I almost didn't go the the park today. I go A LOT and I really should do other things instead. But I saw an old digital camera in my desk drawer and I thought it might take better photos than my iPhone4. That was all the reason I needed to head back to the park. I was there from about 5 - 8pm and took lots of photos as usual. I post very few of the ones I take because I don't want to repeat what I, or anyone, has already posted. Let's begin the tale.
I took my typical photo of Duff's area. About the same as yesterday, I'd say.
I go on the tram tour, wander around, then finally decide it's time to go home and see how the pictures look. I walk through the center of Springfield and stop to check that the Lard Lad sign still isn't up. It isn't (I'm tall). All of a sudden, about 7:10pm, there's a gathering of construction workers behind me and they start directing crowd flow through Special Effects Stage like during the week. I was surprised they would do this before the park closes but chalked it up to an impending deadline and them wanting to get final touches started asap. Workers at the other end are doing the same thing and it reminds me of how the police do those zig zag maneuvers to break traffic on the freeway (you LA locals understand what I'm talking about). People are getting confused, though, because they've been walking back and forth between these construction walls all day and suddenly it's blocked off without any staff directing people. I hear them ask as they point to The Simpsons Ride "How do I get there?"
I'm waiting to watch them put up the usual construction walls to block Springfield making it all a construction zone again one last time. But it doesn't happen. I see more and more workers and the flood lights come on and I think, wow, I'm going to have a great view of them getting some work done before those walls block my view. But no one is moving any walls into place. And it's odd that there still isn't any crew directing crowds. Then, I see at the far end near the taco truck, a section of wall comes down. At first I assume it'll get moved to block traffic flow down there but workers just lay it on the ground. Then they stack another on top of it. I think, holy crap, I've got to get down there!
Like a salmon swimming upstream I push through the SES pathway and navigate through the confused crowd, enter Simpson's Plaza, turn around and I see...
This must be a dream...about 15-20 workers are--in a very organized way--pulling the walls down quickly. It's like a trained team is unwrapping a gift for me right before my eyes. They even brought bright lights so my pictures would turn out. ;-)
Behind me people are still lost and confused about where to go and still no one is giving the crowd direction. If my eyes weren't transfixed on the reveal happening before my eyes I would have tried to help some of them. But, ya know, priorities. ;-)
Then the executive type dressed in all black arrived and (I couldn't hear, but obviously) told them to put the walls back which the workers did remarkably quickly. (I've said it before, these construction workers should put "Erect and dismantle construction walls quickly" at the top of their resumes because they are amazing at it.) Suddenly the road was reopened and confusion dissipated. So, that's the end of my saga.
In retrospect I think the construction workers were premature in closing the passage. Maybe they're just accustomed to starting a 7pm shift or they were given incorrect instructions. I can't say whether the "suit's" motivation was secrecy or crowd management but I can't argue that closing the path was disruptive to the guest experience. So as much as I would have enjoyed seeing Springfield fully unwrapped I confess that it was probably the correct choice to hold off. If my work schedule permits I'll be headed back during the week and, as always, I'll report what I see. Thanks for reading.