Philrad71

Again...welcome to America. Seriously, this is the way a LOT of people act here now unfortunately - constant complaining about everything with little emphasis put into a friendly demeanor, cleanliness, polite manners and/or decent appearance. It just seems like there are so many people in America that are unhappy and just generally like to complain about everything. I liked the way you put it in that this country has a lot of potential, and it's just sad to see that entitlement, greed and general lack of respect for other human beings is becoming more and more of the norm these days. Speaking to hotel breakfasts, personally we know what to expect from American continental breakfasts so we will usually skip them and Yelp a good nearby restaurant so that we can enjoy a better breakfast. If you're in a hurry and don't mind grab & go items, the hotel breakfast's will work just fine. But I would rather do a nice, sit-down breakfast that will hold my hunger in check until later in the day at a theme park. Those are some great photos once again! My opinions about the coasters at KD are about the same as yours. I305 seemed almost too intense for us the first time we rode it before the re-profile, but it has since shot into my Top 3 during our past few visits when I was able to go 3-4 times in a row with little wait times. I agree that I prefer the back to the front - such an exhilarating ride! Eagerly awaiting your future reports/updates!

Like Prozach said - Welcome to America. While there are certainly a lot of Americans that are just plain lazy and don't get enough proper exercise or watch their diet, I feel that a lot of the obesity epidemic is what the FDA allows food manufacturers to add into their ingredients - a lot of which are banned in Europe and other continents. It's pretty sad when we have to practically read the labels on just about everything we buy at the market anymore, because even things that can be touted as "healthy" can sometimes be misleading. When I was growing up, there were no morbidly obese people. Overweight yes, but it was pretty rare to see someone that topped 250 pounds. Now it is very concerning to see some of the folks out there that are tipping the scale at well over 300...and it is sad no matter what the cause. It's interesting that you made that observation because I mentioned to my partner during our visits to Europe that you don't see nearly as many obese people...and it was extremely rare to see morbidly obese people (like you see riding on the scooters). And if you think that there were a lot of obese people at BGE, go visit Dollywood and watch people practically stampeding to the scooter rental place at rope drop...it was crazy, sad and somehow strangely comical all at the same time. Also wanted to mention that your photos were fantastic. As I mentioned in coasterbill's report - any trip report of BGE or BGT is a win in my book because they are two of my favorite parks. I agree that the theming in some of the countries is a bit "off", but it is still one of the most beautiful parks in the US. Thanks for posting!

Great report as always, Bill...always love it when anyone does BGE or BGT reports, but your comedic commentary makes the reports that much more fun to read/view. Your Mom really looks like she had a blast too - that's awesome!

Great report with some fantastic photos, Boldikus! I agree with you and others that it is really one of the most complete parks out there. With that said, I really need to get back to Hershey! They have a great brewery just down the street in Troegs and another great restaurant called Arooga's not too far away. Any restaurant that has a wing flavor called Coal Cracker has to be good, right?

We made the mistake of riding the Volare at Rye Beach. Needless to say, we skipped the one at Canada's Wonderland. Love the sign though!

^^ OMG...just wow. I had read a couple of other posts from that same person and wondered how long they would last on TPR. Didn't want to make a scene, but I admit that I was little overwhelmed & upset by that person's response over in the CP thread. But that message...takes absurdity to a whole different level. SMH.

I had a feeling you would appreciate that trip report Yeah everyone their was so friendly, I was shocked when they said we could ride two closed rides. Usually when a park is closing, the staff's mentality is for everyone to get the f*ck out, mine included. Yeah, chalk me up as one that appreciated the report too...CW is much more fun when you're buzzed. ^ Winterfest at Wonderland is a great idea because they don't usually get the lake effect snow that Sandusky can get. I could see more reluctance there versus CW, but it certainly sounded like they were exploring all options to see if they can make it work somehow.

^^ It looks like there have been some restaurants around the SA area posted in our Good Eating Near Theme Parks thread. I also seem to recall some of our TPR members mentioning good BBQ around that area. I believe Larry (aka larrygator) has a trip report out there with regards to BBQ joints in the South and Midwest. Have fun! Link

I love that photo of the old, quaint street (and Hansa looks good too)! And what I love about that photo is the fact that you do not see ONE piece of litter on it. While I know that not every city in Europe isn't as clean (thinking Naples here), most seem to follow a standard of cleanliness that you simply don't see here in America. That speaks volumes for the people and the pride that they have in their towns and cities.

I was going to post something about that one...I admit that I get a bit nervous on the screaming swings at first and then embrace being terrified and by the end of the ride, I'm screaming in glee like a little girl. As others have said, if the ride cycle was a bit longer... With that said, while I want to try the one at Glenwood, I wonder if I would take one look at it and go "Oh, hell no!" similar to what I said when we went to the top of Stratosphere in Vegas!

^ An interesting article - thanks for posting! I agree that it will be nice to see the boardwalk revamped on that side. It is a great walk from the resorts if you want to skip large chunks of crowds to get to the front of the park a bit faster. Very scenic too. Edit - I also want to apologize to everyone with regards to a couple of political remarks that I made as I know that this is not the place to air political views. I should have left well enough alone, but sometimes my passion gets the best of me. My intent was certainly not to start a flame war, but I guess given today's sensitivity on the subject, I should have known better. Again, my apologies - especially to Chuck and the mods for having to clean up the thread.

I would love to see Buffalo get something like this! We do have an outdoor "museum" of sorts called Griffis Sculpture Park that has a lot of very odd-looking metal, steel & cast "art" which you can climb on and in, which is pretty cool. It's all spread out over two locations on hundreds of acres, so you can really get a work-out if you want to explore and see all of the sculptures.

So what do you all think of the season so far? Obviously the biggest news of the season (other than kneeling) has been Aaron Rogers going down as well as the Patriots maybe not looking as invincible as they have in the year's past. Based on that, I have absolutely no idea who will play in the SB this year. Philly and KC are the hot picks right now, but I am not quite convinced that either will make it to the big game. KC in particular has looked a bit vulnerable in the past couple of games and there seems to be a lot of mediocrity in the league this year. I guess if I had to make a prediction right now, I would still have to pick the Patriots as the team to get in from the AFC (even though it makes me want to throw up in my mouth) and despite not having the greatest of record right now, I am going with Carolina from the NFC. And if I say that the Patriots win 38-35, Brady damned well better be retiring after this one!

^ That IS great to hear considering what happened last weekend!

Great start to the report - love reading and viewing Japan PTR's!

Sorry - I just had to...

Because we saw a unusual design for a lift hill, the ride's budget and the park's use of new 'coaster tech' and wondered if it could be something different? Don't see anyone claiming they know of any secret element, especially given the park's use of 'groundbreaking development' and 'world class experience' rather than the 'world first' or 'record breaking' mottos of recent additions. If speculation is frowned upon then god help the people discussing what Epcot's Guardians of the Galaxy coaster could be. You have to keep in mind that it's not just about the speculation over this particular coaster. It's about the speculation over this coaster being the continuation of a long trend of each new AT addition being wildly hyped up and overblown, then failing to deliver upon said expectations. Here are some examples: Rita: Advertised as the ""Fastest Roller Coaster Yet", a whole whopping 61.1mph in 2005. Thirteen: Already covered ad nauseum by Robb. "Scariest Coaster Yet!" Yeaaaa, not really. Smiler: "Most Inversions, Yay!!" Yes, but the layout is really just two 7-loop coasters fused together. Not as impressive as if it was one full circuit. The rest of us are all burnt out on these "over-promise / under-deliver" situations. Each of the coasters above are widely considered to be "good, fun" coasters, but nothing near the hyped up versions some AT fanboys want us to believe they are. History is repeating itself yet again. Well said!

Count me in as someone that wishes that they had screaming swings and giant frisbees at every park. Both are the best flat rides this side of a Tilt-A-Whirl, Zipper or a Rock-O-Plane. I have been fortunate enough to be able to marathon Skyhawk on Friday night's (when it used to be open - booo!) at Halloweekends. I think that I rode six times in a row without leaving me seat. So much fun once you get over that terrifying feeling of being damn near almost upside down without an OTSR. I have noticed that several drinks or beers helps you get over that fear a lot quicker too! Pull the trigger and make it happen KD! I would be all for them removing Crypt for a screaming swing.

Any trip report that starts with currywurst (and anything else German) is a win in my book. Looking forward to more!

Some decent photos - nice to know that there is a Hampton Inn that close to the park.

Not to mention that they feed horses to the kings of the jungle!

It really is a great place to have a beer or drink, although I admit that we did spend more time there than we probably needed to during our past couple of visits. But damn it, did it make for some really fun night rides on Beast and Diamondback later on in the evening!

Wait, I thought that there was some Intamin conspiracy going on that would shut all of their rides down at CF parks if they didn't pony up the cash for new ride swag?

That looks pretty damned intense to me...and it looks like a ton of fun!

^ Daaaammmn Mark...sorry to hear of your past medical conditions, but glad that you're mended enough to finally get on some coasters and rides! Hopefully we will be able to get Michael on some rides again after his cancer scare, horrible surgical snafu's and extended hospital stay, but one step at a time.