Photos of Disneyland's periphery

Shell

The corner Shell station sign, showing Ball Road, TDAB, and Hotel Menage in the background.

A very unremarkable business. Years ago it was Marv's Shell Service and the address was slightly different, but was equally unremarkable back then. The only thing I've found to be interesting at all about this gas station is that behind its block wall flanking Ball Road is a tiny, odd, unused lot that seems to have been left over from another business when I-5 expanded. Agile pedestrians sometimes use that tiny lot as an unofficial, indirect access to Cinnamon Hollow by climbing over the wall at the Shell station.

"Cinnamon Hollow Onramp"

Dirt roads such as this one for maintenance vehicles at freeway onramps are a modern feature of I-5.

Such easily accessible dirt roads that could provide extra parking are being wasted.

This homeless person might have the right idea: why not use this space as a campground, at least?

This tiny walled-in lot beyond Cinnamon Hollow's parking lot stands unused, for some reason.

This larger triangular lot next to Coast Corvette, alongside I-5, stands unused with no access in or out of it.

There is an onramp to northbound Interstate 5 just beyond the Shell station on Ball Road, and this onramp is flanked by the Cinnamon Hollow condominiums. For convenience I'll call this onramp area "Cinnamon Hollow Onramp."

This is another odd little corner of Anaheim that has been affected by the recent Interstate 5 expansion. There are two residual lots here: one tiny one behind the Shell station, and a larger triangular one between Cinnamon Hollow and Coast Corvette. It's sad to see so much space being wasted, especially since it could be used for free parking for Disneyland guests or local residents, but I suppose the way these residual lots have been cut off and isolated would make it prohibitive to provide access roads to them, as well as private property mentality and the lots' relatively small sizes.

Similar comments apply to the dirt access road here on the onramp property itself. Until recent years I'd never seen such dirt roads or pull-off areas along I-5, all dedicated to maintenance vehicles and rarely used, but now such maintenance roads are commonplace along I-5 in Anaheim. It seems a shame that a rarely used road that could easily hold a few dozen parked cars should stand unused all the time.

Cinnamon Hollow

The upper floors of Cinnamon Hollow as seen from Ball Rd.

The upper floor condos of Cinnamon Hollow are visible from the north side of Ball Road and from the I-5, especially from the Ball Road onramp to northbound I-5.

I remember Cinnamon Hollow condominiums from 1981, when they were new, and when I was interested in buying one with a friend of mine. But we never did.

One lady in our real estate office in 1981 told me they were nice in themselves, but that they were a good example of "pocket building," where a classy housing project is tucked into a poor neighborhood. Since 1981, more quality "pockets" have appeared in that same neighborhood around Vermont Avenue, possibly slightly improving the area. I still like the subtropical California feel of that condo complex, evident in its architecture, landscaping, and location. Unfortunately for me, their $80,000 price tags of 1981 soared to $360,000 by 2007.

Many Cinnamon Hollow condos have a tropical or subtropical appearance.

The entrance sign and gate to Cinnamon Hollow.

Coast Corvette

The Coast Corvette sign at nighttime.

At night the lighted sign for Coast Corvette is readily seen from northbound Interstate 5, Ball Road, and Sheraton Anaheim Hotel. It appears that this Corvette repair business moved from Garden Grove to Anaheim somewhere between 1982 and 1985, per phone book data. The building that houses Coast Corvette and Sign AFX are physically located in the same general neighborhood as the Cinnamon Hollow condominiums, off of Vermont Avenue, which is off of Harbor Blvd., just north of Ball Road.

Coast Corvette is separated from I-5 by just a chain link fence, which is rare in this day of sound walls. Occasionally they leave their front gate open at night, whereupon their front parking lot becomes a great place to watch the Disneyland fireworks over TDAB.

Next to Coast Corvette, on the right as seen from Ball Road, is American States University, with its characteristic red doors. This school is associated with the Phil Ritson American Golf College, and the tops of the green nets of its practice driving range can also be seen from Ball Road. American States University shares a parking lot with Coast Corvette, but the school is in the process of relocating (as of 2-27-07). The school property and its house-like two-story building, along with the Coast Corvette property, used to be owned by The Walt Disney Company as a production facility.

Left-to-right: Sign AFX / Coast Corvette, American States University / Phil Ritson American Golf College.

Corvettes are parked under two large old fig trees in the Coast Corvette service lot.

The grounds of the Coast Corvette property are nicely landscaped with numerous subtropical plants, which extend up to Cottonwood Park. There is a family of large rabbits that lives somewhere around this property, and in the spring these rabbits are seen in the evenings, nights, and mornings grazing on the lawn in front of American States University and Coast Corvette. Apparently somebody's domestic rabbits escaped and bred, and now are living wild in this area. The rabbits won't let people touch them, but will often sit quietly as people walk by within a few feet of them.

Coast Corvette has nice landscaping plants, such as this Hardy Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi).

In the evening large rabbits come out to graze on the lawns of Coast Corvette and American States University.

Created: February 24, 2007
Updated: May 5, 2007