The Week in Pictures: 10.29.10 // Walt Disney World

I spent the last week in Florida â€” and naturally, that included a stop at Walt Disney World. Disney World is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world and covers an astounding 30,000+ acres. The icon of Disney World is the Cinderella Castle (above).

To me, Disney theme parks offer a perverse glimpse into what American life has become: overboard in every way. An overabundance of unhealthy food, sensory overload, consumerism enticing us at every turn â€” it’s too much of everything. Which is precisely why it’s fun to immerse yourself for a day or two, escaping reality for a brief period of time….and then get out.

To get into the theme parks, I used my grandma’s pass from 1995. It’s kind of funny that they used early digital cameras to snap guest’s photos at the time. Now, they use fingerprint scanning technology when you enter.

My brother used a four day pass we’d had stashed away since the early 90s (my mom had a pile of these saved from one of her corporate clients at the time). They never expire.

The park featured quaint Halloween decorations throughout.

The view of Main Street, U.S.A.

Entering Tomorrowland. I love the total 1980s feel of ‘the future.’

Call of the wild.

Please excuse the brief Bavarian interlude. I think this was somewhere near Fantasyland. I loved being reminded of Leavenworth, Washington and the details made my heart skip a beat. I want the chimney on my house to look like that!

There’s stroller parking everywhere.

My favorite sign of all.

My brother, dad and I on our way to Frontierland.

Glimpses into Frontierland (and more stroller parking!)

In the world of Disney, happiness comes at a price.

I think one of my all time favorite Disney attractions is the massive Swiss Family Treehouse located in Adventureland. I can’t even begin to explain the scale of this thing. It’s like a childhood fantasy treehouse come to life!