Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco
or
Finding Mr. Magoo

There’s also a permanent section on the history of political cartoons. But then cartoons can actually make history, too. The Yellow Kid, for instance, created by R.F. Outcault, in the late 1800s, was a character in “Hogan’s Alley,” a cartoon that poked fun at American society. The Hearst and Pulitzer newspapers fought over the popular cartoon because they knew it would increase their readership. The Hearst paper won, but Pulitzer hired another artist to draw a Yellow Kid for his papers. The “yellow” in “yellow journalism” comes from this cartoon because, back then, the papers that carried the cartoon were called yellow papers. (Of course the term “yellow journalism” today refers to the sensationalism in news reporting of that time.) There’s much history at the museum about cartoons themselves. For example, the first popular comic book, Superman, came out in 1939; crime-fighting, serial cartoons such as Dick Tracy and Terry and the Pirates started up after WWII; Archie came out to appeal to teens.
A proliferation of comics followed until the Comics Code Authority came along with stiff restrictions. For example, sex and horror were out; good had to triumph over evil; policemen, judges, government officials, and respected institutions could not be depicted in a disrespectful way, which meant no political commentary. Many comics’ publishers went under. But Mad magazine had just converted to a magazine, because it wasn’t officially a comic book and it could get around the code. The history is fascinating, but even better is seeing bygone cartoon characters like Wiley Coyote and his nemesis, the roadrunner, and so many others such as Yogi Bear, Mr. Magoo and Mighty Mouse. They aren’t completely gone. We can find them there on San Francisco’s Mission Street.
There’s also a bookstore filled with cartoon collections of all eras, even a collection of the New Yorker’s cartoon outtakes.
The Cartoon Art Museum is located at 655 Mission Street, San Francisco. Phone number 415-227-8666.  www.cartoonart.org

The Year of
A Million Dreams
Disneyland Resort California
We began our visit to Disneyland Resort by checking into the Grand California Hotel, and this alone was worth the trip to Anaheim. Staying in the park makes the adventure even more pleasurable, and being in a log cabin grand lodge that would fit perfectly in Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon was, indeed, a pleasure. It’s close proximity (out the back door) to California Adventure was delightful, as was walking down the hall, and around the corner to Downtown Disney. Rooms are quite large, have incredible views and are surprisingly quiet. The massive lobby is a great place to relax or people-watch.
Since I had never been to Mickey’s Downtown, it was a complete surprise to find a variety of restaurants, shops and places to browse right outside. We were joined by family who live in the area, and partied at every kid’s favorite eatery, the Rainforest Café. The best part about Downtown Disney is it’s free. So, even curmudgeons who accompany family to the park, don’t actually have to pretend to have a good time by tagging along. They can hang out downtown - dine, browse, shop, read a book, visit the hotel bar without even walking through the park’s gates. 
The California Adventure Park is a tribute to our state, and fun to traverse. The roller coaster, a cross between Santa Cruz and Mission Beach was clearly a crowd favorite. Everywhere we looked, and walked was a treat and looked so familiar. The Disney Imagineers did a truly magnificent job replicating so many California landmarks to fit in one park.
Disneyland was as much fun as ever, but updated, and is still the happiest place on earth. We were there to watch our granddaughter march in the Disneyland Parade with the Cupertino High School band. Since she had been in band for all her high school years, and will be off to college in fall, this was her last band hurrah. Disney’s program for letting school bands lead the parade is wonderful, and  leaves students with a great memory.
Anyone who hasn’t visited Disneyland Resort for a while, will enjoy the new venue’s: Finding Nemo, the submarine voyage; the Space Mountain re-do; the Pirate’s Lair at Tom Sawyer Island, and of course - High School Musical. Disneyland Resort has something for everyone, and is still California’s premier attraction.



  
    

Santa Barbara
Car-Free