Site Visit: Disneyland
For my site visit experience, I went to Disneyland. Just by looking at the amount of people in the park, I was able to tell how important this landmark is to California history. Aesthetically, Disney's Main Street really communicates an ideal Americana. Main Street was designed to look like an average white American town at the turn of the century. This is a result of the the 1950s era that Disneyland was born into. At that time it opened most of the visitors were white. However, the Disneyland of today is much more diverse. In my visit I saw people of all races and all classes. Unfortunately, as prices for park entrance continue to rise it is inevitable that Disneyland will become a place for the upper middle class and the upper class. Most of the people in these classes are white, which would bring Disneyland back to its roots. Although this move is not intentional by Disney, it is an unintended result of their quest for more profits with less crowding.
One interesting part of Disneyland is Tomorrowland, which shows off a 1950s perspective of the future. It's really cool to see that the rockets are still there, while most of the other attractions have changed. The rockets really show how interested people were in space travel in the 1950s. The rockets attraction really makes me think of the Jetsons, which was started in the 1950s. Overall I think this part of the park especially shows off a perspective from a different time in California history.
Disneyland is a really big part of California and has been so for over 50 years. As the world continues to change and technology advances, so does Disneyland. Disneyland does a great job of combining classic rides with high-tech 21st century attractions. It really is sad that Disneyland has given up on the middle class, but this change is more a reflection of the growing income gap than Disney's own fault. Everyone should really take a visit to Disneyland as it combines a fun experience with a true experience of historical California.
