nerding out, star wars-style

going to disneyland on 5/4 has become a fun little annual tradition for me, which is kind of weird considering i've never really thought of myself as a big star wars nerd before.  i mean, i saw the three OG movies in the theater back in the day when they were first released, and i eventually saw the prequels and the few most recent films too.  i definitely wanted to be princess leia when i was little, and when disneyland hosted the star wars-themed races i was happy to register/train for/make costumes to wear to run them.  

wait.  i guess maybe i AM a low-level star wars nerd then, huh?  oh.

nowadays when i visit the parks, i like to park in the toy story lot instead of the giant parking structure because unless it's fairly early when i arrive (like before 9am), electric car charging spots are typically all taken.  but the toy story lot has two whole aisles of charging spots, and it's a pretty short walk to the shuttle loading area.  it also seems like the loading process onto those buses is easier than shoving through the crowds to board the tram that takes you to the mickey & friends structure.  all this to say, even the bus was feeling it for may the fourth (i guess it's kinda hard to see, but the display reads "may the 4th be with you!):

my reservation was for california adventure, where i wandered around aimlessly for a bit before crossing over the esplanade into disneyland.  i scoped out the turnstiles until i found my favorite cast member:

obligatory castle selfie.

and then i made my way back towards galaxy's edge, along with everyone else.  the weather was beautiful that day - partly cloudy skies and cool, comfortable temps.  truly the best time to come to the parks.

as i strolled through batuu i caught a glimpse of the crazy long line to get into the den of antiquities - it snaked out the door and all the way out to about halfway through the black spire outpost area.  i guess they release a $400 limited edition light saber every may the 4th, and since i thought i'd seen that there was a two-per-guest limit, i couldn't help but stare when i saw these people walk by:

that's the kind of thing that drives disney fans absolutely bonkers - because you know they're making their way out of the parks and heading straight home to list those online with a huge profit margin (they're actually on ebay right now, going for up to $900). 

i was hungry, so i got in line at ronto roasters for a delicious ronto wrap.  as i waited, i noticed a sign for a new specialty drink - the destran ice cap, sprite with orange-tangerine syrup and topped with sweet cream cheese cold foam.  i'm pretty sure that's the same topping they use for my favorite black caf cold brew, so i decided to give it a shot.  and of course...it's delicious.  goes really well with that ronto wrap.

i found a nice shady spot where i sat back to eat and peoplewatch, two of the best things to do at disneyland.  and i wasn't disappointed in the least, because all my fellow star wars nerds had busted out all their gear for the occasion and dressed up as much as they could get away with.  not to mention, it was one of the dates for star wars night, a separately ticketed event where attendees of all ages can wear costumes to the park (on normal days, costumes are only for kids under 14).  and i didn't pick up my phone fast enough for a better shot, but these folks went all out with their outfits, even dressing up their scooters.  it was impressive and caught everyone's attention as they rolled by.

photo ops, because why not?

by that time the old lady's shift had ended, so i caught up with her near the entrance and we headed back into tomorrowland to grab a limited-edition souvenir for one of her fellow cast members.  it happened to be time for the "magic happens" parade, and we caught the last few floats.

she'd been wanting to try the birria toasted cheese sandwich at jolly holiday, so that was our last stop of the day.  

and that was how my may 4th for 2023 went.