AntSol Travel Photography

08/25/2026

Today, Disneyland just did the ground breaking of the new eastern parking garage & transportation center off of Disney Way & Manchester Ave. that used to be a Cast Member parking lots.

https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/24/disneyland-breaks-ground-on-new-parking-garage/

This will be a 6,000 parking spot garage, and transportation hub with bus bays for local hotel shuttles & rideshares will be off of Manchester Avenue.

When you exit your vehicle, you will go through on a pedestrian bridge inclining where the Carousel Inn used to be, over Harbor Blvd., the monorail tracks, and the local transit bus layover area.

Then the ramp will go down towards the esplanade.

Permits have been filed for the north eastern ticket booths to be demolished with their walls already up.

https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/18/disneyland-to-demolish-4-ticket-booths/

However, the security check point is not clear if it will be before or after the ramp.

So far, the lot is looking good so far as the asphalt has been taken out down to the dirt to start the foundation.

For people walking in from Harbor Blvd., the renderings show that there will be a security gate that will be much closer to the street.

08/08/2026

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress

Montezooma's Revenge, opened in 1974 at Knott's Berry Farm is a looped shuttle roller that launches the rollercoaster car forwards & backwards from the station via a flywheel system. Per the OC Register, the original launch system flywheel, now replaced with linear synchronous motor launch system. The coaster launches through a loop, up a hill, and back through the loop. Then backwards through the station, up the back hill & then rolls forwards towards the station, and then back through the station for a stop. Finally they are rolled back into the station. It was closed for refurbishment back in 2022 and sat dormant until 2025 when they started working on it again, when I did see them work on it back in December. Knott's announced that it will be renamed MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, which just reopened on August 6, 2026 now open with a new station building that is similar to the Mayan architecture of Jaguar that is next to Montezooma.

07/19/2026

WonderCon was back in March, but is better than never to finally post my blog post about WonderCon the week before San Diego Comic-Con in July.

WonderCon, started in 1987 in Oakland, CA, has been an important comic book convention since then with comic book publishers showcasing their newest comics, new TV & movie previews, informative panels, and expansive exhibit hall. They moved to San Francisco in 2002, then to Anaheim in 2012, a year in Los Angeles in 2016, and back to Anaheim since then. However, with the rise of many more conventions over the years & seven show the same week as WonderCon, had a huge increase in competition for vendors, special guests for panels, and attendees for their dollars. WonderCon was doing good, but not as great as before.

On this post, WonderCon, a key comic book convention, has declined in attendance and exhibitors in recent years due to economic factors and competing events. Despite challenges, this year’s e…

03/09/2026

The Rise and Fall of Anaheim Transportation Network: Key Lessons Learned

Operating since 2002, Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) has provided bus service from hotels, train stations, and the Toy Story Parking Lot to Disneyland for a clean air options to the parks with Anaheim Resort Transportation (ART). However, due to a huge deficit at one point of over $730,000 a month, the ATN board of directors decided to cut their losses.

In this post, learn about the rise & fall of ATN, an excursions with transit Youtuber DJPetesake of what is left of the ART bus system before the shut down, and the uncertain future of hotel bus services to Disneyland.

The Anaheim Transportation Network (ATN) plans to end its services by March 31, 2026, due to severe financial deficits, reaching $730,000 monthly. Despite operating since 1995, dwindling ridership …

01/15/2026

Now live on AntSol Travel.com, I am trying to do Disneyland Updates blogs again, featuring Disneyland Continues 70th Anniversary & Prepares for California Adventure & Downtown Disney's 25th Anniversary. Along with the new interesting Pink Milk at Galaxy's Edge, Magic Key Holder events in February, and additional news.

http://antsoltravel.com/2026/01/14/disneyland-updates-new-attractions-and-milestones-of-january-2026/

Now live on AntSol Travel.com, I am trying to do Disneyland Updates blogs again, featuring Disneyland Continues 70th Anniversary & Prepares for California Adventure & Downtown Disney’…

12/09/2025

On the morning of December 8, Disney & Porto's released concept art and announced the start of construction of the upcoming Porto’s location in Downtown Disney at the former La Brea Bakery. The future Porto’s location will have a counter service cafe & bakery that are at all locations, and a sit down restaurant will be unique to this location.

How is the construction starting? At the end of the day of December 8, 2025 the construction fences around the two ticket booths have been fenced up that will be the eastern end of the Porto’s footprint, with a rough approximation of 32,000 sq ft. The location closed for La Brea in 2023, and then Earl of Sandwich took over thereafter until November 9, 2025.

Porto’s opening date is to be announced.

12/03/2025

Now for a relaxing Disneyland moment. At the underpass between Galaxy's Edge & Bayou Country, happened to capture the Disneyland Railroad chugging along the bridge under a full moon.

11/09/2025

If you are watching this video, the Earl of Sandwich location at the former La Brea Cafe location has been closed to make way for Porto’s.

According to Yesterland, The building opened in 2001 with La Brea Cafe & Express dining as part of the opening of Downtown Disney.

Earl of Sandwich, on the western side of Downtown Disney, specializing in sandwiches, had a location with the former AMC building.

Their location became in limbo with the AMC building in 2018 due to plans for a fourth Disneyland Resort hotel. That meant kicking out AMC building tenants, but was cancelled.

Earl of Sandwich reopened with a “pop up” location thereafter.

Plans were scrapped for the hotel and a new plan was drafted that would be new shops, restaurants, and a new stage with a lawn area that we have today with the west side expansion and soon to have Earl’s new location.

However, the Earl’s location had to close in 2022 to make way for the expansion.

At D23 Expo in 2022, Disney announced that local Cuban sandwich & pastries restaurant, Porto’s, will make its way to Downtown Disney. However, where it would go was up in the air.

In January 2023, La Brea Cafe closed under their ownership, Aspire Bakeries. and would make a great location for the Porto’s. However, it would take time before plans & project approvals to be ready.

In the meantime Earl of Sandwich, which has a similar menu to La Brea, took over the location a month later until planning & permitting for Porto’s is complete, which was November 7, 2025.

There were a couple close calls of Earl of Sandwich to close before then, to a point that they opened a portable location next to the former ESPN Zone in 2024 so Earl’s would have a location no matter what happened to the La Brea Cafe location.

According to the OC Register, plans for the Porto’s location will reach from the La Brea building to the two ticket booths, which would be with 32,000 sq ft of space according to my Google Earth estimates.

10/16/2025

Back in June, my family & I went to Frontwave Arena, Northern San Diego's newest hub for pro sports & entrainment, opened in 2024, with a capacity of 7,500 fans. It was aimed as a smaller venue for sports & events that doesn't need the extra 10,000 seats of the orginal venue for San Diego Shockers of the Major Arena Soccer League that played at Pechanga Arena since 2009, and the San Diego Strike Force of the Indoor Football League that also played at Pechanga Arena since 2019. The arena's newest tenant also includes the relocated Ontario Clippers, the G League development team for the Los Angeles Clippers, now called San Diego Clippers as a tribute to their six years in San Diego.

We did not go to see any concert, we went to see KSON’s All American Summer Concert, an annual multi artist concert by KSON, the local County music station in San Diego. The arena had great acoustics and all the artists sounded amazing!

Driving in by car, get to Oceanside and take CA Highway 78 east towards Escondido, and exit off at El Camino Real towards the north, right on Oceanside Blvd., and left on Rancho Del Oro. Parking varies but the main parking lot costs $22.

You can take the NCTD Breeze bus or Sprinter train to Rancho Del Oro station, and walk .75 miles to Frontwave Arena. On Fridays & Saturdays, there are additional trains for both directions of the Sprinter. However, make sure to check NCTD Alerts on Twitter (X) for updates as there can be cancelled trips due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
Frontwave Arena is a great addition to Northern San Diego County for sports and entertainment. From the smaller capacity for smaller pro sports & concerts, the local food & beverage options, and easy access from California State Highway 78, makes Frontwave a great place for residents of San Diego County!

On this post on AntSol Travel, we head Frontwave Arena in Oceanside for KSON’s All American Summer Concert. Seeing the new venue’s accessibility, features, and transportation options. The con…