The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (78 page)

So too did the
Imagineer
concept art and tile and fabric samples for the new
Market House
; the materials were on display at the
Blue Sky Cellar
by summer 2013.  The rose-colored tile; the pressed tin and brass panels; the swatches of quality fabric; the color study of the white-cuffed, white-collared, aproned server uniforms; the color sketches of the
Market House
showing wooden floors and railings, vintage lamps and cash registers, and vintage plates and pitchers stacked neatly in glassed cabinets behind the counters—it all boded very,
very
well for how the new “old”
Market House
would look and feel.

Still …
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café
was a new and unique creation.  In contrast, the
Market House
is an esteemed institution, anchoring a key intersection on
Main Street
—the market was there on
Opening Day
, for heaven’s sake!  Could
Disneyland
expand the
Market House
(an expansion which forced neighboring
Disneyana
to move to the
Disney Gallery
, by the way),
and
introduce
Starbucks
products,
and
eliminate the tradition of free coffee refills, all without alienating a large percentage of the predominantly local Guest population?

It had to be done properly, and sensitively.  The beloved old-time décor and spirit had to be preserved.  The cast
-iron stove, the candlestick party-line phones–the
Imagineers
agreed with Guests that those touches should remain.  The new “old”
Market House
would merely be an enriched version of the original
Market House
.

If the
Imagineers
made that happen, unveiled a
Market House
that still felt like home, the addition of
Starbucks
would be a fresh cup of joe that even skeptical locals could swallow.  And for
Starbucks
fans, a
Starbucks
quartered in a lovely turn-of-the-century market house would be a winner no matter what.  The
Market House
has always made a great first or last stop for your
Disneyland
visit.  Guests grab their first coffee of the day here, and their last.  So for
Starbucks
fans, adding
Starbucks
coffee to the location only sweetened the pot and made doubly sure they’d drop by the
Market House
.

By early September 2013, the barriers were down and Guests saw their first glimpse of the
Market House
’s new windows and signage. 
Starbucks
signs
had
been added, but they were simple and elegant—and fit
Main Street
’s theme.  Brown paper covering the inside of the plate glass windows hid the market’s interior transformation, but
Main Street
Cast Members in-the-know promised the interior would be gorgeous.  And how right they were, as the grand opening on September 25, 2013 proved!

As predicted by Cast Members, the new
Market House
is indeed a beauty.  The main room features queue railings and food and utensil/napkin stands in warm, light-toned woods.  The light spilling in through the plate glass windows, the cheerful vintage wallpaper and paint and moldings, the neatly arranged cases of beverages and treats, the smiling Cast Members who greet you and the smiling Cast Members who prepare your order—wonderful.

The 1890 party-line telephones survived, and are prominently displayed in a place of honor.  And one of the
tables has a checkerboard on it—
and
checkers, so Guests who nab that particular table can play a game or two.

The many
Starbucks
beverages available are listed on large chalkboards behind and above the order counters.  With the main room’s abundant light and elbow room, even when the new
Market House
is crowded, it doesn’t
feel
crowded.

What about the menu?  Because this is a
Starbucks
location, the offerings are on par with a traditional
Starbucks
location, or with
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café
at
DCA
.  Guests find their usual
Starbucks
favorites here, including seasonal treats (hello, pumpkin and spiced and peppermint drinks!).

Regular
Coffees
,
Teas
, and
Hot Chocolates
from $2.79 to $5.39. 
Starbucks Refreshers
(lime or very-berry hibiscus flavors) cost $3.29 - $4.79. 
Iced Coffees
and
Iced Teas
range from $2.39 to $4.29.

The
Espressos
are at the
Market House
too: 
Caffe Lattes
,
Caffe Mochas
,
Caramel Macchiatos
,
Cinnamon Dolce Lattes
, and more, priced between $2.79 and $5.39.  Customize them with flavor shots, espressor shots, and “skinny” options like non-fat milk or no whipped cream.

Blended
Frappuccinos
are on the menu,
Mocha
and
White Chocolate
and seasonal favorites and more.  Prices range from $3.59 – $5.49.  Order your frappuccino your way, substituting soy milk for whole milk if you like, adding espresso shots, etc.

Rounding out your choices are a limited number of
rich snacks, rows of pastries and cake pops and frosted
Mickey cookies
, and healthier options like fruits, yogurt, and berry bowls.  Packages of tea and bags of coffee are also available for sale.

Beverage s
ervice is rather slow once your order has been placed, but still much faster than a typical
Starbucks
in the real world beyond
Disneyland
.  And as time passes, service is likely to become as rapid as that at
Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Café
.  Certainly service is pleasant—
Disney
service with a smile.  And you wait for your order in a bright and lovely old-fashioned enviornment, near antiques like a large
Star Mill
coffee grinder.  These are the decorative touches that make this is a special place.

While some Guests will be disappointed that the
Market House
no longer sells
Disney
kitchen and house wares, those products can be purchased at other stores in
Disneyland
and at
DCA
.  The loss of that merchandise seems worth it when considering the airy premises of the revamped
Market House
.  And
Disneyana
’s move seems worth it as well, when Guests see to what fine use the abundance of space has been put.

Once Guests have received their orders, the configuration of the rails seems to subtly guide them toward the exits.  However, observant Guests will take their snacks, fruits, and beverages and proceed to the southwest corner of the
Market House
, where a true gem awaits:  The
Book Rest Room
.

The
Book Rest Room
is a place where Guests can sit, relax, sip their beverages and nosh their pastries.  It’s truly, deeply lovely.  Panelled in dark woods, lined with elaborate moldings, and covered with Victorian wallpapers, this is a serene retreat where Guests bookish or otherwise will find themselves retreating for a quiet moment with friends and family.

There are so many treasures here.  Warm lamp light.  Walls lined with books—like Shakespeare’s works, and
Treasure Island
.  Victorian figurines and art—like period prints of scenes from
Peter Pan
.  There’s another party-line phone here, this one rendered in dark wood.  And this room is the new home of the
Market House
’s cast-iron stove.

There are a few larger tables for larger parties, but most of the tables here seat one or two Guests, and are tucked into nooks at the edges of the room, or next to the windows onto
Main Street
.  Everything is calculated to make this a cozy escape where one is enveloped by the past.

Can you find the encouraging poem
To My Friend
(attributed to one
Jane Thomas
, written in the spirit of poet John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Don’t Quit” verses)?  It perfectly suits the friendly atmosphere of the
Book Rest Room
.  And can you find the narrow door labled
Mr. Peavidy—Bookseller
?

All in all, the
Imagineers
truly did
Disneyland
—and the original
Market House
—proud with this renovation.  Try to drop in sometime during your park visit, if only to admire the interior.
Did You Know?
  For Guests who wanted to save–or bring back–the
Market House
’s free coffee refills, well, there
isn’t
an app for that, but there certainly is a FaceBook page that supporters of this crusade can “Like”: 
https://www.facebook.com/SaveCoffeeRefillsMarketHouse
.  A
ccording to the FaceBook page, a
Starbucks
rep told the crusaders that Guests can request
one
regular hot or iced coffee or tea refill during their
Market House
visit (Guests can’t leave the
Market House
and come back for a refill).  Members of
Starbucks
loyalty programs can request unlimited refills, but, again, it must be during their
Market House
visit; they can’t return for more refills later.  Are
you
able to receive a refill when you visit? The author would love to hear about your
Market House
refill experience: 
[email protected]
.
Did You Also Know?
  Until its 2013 renovation, the
Market House
sold a delicious, off-the-menu, white-chocolate and milk-chocolate beverage called
Zebra Cocoa
.

Plaza Inn

[
FastView:
 
A
Walt
favorite and a Guest favorite.  Victorian ambiance and hearty eats.  At breakfast you can meet some real “characters”—
Disney characters
, that is.
]

The
Plaza Inn
is a gorgeous creation, a lavish, welcoming space designed by
Disney
Legends
Dorothea Redmond
and
John Hench
.

From
Opening Day
in 1955 until July of 1965, the restaurant at the northeast limits of
Main Street
, just as you bear northeast into
Tomorrowland
, was sponsored by
Swift Quality Meats
and called the
Red Wagon Inn
(an appropriate bit of branding, since the
Swift
logo was a red wagon).

When
Swift
ceased its sponsorship in 1965, the restaurant was re-named the
Plaza Inn
and was redesigned by
Redmond
and
Hench
to evoke a gracious, highly ornate Victorian dining venue that has largely passed out of the lexicon of American restaurant experiences.

With its gingerbread trim and fancy patio tables and umbrellas outside, and its elaborate light fixtures, plush drapes and upholstery, marble-topped tables and stunning degree of detail inside, the
Plaza Inn
offers contemporary diners a historical, operatically opulent dining atmosphere that is the antithesis of eating at one of today’s bland, minimalist fast-food eateries where the benches, tables, and counters are all smooth surfaces molded of plastic.

Not only the architecture and décor but the
cuisine of the
Plaza Inn
is rich in its taste and evokes a bygone era, when multi-course feasts were
de rigueur
and nobody knew anything about cholesterol.  We can’t (or shouldn’t) eat like this every day, but when on vacation, a little restrained indulgence is good.