The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth by Leslie Le Mon Read Free Book Online Page A

read about the Disney Company in general, the more I found myself thinking about my job.  I was always tinkering with ways to make things at work more efficient, productive, and fun.  That’s the Disneyland effect—it seems to stimulate creative thinking and out-of-the-box approaches.
    Using creative and innovative thinking, b y the end of 2008, the talented crew I worked with broke records, and I won a corporate award for several of my ideas.
    It was around 2008 that my brother half-jokingly suggested that I write a book about the Disneyland Resort .  After all, I spent so much time there, had read so much about it, and so forth.  His comment set the wheels turning …
    Writing a book about something you love can be a joyful endeavor.  I certainly had experiences, knowledge, and observations about the park that I wanted to share with other Disneyland fans, and with readers who perhaps never could travel to the park, but could only read and dream about it.

W riting a book, however, is a big bear of a project.  It demands a lot of time and consumes most of your energy and focus.  Research can also be financially draining.  It’s like leaping into a vortex.  Did I really want to do that?
    Anyone familiar with this series knows that, yes, I did ultimately write a Disneyland history and guide book, while contending with a layoff and myriad other challenges.  Once you lock onto a real dream, you make it happen, whatever the challenge.
    It was important to read the words and analyses of Disney Imagineers , Cast Members, experts, news reporters, and historians, but I knew that to be truly meaningful, the book couldn’t rely merely on information gleaned from others.
    So I continued to visit the parks as a participant-observer, engaged as a Guest, attuned to the park, Cast Members, fellow Guests, and all that unfolded in the magical kingdom.  I took written notes.  I filmed reference videos and snapped hundreds (now thousands) of reference photos.
    During the writing of the first edition of this book , my family’s encouragement was invaluable.  My niece and sometimes my sister accompanied me on research trips.  Dad and my brother read and commented on manuscript drafts.  Mom and my two amazing Aunts were cheerleaders.  My brother-in-law’s abiding belief in my talents was always energizing, and my sister-in-law, who works in Disney licensing, obtained discounted tickets so I could attend the first-ever D23 Expo in September of 2009, and the next expo in August of 2011.  The original expo was brilliant, and it was there that I first heard one of my heroes, the legendary Imagineer Marty Sklar , speak about Imagineering .
    I wrote the book.  I wrote it in feverish bursts, whenever I could find the time.  And after what turned out to be years of research and writing, the original Disneyland Book of Secrets , published in 2011, and its subsequent updates, were the result of my happy labors.
     
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    There are many excellent Disneyland books on the market, many of which you’ll find listed in the “Resources & Recommendations” section at the back of this book.  (I encourage you to read them all!)
    What makes The Disneyland Book of Secrets series special?
              Guest Perspective .  A number of readers have noted that one of the best things about this book is that it was written by someone who truly knows and loves the Disneyland Resort , and who has experienced it from the inside perspective of a frequent Guest.  What you’re learning from this book is the real deal from an informed Guest’s perspective.  This is a book for Guests, written by a Guest.
              Independent Viewpoint .  As a Guest who doesn’t work for Disney , I can be independent in my perspective.  The opinions shared in this book are my own honest opinions, derived from hundreds of hours actually spent at the resort.  I’ve stood in long lines in the rain and the broiling sun.  I’ve stayed at