Shopping Malls

Image: Ron Cogswell, Flickr (license)

In the United States, at least, shopping malls have had a rough start to the new millennium. The advent of online shopping has taken a toll on the once-ubiquitous part of teenage life. New shopping malls are exceptionally rare nowadays, and the ones that do still exist often are in need of renovation.

Compare that to, say, Disney Springs. Yeah, I know — it’s not even remotely fair.

And yet, at its core, that’s what Disney Springs is — a shopping mall. You’ll find a lot of the same stores at Disney Springs that you’d find in your local mall, but interspersed between those stores is incredible food, gorgeous landscaping, and enough entertainment to replace a park day. 

There was once a time that the gap between Disney’s mall and the local version wasn’t all that big — particularly when Downtown Disney was feeling a bit dated and the Mills brand of shopping malls was in an expansionary mode. But that tide has largely turned, and it’s hard to go back to the real life version of a mall after you’ve tried Disney’s version. 

Fireworks 

Image: frankfranc, Flickr (license)

The easiest way to tell a Disney Parks fan from a non-Disney Parks fan comes every year on the Fourth of July. As you gather with friends to enjoy America’s Birthday with all of the spectacle and fun that comes with it — cookouts, lawn games, and yes, fireworks — there comes a part of the day when everyone sits down in a large public area to enjoy the town fireworks spectacle.

And, no matter where you watch these fireworks — from New York City to Pahrump, Nevada — the Disney fan will be the one who says, when it’s all over, “That’s it, huh?”

Disney isn’t just in its own class when it comes to fireworks — it’s in its own universe. Every single night, for half a century give or take, Disney has wowed visitors with an astonishing display of fireworks. Over time, they’ve become so good at it, that there are Disney fans who forego local fireworks all together just to watch internet streams of their preferred versions in Florida or California.

And while the nightly versions in Magic Kingdom or Disneyland are better than your local Fourth of July celebration, Disney’s celebration of that holiday is so absurdly mind-blowing that it’s not even remotely fair to compare them to anything else.

If you’ve never been to the Magic Kingdom — or its surrounding resorts — to watch Disney’s Fourth of July fireworks, it’s almost to the point that it’s hard to recommend that you do. Yes, they’re beautiful and yes, they’re absolutely incredible to see.

But, if you do go, they’ll ruin every other fireworks show for you for the rest of your life.