Philrad71

That sucks that you went looking to get away from this crappy Great Lakes weather and pretty much had the same type of weather in Virginia. Doesn't seem to have spoiled your fun too much though which is good...looking forward to the pics.

I remember seeing this and thought it was an April Fools joke as well. I am not sure if they mean that the entire "burger" is all chocolate, or is it ground beef dipped in chocolate? Either way, I agree with your post - yuk!

^ Those ARE pretty stupid complaints and when I see a review start like that on Yelp, I immediately skip over it. With that said, however...I have been to three different churrascaria restaurants and was not overly impressed considering the steep prices. While the buffet offerings at all three were great, the meat was too overcooked/dry & tasteless for me at all three. Maybe I just hit them at the wrong time, but I was fairly underwhelmed and likely won't go back to another. If I am going to shell out $45-50 for meat, I would rather go to Salvatore's or Buffalo Chop House instead.

If I ate half of that, I would most certainly puke. I can just imagine a young' un polishing off one of those and then riding Joker's Jinx. lol

It certainly appears that they are trying to appeal to a wider audience with their beer selections. It seems as if there are way more shandy's, flavored and lighter beers than in the past. Preferring IPA's and stronger beers, this is kind of a disappointment, but there is still a pretty decent selection. Also, more food options is always a good thing! PS - To the person that mentioned liquor, no they do not serve it at this event. The only place to get hard liquor is at the tavern that Bill and Bert mentioned (although it's really watered-down moonshine, wine and craft beer) or Melt. Otherwise you need to go outside of the park to the Breakers (TGIFriday's), Famous Dave's, Bay Harbor or to a restaurant off the peninsula.

OMG - that coaster looks like a ton of fun!

To the point of wearing the gloves and hat, it's something we're used to up here going to CP during early and late season. What tripped us out was having to wear that winter gear at Disney World a few years ago and then at BGT this past December!

^^ Agreed. Hershey has such a great balance of coasters & rides, that even if Skyrush isn't your thing, you will still love the hell out of the other great coasters that they have there (Storm Runner, Fahrenheit, Lightning Racer, Comet, etc). Can't wait to get back to this park!

That is what I did with Michael taking the inside. I actually asked to see if the people boarding with us wanted wings, but it was a Dad and his young son and the kid wanted inside, so I took the wing. While I have only ridden Skyrush twice, I enjoyed it much more on the second ride than I did the first. Similar to I-305, once you know what's coming, it's a little easier to brace for some of those really tight, crazy-ass transitions. As others have mentioned though, I would have no problem whatsoever with different restraints that could make the ride more comfortable (ala Maverick and I-305). That and once you have ridden it a few times and know that it isn't going to launch you face first into the creek below at 100 MPH, it's all good.

In addition to what others have mentioned about Magnum, I would love to see them do this for Corkscrew as well. Everyone knows how iconic it is looping over the midway walkway, it would be a shame if they ever removed such a historical piece of engineering.

Love the "backstage" tour of Imagineering Studios - I agree with another poster that it would be like a dream come true to work there! The new lands certainly have a lot of pop and color to them too - love it! Thanks as always for sharing the behind the scenes stuff, Robb...always most appreciated!

Great report so far, Boldi! I also find it strange that I305 always has such a short line, but I love it! The past couple of times that we have visited, Michael will ride it but once and then I will ride it like 4-5 more times in a row...circling around like a giddy teenager to ride again and again. TT looks absolutely awesome too...so glad that you were able to meet up with other TPR folks as your combo of photos were all very good! Looking forward to BGW!

^ They have a poutine place in Buffalo that I would like to check out one day, Bill. Luckily for us, we have curds readily available here in most supermarkets, but I have yet to try making my own poutine...someday soon!

Home sick with a head cold and it's snowing outside on April 4th - uggh.

Awesome tie-in to Boblo, Andy...love photos of old, now defunct parks!

A baked potato eatery? I bet one would have a full belly throwing back one of those with a couple of Guinness pints! Thanks for the report, Chuck. I hope that the issue with the glasses gets straightened out as I would be blind as a bat if I had to take my glasses off. Although I usually wear contacts into a theme park, I have been trying to stop wearing them because they irritate my eyes so much.

This and nothing but this...otherwise it's all...... Seriously - what happened to patience and simply being excited for the OFFICIAL announcement? You're not cooler in anyone's eyes if you THINK that you know insider secrets in the amusement industry.

Can't say that I have ever tried Fatburger, Bill...what gives it any type of different flavor than say a Whopper or Quarter Pounder? Last Sunday, Michael and I went to another "local" restaurant about a half hour from here. The restaurant is called Pine Junction - Tavern In The Pines, and it is literally out in the middle of nowhere. Had it not been for the small signage, you would likely pass it and think that it's just someone's house/farm! My burger of choice for this day was what they called the Backwoods Burger, which is 1/2 lb Angus with melted Swiss & Provolone cheeses, "Kreeper Sauce" and deep fried pickles on a sub roll. I honestly had no idea what Kreeper Sauce was, but decided to try it anyway. Turns out it was only on half the burger and tasted like A1 sauce mixed with burger grease (wasn't a fan). I was interested in the deep fried pickles on there because I like them on their own as an appetizer. But they really didn't add much flavor to the burger and instead only contributed to the grease factor with the batter on them. I will stick to regular pickles if I have them on a burger from now on. While the presentation looked great and the spiral cut steakhouse fries were refreshingly different (as well as delicious)...the burger was a bit of a disappointment, TBH. 3 out of 5 stars for being too greasy and for simply not having enough flavor for my liking. I would have ranked it 2 stars, but I'll go with 3 because of the spiral cut fries.

I have seen similar shady things go on in my industry to the point where I have been totally disgusted and thought many times of just moving onto something totally different. Michael and I have discussions about this on what seems to be a nightly basis anymore, but it's also scary to think of packing it in and starting all over when I am beyond mid-career. My latest crazy, mid-life crisis idea is to quit my job, sell the house & move to Florida where I search for something that I really want to do. I don't give a crap if it's weaving baskets from palm fronds on the beach as long as I can make an honest living, live in a decent home and we can just be happy and warm! Michael survived a very courageous battle with cancer in the past year and I feel bad that he has to "enjoy" his retirement living in such a cold, unwelcome area (at least six months out of the year, anyway) while I work in a job that is literally starting to have some ill effects on my health. It's a dog eat dog world out there in Corporate America where anyone will do anything to make a name for themselves and get paid well in the process. It is honestly sickening to be part of that "machine" a lot of the time anymore. I don't "hate" my job, because my role is to satisfy customers - and I try to do just that on a daily basis. But it's getting harder when quality is sometimes sacrificed for profitability and volume and then I have to be the one to clean up the mess and explain the "quality spills and how/why they happened & what we've done to fix them" to the customers. And root cause usually ends up mostly being due to either design changes for cost savings, someone from Purchasing that has no f&cking clue and sources a sketchy parts supplier, or shoddy engineering due to inexperience. And if this is the kind of crap that is going on in the amusement industry where people could get killed as a result...that is VERY frightening!

I agree with others that Marineland is a very strange park. The admission price is crazy high for what they offer, but Dragon Mountain is one of the best Arrow's left out there. It was about 90 degrees when Michael and I went there several years ago and while I wanted to ride Sky Screamer, there was no way in hell that we were hiking Pike's Peak to get up there in that heat! I will let you know if we are going to be around at that time, Bert as we are only 1.5 hours from NF. We have plans for going away Memorial weekend and I would have to work on Tuesday/Wednesday, so it could prove difficult. But if plans fall out for that weekend, we could easily meet you up there for an afternoon. As far as things to to do in the area? As others have mentioned, there is a ton of stuff to do on the Canadian side that is so cheesy that it will just make you laugh. You can walk Clifton Hill (where most of the cheesiness resides) and just take it all in and decide which silly attractions that you might want to do. They do offer a combo where you can get the ferris wheel and choose from like four other attractions for about $30 Canadian, if I recall. They have various kiosks for the combo tickets on Clifton Hill, but we got ours right at the giant ferris wheel. The must do's are Maid Of The Mist (either side), Cave Of The Winds (American side), Whirlpool gorge just for the view (your hubby will likely sh%t when he sees the Spanish cable car. lol), & Journey Behind The Falls. Cave Of The Winds is in Goat Island park, which is the crown jewel of the American side - this meaning, it's a nice state park and don't venture into downtown Niagara Falls, NY if you fear for your life. lol There is Casino Niagara nearby if you wish to try your luck on the American side. It's the biggest building with big rainbow lights on it, so you can't miss it. Part of Goat Island park also has 3 Sister's Island, which has less tourists and will take you on a short, picturesque walking path right down to the rapids leading to the Horseshoe Falls. The Whirlpool Jet Boat is probably one of my favorite attractions and as Married A Canadian said, it will get you soaked, but there are rain coats and burlap jackets that you can wear so you don't get hypothermia. If you do venture up to where they do the speed boats, Niagara On The Lake is a nice little upscale village to park at and walk around out if you're into quaint specialty stores, wine tasting and cafes. As others have mentioned, Fantasy Island is only about 15 minutes from the Falls on Grand Island and is a fun little park to spend a few hours at a reasonable price. I would actually recommend this park over Marineland to be honest with you. If you are going to spend any time in the Buffalo area, let me know as I can recommend restaurants and a few things to do if you're interested. Not overly familiar with dining in the Falls as we normally don't dine there ($$$) and just drive back to Buffalo where it is cheaper for the most part. While I didn't try the buffet in Skylon, Michael and I did go the fancy/expensive revolving restaurant the weekend that we first met. It's pricey, but you get to go up for free if you eat there. And I recall the food being quite good there, so if you're scared of the buffet, but want a nice romantic meal, you might want to check that place out.

Bill - I haven't been to a barbecue place in a while, but Michael and I have already been discussing about hitting up some places when we go to Branson in May. Maybe even a stop in Memphis on the way back, but we'll see. For now, here is a "sort of" BBQ pic. I did a corned beef brisket, cabbage and home fries for St. Patrick's Day. Given that neither Michael nor I care for a traditional Irish-American boiled dinner, I dug into my German heritage and did fried potatoes and fried cabbage instead. And don't worry, I did slather part of mine with my homemade BBQ/hot sauce as well as part of it with a horseradish/mayo combo. Yum!!! Still more leftovers for homemade Reuben sandwiches!

As much of a horrible tragedy as this is, I just want to say kudos for the TPR members for keeping it civil on here and not posting a bunch of stupid crap. There have been a lot of very intelligent and well written posts in this thread - another reason why I like this site so much. Of course, I know that the mods wouldn't allow a lot of stupid crap to be posted so I laud them for that as well. Keep it up guys and gals!

We've been getting a lot of sun lately (surprisingly), but the cold temps just don't want to break. Right now it is sunny and 38. Time to go have a nice comfort meal (possibly a burger) somewhere!

^ They sound a lot like Depeche Mode - but that's never a bad thing, right? Looks like it would have been a great show - will have to check this band out!

I'll do everyone a favor and try to shake that green burger image out of our heads now that St. Paddy's Day is over. Last weekend, Michael and I went to a local restaurant called Guppy's and I ordered their Chipotle Burger, which is a 1/2 lb burger cooked to your liking (med.rare for me), with pepper jack cheese, LOTS of crispy bacon, topped with their own creamy chipotle sauce. My only beef (pun intended) is that I didn't order a side cup of the chipotle sauce for dunking my steak fries. Soooo good, but I still have yet to have a burger as good as the ones that I tried at Allen Burger Venture in Buffalo. I would give this bad boy a 4 out of 5 stars. Mmm...chipotle burger.