Walt had turned a 160-acre orange grove into a $17 million theme park in one breakneck year of construction. On opening day, it still showed.
Workers were painting buildings and planting trees as guests walked by. Where the landscaping was not done, there were only weeds. Walt had small signs with Latin plant names put next to them, so the weeds looked planted on purpose.
The temperature hit 100 degrees. The fresh asphalt on Main Street turned into sticky tar, and women who had dressed up for the day felt their high heels sink into it.
Twenty-eight thousand people were hot, and they wanted water.