Relaxing on Center Street at Night in the Magic Kingdom
Center Street, just off of Main Street USA in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, glows at night, even though few people are around to see it. This corner is always nice and quiet, and it is even relaxing, considering it is located in a bustling theme park.
When we go to the Magic Kingdom, one of our customs is to stay for the fireworks, and then look around in the shops on Main Street USA for a while to give the post-fireworks crowds time to clear out. On our trip this past summer, Laura decided to look around in Uptown Jewelers for a few minutes, so I stepped out into Center Street to get a few photos while she shopped.
If you aren’t aware, Center Street is the small side street that runs off of Main Street to the east, on the opposite side of the street from the Emporium. Even though the sign says, “ART FESTIVAL,” about all you will ever find there are some tables and chairs for seating, and maybe a snack cart or a silhouette cart. And just a few people, but not many. I guess those chairs and tables are for people from the nearby Starbucks and snack shops to have a place to sit down. But don’t go sitting there and expecting someone to come by and take your order. Because this isn’t the Disney Cruise Line after all. You have to go get it yourself here.
I am always fascinated by this little area and the lack of people there because it is a very quaint corner of the park. Not that I am inviting everyone to come take up residence there, because I enjoy the fact that you can enjoy a few quiet moments there, even when the Magic Kingdom crowds are pretty heavy. There were tens of thousands of people walking just a few feet away from here, right behind my back. But because this street doesn’t go anywhere, most people never bother to come down it. Their loss, our gain. Just remember, not every street has to lead somewhere to be interesting. That sounds like a life lesson of some sort, doesn’t it?
There used to be a similar alcove on the opposite side of Main Street, but revenue prevailed, and that area was filled in to add more shopping space for the Emporium, making the western side of Main Street one big, long shop. Boo. Yay for them for making money, but boo for them taking away a nice little part of the park to do so. As if they weren’t already making enough money off of everyone. Have you seen what they charge for things around there?
So if you stop in at Center Street on your next Magic Kingdom visit and enjoy it, don’t spread the word too much, or the area will be filled with people. But maybe spread the word just a little, so this area will remain and not be taken over by something more profit-making.
Why does a fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? - Proverbs 17:16
About the Photo
As with the photo of Uptown Jewelers linked above, this was a quick handheld shot with no tripods or long exposures involved. Sometime on a future visit, I should probably take my tripod and get some longer exposures to make this area look even better, but that will have to wait. As it was, I had a little trouble with the Art Corner sign being too bright. I thought about using the Raw file to create a darker “exposure” to mask in some not quite so bright lights, but in Adobe Camera Raw I turned down the highlights as far as they would go, and I decided I liked it like it was. No extra steps necessary.
Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about the photo software and gear I use at the camera gear page.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus M.Zukio 25mm f1.8
Date: June 11, 2015
Location: Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, Florida
