Here is an ode to places that are gone, but not forgotten, thanks to magic of video recording. . .

CALIFORNIA letters Feb. 2001Jan 2011. You could see these 11foot letters at the front entrance from the monorail, before the park was officially open. These letters did not fit the 1920's Buena Vista Street retheming and were removed in Jan. 2011. The letters are now in front of the Cal Expo, in Sacramento, CA.

Golden Gate Bridge Feb 2001July 2011. This bridge is painted international orange like the real Golden Gate Bridge. This bridge doesn't carry cars though, but rather the Disneyland Monorail. The bridge was visible through the makeover to 1920's L.A., but finally in July 2011 it was removed.

Ceramic Mural Feb.2001Oct. 2010. The front entrance of the park was designed to look like a huge California postcard and "the largest ceramic mural in the world" made for a picturesque grand entrance. Demolition began in Oct. 2010 to remove these beautiful structures for the Buena Vista Street remodel.

Sun Icon Feb. 2001Sept. 2010. This gorgeous statue and wave fountain were removed to create the Carthay Circle restaurant. This original structure was like the hub of the park, but others said it was more like a "hubcap".

"Greetings From California" Feb. 2001Aug.2011. This is the "Emporium" of California Adventure, the giant gift shop. In June 2012 this became Los Feliz Five & Dime, Big Top Toys, and Elias & Co. in the retheming to 1920's Buena Vista Street.

"EngineEars Toys" Feb. 2001July 2011. This huge toy store/candy shop was at the front entrance, and you could walk in through a passenger car of the California Zephyr train. During the front entrance transformation this shop became: Trolley Treats, Clarabelle's HandScooped Ice Cream, Atwater Ink & Paint, and Julius Katz & Sons.

Condor Flats Feb. 2001Jan. 2014. There is still an aviation theme to this area as Condor Flats was rethemed into the Grizzly Peak Airfield. The runway on the ground is no longer there, though.

Hollywood Pictures Arch Feb. 2001April 2011. My video says 2012, but that's when the elephants were removed, the arch was removed in 2011, sorry. Hollywood Pictures Backlot became Hollywood Land. The Red Trolley Car goes through where the arch used to be.

Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular Jan. 2003Jan. 2016. This show was always on my "mustdo" list. It replaced the Power of Blast (a show I watched many times at Epcot) and became Frozen: Live at the Hyperion.

A Bug's Land Oct. 2002Sept. 2018. This new land opened behind Bountiful Valley Farm in Oct. 2002 and added many new kiddy rides to the park. In 2018 this land closed to make way for the Avenger's Campus.

Taste Pilot's Grill Feb. 2001Jan. 2015. The first place I ate at in DCA on my first trip. This burger joint changed themes slightly in 2015 as Condor Flats merged into Grizzly Peak, but with the same aviation theme in this area. Now Smokejumper's Grill.

"Soarin' Over California" Feb. 2001June 2016. In June 2016 the California film was transferred to Soarin' Around the World, and other parks around the globe got this new film too. Summer 2019 and Food & Wine 2020 saw a return of the old Soarin' Over California. Nice work Pal!

California Screamin' Feb. 2001Jan. 2018. This attraction didn't change much. In 2009 the Mickey ears changed to a sun. The attraction closed in 2018 as Paradise Pier became Pixar Pier, and then California Screamin' became The Incredicoaster in June 2018.

Sun Wheel Feb. 2001 Oct. 2008. This Ferris wheel is still around but has gone through some changes. In May 2009 the Sun Wheel changed to Mickey's Fun Wheel, with Disney characters on the gondolas and a Mickey face on the wheel instead of a golden sun. In June 2018 the wheel was rethemed for Pixar Pier and was now named the Pixar PalARound with Pixar characters on the gondolas, but Mickey's face still on the wheel.

Orange Stinger Feb. 2001July 2009. Inside this 4story orange was a 48seat swing ride. In 2009 the orange was peeled away and The Silly Symphony Swings opened in its place.

Maliboomer Feb. 2001Sept. 2010. This 180foot triple tower freefall ride was another "off the shelf" attraction put into DCA. It was dismantled in 2010 and the Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind attraction opened in that spot in 2019.

S.S. Rustworthy Feb. 2001Sept. 2010. This interactive squirting boat playground was one of the few things for young children to do at DCA on opening day. This was dismantled in 20092010.

"Mulholland Madness" Feb. 2001 Oct. 2010. When DCA was getting a makeover in 2010 and things were becoming more "Disneyfied" this offtheshelf crazy mouse coaster changed to Goofy's Ski School.

Muppet Vision 3D Feb. 2001Nov. 2014. Like It's Tough to be a Bug, this was an easy preexisting attraction to put in the park on opening day. In 2014 this was replaced by a Frozen singalong and then by Mickey's PhilharMagic in April 2019.