DCody

This is a cool (but extremely depressing) photo from Riverview Park in Chicago.

The Ace of Cakes himself just made an AWESOME roller coaster cake for my Coney Island wedding a couple of weeks ago. It kind of looked like Leap the Dips. This is not a great picture, but it shows the detailed little car containing sugar replicas of our two dogs. (We were "riding" in another car up top.) Roller coaster cakes rule!

I would have the coolest collection of flats ever. Chance Zipper, Chance Turbo (yes!), Eyerley Rock-O-Plane, Herschell double Ferris wheel, flyers, and a custom-made KICK BOODY. Maybe I'd even try to buy the Fly-O-Plane off Lake Winnie or the Skydiver from Lakemont. We'd be all about flats at Diablowood. I would also have an insane classic haunted house, a Schwarzkopf Doppel Looping and a world-class, airtime filled woodie. I'd want my park to feel like Knoebels or Idlewild. Not a ton of attractions, but everything quality. And plenty of trees and awesome food! Dreamy.

Went to the Mountain last night around 6 or 7pm. While I wouldn't necessarily describe the evening crowd as "light," Terminator was pretty much a walk-on. We waited about 35 minutes for Deja Vu and at least 45 minutes for X2 around closing time. I was a little disappointed since we'd been hoping to get more than one night ride on X2. Still, thumbs up on Terminator. Oh, and I'd never ridden Goliath at night before-- the first drop is sick!

(slow clap) I'm psyched about this. Carowinds needs this big time, and I'm always up for riding another "beautiful blonde" with a snug clamshell.

I have to add Mindbender at SFoG-- a steel looper with stand-up air in spots! Unbelievable.

The end of Mystery Mine is insane, especially that hang-time moment in the last inversion. It redeems the relatively tame beginning of the ride. I also like any ride that ends with a fun hop into the brakes. I remember Ride of Steel having some great air on the last hill into the station. Goliath at SFoG, too. Tatsu...saves the best for last. Ninja's ending is such a let-downl! A lift-hill into nothingness?

Awesome! What a great sight. A beautiful Schwarzy looking ready to roll again. Lots of Germans are about to experience a delightful grey-out on that second loop.

I don't normally hold anything against the GP, but I heard something on Thursday that really made me laugh: Girl walking past Terminator: "That's the same roller coaster that was always there. Why are they saying it's new?" Guy: "I know. They just put some new signs on it."

I realize Arby's gets NO love, but I absolutely crave their roast beef sandwiches. The more Horsey Sauce, the better. After that, I love In-n-Out (one of the best reasons to move to LA!), White Castle, Carl's Jr, Chik-Fil-A, and good old McDonalds. Come to think of it, I just like fast food! All of my friends are California hippie types who are appalled that I'll go to McDonalds, but dang, you can't beat a Big Mac and one of those new diabetes-inducing iced coffees.

All right, I'm gonna weigh in with my (inexpert) review... I thought the ride felt super fast, smooth and exhilarating, like a GCI ought to be. I was immediately conscious of the fact that this ride is HEAD AND SHOULDERS above all other California woodies. The sensation of "good wood" was especially refreshing, having ridden Ghost Rider last weekend. I almost thought I was on the East Coast or something for a minute. I loved the tunnel (excuse me, THE TUNNEL!), loved the first drop, and I did get some air in the back row. Nothing insane, just a nice pull. Theming was awesome...BUT. The onboard audio is deafeningly loud. I mean like irresponsibly loud. Hearing-damage-loud. Maybe some people are into that, but for me, it was actually more distracting than immersive. Overall, I think this coaster is a much-needed addition to the park and an important ride for Cali. And yes, the theming and show are probably the best I've ever seen in a Six Flags park.

^^ Thanks, guys! I hope one day of coaster-riding on my part won't send Season 2 down the tubes.

I am going to Media Day next week (apparently writing goofy columns for Entertainment Weekly makes me a "journalist") and I am so excited! I've never ridden a brand-spanking new woodie before. (Insert joke here.) My co-writers on the show are all making fun of me, since I'm skipping work to nerd out at SFMM. I'm like "It's Terminator, y'all! SUCK IT!"

Trevor at Waldameer. Live and in person! Check out those moves. By the way, I never thought I'd be included in any category with Michael Jordan, even peripherally!

Last time I saw one was at the Minnesota State Fair in about 2005. I was working for the newspaper at the time and I made sure to write a little blurb about how cool and rare the Herschell double ferris wheel is. I won't ride one, but I LOVE to look at them! In my hometown, they used to set it up so close to the Zipper that you could spot your friend on the Sky Wheel while you whizzed past in your Zipper cage. Sorry I don't have any info on where these things tour.

I was at SFMM on Saturday. It was also a glorious day, and except for the "running of the bulls" for X2 in the morning, many of the coasters were practically walk-ons. And I got my first glimpse of Terminator in the flesh (or in the pine, as it were.) In other news, a dude next to me on Riddler's puked. Can any ops enlighten me as to what the typical clean-up procedure entails? Because it looked like they just told no one to board the train, then sent it through a cycle empty. Do they just hope the puke flies off? EWWWWWW! Can't wait for that gold Q-Bot! I used one for the first time at SFGadv a few months ago, and it was the perfect way to have a manageable day despite the insane crowds.

The Sizzler is wild! I fear for anyone who rides with me, lest they be repeatedly slammed into the side of the car by my Hip Bones of Doom. I rode one about 10 years ago at a fair in Iowa, and I remember actually screaming in terror.

The proximity to In-n-Out alone ensures your success! (Or theirs. ) This looks like an awesome waterpark; that's so friggin' cool that it's yours. Way to make an idea become reality.

Oh snap! I'm not a credit whore, but a Haitian coaster is too weird/cool for me to pass up.

Hopefully the restraints will be gentle on the "McNuggets."

Sorry to dredge this up this thread. I was at a fancy party tonight, and a friend of mine randomly told me that one of her new clients is a bigwig at a Singapore theme park. Anyway, she said that the guy told her that the park is about to construct a stand-up AND sit-down coaster that intertwine. I knew she had to be talking about Universal. And now that I've read the thread, I see that she definitely was. I wonder if she confused stand-up with suspended? Anyway, that's all I got-- just some confirmation from a random, non-coaster-y person. Sounds like a badass ride.

I'm registered! I'll be counting the days until then.

I absolutely recommend the Flashpass. I wouldn't do SFGAdv without it! The lines for Ka and Toro can get kind of silly-long. And yeah, skip the Dark Knight unless you're a total credit fiend!

I was so disappointed after I first rode it last year. I was blown away by the layout and overall grand scale of Ghostrider, but the ride itself was just brutal. And I am generally tolerant of rough woodies. This could be such a treasure if it was properly maintained.

Aww, I kind of like goofballs who say "loop de loop." It makes me think of friendly old Midwestern men. "Well, you got a loop de loop after that big hill right dere, and then you do a triple-dipple whirlygig, and then there's some kinda whoopsie-daisy maneuver and then you fly right into 'em little baby hills!"