A bit of the old magic...
Just an observational point....
My wife and I went to DL this weekend (actually we went to DCA (which was crowded! And full of people with MAPS!), then over to DL), and we went on a few rides, went to Gibson Girl and got an ice cream to share (no more Fantasia ice cream? :( ) and then sat down in the hub at the start of Main Street (by the DLRR station) to eat it. After sitting there for a minute or so, I really started to look around, and was really, really surprised with how wonderful everything looked. First, the hub itself was beautiful and colorful, with lots of fresh, in-bloom flowers, and some topiary/bench combos I'd never noticed before. Second, there wasn't a single vending cart there. No pins. No churros or popcorn. Nothing. Sitting there, looking down a newly renovated Main Street (while ignoring the Pepto Bismol lighted castle), it was easy to imagine that you were on a turn of the (last) century street. Shops bustling with people, parents and children coming and going...
The only other time I had felt that way recently was during the "Believe... In Holiday Magic" snow section. There's always a certain magic there. But this was something else entirely. This was simply the park, looking clean and vibrant, transporting me to another place. Not with lights, animatronics or special effects, but simply by design.
It gives me a lot of hope for the rest of the park. Because if this is going to be a regular thing, and not just for the 50th, we're finally changing course, and heading back onto the right track. Main Street is a beautiful place, and I hope it stays that way. Next time you're at the park, just stop there and take it all in. See if it effects you the same way it did me...
