Crocs: The Disney Statement Shoe

I am an avid reader of fashion magazines. You'll find my coffee table littered with Vogue, W, Vanity Fair, and Elle. It's safe to say I know a thing or two about fashion. What designers are calling the "statement shoe" has been an increasing trend over the past year. It seems that fashion is ALL about the shoes this season, and being a person with a heel "fetish" (my mom's words, not mine), I could not be happier.

So, you can imagine how much it pains me to go to Disneyland and see these

on the feet of men, women, and children.

Ok. Maybe the kids can get away with it. My little sister has a pair and I think she's cute enough to pull off anything. However, I gave my mom hell when I found out she bought a pair for her and yelled at her when she tried to buy a SECOND pair in front of me.

But I can not bear to look at full grown adults in these shoes. I am sorry if I offend, but why would you do that to your feet? What is wrong with good ol' fashioned tennis shoes or flip flops to trot around Disneyland in. Not only do they look extremely uncomfortable to walk around in all day, but they are just an eyesore for people like myself, who like to think of wearing shoes as an art form.

Not only do I see Crocs on a good 30 to 40 percent of the people at Disneyland, now they are selling Disney Crocs that have Mickey Mouse shaped holes in place of the boring old circles. Leave it to Disney to take Crocs to the "next level."

Please do everyone a favor.

Respect your feet. Respect fashion. Dump the Crocs.

Jambalaya, Crawfish Pie, Me Oh My Oh...

I am absolutely enthralled with the South. Ever since I was little I have had this complete fascintation with anything Southern. I've made my cousins cook gumbo with me while drinking mint juleps and listening to French creole music in the background. I even dressed as Scarlett O'Hara for Halloween when I was in 4th grade.

Therefore, it is no suprise that my favorite area in Disneyland is New Orlean's Square, which is home to the Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion. The area is fashioned after 19th century New Orleans. The attention to detail that Disney's Imagineers put into creating the streets and building of New Orleans Square is enough to make you feel las if you've left Anaheim, CA and ended up in Louisiana.

Beside the beautiful architecture of the faux-homes that line the "streets" of New Orleans Square, visitors can take the Southern experience one step further by catching Mardi Gras beads thrown by Queenie and the Jambalaya Jazz Band. Keep your shirts on though, this is Disneyland after all.

To top it off, you can make reservations at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, which serves cajun-creole meals such as jambalaya and gumbo. The restaurant is located in the Pirates of the Carribean and feels as if you are dining by moonlight next to a southern bayou. The sound of a banjo, crickets, and frogs add to the ambience.

So while Disney's version of New Orleans may not be exactly what you'll find in the real city today, this is as close as a poor college student is going to get to living out my "Southern belle dream" for now.

The Things that Nightmares are Made of.

I am a huge fan of classic Disney cartoons. Let's face it, the cartoons that Disney cranks out these days are not quite the same caliber as the ones made 50 years ago. The films today seem to be missing something. On of those "things" is the dark undertones in the films of yore. Anybody remember the demon in Fantasia?



That's enough to give you nightmares. Or how about Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent. The villians in these classic Disney films don't have the goofy characteristics you see in today's villians. They are simply downright scary. Honestly, I'd much rather run into Hades from Hercules than the Queen/Witch in Snow White.

Just take a walk though Disneyland's Fantasyland, which is filled with rides based on the classics. My mom absolutely refused to let my three-year-old sister on a good majority of them for fear that she will incur permanent psychological scarring. Initially, I ridiculed my mom for being "dramatic" and "overprotective." Turns out, moms have this funny way of being right (most of the time).

On one Disneyland trip with my family a few months back, I suggested Mr. Toad's Wild Ride since the wait was only 20 minutes. My parents were hesitant but caved in. How scary can a 4 minute adventure with a frog be? Well, Mr. Toad's journey ends with him being sentenced to an eternity in hell by a judge that bears a striking resemblance to Satan. Who knew?

I wasn't allowed to pick out rides after that.

Afterwards, I decided to go on all the rides in Fantasyland at night after most of the kids had cleared out of the park. I learned that those of you with young children want to avoid the rides in Fantasyland that have the shortest lines (i.e., Snow White's Scary Adventure, Pinocchio's Daring Journey). Parents aren't taking their kids on these rides for a reason.

Monorail: The New "Walking"

I have recently stumbled upon a semi-secret entrance into Disneyland. And yes, by "stumbled" I mean "my mom told me" (I swear. I don't know what I would do without her.) For those of you who purchase your Disneylannd tickets before or have an annual pass, there is a monorail stop by Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney. It comes and goes every 15 minutes and there is usually a shorter line than the front entrance of Disneyland park.

After a semi-shakey trip halfway around the park, you get dropped off by Finding Nemo in Tomorrowland. You also get a brief glimpse at the backside of Disney (you may want to cover your childrens eyes as to not ruin the magic). The monorail also has another stops, whether your coming or going, in the Grand Californian Hotel.

If your lazy and impatient like me, you'll opt for the monorail. It sure beats trying to get around the "sunday strollers" in Downtown.

Rancho del Zocalo

This restaurant, located in Frontierland, has recently replaced Cafe Orleans as my favorite place to eat in Disneyland. I had never really noticed it before because it's relatively hidden behind the faux shooting range, or maybe I'm just not that observant. However, once again, I can thank my mother for pointing out something "new" to me in Disneyland, which is quite difficult to do since I've been going for about 20 years now.



This is about as "authentic" as you can get while within the walls of Disneyland. To be completely honest, I have only tried the chicken soft tacos, which are a lot more like fajitas than tacos. The come with a mixture of bellpeppers and onions w/a side of rice and beans. I recommend giving them a shot next time you go.


Rancho del Zocalo's prices are pretty much consistent with the majority of Disneyland's restaurants. On average, you'll pay $10 to $20, depending on whether you get a drink or not (beware: refills will cost you extra, in true Disneyland fashion).


Tip: Splurge on the tortilla chips with the hint o' lime and guacamole.

Shootin' Hoops in the Matterhorn

Disney's hidden basketball court in the top of the Matterhorn was brought up in class so I thought I'd share with everyone the reason for this.

Originally, I had read from several different sources online that the basketball court was put in the Matterhorn as a way to bypass height regulations for the city of Anaheim. Allegedly, the city had banned buildings to exceed a certain height unless they were housing sports.

However, according to snopes.com, this is completely false. What is called a "basketball court" is actually a tiny area with a hoop that is smaller than a half-court. They state that there used to be climbers who went up the side of the Matterhorn, for entertainment purposes, and this was their "backstage" area. One of the climbers installed the hoop and backboard to pass the time in between hikes.

I'm sure if there were strict height regulations during the construction of the Matterhorn, Walt Disney would have come up with something far more clever than an "almost half-court" to outwit the city's regulators. Or, he would have just paid them off.

Disney's Wine Festival

Disney's California Adventure park will host the annual Food and Wine festival from April 24 to June 7. The festival includes signature, which range anywhere from $55 to $450, and complimentary events. The complimentary events include wine tasting seminars, cooking demonstrations, and a junior chef class.

The signature events have much more to offer, but of course, are going to cost you extra and you have to reserve your spot online ahead of time. There are the general dinner and wine tasting you can go to on a few days, but you can also pay to spend the evening with famous chefs such as Guy Fierri, Keegan Gerhard, and Tommy Lasorda. That's right. Tommy Lasorda, a former major league baseball player turned wine connoisseur, who now apparently has a collection of wines.

However, what I think is the most exciting (and the most expensive) event, is the Napa Rose cooking class taught by an executive chef. There are several dates for the classes but only 14 spaces in each class, so you can imagine they will fill up quickly. If you have an extra $450 lying around, this may spark your interest.

For more information on dates, events and prices click here: