Daily Photo Tour - A Starry Morning

Rancho del Zocalo is not a place that typically serves breakfast, so the mornings there are incredibly serene. There's just a friendly Cast Member or two wiping the tables down and making sure every table and chair is perfect. It's a really great way to start a day of picture taking at the Park. You can take your time looking around without concern for the crowds. The idyllic ranch ambience, especially with that early morning glow, could not provide more inspiration and motivation.

Daily Photo Tour - Love Birds Beneath the Stars

These love birds sit atop a fountain at the Rancho del Zocalo restaurant in Frontierland, beneath some of the most beautiful lights I've seen. I am amazed at how an artist can evoke the feelings of love through something like sculpted birds. It inspires me that the possibility exists for someone to grasp depths of feeling and translate it into a visual language, universally understood. It's a lofty form of communication that causes one to stop and think and hopefully to appreciate life a little more than prior to that moment. Disneyland is not a museum but its treasures could easily fill one... or a dozen. It will never be finished as long as there is imagination left in the world. Imagination that artists use to create and evoke. Imagination that lovers use to see the world through rose colored lenses. Imagination that suggests we wish upon a star.

Daily Photo Tour - Early Morning at the Ranch

Spending some time at Rancho del Zocalo early in the morning is a beautiful thing. The restaurant is closed and there are very few people around. For me, it is the perfect spot to start the day. This morning I was able to grab a shot of the incredible stained glass door that serves as the entrance to this beautiful restaurant. This is just one of the many amazing details this restaurant has to offer and it is easily one of my favorites. If you're lucky, you may even be greeted by a friendly cast member who whistles while he works.

Daily Photo Tour - The Secret Passage to Frontierland

There's nothing quite like surrounding yourself with wood. Sometimes that's exactly what a man needs. This passage between the Plaza Gardens and Rancho del Zocalo is a quiet transition into Frontierland. At night, with the beautiful lights of the restaurante glowing at the end, it's pure magic.

Daily Photo Tour - Rustic Romance

This beautifully romantic fountain, full of old world charm nestles itself in an archway of the Rancho del Zocalo Restaraunte in Frontierland. It's almost as if it beckons one to toss in a coin, wishing for true love's kiss and devotion. Love is not unlike a fountain. It continually overflows. That's one of the things I love about Disneyland. It has the potential to bring out the best in us with seemingly ubiquitous reminders of what we are capable of.

Disneyland Resort in HDR Facebook Page

Our Facebook page, Disneyland Resort in HDR, will be getting a little makeover soon. We've been thinking that it deserves some attention since it's the avenue so many of our wonderful friends use to get here. So look for that, and we hope you like it!

Daily Photo Tour - Restaurante

"You know, that one Mexican Restaurant near Big Thunder Mountain." I don't know how many times I have heard this phrase. It seems that the name Rancho Del Zocalo is either very hard to remember, or equally hard to pronounce! Either way, the name is very underestimated and I thought deserved a spot here!

Daily Photo Tour - Rancho del Zocalo at Night

Sometimes we have to wait patiently for an area to clear to get a shot. After eating at Rancho del Zocalo one evening, I noticed that the outside dining area was practically empty. There was no waiting to be done and I took the shot without interruption. It really set the pace for a fun, relaxed night of photography. Now I just have to get the restaurant to go for my idea of character dining with Zorro.

Daily Photo Tour - A Lonely Welcome

Rancho del Zocalo is a really beautiful, and often quiet, place to escape to. Even with all its romantic charm, it is rarely busy or cramped. The flowers that surround the restaurant are breathtaking, and the many lights that hang, captivating. Late one weekday night, we happened upon the Mexican eatery, completely empty. It's surreal almost anytime you see something at Disneyland vacant, but this was different. The way the lights danced across the rustic exterior and the rugged wood ceiling, and the way the flowers gently crept into their soft glow was mesmerizing. It was another one of those "Disney" moments. I don't know that I had ever really noticed just how beautiful Rancho del Zocalo was before that night. Now, it is one of those places I walk by, every time I visit the park.

Daily Photo Tour - Rancho del Zocalo Restaurant

The first time I ate at this restaurant I was five years old. I had gone to Disneyland with my parents and grandma. The whole lunch, I kept complaining how I wanted to ride the "train ride" (Thunder Mountain). My parents kept saying I wouldn't like it. I told them that I would. After a long lunch, and a couple gnarly burritos, I ended up getting my wish. I remember diving in and out of the tunnels, crying my eyes out. I just wanted the thing to end, while at the same time being upset that I was the one that pushed for this to happen. I always wondered what had shifted their thinking. My incessant nagging, or those wicked burritos. I blame it on the burritos.

A Peaceful Cantina

The loving dining area. Very, very cool lighting in here. It is always quiet and peaceful here at night. Unless it is Grad Night, then it becomes a Salsa Dancer's Paradise.

Mi Casa es su Casa

Being at the park late has its advantages. Being at the park after its closed, even better. Just be prepared to leave when the security guards finally get to where you're at after sweeping the other areas of the park! The lighting here is amazing. There is no way you could capture all the ranges of light with a single exposure. Thank you HDR! I usually don't do pictures at a completely perpendicular angle, but this seemed to be appropriate.