Philrad71

With regards to the removal of Firehawk, I am in the camp of being happy that something bigger and better will replace it. It was an okay ride, so if they relocated it to Michigan's Adventure, Valleyfair, KK or Worlds Of Fun, I would likely ride it if I went to one of those parks. But that awfully sloooooowwwwww dispatching though...yuk.

^^^ You're absolutely right about some malls being a dying breed. The Galleria Mall in Buffalo is something similar to MoA, although smaller in size with no theme park. But in its defense, it has lots of premier restaurants, bars, hotels and such either attached or right next door...and the place always seems to draw a huge crowd. Hell, all they'd need to do is add two more levels, add an indoor water or amusement park and an aquarium and they'd have pretty much the same thing.

^^ The original is definitely better and more creepy!

I wonder if it could have been on Magnum's station roof...aren't there skylights on the roof? Thinking about it (if this were the case), it would be hard to get a cherry picker or Lift-A-Loft to that roof given it's location, so crash/fall prevention could have been difficult. The repair personnel probably just used a ladder and up they went. Probably have done it more than once. It would be nice if the media would follow up with the whole story and outcome, but I doubt they will.

Awesome...I need to experience Phoenix in glo-motion during my lifetime!

Looks amazing! I'd also need to rent an escort...or Bert can save the money on flying over a middle aged guy from Japan and I'll just go with him! LOL

Sorry about the injury, Bert...but you've been a trooper! Looking forward to CP!

Getting caught up with a lot of the reports here as I (like Prozach) haven't been on much lately. Great report Zach, but sorry to hear about the sushi incident. I have been to parks where I wasn't feeling well and it's not fun. Never food poisoning from the night before though...mine were all from the liquid variety. lol

Got to check MoA out a couple of times during work trips, but Valleyfair has been closed every time (offseason). I've always said that something like this would be a huge hit in Buffalo - where it's also winter for 3/4 of the year.

Can't say that I was expecting this, but glad that I came in to check this report out. LOL

Great photos of the FLW house as well as downtown Pixburgh (local referral - lol), Andrew. I still haven't made it to Graycliff near Buffalo, but it looks like it might pale in comparison to Fallingwater. Still a huge fan of his architecture, nonetheless and sure it would be spectacular. And of course...Southern Tier for the win!

I really hope that the Aerosmith song on the carousel wasn't 'Dude looks like a lady' or 'Love in an elevator' as that would make the experience not only disappointing, but very awkward and weird.

Great shots, Bert...looked like an awesome tour. Love that TPR can make things like that happen!

Great reporting of the PNE as usual, Bill! Love the food, beer, rides, strange exhibits...I'd love to check this out sometime!

^ I had never heard that, but if he was...yeah, definitely not cool.

I think it should be mandated that every theme park has an Oktoberfest!

OMG...love both of these announcements! I think that I said in another thread that every park should have a giant frisbee and screaming swing!

^ I was never a hunter, but when my uncle got shot and bled to death in the woods from some a-hole that shot him as it was turning dusk, that sealed the deal for me. Another great report. Rai! You guys should have ventured down to Troeg's Brewery right down the road from Hershey if you like good PA microbrews. The brown butter and rosemary salt popcorn went well when paired with a beer sampler - and the other menu items sounded pretty good too!

If you want crazy, weird early industrial stuff, try listening to Godflesh, Swans, Scorn or God...that shit'll give you nightmares right there. They ought to play more of this type of music at the Halloween Haunts - guaranteed to scare the crap out of a lot of people.

^ While I didn't vote for him because Obama was the better candidate, I did respect him as a Republican congressman because he wasn't afraid to reach across the aisle if it benefited most Americans. And yeah, being a veteran and P.O.W. makes him a hero in my book - despite what our dumb-ass president says.

Yep - I live close enough to the PA border to know that the first day of hunting season is akin to a national holiday. I can't book vacation during that time because so many of my co-workers slap that first day (and often times the entire week) on the vacation board as soon as the new year rolls around. Well, actually I could because I have team seniority, but I'm not going to be a dick.

^ LOL - count me in as well!

I have certainly noticed that over the years, Larry...just as I have noticed that certain restraints definitely cause more pain to me due to my thin frame. For me, the Gatekeeper/Valravn vests and Skyrush's restraints cause me the most soreness in the following days. Not to the point where I won't ride, mind you, but it's certainly most noticeable where the B&M rubber vests lock against my bony collarbone. But yet I have no issues with any of CP's other coaster restraints at all - including SV and Magnum. I seem to recall that Elissa mentioned that a while back that those vests also hit her uncomfortably there and my sister (who is about 98 pounds soaking wet) also mentioned it too - despite the fact that Valravn and Gatekeeper are her two favorite coasters at CP.

Penn's Cave could be an awesome themed dark ride called 'The Descent'...it looks a lot like the movie set. That burger looks great! I remember looking at the price of the golf course for an 18 hole round a few years back and thinking that either the golf courses are super cheap in rural PA - or this course really sucks. I'd like to check it out myself one day to see!

Ahhh...if I would have known that you did that slide, I would have had you ask my Dad about that one when we were at CP. I would have been curious as to what his response would have been when you mentioned that particular slide. We all did that one a few years ago and he somehow managed to cut his arm while going down and was bleeding to the point where we had to go First Aid for a Band Aid. Not crazy and needing stitches or anything, but we could tell that he was visibly shaken up from the whole experience. I don't think that he's been on another water slide since....he said "Fuck that noise - I'm too old for this shit. I'm sticking to the wave pools and lazy rivers from now on!" Which are the only two things that he and Lani did when we were at Cedar Shores a few weeks ago. Michael did it too and wasn't impressed either. Just a tad too aggressive when you're over 65, I suppose. I recall it being a very intense slide where you better close your eyes, plug your nose & hope for the best!