n7

"I think a place like Mrs. Knotts should be exceptionally maintained simply due to its reputation." Yeah, you'd think. The last time I went to the Chicken Dinner Restaurant was for the after-Thanksgiving breakfast crowd and I will NEVER go back. I'm one to let a few things go, but this restaurant is doomed to become a negative caricature of itself, just like the rest of the park. Whatever charm was left has been destroyed by years of neglect and the ultimate bottom-line goal of mediocrity. It took about 45 minutes to get a table that morning - my extended family has a tradition of coming to the restaurant the day after Thanksgiving. When we finally were seated, less than half of the restaurant's main hall was filled - I don't know if it was a shortage of cooks, waitresses or whatever, but that was the first red flag I noticed in a morning filled with em. When we got seated, I naturally looked around the building (human curiosity to observe surroundings) and I found a great deal of chipped paint, cracked stones and mortar, burned out light bulbs, sticky floors, dusty picture frames, dirty tables, faded colors, a glass roof that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years, worn out menus, dirty silverware (my fork still had crusted food on it...blech) and spotted drinking glasses. After about another hour, we finally get some of our food - but 2 people got the wrong breakfast, so we waited for theirs, while ours got cold. The food was at best, decent. It wasn't a standout - even the prized chicken was nothing special. The french toast was gooey, the hashbrowns tasted like fried potato paste, the eggs had absolutely no taste at all. It was like paying for a more expensive Denny's breakfast...with a severely cut-back staff. I don't care if I ever step foot in that restaurant again...BY FAR one of the worst dining experiences. It's sad to see more of the history of Knotts deteriorate through corporate neglect - the restaurant used to be a timeless hot spot for the local community. Families would plan their Sunday night to go to Mrs Knott's Chicken Restaurant - it was a treat! Now it's another food service nightmare. I think if the original owners could have seen just a tiny glimpse of what the park would be like under the global corporate umbrella, they would have never, ever signed such a deal. The park is falling apart, catering to the lowest common denominator and filling every open corner with the next big summer attraction. The park used to have an incredible atmosphere, and now all that looms are oversized coasters shoehorned into areas that can't aesthetically support them. The once-charming front plaza is dominated by a disproportionate invert, with a red and brown tangled mass of steel and concrete just behind. There will come a time when half-assed thrills with no proper landscaping or theming won't be able to bring the families back anymore - Maybe I'm just more on the nostalgic side though - after riding SB a number of times, I began to miss the lake and the church that preceded it. After riding Wind Jammer and then Xcellerator, I wondered why the park got rid of the Soap Box Racers in the first place. There is an instant gratification thrill factor in these new rides (i mean, they are fun)...but I see no long-lasting attachment to them. They weren't built to support the theme of the park, they were built to bring in a large crowd for a few seasons. And in the process, have ruined what used to be a historic landmark in the city of Buena Park. Now that's not to say that the park should have never moved forward. That would be a death sentence for KBF - but the new additions for the park could have been more...thoughtful. Instead of stuffing an oversized rocket coaster into the far corner, maybe add something more in line heightwise with the rest of the skyline of the park. Maybe a Rita-ish design instead. Or maybe that should have been the location for a motoracer, instead of the shoehorn job for Pony Express. You know, instead of destroying the sitelines, actually integrate the coasters in. *********************** Ok, I just tangent-ed there. But I guess you know my thoughts about KBF management now though, haha.

That's really cool what they did for Scream's birthday - Although it's not my favorite, it is a solid B&M twister. It goes to show that the new employee system of 'the crew 'owns' the ride' is really working. These are the type of ideas that I wish Knott's would have adopted when I was in high school - it might have made me want to work there! (other than management horror stories) For the parking lot theme around Scream, I think it's an important area to address - if not now, then soon, because it resonates the epitome of the old regime where 3 no-theme-coasters in a summer = success. I hope you (Jay) have a great landscape design team because the park tends to forget it is in a hot, arid climate and some of the plant choices I've seen are really inefficient and could be costing the park hundreds of thousands of dollars in unnecessary irrigation bills each year. I see under Scream, a large collection of woody sages, salvias, tall grasses (Pampas, red fountain...), some succulents, and more Australian varieties that do extremely well in the Southern California climate - Instead of costly cosmetic grass (which guzzles water like an SUV guzzles gas) going native will provide you a much broader canvas for shape, color, texture and size - and give the coaster an excellent ground cover. You could even enhance the near-90 degree banks with close-encounter landscaping (headchopping). I'm not positive what your landscape palette is (so if you are using these just ignore me, haha) but as I see it, it's a large space to plant and the less water you have to use overall would be a huge lift on your overhead beautification costs.

Jay Thomas: I have never experienced a park management team so dedicated to something other than the dollar. I was in total shock when I saw your first post here...I mean, the owner of a major theme park coming to a fan-site forum - it's unheard of! Your new style of management is a breath of fresh air - your very ingenious use of these fansites for word-of-mouth advertising, along with actual proof that it's not just a pipe-dream (turning the park around) has got to be the smartest move I've ever seen a company make. I never ever thought Six Flags Magic Mountain could be more than an unattractive, sticky, twisted mass of metal and concrete - and I thought that I would never visit the place again (every experience prior 2007 has been mixed with extreme highs and extreme lows). But you're proving the mentality to be wrong - you've taken a park with massive potential and you're bringing it to that level. All I can say is bravo man - you've got a bright future ahead!

...huh, and we think DCA has a faulty theme? While I'm interested in the project, I find it really hard to believe that they're basing this idea of spies on an entire multi-million/billion dollar park. It feels like those crazy ideas you come up with when you're bored working on a 3d model in some chilly campus computer lab. If it works, then this will be a very very cool park - but I'm kind of leaning towards wtf right now. Even when trying to explain the theme, it feels so stretched out just to make enough sense to the potential investors to spend millions on this project.

i can imagine - But sometimes you just have to release your thoughts for the fun of it!

It felt like a great day to go and spend some time at Knott's Berry Farm. I hadn't been there in close to 3 years (besides haunt), and they were holding the canned drive deal where you bring a can and get in for $18 per adult. So me and my girlfriend decided to make a day of it, grab a can and play all day. We arrived at the gate, and the first thing i noticed was how large and looming SB's cobra roll was at the entry. I remember as a kid how this area was so well themed and seperate from the thrill of the park - a precursor to the fun day ahead. And while SB's cobra is so sick, it took a lot away from the entry plaza. The first ride we went on was, co-incidentally, Silver Bullet. So we rushed over to the coaster to find that there was absolutely no line. It was a thing of beauty! So after waiting 0 minutes through the queue, we were on and ready to fly over Knotts. Silver Bullet was a good chunk of fun, twirling and diving all around the front section of the park and the helix at the end - woo, pretty powerful! Next we went to Jaguar (which oddly enough packed a bit of a punch, moreso than i remember), Montezuma's Revenge and then Supreme Scream, Xcelerator (no line, walked right on), Boomerang...and the rest of the coaster circuit. Then, came my favorite coaster on the west coast - we saved it for last! I was so excited to get onto Ghostrider with no line (except waiting for the rear car of the train), but i didn't question why there was such a small line. When it first came out, Ghostrider was the pride of Knott's Berry Farm - an amazing airtime-filled screamfest with such speed and butter-smooth quality, racing through the intricate superstructure of itself. It was by far the best coaster i had ever ridden, so i was completely content as we waited to dispatch out of the station. I mean, no line, great ride, fun day...and then i realized something horrible. Ghostrider had not aged well. We sat in the back, thinking it was going to be the best seat in the house...ohh lordy we were soo wrong. When we launched over the crest of the lift hill, i felt sharp jerks all around...i knew this was going to be the most painful 2 and a half minutes of my life. Up the hill, down the hill, around the bend, down, up down, up - each foot of track seemed worse than the last. The mid course break allowed for temporary relief, but only lured the train to the edge...and down, up, down, up around we went for the rougher second half of the ride. And then came the helix... Now this section was plenty rough when it opened...and now it was probably the section that did me in. When the ride ended, i was pretty heartbroken. I mean, this ride was a pheonix of wood and steel..and now its no better than Psyclone. Its hard to lose a coaster like that...I wonder if they'll ever refurb it to its former glory. But as i sit here typing, my shoulders and my back are pretty f'd up - i don't know if i'll ever be able to go on that ride again. (sad realization #1) So after that, we left the park (did all the major rides in less than 3 hours), grabbed a bite to eat, and rested over at her house so we would be ready for the night. When we came back, the park was even more empty - which made for a very enjoyable evening. We did Big Foot Rapids, with absolutely no line. The bumper cars, Xcellerator again (only this time on the front car) and Supreme Scream. And as the sun went down, and my thirst for adrenaline quenched, i started to just enjoy the scenery. But to my surprise...there really wasn't any. Which brings me to sad realization #2... Along with the entry plaza, most of the park has lost its soul. I started recalling throughout the day what i had seen, the questions i had asked, and reverting back to when i was a child, and gaining a nostalgic perspective. When we entered Fiesta Village, i noticed that the area had lost a lot of its feel when they dismantled the Big Dipper (i think thats what it was called?) and the Spinning bucket things. Not only were the rides gone, but most of the flora was too. The fact that i could see straight out to the street shrunk Fiesta Village to the size of a Denny's parking lot. Everything just seemed incredibly small with no trees acting as visual depth. And when we arrived at Jaguar, the pyramid seemed so tiny. Maybe its because i've grown up, but i think its more to do with how much of the trees and plants have dissapeared all around. The loss of the lagoon, and the addition of Silver Bullet had really shrunk the area too. But along with Fiesta Village, the Boardwalk had lost a lot of its theme as well. Walking up to Xcellerator greets you with a large expanse of nothing. You have Coasters Diner pushed far back, midway games on either side, and then Xcellerator in the sky. Even historic buildings like the Boardwalk theater and the club nearby have lost their charm as they're upstaged by a lime green and neon purple Boomerang. When Windjammer was operating, even though it was a horrible coaster, it added a very live presense to the boarwalk. Xcellerator adds a strong draw factor outside the park, but not much inside. It's an expanse of steel, overgrown grass, cheap themeing, and concrete. Don't get me wrong, its an awesome ride. But it could never take the place of the Soap Box Racers. I also noticed Kingdom of the Dinosaurs is gone - another piece of Knott's history missing. It was a stupid ride, but it was classic and everyone loved it. And i think this all started making sense as soon as i went on the Calico Mine Ride - It all came at once - "This park has lost its soul" With each passing cavern - "This park is losing its identity". What it stood for, what it was, the attention to theme and detail, the beauty of the early west, the energy and the excitement of California - this park was the first California Adventure, long before Disney was even a company. And as we left the caves of the Calico Mine Ride, and the train opened up into the outside of the park, All i could see was Silver Bullet in the distance. And it made the park seem so small. All you can see whenever you look is Silver Bullet - In Fiesta Village, Silver Bullet. In the enterance plaza, Silver Bullet. Even in the ghost town shop area - Silver Bullet - the Indian trails - Silver Bullet. Columns of gray, red and orange steel expanding all over, enveloping everything into a mass of tangled twisted track overhead. This B&M invert had shrunk the park down to next to nothing. What used to be a beautiful church and lake, dotted with various willow trees, was now a massive coaster that looks like it doesn't fit anywhere. It might have been less stark if they filled the lagoon back in, but as of yet they haven't. But I'm digressing a bit - it was a sad realization to see the park in the state it was today, but it was strange how it didn't quite hit until the very end of the day. Maybe thats why it is the way it is - nobody cares about the theme Knott's was built on anymore - just as long as there are enough new rides to justify spending $33 for the day. However, I had a lot of fun today - It was good to get out and get my coaster fix for $18! I hope you enjoyed my read - sorry if you didn't! haha. I just needed to get these thoughts out somewhere, and i decided the best place would be here. This is a pretty fantastic community and always a reliable source of information, and media. Thanks for listening! mike.

Give me a parking structure, then I'll go to Six Flags. I mean, seriously - this park's idea of making money is in short term season bursts where you spend 4-6 months putting up a new generation rollercoaster, so you can be ready for a summer crowd. But even in its 45th anniversary, this park is the same dump its been for decades now. And i know I'm preaching to the choir - but i have to get my thoughts out. Honestly, this park is not all that bad - but add on the hour and a half drive to southern central californian hell (july in full heat), theres just no tangible reason that you even want to visit. It's location is the reason its still there, but its also its biggest crutch. In full heat, the park becomes rediculously sticky, where it feels like you're walking in the sweat and dried up gum of everyone around you. And thats enough to keep me away from the park. I absolutely love roller coasters (ever have since i was little), but this is no grand empire of beasts. This place is like Las Vegas - flashy attractions all around that distract you from noticing the slum you're really in. It's not a place to admire the view - it's a place to ride everything you can in a small amount of time while dodging loads of sweaty people. haha. So the first thing that SFMM should consider is not a Maverick, or an X-tend coaster (please no) - it should be a closed parking structure (well, as closed as you can with seismic building codes) that gets you from your car to the entrance without the use of a rickety tram system. Something about waiting 15 minutes for a tram that can't accomodate everyone waiting at the gate in a 100 degree dry heat, just isn't the best way to start out your fun-filled day. Taking the walk from colossus, or scream! is just as bad, but usually more desirable! Imagine, having a structure that could accomodate at least 75% of the total space currently in the parking lots. Having that as your first experience instead of the Sarahan trek would be so much more desirable, at least i think. And it gets better: There would be enough parking so that no-one has to park in the dirt! Imagine that. Before theres a huge "placement" plan (haha, we've heard that how many times?), they need to just start with the basics of customer service. That starts all the way at the beginning - treatment of their staff. I don't know too much about how SFMM treats their staff, but from a customer standpoint, not all that well. But i think I'm talking too much soo... Its good its not getting sold, and while i would like to see my plan go into action - it probably won't. And all these promises will not get realized. And Six Flags will fall ever deeper into debt. Not that I'm a pessimist or anything - but its been 10-15years of the same gameplan. I can't see them using a radically different strategy.