There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Shining at the end of every day

If you are in your forties or older, you might remember how optimistic the Disney corporation was in their future back in 1967. That's when the updated Tomorrowland opened in Disneyland with such rides as: The People Mover, The Adventure thru Inner Space (with the big eyeball), and of course, the Carousel of Progress with the air conditioning, short lines, and boppy music. This optimism came despite the fact that Mr. Disney died the year before of lung cancer and their most recent animated success was 101 Dalmatians back in 1961.


After you left The Carousel of Progress, you rode up a ramp where the narrator of the show introduced you to a model called "Progress City." What it lacked in boppy music, it made up for in spectacle. How many city planners were influenced by this ride and "Progress City" will never be known, although Disney's optimism despite loss and repeated failures (see Monkeys, Go Home! 1967) has perhaps rubbed off.

North County Times columnist Jeff Frank asked the question in his article, (Is it) Time for Escondido to shift direction? He pointed out some of Escondido's past attempts at making itself an upscale retail/entertainment center and questioned whether the planned Marriott hotel might be another box office failure, similar to Disney's Those Calloways, 1965 . The hotel has been a contentious issue and Frank suggests that perhaps a less contentious alternative might be "an indoor mini-golf course and arcade, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor or perhaps a small classic-car museum to play off the success of Cruisin' Grand."

That article was printed in the Sunday, July 11th edition of the North County Times and as of this moment, no one has commented on any of his ideas. Since then, articles have discussed a potential stadium for the Chargers, and an In-n-Out Burger restaurant. The Paramount Condominium Project actually has been changed from being a 92 unit four story project of 3 and 4 bedrooms with private elevators and a minimum of 1880 sq ft., into a 116 unit three story project with 81 2 bedroom units of 993 sq ft and no elevators. The Westfield company has abandoned plans to add 450,000 sq ft of retail and entertainment space at Shoppingtown North County in favor of cosmetic changes and refurbishing the existing space.

These have generated a fair number of comments after the articles were published online, but many of the comments are off topic, sensationalistic, or lack even minimal insight as to the impact of these projects on the area. The Escondidans who visited the Carousel of Progress seem not to have been much influenced by its message.

If you were, and have not felt comfortable providing an optomistic message on Escondido's future in the comments portion of the North County Times because so many other commentors have responded without courtesy, please don't remain part of the silent majority. Comment on this blog. These comments are moderated and must add to the knowledge and appreciation of our readers in order to be included. No insults or ignorant attacks will be published here. Possibly, after several years, rather than presenting resources for the improvement of our town, this will be a resource all of its own.