Showing posts with label Anaheim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anaheim. Show all posts

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Spaced out Mountain

I've never been a big fan of Disneyland. I went twice as a kid...once in kindergarten and another time when I was in the fourth grade. I may have been the only kid whose favorite ride was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

For those out there who still find Disneyland to be a magical place, here's a photo I took on the drive to work last week. You'll see the rainbow landing somewhere between Space Mountain and the Matterhorn...

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Gehry Ga-reen


I should be arrested for taking this photo while driving 80 mph on the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5).

This is Frank Gehry's Team Disney building in Anaheim, housing the crack Imagineering creative crew. Unfortunately, the usual elegantly crumpled Gehry designs are reserved for the interior side of the building. But...on clear days when I drive northbound and L.A. County-bound to work, I'm showered with an amazing green glow reflected off the treated stainless steel panels. Love that. It's like opening the briefcase in Pulp Fiction, or opening the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Friday, September 5, 2008

KFC, yeah you know me



I can't remember the last time I tasted Kentucky Fried Chicken. Although I distinctly remember the last time I ate chicken...that was in the spring of 1998 at this Oaxacan restaurant in West L.A. (the one where miscellaneous fools started signing their names on the walls after Edward James Olmos put his name up)...I guess you'd have to go back to the early '90s to find my last KFC experience. Crazy considering I loved KFC growing up. Corner of Monterey and Senter in San Jose, where this kid sadly named Anil (pronounced "A-kneel") used to work.

Well for months my brain's been wired to check out KFC exterior remodels. Funny considering I have zero interest in the actual food inside of there. Apparently the corporate KFC office requires each of their locations to upgrade the outside minimum every 15 years. Since they're bleeding customers to El Pollo Loco, Pollo Campero, Starbucks, etc., they're wise to brighten up their image.

Most coast along with a minor facelift, but others go with what they call the KFC Vision Design. The Vision Thing eliminates the tile roof towers and adds in a more contemporary look, with metal awnings and metal louvers running across the side walls of the building. They start with a standard design, but cities can tinker with the design before approving, so you'll see color and material variations from place to place. Like any proposal, a lazy city staff will let a lazy design pass through. I miss the giant rotating buckets, but they've been gone for a while. Overall, the Vision Design gets my vote.

Take a look at the photos...two are in Anaheim, and one is in Orange. Do they still give out sporks at KFC?