of the most awesomely tense, nerve-wracking first moments of any ride I can think of.

And when the drops begin, the whole elevator cabin echoes with passengers' screams and laughter (a perfect combination of both) at an intensity you'll find nowhere else on property. This ride plugs directly into everyone's instinctive fear of falling, and somehow makes the sensation fun and terrifying at the same time. When it all finally ends, I always find myself grateful it's over, yet glad I went.

An import from Disney's Hollywood Studios in Florida, DCA's version of ToT lacks the original's horizontal track Fifth Dimension corridor, opting instead for an extra scene inside the main drop shaft. I hope to someday try the Florida original to compare the adventures; I'm sure I'll be every bit as scared dropping faster than freefall on the East coast as on the West.

Photo by Lana Whitham

Disneyland Hotel's Adventure Tower

The Disneyland Hotel's towers are themed to three of the park's realms: Adventure, Fantasy and Frontier. Each tower contains models and concept art relating to its namesake's development.

Here in the Adventure Tower's lobby, guests are greeted by a terrific mural and a series of Jungle Cruise maquettes...

Including these charming elephants, made slightly less charming by my amazing ability to place a ceiling light reflection in the worst possible spot.

Remembering the Rocket Rods

From PeopleMover to Rocket Rods to...Pretty much nothin'....

The old tower loading platform has become the saddest sight in Disneyland. Many fans avert their eyes as they walk past it, and everyone hopes that maybe--just maybe--this will be the year that Disney announces a great new project that will finally take over the location and erase the memory of Rocket Rods.

But we shouldn't forget the ill-fated PeopleMover replacement, because--truth be told--the Rockets Rods were a lot of fun...while they lasted.

Teacup Chairs at the Disneyland Hotel

While visiting the Disneyland Hotel's Fantasy Tower, you're sure to notice the unusual seating accommodations in the lobby. They're weird and they're big--they're the semi-famous teacup chairs!

I have mixed feelings about these guys. I'm glad they exist, because the world can't have too much whimsy, and I really like the little table representing the control wheel...but...

They do creep me out just a little bit. I don't know why. Is it because they look like they've had all the color sucked out of them? I wish the carpet picked up the theme with--I dunno--circle patterns suggesting saucers or something...

On the other hand, I'm glad there are things at the resort that I can't neatly sort into "like" or "dislike" (two others: Astro Orbitor and Duffy). All I know is, if these chairs slowly rotated in place...well, then we'd have the most awesome hotel furniture on the planet.

The Evil Queen is Watching You

Fantasyland isn't all flying elephants and glass slippers. There's a layer of darkness and shadow lurking about, and thank goodness; without it, the heroes and heroines would have nothing to test themselves against!

Above the entry  to Snow White's Scary Adventures, a pair of red curtains opens every minute or so as the Evil Queen glares out in contempt at the happy crowd below, as she's been doing since the land's remodeling in 1983.

She hates popcorn, mouse ears, California Girls and -- probably most of all -- the dozens of strollers parked on her property.

The Lone Traffic Light of Radiator Springs

Cars Land may be mobbed with odd creatures called "humans," these days, but Radiator Springs remains true to its roots as a one-traffic-light town. The light hangs right where it belongs, at the intersection of Route 66 and Cross Street, leisurely blinking its yellow caution signal.

It's also a detection device for revealing the true fans in the crowd. They're the ones, when seeing Cars Land for the first time, who notice the signal and stop in their tracks to count the blinks. And then they smile, for just as hippy van Filmore observes in Cars, "every third blink is slower."

It's such a small detail, but one that simply could not be left out. Without that extra hold on the third blink, it would just be an ordinary traffic signal. With the quirk, it becomes a modest little beacon letting you know that, yes, you really have arrived in Radiator Springs.

The Rocket Jets: Tomorrowland 1983

Soaring high above Tomorrowland aboard the Rocket Jets was an early-morning tradition in my family (we always rode right after Space Mountain), and a spectacular thrill I miss dearly. Riding the gantry elevator to the ride's third-story platform atop the PeopleMover station was an adventure in itself.

I'm sure the Imagineers had the best intentions when they closed the ride and reinvented it as the ground-level Astro Orbitor. The newer experience, however, pales in comparison to the views and exhilarating heights of the Rocket Jets.

Guests can still enjoy an elevated rocket spin on Walt Disney World's Astro Oribter and Tokyo Disneyland's Starjets. Whatever the future holds for Disneyland's Tomorrowland, I hope the thrill of flying far above ground level returns in some form. Tomorrowland used to be all about looking up toward the skies. The land's been grounded for far too long.

Mater & the Tower of Terror

Our favorite tow truck heads for the Twilight Zone!

Mater, fresh from a half hour of meetin' n' greetin', rumbles out of Cars Land along Cross Street under the watchful eye of his bodyguard entourage. He looks like he's aiming for a ride on Tower of Terror.

Actually, he'll soon take a right turn backstage. Although Tow Mater and Lightning McQueen usually enter and exit Cars Land by driving past Radiator Springs Racers, that ride's overflow queue can turn the road into a tight squeeze for automoblies. On those busiest days, the car celebs vamoose along this less-congested detour.