packfanlv

This does look amazing. I can't wait for your next update.

Thanks for all of the great pictures Brent. Your humor is appreciated and I agree that it didn't cross the line in my mind. I am really sad to know that S:ROS is running so poorly there. When we visited in May of 2007 it was running really good and was a ton of fun. I agree with just about everything you said about this park otherwise. I think it has a great deal of potential, but falls short in so many ways. Thanks again.

Tokyo Disney is so awesome!! I can't wait to see your photos from the parks.

You should go into the Blue Sky Cellar next time you're there and see all of the concept art for the renovations. Yes the new color scheme is going to be permanent for the new Mickie Mouse theme. I also can't wait for the Mickey Ears to come down! If Paradise Pier comes out to look like Toy Story Midway Mania does than I am all for it. Right now TSMM sticks out because everything else looks so cheaply done compared to it. Thanks for the photos Sean.

^Good point Elissa. The back of all of the SoCal tickets does say you must show ID at the gate.

I have used SoCal passes in the past and never have been asked to show ID. Instead of the two day park hopper, why don't you get a 2Fer ticket which allows for one day in each park without hopping. This is the same as a one day ticket and costs $69 for adults and $59 for children. It might help you save a few bucks.

The atmosphere in Beijing during the Olympics was amazing. For us it was a non stop combination of getting tickets, attending events and filling our extra time with sightseeing around Beijing. In this final part I will show you pictures from our last four events attended at the Olympics as well as the world famous Beijing Zoo. One of the most amazing things we were able to experience was the Cuba vs. U.S. baseball game. We ended up getting free tickets from an American lady walking by outside and were sitting right next to one of the two Cuban cheering sections. All I can say is, Cubans can be loud and annoying, but we had a ton of fun. The other three events covered in this report are Beach Volleyball, weightlifting and track cycling. Each venue and event had its good and bad parts, but we had a ton of fun at each. Of course, beach volleyball was probably my favorite event out of the seven that we attended. Ok, time to start the report. Any comments you have will be appreciated. I hope you enjoy! But we had the time of our lives! I hope you enjoyed this trip report from our time at the Olympics. I always enjoy hearing your comments! The food available at the concession stands, not so much! Seriously though, the atmosphere was fantastic! "Shawn stop looking behind me and take the damn picture!" This was really a lot of fun and we got to see the American men kick butt! Ok back to the action. "Dad stop taking zoomed it pictures of those women in bikinis so you can post them on TPR. It is a little embarassing!" Oh and the Olympic mascots were there as well. and while they cut to tv commercials we were entertained by these ladies. The action was amazing. Ok I'll finish off this TR with Beach Volleyball which was my favorite sport from the Olympics. We were only able to get one ticket, so Shawn Reece and I went alone. For some reason all of my other photos are no where to be found so this is it. We got to see two medal ceremonies and a world record so it was neat! I am going to skip Beach Volleyball for the moment and talk about our last event attended Track Cycling. This event was held in that wierd spaceship looking building in the background. For those on the TPR China Trip, you might have seen it since it sits right next to Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park. As the Olympics drew on the Chinese government began to crack down on scalpers and it became much more difficult to get tickets. Here is a final look at the venue. As the competition wore on, the men started getting heavier and before I knew it they were lifting over 600 lbs. All I can say about weightlifting is that these dudes are strong. A few minutes later we managed to get another ticket and we were finally on our way. Shawn Reece was pumped up! Finally this Spanish Judo athlete shows up and gives Jasmine an extra ticket while she drools all over the floor. No, I wasn't jealous at all. Come on! So we show up at the weightlifting venue and spend almost an hour trying to get tickets. Ok on to weightlifting. Jasmine looks ready to go!! For its one two three strikes your out at the old ball game! (The U.S. lost in the 11th inning because of a new rule that you start each extra inning after the 10th with runners on 1st and 2nd.) If they invade its a shame. For its root root root for the commies. I don't care if I ever get back. Buy me some pig snout and noodles. The whole game us Americans tried to out do the Cubans, but they are some f****en crazy people. Just behind the baseball fields was the building that housed the basketball competitions. It was designed to look like wheat. (Oh those clever Chinese architects!) Someone gave us these cool American flags sticky things and we did our best to represent them. Insert mob of loud and crazy Cubans here. It's time to head through the ticket gates. Ok enough with the zoo. Its time to head out to the old ball field. Thank you kind Northern California yuppy woman who's son is on the men's U.S. water polo team for the tickets! The other cool thing about this zoo was the speed boat rides. We didn't have time to take one, but they looked pretty fun. The Beijing Zoo has the second largest collection of Pandas in the world, behind the Panda Observatory in Chengdu. The Pandas appear to be taken care of pretty well. As you can see they have a lot of Pandas. It was the Panda collections we were most interested in seeing. Including saggy camels. While the zoo had a good selection of animals that you might find just about everywhere.... They even had a few children's rides. (Hey, this TR had to earn its place on this board!) The zoo is just outside the Second Ring Rd. (which defines the old city) and is quite spacious and green. Today we'll start off with the Beijing Zoo.

Ok. That makes sense. Thanks.

Thanks for the great TR Dave! It looks like you guys had a lot of fun last October. (I also don't think your photos are that bad.)

This does look amazing. I am looking forward to your next update! Thanks for sharing.

^It has been closed the past couple of seasons though, correct? It sure looked abandoned and shuttered when I was there in November.

^Agreed. Viper is a very solid woodie, probably Six Flags' second best chain wide. (Behind El Toro of course!)

I think that might be a little to upscale for SFMM, but agree that it would be a good fit. Whatever they put there, I think it is time for something, since if I remember right, the building is quite an eyesore. I also think they need to renovate those bathrooms that are in the old cable car building (I believe). That building almost looks like it is rotting. After seeing the changes that have taken place over the last couple of years, I have faith that they will get around to this area of the park. I am sure it is just a matter of time and money.

Your Christmas strip was very funny! I loved all of the other ones too. Thanks for sharing.

^You're making me feel old. Mr. Six was from only a few years ago.

^We visited that temple and bazaar and didn't see the amusement park. I am so bummed that we missed it.

Done. I hope it helps!

Thanks again for the trip report. We went to Hemisfair Park but opted not to go in the tower because the entrance fee was too high. Just looking at the BBQ makes my mouth water. We went to Rudy's Bar B Que in San Antonio and it was honestly the best that I have ever had.

Choconoy

^^I also agree this is true. Growing up in L.A. most everyone referred to Magic Mountain as just Six Flags. My wife having also grown up in the area still calls it Six Flags despite the fact that she has been to almost all of their parks. With that said, most people are aware that it is part of the national company. I always took it to mean the local Six Flags, kind of like when people say I'm going to Disney, without mentioning which park.

Not many theme parks have been around for 40 years let alone have classic attractions that have lasted that long. Besides, Disney loves to celebrate everything because of the nostalgia and of course, the merchandise!

I tend to agree with Elissa. Having been all around this country and to theme parks in other countries where I was the only westerner, I think it is just how one looks at the situation. Sure I felt a little uncomfortable once at SFGAdv when I was in the queue with about fifty urban New York teenagers, but they left me alone and I never felt out of place or threatened by them. The same goes for countless other situations at other places. I am married to a Mexican and my son is mixed and I have never felt out of place in a theme park, even in the south. Perhaps I am just being ignorant and not seeing it, but as they say, "Ignorance is bliss!"

^That is a great point. I definitely see what you guys are saying. Perhaps it would be better if each park advertised completely independent of the national company.

^I think it matters when they are advertising new rides. For example in one of the commercials for last year for SFFT they had shots of the drop tower complex, Texas shaped wave pool and the new (for the park) coaster Goliath. For a regional park it is important to drive attendance by getting as much mileage as possible from new rides and attractions. In this way they are advertising like you said, as the local Six Flags amusement park, not as part of a nation wide chain. For this reason I think each park needs to have its own commercials, but the Mr. Six segments can be the same in all of them. He doesn't need to take up the entire commercial like in the past, in fact I think short bursts of him will be fine, because he is really in fact a one trick pony. I hadn't seen many of the "More Flags More Fun" commercials until yesterday when I went to Youtube. I think they are more effective than the old Mr. Six commercials in selling each individual park. That is why I think they will use this same style in the new commercials with Mr. Six replacing the "More Flags More Fun" guy. Here is an example of the SFFT commercial which mixes generic footage, park specific footage, the More Flags More Fun guy and voiceover to creat a nationally branded local commercial that highlights the park in general.

It is really looking great. I have never had random breakdowns with RCT3 on the PC. I have a feeling it is because you are using the Mac version. I wish that I had the patience to create something this detailed, but I always get frustrated after a few hours. Thanks for sharing.