The other Disney.

• Author: Leavitt, Stacey Eager
• Position: Family vacations

LIVING ON THE EAST COAST, my family has made Walt Disney World Resort in Florida one of its top choices for vacation getaways. This year, however, we chose Disneyland Resort in California, which was celebrating its golden anniversary. I thought it finally was time for the kids to see where it all began some 50 years ago. Sure, traveling to California meant a couple of extra hours on the plane and, admittedly, the Disney magic may not have fallen upon us right away--at least until we turned onto the road leading to the park.

After checking into the Disneyland Hotel, we were directed out the door and pointed to follow the path towards Downtown Disney. Almost instantly, the entertainment had begun. We were staying fight in the heart of it all. There was no bus to wait for, car to park, tram to catch, or transportation center to negotiate. After a short walk through the Downtown Disney District, we were there. In fact, as we went past the bag check point, we were faced with a choice: Turn left into Disneyland or turn right into California Adventure Park. I could not help but think about the times we had schlepped the stroller (at one point, a double-stroller) through the various transports necessary to reach the entrance gates at the parks in Florida, folding and unfolding, lifting and hefting, all the while disturbing tired children when all we wanted to do was go from one place to another. Being able to keep on the move from the hotel room right to the attractions undoubtedly was worth the extra flying time. Moreover, the close proximity of the hotels to the attractions makes leaving the park for an afternoon swim or a suddenly-needed rest a real possibility.

We opted to begin at California Adventure. Inside, we found a condensed combination of Disney's MGM Studios and Epcot Center, and a California version of Animal Kingdom. New to the park was Monsters Inc., Mike and Sully to the Rescue, a child-friendly adventure through Monstroserous. Imagineer Kevin Raferty takes pride in the immersive experience as the ride sweeps its guests through the adventures of Boo, the human child, as Mike and Sully work to help her return to the human world without being detected.

Across the plaza lies Disneyland's original Magic Kingdom--which, we must mention again, requires no special transportation to reach--where we found the familiar landscape of Main Street, along with a few unique highlights of this founding park. For instance, windows are imprinted with...