Inside John's Locker

In the lobby of Shades Of Green, there's a photo spot with Mickey.
And, it's not a small Mickey, either. You can gauge the size by the young lady walking into the lobby on the right.

This morning was the first time I was in this resort when there wasn't a family posing with Mickey for a photo so I grabbed the opportunity and took what is probably the only photo of this patriotic Mickey standing alone!

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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The only thing missing from this picture is...
...you...
...and your friends and family.

Great resort, great chairs and great view.

These neat rocking chairs, including two junior-sized models, are on a balcony off the main lobby of Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House and overlook the Arusha Savannah. There are two of these balconies...one on the right and another on the left rear of the lobby.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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There are lots of things that make Walt Disney World special. I have always liked the road signs. You know instantly when you're on property when you see the distinctive purple signage. (you can't go wrong with purple!)

This Buckle Up sign has always been one of my favorites. There are a couple of the that you see as you leave property. This one is on State Road 536 as you head to the airport...
john

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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This rather larger than life-sized Lady is at Pop Century, where she seems to be looking down on the cute litlle girl posing for a picture in front of her.

Lady, of course, is from Lady And The Tramp. And, since the animated feature was released in 1955, you can find her in the 1950's section of Pop Century. Huge statutes and icons like this are all around Pop Century and it's fun to just walk around the resort to see what surprise you find when you turn a corner...

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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There's a crab in this carpet. That's Sebastian and some of his fishy friends from The Little Mermaid that are featured in this this carpet at the Beach Club.

I think we all expect to see things in the Disney parks that we would never see any place else.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Fans of Old Key West might recognize this wrought iron chandelier. It's one of eight that hang in the walkway between the two buildings known at the Hospitality House.

This morning, I heard a bird and looked up...

...to see that a bird had made a nest in one of the lamps on this chandelier.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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If you've ever noticed the roar of a race car as you pull into the Magic Kingdom parking lot, here's the culprit:

As you head to the Magic Kingdom on World Drive, just inside the main gate to the parking lot is the Walt Disney World Speedway. You can't see it because of landscaping but you certainly can hear it.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Geez, I'm glad I stopped to read the plaque at the lower left of the display case at the Contemporary this morning. It's says the sculpture is "designed to represent the Tower Of the Four Winds-a magical, ever-turning mobile which graced the outside of the Small World pavillion during the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair."

You can barely see the plaque in this photo which also shows Walt standing next to the sculpture.

The plaque doesn't make it quite clear but I suspect that this was a concept model for the 120 foot tower that eventually stood outside the Pepsi pavillion that featured "It's A Small World" at the New York World's Fair.

Here's a photo I found of the pavillion with the sculpture:

You can find the Tower Of the Four Winds at the Contemporary Resort of the fourth floor, just as you exit the elevators...
john

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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A while back, I shared a photo of the street lights at Fort Wilderness. As soon as you saw them, you just knew which resort they were from (sorry I ended that sentence with a preposition!)

And you probably didn't need to see the resort in the background of this photo to identify these lights either.

Let's see...these lights look very turn of the century, very highly detailed...you could even say they look grand.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Poor Donald has the crazed look because he's just been whacked in the head by Chip and Dale (with more than a little help from Huey, Dewey and Louie).

These antics are going on every day at the shop at Port Orleans Riverside, Fulton's General Store. Donald's nephews pull on a rope which is connected by pulleys to the platform Chip and Dale are on. The chipmunks get a fun ride and poor Donald suffers the consequences.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Inside the lobby at Wilderness Lodge, there is a small stream that bubbles up from a rock formation. It forms a small stream that flows from the rear of the lobby outside.

By the time it nears the Wilderness Lodge pool, this small stream, with a little help from the Disney imagineers, has become this not insubstantial waterfall.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Why is there a sea serpent's tail sticking up out of these bushes?

Because it's at a Disney resort and you should expect things like that.

The pool you can just make out in the background is Doubloon Lagoon at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort. It features a huge sea serpent ridden by King Triton that contains a slide that ends with a trip down the sea serpent's tongue. You can see a part of the slide in the far right of the photo.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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You don't have to look very hard to find tiki gods at the Polynesian...they're all over the place. Of course, there are so many things to catch your eye at this resort that it IS easy to miss some of them...I just noticed this one today and it's not exactly hiding in the bushes!

This little fellow is on the right as you head to the pool from the lobby. The rocks in the foreground are from the stream that meanders along the sidewalk...
john

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Disney's All-Star Sports resort has 5 themed sections and where three of them meet you find this statue of Mickey Mouse:

I'm not sure why, but on the resort map, this is described as Mount Mickey. (sounds more like something you'd see in Fantasmic, if you ask me!)

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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They're at the starting gate...and they're off...

This is the kids play area at one of the quiet pools at Saratoga Springs.

Saratoga Springs is a Disney Vacation Club resort located between Downtown Disney and Old Key West. It's themed around horse racing and is named after the famous thoroughbred horse racing capital of the same name in upstate New York. The resort is divided into sections and this pool is in the Grandstand section.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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The real beauty of Old Key West is on the outside with the lush, tropical landscaping. The Hospitality House, which is where you'll find the check-in area as well as Olivia's Cafe and the Gurgling Suitcase, is simple compared to some of the other Disney resorts but it's metal roof and pastel colors are very much in keeping with the Key West look.

There may not be a six story atrium, but Old Key West has a very homey feel and there are lots of items around to remind you of the real Key West. Like this G Guage model train in the check-in lobby. The train is from the Florida East Coast Railway (which still exists) and the bridge is the Long Key Viaduct according to the brass plaque on the glass case.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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We all know that everything is extra-special at Disney's flagship resort, the Grand Floridian...
But just how special is it?
Well, it's so special that even the smoking porch has a great view.

Yep, this is a dedicated smoking area at the Grand Floridian. It's on the second floor of the main building. Take the stairs at the right hand side of the lobby and you'll find it...complete with a view of the beach and the Polynesian in the background...
john

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Isn't this American Indian headdress amazing?
It's in a display case in the lobby of Wilderness Lodge.

I think you should be able to earn school credit for walking around the lobbies of Disney resorts.There's so much to see and learn.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Have you ever noticed the antique vehicles around the Walt Disney World Resort?

Well, here's another one. This old truck is at the Beach Club:

It's an old Chevrolet and it's tucked away in a corner to the right hand side of the lobby entrance to the resort. It's not locked so it's a perfect place for a photo...
john

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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If you ask me, the animals have the best view of Kidani Village...take a look:

I'm willing to bet that a lot of visitors to Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village never see the resort from this angle. The only way to see it (unless you're one of the animals on the savannah) is to go down the steps in the lobby and walk out to the fire pit and turn around and look back at the resort.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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So, where can you find a forty foot tall Mickey Mouse phone?

Why at Pop Century, of course...right outside the '70's buildings.

Pop Century is one of Disney's "value" resorts but just because the prices are small doesn't mean anything else is!

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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Isn't it amazing how Disney can make something like a bus stop look special?

It's right outside the Reception Outpost (one of my very favorite buildings on WDW property...I want to turn it into a bar, but that's another story!)

But have a close look at the work that has been done here. The benches are made of huge logs and are unlike any you'll see anywhere else.

The Everyday Adventures Of The Purple Van is brought to you by Owner's Locker and Magic Strollers.
j

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