Airtime&Gravity

^So riding a Huss top spin would qualify me? lol Yeah, this is not a darwin award, but it probably belongs in a file of The Smoking Gun.

^Yeah well, he now seems to think that SFGAM needs a splash battle(going by Screamscape), so that means SFGADV would get one too. SFGAM and SFGADV already have tons of family rides, and a new major thrill ride is needed.(for SFGAM at least) However, I'd wait until 2010 for a new coaster if it meant a good dark ride, sky swat, or screamin swing over any coaster. I know Screamscape isn't a great place for reliability, but it seems to be correct fairly often lately. Shapiro's favorite park seems to be SFSTL or SFFT, as those two parks have had a lot of capital invested in them lately. As for SFMM's new coaster, it should be great if it is anything like EK. However, just like Dark Knight, teenagers probably won't like it, and families will love it. I'm not saying that is bad as SFMM could use anther family coster. However, the reviews I heard coming off of EK were a lot like Dark Knight. So while it will be great for families, in the eyes of teenagers, the media, and enthusiasts,(which the park will rely on to help bring people in) the coaster isn't that great. Now, I loved EK, so this will be great for SFMM, but I think SFMM will have a tough time getting people to ride this coaster.

Iron Wolf

For Flashpass, you can put up to six people on one system. Since it will just be you and your dad, it will cost around $70 for two people. I would suggest that you leave your camera in the car, and then pick it up later when you want to teak a break from riding coasters.

^Phantom's Revenge was like that when it was Steel Phantom In 10 years, I'm sure B&M will have come up with a new concept, Intamin will continue to raise the bar, Vekoma will continue its transformation, and parks will move towards more themed/family friendly coasters. Large coasters will still be built, but nowhere near the scale as in the 1990s and early 2000s. China will also add several new parks, and the world's tallest coaster will be built in China. I also see a lot of smaller parks closing, and larger parks will be bought out by competitors or after going bankrupt.

If you buy your SFGAM tickets online, you only pay kid's price. As for the flash pass, you select the ride you want from the rides on the system. A message on the screen will tell you to wait until the system can accept you(around 5 minutes), and you then go to the ride. Depending on when you go, you might not need it. If you only have a few hours available, then definitely get it, and if you visit on a weekend, then it would be wise to get one. As for Avalanche, it is worth the detour as it is such a great ride. Bring some extra money as you'll want to re-ride it over and over again.

Just because CF ordered three B&Ms, doesn't mean that WoF will get one. While still a major park, WoF is the second(maybe third) smallest park in the chain, and it would be better for CF to install the third B&M at a park like Kings Dominion. Sure a B&M would be great, but it is just not going to happen. A wooden coaster would make much more sense, as it would be cheaper, and it will still bring guests in.

If Six Flags goes under, I see Merlin Entertainment or Parques Reuindos buying the largest/original parks. I can see the smaller parks like SFA and Great Escape being bought by Hershey or Herschend, and SFKK would be resold to whoever just sold Magic Springs.(the owned it first) Of course, Worlds of Adventure Parks, or whatever the company is called, might try to buy SFFT. However, if SF goes bankrupt, it will probably be Chapter 7. The shareholders like the new management, but when the chain was owned by Premier Park, the company got financially crippled, and it is now coming back. As for the new management, it didn't help when they sold all of the parks they did in 2007 for so little, and it also didn't help when they bought Dick Clark Productions. They should have reduced their debt a lot more before they made any extra purchases.

Yeah, Sox fans do fight(there is a video on youtube of a fight after a guy tried to steal some woman's purse. A Cubs fan even joined in.) However, when I went to Wrigley last year, there was a fight outside behind the left field bleachers. Even though I've gone to more Cub's games than Sox games, I still cheer for the sox as they seem to be forgotten. Even after they won the World Series, a lot of the fans seemed to go away once the celebrations ended. As for me, I prefer minor league games more, as the seats and food are cheap, and the game is as entertaining as a major league game. The Peoria Chiefs(Cubs farm team) have a great stadium, a good team, and you can buy front row tickets 5 minutes before the game without going to a scalper.

Completely Useless By September Ok, that was harsh, and I will cheer for the Cubs because they are from Chicago. As long as they don't play the Sox, I want them to win. Wrigley Field does have one attraction that no other field has called: "Dodge the falling concrete."

Pace runs a shuttle up to SFGAM, but it is all the way out in Rosemont, or something like that, so while not far from Chicago, it would be a pain to get to it. I'm not even sure where it goes from(maybe the Rosemont Convention Center or All State Arena), but there is no easy way to get to these places without a car. CTA can take you out to Rosemont, but again, you'd have to find a way to where the shuttle is.

While Wrigley is a beautiful park, it is just a giant bar with a field in the center. There is nothing else to do there as fans and neighbors get upset whenever the Cubs want to add something. As some might know, they protested when the lights were installed. However, the thought of playing games at Busch Stadium made them change their mind. U.S. Cellular Field on the other hand, while not the best, sure isn't the worst looking ball park. Unlike Wrigley, there is much more than just drink beer. Going to a Sox game is a lot like going to a large minor league stadium with all the attractions and contests there are. The only bad thing is the area it is in, which is why night games at the Cell make the crowds the Expos got look big. Oh yeah, the Sox also have more World Series plaques than the team on the north side, which makes their park that much better. The new Busch Stadium and Miller Park are also really nice.

It is a cool concept, but I just don't see it being built even in Dubai. Even though it would rotate slowly, I just don't see anyone wanting to live in that building. I also remember reading not to long ago that Chicago was a possible location for one of these.

My last coaster ride was Viper at SFGAM on Saturday night.

I rode EK on July 4, and it is my #3 coaster. It is a lot like Avalanche, but with less airtime. It is a lot of fun, but I see trims being added sometime soon. All but one family that rode it loved it, and most teenagers didn't like it as "it isn't big".(a lot like TDK)

Mine are: Hades: it is fairly long with some airtime moments Cyclone(Lakeside): it is just a tunnel, but again, it is fairly long Evel Knievel: it's a downward 180* turn through the coaster structure, but the train builds up some decent speed for what it is.

My new list: 1. El Toro 2. Evel Knievel 3. Avalanche 4. Chang 5. Cyclone(Lakeside) 6. Viper(SFGAM) 7. Nitro 8. Hades 9. Raging Bull 10. Kingda Ka

Even though it may look like they still run the park due to all the concrete, Cedar Fair doesn't run Nick Universe anymore.

Roller coster designing is a very limited career field and you'd be better off trying to get a job somewhere else in the amusement field. While it would be fun, there are few openings, and I'd advise majoring in a business field if you want to work in the amusement field.

At Evel Knievel on Friday: GP Boyfriend: "Evel Knievel is the world's fastest wooden coaster." (after riding) GP Girlfriend: "No it is not." Usually I hear a boyfriend trying to impress a girlfriend with exaggerated statistics, but this time, it backfired.

^I loved it, it's my #2 coaster, and it was a lot like Avalanche. However, I can see some trims being added to it later, but I hope that doesn't happen as the sense of speed is incredible. Even though I was stapled into my seat each time, I still got airtime.

Evel Knivel yesterday Just like TDK, most teenagers hated it while nearly all families loved it.

Boss and Mr. Freeze were both pretty bad the last time I rode them. Boss was rougher than any of my previous rides, but, some of it might have come from being stapled into my seat. Mr. Freeze was awesome going foreward, but reverse is where it became unpleasant. My body was thrown around a lot, and my head hit the side of the headrest, twice, which really hurt. The tophat wasn't that bad in reverse, but the vertical spike and over-banked turn were just awful.

Is it "Bullet" at Flamingoland?

Well, some lawyer is trying to sue: Link