The Daily Dose of the Southwest returns to an America somehow even darker than what it was 10 days ago.
If you’re like me, you just spent the last half-hour doomscrolling, and you’re appalled at the authoritarianism stomping its way through our public lands and across the rights of us average folk.
Instead of diving deeper into that, let’s relieve our collective stresses and take an imaginary visit to an imaginary place: Flo’s V8 Cafe.
Located in the Disney California Adventure park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, Flo’s is a cornerstone landmark in Cars Land — a real-life imagining of the Cars movie franchise.
When Pixar made the first Cars film in 2006, the filmmakers took inspiration from the canyon country of Northern Arizona to create the fictional town of Radiator Springs, a straight-out-the-1950s burg bustling along the legendary Route 66.
Flo’s V8 Cafe represents the epitome of that 50s nostalgia — a mid-century modern diner with a pastel teal and pink palette, analog gas pumps, neon lights galore, and Motown hits bopping over the sound system.
The Disney “imagineers” masterfully crafted Flo’s — and the rest of Cars Land — as a slice of the Southwest long past. Certainly, it is make-believe, and represents a white-washed and sugar-coated view of the time period.
But it’s still pretty damn cool to experience. And not just for the 50s car culture or neon craziness. Walk the path behind Flo’s and you’ll find a landscape splashed with soaring and remarkably realistic “red rock” cliffs and buttes that might just fool you into thinking you’re in Zion National Park.
During our family trip last week, my five-year-old nephew (who, of course, is a huge Cars fan) did not want to be anywhere else. He would’ve been more than content to take in the Radiator Springs vibes from sunrise to sunset.
Sure, it’s no replacement for a visit to a real National Park — and I’m sure some readers will scoff at a visit to a Disney park. But I like to think that a fair number of people have visited Cars Land and come away with a greater appreciation for the beauty of the Southwest.
Well, it’s back to reality, I suppose. See you tomorrow for another escape.
-Jake
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