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Welton Becket - the Unofficial Imagineer

Walt Disney and Welton Becket surveying the model for the GE Pavilion at the 1964 New York World's Fair | Photo: (c) Disney It was sometime in 1953 and Walt Disney was discussing his latest project, Disneyland, to his neighbor in Holmby Hills. He discussed the issues that plagued the development. The biggest being that the architecture firm he had hired to design the park did not seem to understand his vision for the park. His neighbor replied by telling him to ditch the outside architects and instead look to the art directors and artists to design the place. They would understand his vision. Walt took the advice seriously and within the year, WED Enterprises was established, featuring a new design organization complete with those who understood what Disneyland was all about. It was the beginning of Imagineering. The neighbor and friend that suggested Walt to use his own people was Welton Becket. Welton Becket was an architect himself, one of the most prominent. His firm, We
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Where in the World? | DisTripping GameTime

Photo: DisTripping Waiting in line is not much fun. But it doesn't have to be. We want to make waiting in line a little bit more fun with the creation of DisTripping GameTime. To kick off this new segment of games dedicated to Disney parks we are introducing a game we call Where in the World. So get ready for some good ol' fashion fun. Let's Play! How Do You Play? Below are a series of pictures taken around the Walt Disney World Resort. You have to decide where in the Walt Disney World Resort are these pictures take from. You can find the answers at the bottom of the post. #1 #2   #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 Answers are below Answers 1. Convention Center at the Contemporary Resort 2. Entrance to Epcot's Festival Center or the former Wonders of Life Pavilion 3. Boats docked near the village of Harambe in Animal Kingdom 4. The "bubble gum" wall at the ex

Top Ten Things to do at Night at Walt Disney World

Photo: Disney The sun has set and the crowds have lightened up a bit, but you and your family aren't reading to call it quits. To help you plan your nightly activities we have created this list of the best things to do at night at Walt Disney World . #1: Ride Big Thunder Mountain What's better than riding a runaway ghost mine train at night. This attraction is completely different between day and night. The mountain looks incredible at night with special lighting. There is also an added thrill not being able to see the track ahead at night. The line is usually shorter later at night. These reasons alone make this attraction a must-do at night. #2: Watch Happily Ever After from the Contemporary Resort Terrace Happily Ever After, the Magic Kingdom's nightly fireworks spectacular is an impressive show to see. While nothing beats seeing it in front of the castle, there are many different angles to view it from. Some of the more popular viewing areas is from the Poly

Disneyland's House of the Future | Disney by Design

Photo: Disney Everyone is curious of what lies in the future, especially when it comes to what their homes may look like in the future. This fascination was particularly high in the 20th century, especially in post-World War II America. There was the immensely popular Post War House designed by Walt Disney's good friend architect, Welton Becket, which for a dollar, visitors could see an architecturally interesting house that gave a glimpse at what houses would look like in the next ten years. The house featured innovative technology and helped introduce many to residential mid-century modern architecture. Joining in on the Post War House's success, annual home shows throughout Los Angeles provided homeowners with exhibits on the exciting new technologies and designs coming to their homes in the near future.  The popularity of these houses of the future would eventually find its way into Disneyland's Tomorrowland, which was still trying to live up to its name as of

Hotels We Love | Walt Disney World Edition

Photo: DisTripping.com We are often getting emails from our readers wanting to know what our favorite hotels at Walt Disney  World. We had to think long and hard, and we have created a list that includes our four favorite hotels in the four resort categories Disney has to offer. These include the following categories: deluxe, moderate, value and Disney Vacation Club (or Home Away from Home Resorts) Deluxe: Contemporary Resort This was tough for us. The Animal Kingdom Lodge and Wilderness Lodge are spectacular, but our heart is always drawn to the Contemporary. The Contemporary Resort was the first Walt Disney World hotel, and features one of the most architecturally unique hotel at any Disney destination. It's also important to mention that there is no bad views at the Contemporary. You either have an unobstructed view of the Seven Seas Lagoon or Bay Lake. Even if you're in the Garden Wing rooms you still have nice views of grass lawns or the water. To add to this, the

The Art of Getting Around Walt Disney World

Photo: Sussman-Prejza Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get around Walt Disney World? Every destination you're looking for on property is clearly displayed in a series of interestingly colored signs, making it easy to get from here to there. So where did these uniquely Walt Disney World road signs come from? To answer this we have to go back to 1971 when Walt Disney World was much smaller and only had one major roadway.  To understand how Disney is able to develop their own road signage it is important to know that Walt Disney World is part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District. This special district is a governing body created in 1967 by Florida's legislature to encompass the 48 square miles that make up Walt Disney World. This special district gives Disney the ability to write their own building codes, maintain their own power plants, provide emergency services, and build and maintain roadways. It's for this reason that Walt Disney World is allowed to