March 25, 2013

Daily Photo Tour - Waiting to Check In


It's late afternoon, check-in time at the Hollywood Tower Hotel, only there's no one at the front desk. In fact, there's no one else at all. It didn't hit you when you first walked in because all the usual signs were in place - a newspaper, an umbrella, several bags and a child's doll. Upon closer inspection, you find that these items have not been tended to in some time. You see, time has stood still in this lobby and from all appearances it doesn't seem it will be getting back into motion. That may be unusual in the hustle and bustle of today's world but it's not all that uncommon when you're waiting to check in to the Twilight Zone.

Waiting to Check In
Photo by Michaela Hansen

Comments (8)

On March 25, 2013 at 9:31 PM , mmandle said...

You guys should have a button for Pinterest (with your Tweet, Facebook, StumbleUpon, etc buttons) so I can easily Pin your pictures directly from your website! I still gave ya a nice shout out though :) http://pinterest.com/pin/220606081719409876/

 
On March 26, 2013 at 6:58 AM , Terry said...

Love how you captured the colors and lighting. It looks spooky, yet so inviting. There are so many amazing details to see in this room. You hit it right on the head when you said "upon close inspection". Disney magic at it's best. Great photo...thanks!

 
On March 26, 2013 at 9:54 AM , Joey James said...

I've tried countless times to get a good shot of this room. The line's always moving! I'm very impressed, this has to go in your top 10 of all time.

 
On March 26, 2013 at 10:03 AM , Charla said...

This picture captures the feeling and theme of this attraction beautifully! It's spooky but intriguing. Beautiful but unkept. Rich but pitiful.
Great job (as always)!

 
On March 27, 2013 at 6:17 PM , Anonymous said...

mmandle, thank you for the shout out! We'll look into getting a Pinterest button up!

Terry, this is one of my favorite areas in the entire resort. I love the welcoming yet eerie feel and the attention to detail.

Joey James, I'd love to take credit for getting in the middle of a moving line, but it was the result of a very kind cast member who let me set up off to the side.

Charla, thank you so much! All the reasons why I love this room so much :)


 
On March 27, 2013 at 11:00 PM , Cory Gross said...

One of the best queues in all of the Disneyland Resort... Ordinarily I wouldn't go within a 100 yards of a drop ride, but the queue is so strong on the Tower of Terror that I make an exception. It appeals to my love of vintage Hollywood and actually got me into the original Twilight Zone series. Thank you for a great photo!

 
On March 27, 2013 at 11:49 PM , mmandle said...

I work at Star Tours and Buzz Lightyear... come see us sometime and take amazing pictures there!

 
On March 28, 2013 at 7:45 AM , Sean and Janet Eyring said...

I have always wondered if the Disneyland janitorial staff get's a free pass on the dusting of this room, and so it just sits and collects more of it over time, adding to the effect. Or if the cobwebs and dust you see on everything here in the lobby was purposely placed by the Disney decorators. Maybe thinking about it too hard takes away from the magic! Whether it is "staged' or au'naturale, it LOOKS genuine, and I guess in the end, that's what they were going for, right? :)