I photoshopped the tint, increased the saturation a bit and kicked-up the contrast, then sharpened it a some to pull the detail of the engraving up a little more. I post process almost everything I shoot these days.
Ah yes. This area - and the Hungry Bear Restaurant seating area were once my secret places to sit for a while and escape the crowds. Not sure where that can be done these days.
I too miss Hungry Bear Restaurant seating area. I loved sitting over in the area where the unbrellas are in this picture. I don't think you can go that far over anymore. The farest end on the lower half is also wonderful.
Speaking of, I was thinking yesterday about the rumored Guest walkway passing the Hungry Bear to enter the Star Wars area. It occurred to me that they could still maintain the upper seating area overlooking the water, whilst pedestrians pass below. Perhaps that already occurred to everyone else. Although waterside seating is optimal, if they keep the elevated seating essentially up to the water's edge, that wouldn't be too bad.
They would need to reconfigure the existing stairs/ramps to get to the lower level into a wide ramp, but that's certainly an option. The grade change would probably be easier to accomplish if they sent through traffic via the upper deck (since the path is already on the second level to pass over Splash), but that's where the service window is so it seems unlikely. Given the extents of the project, these seem like relatively minor problems to work out Every time I've eaten at the Hungry Bear, there has always been a shortage of seats (the northern end is often blocked off), so if they remove either level of seating they would need to add capacity elsewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if they widened the deck(s) into the river some to create more space
We eat at Hungry Bear every trip and LOVE to sit in the lower seating area at river level. I have been known to say that, other than the Blue Bayou, this is my favorite dining atmosphere in the park.
We always go right at 11am when they open and are able to get our favorite spot right next to the water.
