Saturday, February 13, 2010

Summer Love at Disneyland

I don't know if it still happens today, but it used to be that Disneyland was utilized as a babysitter of sorts. When parents wanted to free themselves of the kids and spend some time alone, they would drop them off at Disneyland.

The kids would have fun all day long, and the parents picked them back up in the evening.

My parents never dropped me off at Disneyland. I was 12 years old when we moved to Orange County, and my little brother was a year old. So I just old enough to take care of myself, and take care of my little brother. My parents took advantage of that.

Mark of Cabernet and Chocolate submits his memories of getting dropped off at Disneyland and meeting his girlfriend there...

I believe I was in Junior High when I discovered that Disney was a great place. Why? Well, you could get dropped off at the "Park" and parents thought it was safe. Remember, they had those giant security guards in the sixties. Even better, was that the parents of girls thought Disney was safe. No parents, safe place and girls, Disney was a great place.

In the summer of 1965 I met Sharon. She was from Granada Hills. Her parents thought Disney was safe and would drive down the 5 to drop her off and then would go to a local spot they like for "dinner and dancing". Sharon was gorgeous, blond, tan and so very cute. It was puppy love at first sight. We rode rides, we watched can can dancers and even better we rode the "dark" rides.

If you lived in Orange County you know what I mean. How many times can you co "up up and away" on the Peter Pan ride in one night.

Every Saturday I would meet her at 7pm at the gate. And at 11pm she would scamper like Cinderella out the gate and back to Granada Hills. She was my first romantic, bells and whistles kiss. I feel for her. Then one Saturday she did not show. I found out later her parents had found she was hanging out with older boys. I was 14 she was 13. I called her and she professed her love and frustration but I never saw her again. I called her once, still had the phone number, she had a boyfriend and I was in love with a girl from Santiago, but wow, those Disney Delights.

2 comments:

  1. Bar none, Orange County was the greatest place in the world to grow up in. I was there from 1941-1978 and have so many great memories. Dick Taylor

    ReplyDelete
  2. In the early 70's my friends and I used to go to Dland not for the rides but for the girls.It was a great place to pick up girls and go on the "make-out" rides. Meet them at the Tomorrowland dance floor and walk over to 'The Journey Through Innerspace' by the end of the ride you knew you were either going back to the dance floor to look for someone else or headed to the next ride that would afford you 2 or 3 minutes of semi-privacy.

    ReplyDelete

Custom Search