Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "Sad, although not really surprising when you consider that OC is full of Republicans." Orange County has been a huge supporter of the Metrolink system, boosting service and upgrading the right of way and keeping the infrastructure in top condition. There is one light rail project in the works. <a href="http://www.scag.ca.gov/perow/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.scag.ca.gov/perow/index.html</a>
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<As was nearly every other piece of film that he appeared in. Walt wasn't that good an actor.>> Actually, Walt was that good of an actor. He may of come off too "folksy" on the boob-tube. Never forget that he acted out each and every scene of his animated films for the benefit of the animation staff. He was brilliant in that regard.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<Wasn't Walt losing interest in the parks at the time of his death.>> Hardly. He as literally designing Disney World at the moment he passed, according to Roy's account.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<I doubt the high construction costs of building the beam will every allow them to be very practical for most applications.>> WDI completed a construction cost study of extending the Monorail to run along Katella Ave. a few years back. I don't remember the figure, but the costs were not prohibitive.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<The taxi companies apparently wield considerable power in Vegas and apparently did everything they could to make sure that the monorail was as inconvenient as possible.>> The Vegas monorail is currently in bankruptcy. A lot of it has to do with the Sahara closing and losing ridership as a result. There is a plan to extend to Mccarran once the BK business is behind them.
Originally Posted By phruby So the monorail goes bankrupt and creditors loose money. The monorail turns right around and borrows more money to build even more? I guess there are always more investors to screw over in Vegas.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>Hardly. He as literally designing Disney World at the moment he passed, according to Roy's account.<<< True to some degree, but he really wasn't that interested in the theme parks at that point. To him, it was, been there, done that. His focus up to his death was EPCOT Center, the city of tomorrow. The theme park (MK) was the draw and the reason for the city, but he was pretty much content with letting the design team that worked on DL, take care of that. I'm sure he would have had a passing interest and would have needed to see what they were doing, but he was not immersed in it at the time.
Originally Posted By MrDisneyGeek Seattle has a monorail. it’s a ride between Seattle Center and West Lake Mall, both the monorail and Seattle Center are leftovers from the World’s Fair. They built a light rail line between downtown Seattle and SeaTac Airport that runs at ground level and elevated in different sections, it even brilliantly enough interacts with regular vehicle traffic in some areas. Apparently they factored in the cost of damages and deaths and it was cheaper to do it that way than to elevate it the entire route. And yes there have been Deaths and damages.
Originally Posted By Goofyernmost >>>So the monorail goes bankrupt and creditors loose money. The monorail turns right around and borrows more money to build even more? I guess there are always more investors to screw over in Vegas.<<< Well, you have to answer the question, what isn't a gamble in Vegas? It would seem to me that the Casino's themselves would have an interest in financing and maybe even supporting the monorail in an effort to draw people from other resorts along the strip to their slot machines, tables, etc. Anyone that has ever been to Vegas knows how much of an optical illusion the place is. Because of the sheer size of the resorts, it always looks like they are just a short walk away, when in reality they are a days activity just to visit a few. That keeps most people in the resort they originally choose. I know that sounds like the reason why the Casino's wouldn't support it, but I doubt anyone would be hurt by having people from different areas of the strip visit there Casino. It would balance itself out and on top of that expose people to other resorts that they might not otherwise ever see. Perhaps, I should move there and sell all my brilliant marketing schemes to them.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA Here in California"s Central Valley there's a huge fight about the proposed high-speed rail too - the opponents calling it "the train to nowhere." It's gonna be fun!
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Orange County has been a huge supporter of the Metrolink system, boosting service and upgrading the right of way and keeping the infrastructure in top condition." Commuter rail is not really the same thing. Besides, do they really have a choice? Wouldn't OC be obligated to assist since the rail service runs through OC between LA and SD counties? "There is one light rail project in the works." While other cities and large metro areas have had these kinds of systems since the 70s OC has one "in the works".
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA And to write "Walt Disney wasn't interested in theme parks" is like writing "Steve Jobs wasn't interested in the iPhone" I don't buy it. Just as I don't buy the claim that Walt Disney created Disneyland so he could make a pile of money. Poppycock! Just watched Bill Gates talking to Charlie Rose and Gates was explaining that he and the founders of Microsoft had no idea that they'd be as successful. They didn't create Microsoft to make a pile of money. Guys like Gates, Jobs, Disney -- in my opinion they don't get into business "to make piles of money.". The have vision, ideas and a level of confidence and drive that leads them to these fantastical levels of success. Walt Disney created Disneyland to make a bung load of money? Good grief! How incredibly simplistic and cynical.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt But to say that he didn't have that in mind is being a little naive, no?
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<But to say that he didn't have that in mind is being a little naive, no?>> In John Lasseter's case, he made a modest living with PIXAR until Disney purchased it. Then he became a bazzillionaire overnight. Now that's a guy who was passionate over his craft first.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan But the money part of it was probably not the prime motivator. It's too easy to write off someone who is creative and innovative as just being in it to get rich. Other theme parks have been built through the years where the primary goal is to turn a profit. The original Disneyland had a larger idea than that in mind, there's no denying it.
Originally Posted By Manfried <<What about the idea of blocking zones on roller coaster attractions that Disney developed for the Matterhorn?>> Huh? They all ready do that don't they?
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA <But to say that he didn't have that in mind is being a little naive, no?> Let me see if I understand this new wrinkle in Disney history. in 1953, Walt Disney comes up with this new idea for an outdoor entertainment enterprise, and he thinks "This is going to hugely popular and is going to make me a pile of money." That's the suggestion here?
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "In John Lasseter's case, he made a modest living with PIXAR until Disney purchased it. Then he became a bazzillionaire overnight. Now that's a guy who was passionate over his craft first." Of course, but doesn't most everyone have the dream of "hitting it big" and being financially successful with their endeavors eventually? In the case of Walt Disney he took far greater risks than Lassiter could ever dream of and they paid off handsomely. To think that he wasn't betting that his hard work and efforts with Disneyland would make him rich is a bit simple minded. "in 1953, Walt Disney comes up with this new idea for an outdoor entertainment enterprise, and he thinks "This is going to hugely popular and is going to make me a pile of money."" According to Walt's daughter he talked about building a park for decades before DL was ever built. We know that at one point it was planned for a parcel of land next to the studio. There are even reports that he shared his dream of building an amusement park as a young man before coming to California.
Originally Posted By crapshoot <<To think that he wasn't betting that his hard work and efforts with Disneyland would make him rich is a bit simple minded.>> And yet, look at what a modest lifestyle he enjoyed. What? No Aspen MacCabin to go to?
