Walt Disney Family Museum Preview

I had an opportunity on Sunday to visit The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco through the D23 Preview weekend. Here's my first impressions, both good and bad:

Signage: Being a Northern California native, I knew how to get to the Presidio without any problems. But, once on the grounds, direction signage for the museum is almost non-existent. Driving directions provided by the Museum web site just link you directly to the Presidio web site which weren't that good. Once you find the museum, the sign out front is pretty small. (I realize this isn't Disneyland and I shouldn't be looking for some gigantic landmark such as Space Mountain to find my way. I just feel this is an area that needs improvement.)

Parking: Tons of free, self-parking right in front of the Museum.

Staff: During our visit there was was a ton of very friendly and informed staff members on hand. The Museum also did an excellent job with the pacing. Never at any time did I feel that I couldn't view any of the exhibits and displays due to crowding.

The Building: The Museum is housed in three old barrack buildings that were constructed in the 1890s. While the outside of the buildings show charming simplicity in their brick structure, the inside is completely modern. The buildings are also interconnected, so you never have to leave one building to enter another. At one point, you walk along a hallway with a glass wall and an absolutely stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was absolutely perfect during our visit offering a breathtaking view.

The Displays: Having a very extensive Disney book collection, I often see the same photographs over and over. I would estimate that for every one photo I recognized in the Museum, there were 10 that I had never seen before. The displays also range from traditional museum displays to very high-tech, user interactive. The Museum is laid out in a timeline of Walt Disney's life. And, as with any timeline, no time travel is allowed. (You can't skip rooms). My favorite room has to be the era between mid 1950s to mid 1960s (Mickey Mouse Club, NY World's Fair, Disneyland, etc.)

Gift Shop: This is probably my only really true negative. While the Gift Shop was stocked with very unique items, I over heard the employees say several times "That's our last one" or "We're sold out". Also, the companion book for the Museum will not be available until mid-October. This is an area that will need some fine tuning right away.

I'll definitely be going back.

The Disney Song Encyclopedia

I added another book to my ever-growing collection - The Disney Song Encyclopedia (Harback: 350 pages). I'm a sucker for reference books, so when I saw that this title was available I knew I'd need to pick up a copy.

I've just begun to make my way through it's pages, but so far it doesn't disappoint. This book contains every single song used in a Disney production, (shorts, full-length animated, live action, theme park and Broadway shows from 1930 to present day - at least I assume it's every single song. I'm going to have to take the authors word on that one.) Songs, of course, are listed in alphabetical order with each entry containing notes about who wrote the music and lyrics, where the song appeared (some songs have been used multiple times) and any historical notes behind the song.

But, it doesn't stop there. The back of the book is loaded with appendices:

Appendix A: Alternate Song Titles

Appendix B: Song Writers Directory

Appendix C: Sources and Songs

Appendix D: Guide To Recordings, Videos And DVDs

Appendix E: Academy Awards For Disney Songs and Scores

Keep Your Childhood Toys!

It's no secret that I'm an eBay fanatic. One of the things you quickly discover, is that your childhood starts flashing before your eyes. I can't tell you how many times I've stumbled upon an item I used to have from my childhood. Some of the listed items are in horrible condition while others appear brand new. But, it still brings the same response - Why did I get rid of it? Well, sometimes I got rid of those toys by choice. Other times, it was so completely destroyed from hours of play, or misuse, that it had to be discarded. (I melted an entire set of plastic cars in our backyard incinerator. Of course, there's also the time I cut the head off an army man by using a razor blade. Also, cut the tip of my finger off too. But, I digress).

One of the things that I've still held on to from childhood are my Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars collections. I started collecting Hot Wheels the first year they were available - 1967. I continued this hobby into the early 1970s. I treated my Hot Wheels very well. (Unlike Sid from Toy Story). I never took them outside and only played with them in my Hot Wheels sets. I actually got annoyed when other kids would smash their cars together. Sometime in the late 1970's my Hot Wheels went into deep storage in mom's attic. When I got my own home, versus an apartment, mom said it was time to get your stuff out of the attic. So, the Hot Wheels moved into storage in my own home.

Sometime around the year 2000, I decided to price my collection. I figured 30 years had gone by, and some of the cars were sure to have gone up in value. I was shocked to find out that I was sitting on a rare 1967 White Enamel Redline Custom Camaro. At the time, I didn't do anything with that car. It just continued to stay in storage.

Recently, I got to thinking about selling the car. I starting doing my homework, reading price guides, talking to other collectors, scouring the internet. Any type of collector will tell you that research is SO important whether you're a buyer or seller.

Well, today I finally sold the Camaro. Being a gentleman, I can't devulge what I sold it for. But, I can tell you it's time to go shopping for a new camera.