PCA 2024 Nominated The Wonderful World of OZ

[Kablary]

SIX. MONTHS.

I've no doubt the long wait while you made sandwiches will be well worth it! Just earlier today I was thinking about this project in particular.... "I wonder if they'll ever come back to that" was the thought. Then I sign in and lo, dare mine eyes deceive me? An update! The universe is kind, sometimes 

[Wabigbear]

Hey, we required a LOT of sammiches!   And of course Citytrader insists that the crusts all be removed and they are cut on the diagonal...twice.

That's wonderful to hear that you had just thought about this project! 

You're one up on Citytrader who probably hasn't even thought about getting out of bed today...

[Wabigbear]

We'll start our tour where everyone does...in the parking lots.  Nothing much has changed in this part of the park.  Here we see the main surface parking (ohhhhh....ahhhhh!),  with toll plazas for entering and exiting (ohhhhh-ahhhhh!), the multi-story parking garage at center (ohhhhh-ahhhhhh!), the tram that circles the garage and heads out to pick up and drop off guests (ohhhh-ahhhh!).  Then towards the right there's bus drop off area (ohhhh-ahhhh!) in front of the main entrance (ohhhhh-ahhhhh!)...

Exciting, ain't it?  Now I don't want to over-do the hype and get everyone over-excited, so it's only one screen for now!  

Edited February 25 by Wabigbear

[JB]

Only five cars in the parking lot? You're never gonna pay for the park at this rate! (Maybe they're all in the parking garage?)

[Wowman]

What about the 9 buses?

[Wabigbear]

13 hours ago, JB said:

Only five cars in the parking lot? You're never gonna pay for the park at this rate! (Maybe they're all in the parking garage?)

It's early morning before the park even opened! 

[Wabigbear]

Here, in all it's glory, we have the other side's parking lot!  (ohhhh-ahhhh!)  This lot is used both by park guests and cast members.  This lot is also served by a tram to ferry guests and workers to the park's entrance plaza.  There's also a service road that gives access to the backstage areas, where costuming, maintenance, food services, etc. are housed in warehouses (ohhhh-ahhhh!).  You can also just make out the taller CW.Inc Corporate building, the park's corporate headquarters (ohhhh-ahhhh!)...my office is across the hall from the cafeteria.

Edited February 26 by Wabigbear

[JB]

"my office is across the hall from the cafeteria".  Do enjoy your crustless, quartered (diagonally) sammiches. (I'm sure Citytrader gave the cafeteria strict orders to serve all sandwiches thus.)

The parking areas and adjacent structures look realistic in their design and landscaping. 

[Bookworm91]

Haha, gotta have a parking lot. Not the most glamorous part of parks but definitely essential.

[Wabigbear]

CW Inc Corporate headquarters...

 

 

[img]https://i.imgur.com/WtVgIb7.jpeg[/img]

Edited February 27 by Wabigbear

[Wabigbear]

Drive to the corporate offices and backstage areas...

 

 

Stairs and escalators keep guests safe from the constant trams circling...

 

[Wowman]

love the escalators. (and everything else)

[Wabigbear]

Well, we'll now head for the main entrance area.  Here's the new park centerpiece that I showed up above...

 

Right behind it is a Photo Spot...

 

A handy information booth waits to assist you...

 

 

Park maps are available, you can also download one to your phone...yes, the QR code works...

 

 

Multiple ticket booths ready to serve you, and beyond is the main entrance...

 

Edited February 29 by Wabigbear

[JB]

I like the abundance of colorful flowers around the centerpiece and information booth. It evokes the Technicolor Munchkinland. Good grief! A working QR code? I can't decide if that's a stroke of genius or a sign of a hopeless overachiever or just a sign of having a stroke! 

[Wabigbear]

Citytrader voted for either of your last two options...

 

Now that moment you've been waiting for with baited breath!  (And someone here's breath does in fact smell like bait...who had sardines for lunch???)  The Park Entrance...

 

Once inside we are transported back to a small mid-western town in Kansas...circa 1938...

 

Ignore the storm clouds or the funny shaped silos in the distance...  Since most people tend to start their tour by turning right, we'll buck that trend and start by going to the left...contrarians as always... 

The town fire hall starts off this street...

 

Helpful signs in case you don't know where you are...  Ahead the first MANY locales to quench your thirst or hunger and lighten your wallet...

The Bijou Theater next door offer ice-cooled air while relaxing watching assorted features...

Not sure which 'holiday' is currently being featured...

"More to come..."

Edited March 1 by Wabigbear

[JB]

I like how the architecture is about thirty years later than yer typical Disney Main Street. It looks like many mid-west towns, even today. A mixture of early 1900s and New Deal era buildings.

[Wabigbear]

Citytrader was in charge of most of the structures in Kansas, he has a good eye for period styles.  I just prettied them up a little later....(AKA dumped a bunch of crap in and around them...).

[citytrader]

Yes, he's back! (Me, of course!)

Truth be told, my mother had a bad fall around Halloween, shattered her femur, and I have had to take time off from both work (no loss there) and my personal life to become primary caregiver. My wife wondered who the strange guy coming into the house every few weeks for a night and then disappearing was. I even bought a beautiful laptop to take with me so I could putter around in my free time. Never even turned it on! 

She's OK now, and my brother and I finally convinced her to move near the two of us, she lived five hours-three states away, and she is settled in nicely. Stubborn 90 something year old woman! Her grandmother lived to be 104, and she intends to beat her record! Told her she'll probably outlive me!!! 

 

 

Anyway, enough personal drama. As Wagi mentioned, I "finished" Main Street, so of course he added about 20,000 bits and pieces! Looks pretty good though! And he wasn't kidding about 400 new CS pieces, as you'll see!

Edited March 2 by citytrader

[citytrader]

Continuing down First Street, there's McKenzie's Music and Kansas Travel Agency;

 

 

Kansas Sporting Goods, and the world renowned Gulch Gazette;

 

 

Today's edition;

 

 

At the corner is a small Toy Shoppe, and the alleyway that leads to the horse barn. Thank goodness that's set downwind!

 

Edited March 2 by citytrader

[citytrader]

Another streetcar is being inspected prior to entering the park proper;

 

 

Horses will be horses!

 

 

Behind First Street is the storage area for street sweepers, mowers, trash removal, and a cherry picker for changing light bulbs;

 

Edited March 2 by citytrader

[JB]

Sorry to hear about your mom, but glad she's doing ok now.

Haha! Love the front page of the newspaper. Funny how all the townspeople have a pole up their ass. It's probably indicative of something, but I will refrain from guessing. (I bet it has something to do with that mean ol' Almira Gulch!)

[citytrader]

On the opposite side of Baum Alley sits the City Hall;

 

Rumor has it that Almira Gulch is petitioning yet again to change the town name to Gulchville.

Tucked away in a corner is the Candy Emporium;

[JB]

Candy Emporium?... I'm there! And I see you have cotton candy; my favorite! I like the rich brown color of the shop. It looks looks like it's made of chocolate and Tootsie Rolls.

[Wabigbear]

Just past the Candy shoppe there's a Magic Store, and next to it is Fleming's Cigar Store...

Above is the Kansas Hotel and next door is Vidor's Kansas Butcher Shop...

Rounding up this short block is Hats Fantastic, for all your chapeau needs...the Millinery Store is upstairs

[JB]

Hmm, I wonder about the practicality of having a butcher shop in a theme park. It looks great and all but... Do guests carry a side of beef around with them all day? Maybe the meat is animatronic, harvested from animatronic animals.