New Disney Park ‘a Mall’

I enjoy reading your Weekend Escape articles, even though I always thought most of the budgets were more expensive than most people without expense accounts can afford. Your Weekend Escape “A California Experience” (Feb. 25), which cost $1,190.41 for a weekend at Disney’s California Adventure park, confirms my earlier beliefs.

My family and I hold an annual pass to Disneyland and California Adventure. We have visited the new theme park twice and are not impressed with it. Disney created an expensive shopping-eating “theme” park with a few rides tossed in. I think Disney is going to have a white elephant on its hands unless serious changes are in the making.

Both times we visited, the park was deserted, with workers standing around or, in one case, sitting around, doing nothing. One was talking to another about her bad date the previous night right in front of children. I wonder what Walt would say.

Once word gets out that the “theme” park is nothing more than a high-priced mall, the locals will stay away. Perhaps a “real” story about the park may be in order.

Anyone who would spend more than $1,000 for a single weekend has an expense account, or P.T. Barnum was right.

LESLIE N. HERSCHLER

Garden Grove