An honorary citizen of Disneyland.

This is the second essay in a two-part series about Disneyland. If you missed it, read about magic rediscovered at Disneyland.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — I've written here a couple times about the advantages of traveling alone — you always have the freedom to do whatever you want and you're forced to meet people you would never otherwise meet. But recently, after an enchanting trip to Disneyland, I wondered — is Disneyland as magical of a place when visiting alone? Recently, I drove to the park to find out.

As my first order of business, I wanted to buy a Deluxe Annual Passport to the park (lesser Passports have many blackout dates) in honor of my rediscovering the magic of Disneyland days earlier. Outside the park gates, a friendly cashier (known in Disneyland parlance as a Cast Member) let me use the cost of my five-day old entrance ticket toward the pass's cost. After he swiped my credit card, he cheerfully informed me that I could retrieve my newly-minted Passport at the Disneyland Bank of Main Street. The Disneyland Bank of Main Street?! Thrilled to be introduced to a new-to-me Disneyland building, I bounded toward the park gates even before he had time to yell, "Have a magical day!"

At the Bank (even it has a "Wait Time: 10 Minutes from Here," sign), the "teller" took my picture and within seconds she handed me an unimpressive cheap plastic card with my face printed on it in black and white. Nevertheless, I was as excited as if Walt Disney himself had handed me a ticket on a space shuttle to Mars — they had chosen to accept me into their elite Annual Passport holders club!

Beaming from the thrill of receiving my shiny new membership card, I vaulted toward Disneyland City Hall and chuckled at the "Lost parents, inquire here for children" sign. At City Hall, if you ask nicely, you can get one of six pins to wear during your day in the park: "Happy Birthday," "Just Married," "My First Visit," "Family Reunion," "Happy Anniversary," and "Honorary Citizen of Disneyland." Reveling in dorkiness, I attached the "Honorary Citizen" pin to my shirt and prepared for Cast Members to treat me like a king.

Next, I walked down Main Street USA, the park's reproduction of a turn-of-the-century American town. At Disneyland alone, I was eager to move at a leisurely pace and take advantage of the opportunity to experience the park in a way I never could with friends. I brought my camera and spent a long time taking photos. I popped in and out of shops, enjoying Disneyland's exceptional attention to detail. I photographed the quaint "Refreshments Corner" shop signs with their classic red and white light bulbs. I watched a tourist have his fortune told by the vintage Esmeralda machine. I saw the Main Street Cinema, which shows Steamboat Willie perpetually — the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound. In the candy shop, I bought a Mickey Mouse-shaped Rice Krispie Treat. It wasn't quite as exciting as a Mickey Mouse waffle, but it was the next best thing.

I picked up a Fastpass for "Indiana Jones Adventure," then hopped over to the "Jungle Cruise." Fastpass is a relatively-new system that allows any park visitors to reserve a place in line for one ride while they ride another. The system is simple to use, and if you know how the system works, it can make visiting many park attractions ("Autopia," "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad," "Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters," "Indiana Jones Adventure," "Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin," "Space Mountain," and "Splash Mountain") much easier. Printed on each Fastpass is an hour-long window during which you can jump to the front of the ride's line for which you have the Fastpass. Since you are allowed to get a new Fastpass every two hours or as soon as the start time of your previous Fastpass lapses (whichever comes first), you can always get a new Fastpass immediately before using your previous one, making it possible to hold a Fastpass for every major attraction you decide to ride. Also, despite the fact that the printed time window is only an hour long, Fastpass end times are not enforced, which makes this even easier. Maybe I'm too easy to entertain, but I found it a quirky delight, running between Fastpass machines in an attempt to optimize my day.

But avoiding lines is not always desired, especially when you're alone. In the line for "Indiana Jones Adventure," I met a mother with her sister and daughter from Canada. They were excited for their first time on the ride, and they invited me to ride with them (the daughter seemed especially terrified even though she was 25 years old by my estimation). To pass the time in line, I showed them the ceiling-dropping bamboo pole and explained the intricacies of Fastpass, and by the time we were ready to ride, we were all friends.

After "Indy," I checked out the "Tiki Room," a singing-animatronic bird performance that is by far the most bizarre attraction at Disneyland (it begins with an educational video about Hawaiian pineapple production), while I waited for my "Space Mountain" window. Since "Splash Mountain" has a special line for lone riders (enter through the exit), I rode it while waiting for "Buzz Lightyear." I rode all of the major Storybook Land rides ("Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan's Flight," "Snow White's Scary Adventures," and "Matterhorn Bobsleds") and even managed to check out "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Haunted Mansion."

When I became tired, I leisurely walked around the park and people-watched. I saw Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit playing musical chairs with children outside the ice cream parlor, and while I ate lunch by myself, some girls in a foreign exchange program asked to take their picture with me. Maybe it was my blue eyes.

At dusk, I sat in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle and relaxed. I watched families taking photographs of themselves in front of Sleeping Beauty's lavish estate. I saw children making wishes at Snow White's wishing well. As darkness fell and the dramatic castle lights illuminated, I watched a young couple laugh as they kissed in front of the castle's drawbridge, and I knew my next visit to Disneyland would be with a date.

My trips to Disneyland aren't the only romantic adventures I've written about. In 2004, I traveled to Honduras in an attempt to win my ex-girlfriend back, and in 2009, I ice-skated and visited Alcatraz during an impromptu date in San Francisco.

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