dlee187

Sat, 15 Mar 2008 20:32:27 -0800

i attended the boarding school directly across the street from Michael's ranch (it's adjacent to The Family School, i know some kids who went there) and having visited a few times, since he invited my school every year, i have to say the place is pretty amazing. initially, it's a little creepy to see life sized bronze statues of kids at play everywhere, or disney music everywhere you go (little rock speakers are cleverly hidden just about everywhere), but once you get over that, it's truly a surreal and heartwarming experience. i could write pages and pages about my experiences there, because each one was truly memorable. the place is beautiful, with deer running about. and you cant go ten feet without a candy station or a popcorn machine or a snow cone machine or a cotton candy machine. i swear, the place is a river of sugar, and it's all free. but the arcade, the ferris wheel and the bumper cards, the zoos (yes, there are two), the trains, the movie theater, the trampoline, i could go on and on (and video games on the 64 foot outdoor tv? mario kart will never be the same). it's a shame he doesnt have the affection for it that he used to, and i will be sad to see it go. it was a wholesome quirk to a nice, sleepy small town, and i think the townspeople really liked it. and the hikers definitely liked his private ambulance service (about half a dozen times a year they have to airlift some bozo out of the backcountry. and they even service my high school and the surrounding area, just becuase he's a nice guy). so, farewell Neverland. it was all it was promised to be.

BartlettPears

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:22:14 -0800

I actually went to Neverland Ranch on January 16th, 2004 when MJ first got arraigned and jumped on top of the SUV and danced. I was going to UCSB at the time and was watching CNN at 730am where they said people were invited to Jackson's house afterwards to party. Needless to say we got really wasted beforehand and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly as the only people between the ages of 12 and 38. Free ice cream, catered fried chicken meal, petting zoo, rides, a constant loop of Peter Pan in the custom movie theatre. The guy was obviously not guilt. Crazy times and yes, I did take something with me.

LAist: Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch; No More Auction

dlee187

BartlettPears