Eulogy SUNSHINE PLAZA(2-8-2001 to 8-28-2011)

[mickeyfan4ever]

sun shine plaza will be mist so much i will defeley miss walking under the goldon state brige dca was built bye michel esnier and thank you bob iger for fixing up dca

[DLFreak71]

I wish I could write one, but I honestly can't.
I'm very excited for the new look.
I think a water feature is nice, but we still have that right across from the old fountain (grizzly peaks back side...the nice little waterfall they have there)

[disneyland55]

Sunshine Plaza always gave me a headache. It always reminded me how hot it was! There was no shade, a lot of cement, and no real theme. However, I will somewhat miss it due to the fact that I fell in love with the DLR around 2001-2002.

[Meville]

Goodbye Sunshine Plaza, the haters can not hurt you anymore...

[niklj]

R.I.P. Sunshine Plaza. I'll mostly miss this little baby here:

[Infrared Sight]

Yuk what a horrible way to start the day to walk in that area. Cement galore and in the summer was pure torture. I will never miss sunshine plaza. May you never be seen again. Bring on Buena Vista Street!!

[ScienceProject]

What part didn't Sunshine Plaza understand? The "buh?" Or the "bye?"

Buh-bye!

Mac Daddy, that is absolutely one of my favorite insults!!

[BonVivant]

One thing to be said for Sunshine Plaza is it truly did live up to its name. That name honestly indicated what would be found there in abundance - relentless sunshine beating down on a plaza. Free from shade or shelter of any kind, Sunshine Plaza was themed with the searing heat, blinding light, and wicked radiation of the powerful California sun.

The area was skillfully designed to provide no sense of place or time, allowing a guest's attention to be entirely focused on the journey - a journey reminiscent of crossing California's thousands of miles of desert.

All of the elements seemed to be a series of heat-induced mirages. There was the Golden Gate Bridge viewed in a funhouse mirror - its majestic span compressed to amusingly small proportion. A pair of flanking stores, possible refuge from the sun, but still not particularly inviting or appealing. There was a beautiful train that did what trains do best - sit motionless and serve ice cream and baked goods. Even the plentiful concrete dutifully absorbed the heat and radiated it back upwards, refracting the light to provide a wavy visual effect, all to heighten the simulation of experiencing heatstroke while traversing the Mohave.

There was a fountain at the far end of the plaza, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't - an intermittent oasis in the land of sunshine. But even those inviting waters were an unreachable mirage, trapped behind a barrier, always out of reach.

Atop the fountain, was an enormous sculpture of the sun. On sunny days it served as a gleaming monument to your tormentor, as you made your way through its eponymous land. And for those rare times when the California skies were filled with clouds, keeping the sunshine from its duty, the sculpture was present to serve as a reminder of the theme of this now gone land.

Sunshine Plaza, you may not be missed, but you will also not be forgotten. Wherever there are not enough shade trees planted - you are there. Wherever sunscreen is slathered to prevent melanoma - you are there. Wherever financial expediency defeats imagination - you are there.

Indeed, Sunshine Plaza will live on in our memories, and to keep its memory alive, we need only step outside on a sunny day and bask in the sunshine.

[calsig31]

I won't miss the lack of shade, but i will definitely miss the Beach Boy music.

[Disneylandfan67]

I have to say, although I am one of the few, I will miss it. I have a lot of memories in sunshine plaza. When I entered the park for the first time, way back before I was a diehard Disneyland Resort Fan, I loved its whimsical atmosphere. (Keep in mind I was about nine) The beautiful mosaics, although they didn't belong in a Disney park reminded me of my favorite things in California, the Avalon section representing the annual trips I take to Catalina, although I am over at Two Harbors instead, the flowing rivers reminded me of Kayaking trips that I go on. I know, Sunshine Plaza never was perfect, or the most creative idea, but it COULD have been worse. I also loved the train when I was younger and still do. One of my most favorite memories in Sunshine Plaza is that it is where I got my first AP. I am willing to give up Sunshine Plazza though because I know Buena Vista Street will be truley superb, and I know I will make tons of new memories in it!

[MarkTwain]

One thing to be said for Sunshine Plaza is it truly did live up to its name. That name honestly indicated what would be found there in abundance - relentless sunshine beating down on a plaza. Free from shade or shelter of any kind, Sunshine Plaza was themed with the searing heat, blinding light, and wicked radiation of the powerful California sun.

The area was skillfully designed to provide no sense of place or time, allowing a guest's attention to be entirely focused on the journey - a journey reminiscent of crossing California's thousands of miles of desert.

All of the elements seemed to be a series of heat-induced mirages. There was the Golden Gate Bridge viewed in a funhouse mirror - its majestic span compressed to amusingly small proportion. A pair of flanking stores, possible refuge from the sun, but still not particularly inviting or appealing. There was a beautiful train that did what trains do best - sit motionless and serve ice cream and baked goods. Even the plentiful concrete dutifully absorbed the heat and radiated it back upwards, refracting the light to provide a wavy visual effect, all to heighten the simulation of experiencing heatstroke while traversing the Mohave.

There was a fountain at the far end of the plaza, which sometimes worked and sometimes didn't - an intermittent oasis in the land of sunshine. But even those inviting waters were an unreachable mirage, trapped behind a barrier, always out of reach.

Atop the fountain, was an enormous sculpture of the sun. On sunny days it served as a gleaming monument to your tormentor, as you made your way through its eponymous land. And for those rare times when the California skies were filled with clouds, keeping the sunshine from its duty, the sculpture was present to serve as a reminder of the theme of this now gone land.

Sunshine Plaza, you may not be missed, but you will also not be forgotten. Wherever there are not enough shade trees planted - you are there. Wherever sunscreen is slathered to prevent melanoma - you are there. Wherever financial expediency defeats imagination - you are there.

Indeed, Sunshine Plaza will live on in our memories, and to keep its memory alive, we need only step outside on a sunny day and bask in the sunshine.

[Aladdin]

My first entrance into DCA was from the Grand Californian, which did take you away to a forest setting, with geysers. Quite pleasant.

But the Sunshine Plaza entrance was anything but cheerful. This main DCA entry area with its complete lack of vegetation, annoying "california themed music", vast expanse on concrete and concrete furniture, which heated things up even more, and made the "sunshine" plaza feel as if you really were walking the surface of the sun. This is an entry and hub area that only the Flintstones and the Rubbles could have felt comfortable in. And thankfully, you and your neon lit Viva Rock Rock Vegas look are being transformed to rubble, now.

[skoolpsyk]

For some of us Sunshine Plaza was the quintessential DCA experience. We would always gather there as a family and just look around and soak up the atmosphere and theming. Then we would proceed to vomit violently in front of the sculpture and pass out from heat exhaustion and dehydration. That was what DCA was all about back in my day.

[BuenaVista28]

I love your logo, its nicer than the official one!

[BonVivant]

I have to say, although I am one of the few, I will miss it. I have a lot of memories in sunshine plaza. ... I am willing to give up Sunshine Plazza though because I know Buena Vista Street will be truley superb, and I know I will make tons of new memories in it!

Despite my earlier eulogy (with tongue planted firmly in cheek), I definitely understand missing any location where good memories were formed. The train was always my favorite part of Sunshine Plaza too.

But I am also very excited for Buena Vista Street, I looks like it will be an incredible transformation of the area. I wonder if they will include any subtle Sunshine Plaza tributes, as they sometimes do when an attraction replaces an older one.