17 LAPTOP AND CAMERA BAG

As a follow up to yesterday's Star Tours queue shot, here is one from inside the cabin of the Disneyland version of the attraction...

WARNING: Spoiler Alert!!!
If you don't want to know what waits for you inside Star Tours, do not read further...

With boarding passes in hand, it is finally time to ride Star Tours again after nearly a year of waiting!
Upon entering the queue, guests are met with a familiar scene as R2-D2 and C-3PO service the new (old) Starspeeder 1000 clad in a striking white and coppery red livery. The reboot of Star Tours takes place in a earlier time frame than the original, with the adventures set just before the events of the first Star Wars movie, which became Episode IV: A New Hope as the series expanded into 6 chapters...

The biggest change in the queue occurs in the second gallery where a Droid repair facility used to be. Now, the line snakes through a security checkpoint featuring a scanner that projects thermal images of guests on a big screen monitor that is controlled by a hillarious wise cracking droid... Also in this part of the queue is a rear projection screen that presents silhouettes of busy space travelers as they commute inside the terminal. There are surprises in here, so keep your eyes peeled for familiar silhouettes...

Next is the checkpoint where 3D glasses are handed out and guests are directed to gate assignments. Fans of the old version of this ride will remember the video featuring a flight attendant giving safety instructions over a video monitor...For the reboot, the safety video features a droid giving the spiel voiced by Allison Janney. The original flight attendant makes a cameo appearance in the cabin scene of the video...Also new this time around is the inclusion of a little back story in the form of a "live feed" that shows C-3PO entering the cabin and accidently becoming your pilot...

Once inside the cabin, everything seems so familiar...until the cockpit shield is dropped revealing C-3PO at the controls. From here on, the ride is all new...I have been keeping up on all of the blogs that have documented the new features of this ride, including the multiple planet destinations and cut-scenes engineered to provide a "different" ride each time...But I was not prepared for how EXCELLENT this has all been accomplished! I was blown away by the 3D, which includes many little gimmicks that appear in the different cut-scenes. I was very happy to see essential Star Wars "lore" included in the scenes, and outstanding attention to details that only true Star Wars fans could know...

In my photo, you will notice a cracked viewscreen...and the tail of a Nabu Starfighter protruding INTO the cabin...A completely AWESOME part of the Nabu scene!
We rode Star Tours 4 times during the preview, and I could have ridden it 20 times if I had it my way.
By the way, photography is not allowed on the ride, but my finger "accidentally" depressed the shutter while I was holding the camera securely during our flight...guess I was lucky to get any kind of image from my accidental discharge...
:)

Oh, one more thing...It is possible to be BOTH a Star Wars fan and a Star Trek fan...I won't argue which is better...Let's just say that I know darn near every line from EACH of these series' movies and TV episodes. In the Queue of the first gallery, there is a hidden homage to Trekkers and fans of a certain Starship...

Crazy parking job.

Fire Station #1 is right up the block from me. Fire trucks scream past at all hours. In fact, I can hear one passing by as I type this. I'm always amazed at the skill with which these men navigate the 90 degree turn past my building. I haven't been lucky enough to catch them doing it with camera in hand... yet.

The men and women of Atlanta Fire Rescue put it on the line for the people of this city every minute of every day. Mortal danger is forever only a bell's ring away:

November 23, 2006
Firefighter Steven Mitchell Solomon
Atlanta Fire Department, Georgia

Firefighter Solomon was working a 24-hour shift on Thanksgiving Day. Shortly after 2000hrs, Atlanta Fire-Rescue dispatched a full first-alarm assignment for a reported fire in an abandoned house. On arrival, companies encountered heavy smoke showing from a boarded-up single-story brick structure. As other crews removed plywood window coverings and forced entry through the front door, the crew of Engine 16 prepared to advance a 1-3/4inch attack line into the house. Firefighter Solomon was on the nozzle as the line was advanced inside. The attack team immediately encountered high temperature and zero-visibility conditions. Within seconds after they entered, the battalion chief arrived, assumed command, and ordered the companies to operate in a defensive strategy. Before the line could be backed out, the interior became enveloped in flames and the 3 firefighters from Engine 16 lost track of each other. Two of the firefighters managed to escape through the front door. Firefighters who were outside saw the silhouette of a firefighter, enveloped in flames, running past the front door and moving toward the rear of the house. The fire was quickly knocked down and crews made entry from both the front and rear to conduct a search. Firefighter Solomon was located almost immediately by a member who was using a thermal imaging camera and several firefighters quickly removed him from the dwelling. He was unconscious and critically burned. When he was found, Firefighter Solomon had removed his helmet, hood, and SCBA facepiece. One boot was also missing. Although he received immediate treatment from firefighter/paramedics on the scene and was transported within minutes to a level-one trauma center and regional burn unit, Firefighter Solomon died 6 days later without regaining consciousness.
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3 shots

The Varsity
Atlanta, GA

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