My plane landed at the airport in Los Angeles. I had never visited California before and was excited to explore the landscape. My family took a cab ride from LA to Anaheim, the place of Disneyland. At 12, I was excited to see this place finally. The cab ride was long, but we finally reached our Disney resort, the Castle Inn and Suites. After dropping off the luggage, it was time to explore the Parks. I ran out with my brother to check out Fantasy Island in Disneyland Park. There are only two large parks here, so walking back and forth between them was easy. I took the maps for the two parks and followed the maps to determine which rides I wanted.

My favorite ride that I enjoyed was the Matterhorn in Fantasyland. I was strapped in front of my mom in a roller coaster car, a sled car. It was the Matterhorn ride, and I was about to embark on my journey into the Swiss Alps. I saw another parallel roller coaster sled that began next to me and spun off into a different part of this large mountain. This ride, built in 1959, is inside a mountain over 80 feet tall. The minute my sled car hit the darkness of the mountain, I heard him, Harold, the abominable snow monster, a Yeti. I heard him scream twice until I finally saw him waving his arms at me on the third scream, on top of the ride before I ascended downward in spirals, weaving through the caves. The Yeti ride ended with a splash to cool me off and slow down the sleds to come to a standstill. 

Another ride I enjoyed was the Goofy roller coaster ride in Toon Land. Riding the fast roller coaster and dipping deep into the bottom before rising up again in a loop was fun. I enjoyed Disneyland’s roller coasters, and none were too scary. I could feel the wind against my face as I dipped in the ride. The line was long, but it was worth the wait. The Goofy ride was enjoyable because two parallel cars were going on different tracks, like mirror images. This helped speed up the long line. I found it interesting how many rides in Disneyland utilize parallel structures to expedite the lines. 

Next, I remembered the original Cars movie in the Disneyland Park of Cars and rode Lighting McQueen down Radiator Springs. I had watched the Cars movie numerous times before coming, so it was easy to imagine that I was now in the film itself. This ride, the Radiator Springs Ride, is popular and is much more fun than the other car ride in the park of Mater because the other ride is so slow and for younger kids. The ride is automatic, and the cars run parallel to each other, speeding and slowing down in between. The scenery is just like the movie. Riding the radiator racers included a picture to be sold at the end of the ride. Inside the waiting area, there were boards and a pit stop, including Luigi’s tires. Tires and posters were decorating the entry point of this ride. The interesting part of Disney was the decor, even on the way to the ride, because it allowed me to walk into the movie and be part of the Cars adventure. The ride was fun but short, and I wanted to go back, but with a winding line, I decided it was best to come back at another time.  

That night I went to the movies because there is a theater in the park. I watched an Alvin and the Chipmunks movie while enjoying plenty of popcorn there. Disneyland has rides, good food, and even a movie theater. The theater was similar to AMC and was known as the Mainstreet Cinema. There are other theaters, but they are for plays; this was the one for watching movies. The parks are within walking distance from each other and walking distance from the resorts. 

After two nights and three days, it was time to leave, and I helped pack my bags. Returning to LA airport in another long cab ride was no fun, but the memories of Disneyland were worth the trip. Reflecting on my journey, I recommend Disneyland for a wonderful and brief experience. The parks are small but full of many rides, and the resorts are on the property, so travel is easy if you stay on the property. I felt that staying the number of days was enough, but the rides have a long wait time, so the fast pass is helpful when used. Ultimately, I landed at O’hare airport from LA and took a cab back home.