The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (177 page)

On
ce
ElecTRONica
moved into the neighborhood in late 2010, this became an outlet for
TRON
merchandise.  When
ElecTRONica
made way for the
Mad T Party
in summer 2012, whimsical
Mad T Party
merchandise was added.

The best thing about the
Studio Store
is that its myriad little
Disney
treats are reasonably priced.  This is where Guests on a tight budget, particularly children, can conduct some of their
DCA
souvenir and gift shopping.  You’ll find something cute for everyone on your list, and you won’t break the bank.
Did You Know?
The
Studio Store
used to be named
Rizzo’s Prop and Pawn Shop
.  Who’s
Rizzo
? 
Rizzo the Rat
, a
Muppet
go-getter
with a New York accent.  A bit player created near the end of
The Muppet Show
’s run, over time he ascended into key roles in
Muppet
specials and movies. 
Rizzo
, with his streetwise attitude, seemed a likely owner of a prop and pawn shop on the backlot.  In 2005, when the backlot area was spruced up and refreshed to welcome
Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue
, the shabby shop was given fresh paint and a neater appearance, the
Rizzo
and
Muppet
theming was removed, and a wider variety of character merchandise was introduced. However, if you look carefully at the upper reaches of the store’s interior, at the high shelves and rafters, you’ll see an entertaining mish-mash of
Rizzo’s Prop and Pawn Shop
merchandise, everything from antique busts to vases to paintings, all with their pawn tickets still attached.  None of those items are for sale, but they add visual interest to the interior and keep the stage-door flavor of the original shop alive.
Did You Also Know?
  The
Walt Disney Studios
in
Burbank
really have a studio store–actually
two
stores–where
Disney
employees can purchase discounted theme park,
Disney
and
ABC
merchandise.  The stores share a building on the
Buena Vista Street
studio lot, much larger, by far, than the little
Studio Store
kiosk at
DCA
. 
Kid’s Eye View:
It’s small but it’s kind of cool.

Tower Hotel Gifts

[
FastView:
 
Glamorously grim décor is a highlight of this shop where you’ll find dark
Disney
and
Twilight Zone
merchandise—clothes, accessories, pins, books, and novelties—as well as
Hidden Mickeys
.  Purchase your
Tower of Terror
photos here.
]

Good news:  You don’t have to ride
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
to visit its delightfully moody gift shop!

Every good hotel has a gift shop–even many bad
hotels, actually–and in its heyday, before the tragedy that led to its crumbling decay, the
Hollywood Tower Hotel
was a grand setting with a correspondingly elegant gift store.

Today
Tower Hotel Gifts
is the only part of the hotel that hasn’t gone completely to rack and ruin, or at least, the only portion that’s still regularly dusted and vacuumed and in decent running order.  Here Guests get a sense of how luxurious the place was before the fateful Halloween lightning strike in 1939 seemingly vaporized five guests and led to the hotel’s closure.

Guests enter
Tower Hotel Gifts
from the elevator exit corridor (if they rode the attraction) or via the main shop entrance on the tower’s east side (if they elected not to ride).  The sumptuous carpeting, elegant light fixtures, and dark wood wainscoting and shelves reinforce the hotel’s back story as a decaying paragon of comfort and style.

For Guests who enjoy
Disney
’s spooky attractions, this shop is a treasure trove.  There are counters, racks, and shelves overflowing with merchandise inspired by
Disneyland
’s
Haunted Mansion
and
Pirates of the Caribbean
and, of course,
DCA
’s
Tower of Terror
.  T-shirts, sweatshirts, keychains, pins, jewelry, shot glasses,
Twilight Zone
books, DVDs, and even
Twilight Zone
action figures representing the show’s creepiest characters–they’re all here, as well as novelties like plush
Hollywood Tower Hotel
towels and front desk bells and
HTH
bellhop caps.

Guests who braved the
Tower
can stop here to purchase prints of the photo that was snapped during one of their terrifying plunges.  If you plan to purchase a picture, be sure to check the video screens mounted just before the gift shop entrance and note your photo ID number.  Give the photo number to a Cast Member behind the counter and select your photo package.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
is the most atmospheric and painstakingly realized attraction in
DCA
’s
Hollywood
district.  Even if you won’t–or can’t–ride the elevators, take a few moments to explore
Tower Hotel Gifts
. 
Did You Know?
  If you’re staying at the resort’s
Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
, you can purchase a
Grand Californian
bathrobe at
Acorn Gifts and Goods
and have it monogrammed.  Expect to wait 24 hours for the robe to be monogrammed and ready for pick-up. 
Hidden Mickeys:
  Examine the framed black-and-white photographs to the left of and behind the photo pick-up counter at
Tower Hotel Gifts
, and see if
you
can find the
Hidden Mickey
dolls in the old-time photos!

Grub:

Award Wieners
(L, D, S)

[
FastView:
 
Delicious hot dogs and sausages, reasonably priced.  Order and pick-up can be rather challenging, but it’s worth it.
]

On the north side of
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
,
Award Wieners
is a counter-service restaurant where the hot dogs are the stars.  One of the few venues in the park where you can buy a red-hot,
Award Wieners
is all dogs, all the time.

Ordering can be confusing, as there are multiple windows and each one follows the alternating left-right order format.  Guests unfamiliar with this process queue in single, long lines instead of breaking into two shorter lines, typ
ically queuing to the right.

When lines get especially confused and lengthy, harassed-sounding Cast Members
call out instructions via microphone.  Sometimes a Cast Member is stationed in front of
Award Wieners
to guide Guests and avoid bottlenecks.  Bottom line:  If you see empty space to the left of a window, start a line there; you should be next, although confused Guests in the long line on the right might not appreciate your savvy!

Award Wieners
sells the usual assortment of coffee, juice, milk, soda, tea, and water, ranging from $2 to $3.50.  Beer drinkers can order
Karl Strauss Red Trolley Ale
for $7.  There’s also a limited menu of
à la carte
desserts like brownies or crispies for $2 to $4 each.  But this counter is all about serving up hot dogs.

Children can order the
Kid’s Turkey Dog
, a reasonably healthy treat that comes with sliced apples, carrots, and a small juice, milk, or water for around $6.50, or the
Kid’s Power Pack
with crackers, fruits, veggies, and yogurt for $6.

Older kids and adults can choose among five frankfurter
and sausage meals, all of which include sliced apples or chips:

#1             
Chili Cheese Dog
($7)

#2
             
Barbecue Hot Link
($7.69)

#3
             
Sicilian Sausage
($7.69)

#4
             
Vegetarian
Portobello-Mushroom Philly
($7.69)

#5
             
Hot Dog Combo
(w/ Chips or Apple Slices
)
($6.29)

Award Wiener
dogs are delicious, but ordering can be confusing at
Award Wieners
, and so can pick-up, which happens at the order windows,
not
at separate pick-up windows.

Once you place your order hang onto
your receipt, take note of your order number, and lurk around the window until your number is called.  This can be a bit of a hassle on crowded days; you’ll likely be buffeted by Guests placing orders and other Guests waiting, like you, to pick up their food.

Obtaining napkins and condiments
also can be puzzling.  Guests are often baffled when they receive a tray of food without utensils, napkins, packets of ketchup, etc.  Once you receive your food, move away from the windows and the queues and look for napkin-and-condiment islands to the side of
Award Wieners
, away from the lines.  Ketchup, mustard, relish, and mayo packets are plentiful and free.

Award Wieners
’ seating is bountiful, especially since the 2008 build-out when the dining area was expanded.  Nab a table on
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
or in the endlessly funny, fascinating queue area outside
Muppet*Vision 3D
.  This is a great area for your group to take a meal break, relax and chat while you listen to the area’s vintage music. 
Did You Know?
  With
Disney
’s commitment to high-quality entertainment and technical innovations, it’s no surprise that
Disney
is a multiple Academy Award winner.  The Academy Award–nicknamed the Oscar–is Hollywood’s highest honor.  Oscars were first awarded in 1929, and every year thereafter.  In his lifetime,
Walt
collected many an Oscar.  Just to mention two, there was the special Oscar he won for creating
Mickey Mouse
, and the special Oscar for
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
, which was presented to
Walt
by child star
Shirley Temple
.  Years later, a grown-up
Shirley Temple Black
and her son dedicated the original
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
attraction.  Although
Walt
passed away in 1966, subsequent
Disney
leaders kept his commitment to high quality and cutting-edge innovation alive, although not without some periodic challenges. 
Disney
’s new golden age of hand-drawn animation, ushered in by 1989’s
The Little Mermaid
, and the brilliant
Disney-Pixar
CGI films of the late 1990’s and new millennium, have garnered multiple Golden Globes and Academy Awards. 
Disney
’s tradition of excellence continues to this day, with Academy Award nominations for 2009’s
Up
and
The Princess and the Frog
and 2010’s
Toy Story 3
. The latest Oscar winner? 
Disney-Pixar
’s Brave (2012).
Kid’s Eye View:
The best hot dogs!

Fairfax Market
(S)

[
FastView:
 
Healthy foods and beverages at a cheerful outdoor market setting.
]

On the north side of
DCA
’s
Hollywood Boulevard
, just west of
Award Wieners
, Guests looking for a light, healthy snack will find
Fairfax Market
.  Part of the resort’s relatively recent and pervasive commitment to providing Guests with healthy food choices,
Fairfax Market
is a lovely little stand, its cart and bins prettily arranged with colorful fruits and treats.  Set in front of a
faux
market façade, it’s an idealization of a stand you’d see on a Los Angeles or Hollywood street in the 1930’s, or, even more likely, given its theatrical flavor, on a Hollywood lot.