#03: A Sense of Place — The Magic of Disney’s Epcot

We all need a sense of place.

Somewhere that feels our own… Where the air hangs in a specific way that somehow aligns with our being. There’s a unique personality to every place, a unique sensation that you feel when you just exist there — whether it be a city, a country, a stadium, a park or simply a room… It’s something natural and automatic… A vibration in the air that only exists in that one exact location.  Irreplaceable anywhere else on earth. 

There is a place, though, that has achieved something truly magic — Disney World’s Epcot. Here, they’ve gone to incredible lengths to recreate these different places from around the world and along the way they have channeled a little of that vibration, that magic from the original locations into these concentrated versions that are side-by-side so you can visit them all in one day.

The truth is, compared to the real, “from the source” experience of being in these places in the world, these versions of Morocco, France, Mexico, etc… don’t compare to the originals at all.  But, they capture just enough of their essence to create somewhere that is uniquely magic and awe-inspiring in its own right. The sum is much greater than the parts and being able to just hop from one to the next is a bizarre but enlightening experience. Only possible here, in this one place.

And that’s some of the magic I want to infuse into The Great Escape.   A digital escape from reality, where we might be thousands of miles away from each other, but together, we are transported to new places… even if only digitally. Through music, through film, through words… because we all need a place to escape to every now and then.