Forever Young: A Disneyland Trip 50 Years in the Making COMPLETED 1/16/16 About This Page:

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Friday, October 9 – A Hidden Mickey, Time with a Fall Quartet, and a Jazzy Dinner

It was now nearly 4:00 in the afternoon, and the heat was making us very thirsty. Earlier we had seen Coke Corner and planned to revisit at some point in the trip. Now seemed the perfect time. My dad used to collect Coca-Cola memorabilia, so I found this little corner restaurant very interesting. Just outside the entrance there was even a piano player creating a fun atmosphere.
















Inside the shop we placed an order for a large Diet Coke for Luke and regular Coke for me. Once we had our drinks, we moved to a counter area to get straws. As Luke put his straw in, he inadvertently created a Hidden Mickey.





From here we slowly strolled down Main Street, sipping our Cokes. We popped into a couple of the shops right at the front of the park. In the Main Street Emporium I was looking for the Halloween party pin, but none were to be found. Just as we were about to exit the shop, I noticed a 2015 Disneyland t-shirt that I liked. So I ended up making a purchase after all.






That actually gave us perfect timing for catching the Dapper Dans outside the Fire Station, singing a variety of fall and Halloween songs. Our favorite was “This Is Halloween” from Nightmare before Christmas. We enjoyed their music for probably 20 minutes, and of course, I took a number of photos. They are so entertaining, and I’m glad that Luke and I have reached the point where we simply stop and listen.






































When they finished, we again began our leisurely stroll out of the park. We still had plenty of time to walk comfortably in the heat to our dinner reservation at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen was across from our dining location on Tuesday night, Tortilla Jo’s. The building is designed on New Orleans architecture. I thought had taken a photo of it, but I did not. When we signed in, we were asked if we wanted indoor or outdoor seating. That was a no brainer on a day as hot as this one. Inside! But it was only a wee bit cooler indoors as they kept the large windows slightly opened the whole time. We were seated upstairs in what resembled a large mansion dining room. We didn’t check out the whole restaurant, but the indoors portion seemed to be dividing into a number of fabulous, homey dining areas. Our table was next to a fireplace that I was thankful did not currently hold a roaring fire.








For our appetizer we chose to share the Southern Garlic Cheese Bread. This has in it basil, mozzarella, roasted garlic, and olive oil pureé. Luke does like much basil at all, so I was glad that the bread only had a light touch of it.



For my entrée, I went with the Medallions of Beef which were served with some very creamy mashed potatoes.



Luke went with his favorite Cajun/Creole dish, Pasta Jambalaya with Gulf shrimp, Andouille sausage, roasted chicken, and spinach fettuccine.



We were both quite pleased with our choices, but feeling very sluggish from the excess heat all day. During the meal, background music was provided by two musicians, one playing the banjo and the other a clarinet. I tried getting their photos several time, but due to the distance from our table none turned out really well. The red wall color in this room also made photography a bit tricky.







Neither of us felt like dessert, but Luke’s birthday button earned him a free beignet with ice cream that we shared.





When we finished our meal, we discovered that it was still quite hot outside. We decided we needed an extended time in the air conditioning. The plan then was to return to the Grand Californian and our room.

NEXT: This long day isn’t quite over yet.