I have, unfortunately, been to Celebration a number of times, as I used to date a girl whose parents owned a condo there, and she always wanted to go. To me, all Celebration was was proof that charm cannot be created de novo. t was as if a focus group decided what to put where and in what style and colors it all should be done. It's the antithesis of organic. Beauty that is truly only skin deep. When I broke up with her I was relieved for a lot of reasons, and I have to say that never having to go to that hell hole again, while not close to the primary reason, felt really damn good.
Here's the thing: Everything is contrived. Spontaneity and serendipity are some of the great things about life. When one's experience is completely predetermined, then what's the point. Celebration is a reflection of Disney World itself, a ready made experience that is pleasing to everyone. I think that's OK for entertaining a six year old, but as a living experience? No way. Even most suburbs have some organic growth. Did you ever see the movie Pleasantville? It's as if the people who designed Celebration saw that film and came away with the message that the 1950s world was the ideal one, and the modern, color filled world was the evil experience (seriously, there's an Art Deco style Cuban restaurant there that seems to want to recreate the Good Ole' Days of Latin America, when whites were free). It's creepy on so many levels.