Bye Pleasure Island

Walt Disney World has decided to close its nightclub complex, Pleasure Island. PI stands in the middle of Downtown Disney, splitting the two shopping districts that the company would like to unite as one single tourist-gouging entity. I'd like to share my most vivid memory of PI, which is especially relevant today, the 4th of July.

It was the year of September 11th and I was at WDW with my parents and a few friends of the family (this was obviously pre-marriage :). The day of the disaster we were escorted out of the Animal Kingdom around lunchtime. Sitting in our hotel room, we were very unaware at the country's mood. After the World Trade Centers and the other terrorist attacks, the gravity of this one never really hit us.

Two days later, I happened to meet a girl working at MGM who was kind enough to invite me to come to PI with her and her fellow cast members to have some fun on Cast Member night. There, I met a bunch of her friends. As to be expected as WDW cast members, they were from all walks of life and extremely friendly. Some black, some Hispanic, some Caucasian, etc. As the night came to a close, a light misting rain began to fall. As the clubs emptied out, people began to mill around the various avenues of PI, mostly congregating in the center area where the giant screen was still playing music and showing videos. The final music video of the night began - Whitney Houston's rousing rendition of the Star Spangled Banner from the Gulf War Super Bowl. Slowly, an energetic buzz began to ring throughout the crowd. Before I knew it, the entire crowd was singing along with Whitney, chanting "U S A, U S A". When the song was over the crowd erupted in cheers, all while withstanding what was now a driving rain. I had felt like a bit of an outsider before this, but now we felt like one single unity.

It was such a small thing, but I swelled with American pride and just put it down as another fantastic Disney memory.