Satchboogie3

Thats a good question... granted you led it in a weird way. I visited Six Flags New England today(a whole 3 hours - family problems) and there were very few lines in the park. S:ros had about a 10min wait for the 3 hours i was there. The price of gas has really driven (pun) people away from the parks, especially those that aren't close to huge cities.

I wouldn't necessarily call it "elitism". Some rides are good, some rides are great, and some rides aren't worth riding. Millennium Force was GREAT when I rode it in 2000, but it was because of it's monumental size (at the time), speed, and scope, but also because I hadn't ridden that many coaster's yet. Now, 8 years later, it still delivers a great ride, but there are a lot of new coasters that are much better, taller, faster, etc. A lot of people also look for certain things. For me, I want intensity and airtime. Goliath at SFMM is high up on my favorites list because of its "helix from hell". S:ROS is at the top because it has the best blend of speed, intensity, and airtime. El Toro also. Millennium Force is fast and has some spots of intensity (bottom of first drop), but it lacks airtime and overall intensity. For most enthusiasts, airtime is the name of the game when it comes to hypercoasters and wooden coasters.

Super: Ride of Steel at Darien Lake/ Six Flags America were "uber" lame for me. I was expecting to get some good speed and airtime on the coaster, but I got neither. Half the ride was just straight track and the giant helices were boring as hell (I didn't feel the bone crushing force that a helix should induce). I didn't get a whole lot of airtime either, as the first few hills were too tall and the train lost too much speed for the last few small hills. Honestly, I think riding a bike is more thrilling than the S:ROS at DL/SFA. I also have to defend S:ROS as SFNE. I just was there this afternoon and rode it (unfortunately only got one ride because my sister got sick. Ended up spending less than 3 hours there... for a 2 1/2 hour drive.). It was fast as ever, the helices were forceful, and the airtime was as good as it gets (and I was in the front).

I also think that Viper at SFGADV had to have been the worst coaster I've ridden. I'm shocked by the amount of people who hated SOB. Sure, it can be rough and beat you up a bit, but heck, it's fun. I once rode it 8 times in a row in a downpour. Painful, sure. Fun, hell yeah! Sweet, powerful woodies that beat you up = awesomeness Boring, cloned Vekomas that beat you up = terrible ride

1. Riddler's Revenge 2. Chang 3. Mantis

Thanks for the replies, guys. The Yankee Cannonball had some great air-time in the back car, with some really intense/violent ejector seat airtime.

A couple years ago I got stuck on X-Flight at Six Flags Worlds of Adventure. When the train came back into the station the ride ops couldn't get the seats up, so I was stuck on my back in those uncomfortable seats for about 45 minutes. Other than that, I've been fairly lucky. I've been stuck on lift hills/brake runs for 5/10 min a couple times, but nothing big.

Goliath at SFMM back row is pure awesome. I can't get enough Helix From Hell. Bring me to the brink of blacking out and I'm a happy guy!

This is my first Trip Report! I had been planning on posting trip reports for years, but I've been too lazy. So I decided to start small with a nice family park. FINALLY, today, the t-storms cleared up (I want to go Monday, but the weather didn't) and I could satisfy my need for adrenaline... well, small park adrenaline. I've been itching for thrills lately as I haven't been fortunate enough to visit many parks in the last couple years (aka, I've been lazy and I had no money). I was at Six Flags Great Adventure last week and my addiction level is as high as it gets right now. Next week is Six Flags New England, so I spent some time in my home park... by myself (I think going to parks alone is underrated). The park was fairly busy (of course, what was I expecting after 2 days of rain ), but very manageable. I pulled into the lot a little before 10:30. I had decided to arrive a little after the park opened so I could get my shots of "Yankee Cannonball" from the parking lot. After parking I walked out and to my surprise, they were still testing the ride... about once every 5 minutes. So I just headed in and ended up taking the photos later. I soon found out the reason why it wasn't open... the park doesn't open their rides until 11:00am!!!! AHHH. I hate that. Oh well, time to walk around and check the place out (it had been a while since I was last there). Here are the photos: OMG, THE FLOOR!!! After this, I just rode The Yankee Cannonball a bunch of times and headed home. I was surprised at just how much air-time the Yankee Cannonball had in the back. Intense, violent ejector airtime. Just what I like! Turkish Twist. Great ride to go on after just having ate. Oh, but my stomach loves these rides! The food lines finally died down around 2:15, so it was eating time. I wanted a juicy burger, but the "cooks" were just killing the patties. Oh well, I'll settle for chicken. Notice the veggie packet. First time I've ever seen that. Cool looking water section. It was really hot out but I think that would get you more wet than a log flume. The Pirate Ship. I love these bad boys. If only it was an invert. After more than a half hour taking photos I headed back into the park. It was about 1:30 and I was hungry... but it was 1:30 and everyone else was eating... boy I can be stupid. Well, another water ride. I just liked the entrance... But nope, too wet. Close up of the first drop. Just one more, I promise. And some more... The park could sure use a make over. '70s style ride stations and white, brown, and hippie orange coasters aren't too appealing to the eye. After the ride I headed out into the parking lot to take some photos. After much delaying, it was time to ride "Yankee Cannonball", the real reason I was at the park. The line was still long, but I gotta ride it eventually. The random train photo while on the way to the bathroom. Until this. I'm not such a fan of "wet" rides. That certainly qualifies. The "Boston Tea Party" aka (as some poster said) The Ghetto Plunge. Looked fun... Ok, this is it, I swear. Not as generic ... I think... Original shot of the year... Next up was "Canobie Corkscrew". I've got to admit, I was more anxious to take photos of the ride than actually ride it. Looks great, but the ride... not so much. Another shot of it. "Extreme Frisbee", the newest ride in the park. Looked great... but again, the line was just too long. I hate lines. I walked by "Yankee Cannonball" but the line was just too long, so onto "Zero Gravity". I forgot how powerful some of these flat rides can be! (Yeah, I'm one of "those" guys who just rides the coasters a billion times) First ride of the day, "Star Blaster". I first looked at it and chuckled a bit, "A kiddy S&S Power Tower" I thought. Boy was I wrong, the thing packed quite the punch. Guess size really doesn't matter. Generic park entrance photo I always take.

Yankee Cannonball today, first row of the last car.

I'm in NH and Canobie Lake is my home park (30 min away), but I often refer to Six Flags New England as my real home park (2 hours away) because I go there far more often.

El Toro, Last week. Soon to be the Yankee Cannonball.

Ok sorry, gotcha.

Yes, Thunder Run isn't an exact clone, but it is just about the same ride as the Hurler's. Oh, and yes, the 2 Hurler's ARE clones. Check out rcdb. The point still remains that its at best an average ride.

I love the Beast for what it is. It isn't about airtime, it's about speed and thrills. It's about creating the feel of a run away train blasting through the forest and tunnels. I love racing through the woods and the final helix is breath taking. The Beast is still in my top #5 wooden coasters and I don't think that will change anytime soon. I liked Son Of Beast when I rode it a few years back. It certainly was rough, but I loved the speed and intensity and of course the loop. It isn't even close to as good as The Beast, but I wouldn't say it was a terrible ride. Maybe I'm just crazy, but I like rides that beat me up. I once rode Son Of Beast about 10 times straight, without getting off, in a downpour. The ride beat the crap out of my, the rain was like bullets in my face, and when I got off I felt like I had just lost a fight, but for some reason, I loved it. Maybe I'm just old school and wish I had been around for the day's of the classic woodies like the Crystal Beach Cyclone.

Yes, that's the only path across the road. I visited the park in '03 I believe, and it was a dump. Chang was alright, Twisted Twins was just boring and a waste of space, T2 is a painful clone, Thunder Run was average, but a clone I've been on plenty of times, same with Greezed Lightning. The park didn't offer a whole lot in flat rides and the park it self wasn't in very good shape. The food was bad, there was no landscaping (stuff just growing wild everywhere); the park felt neglected. I have to admit, I had visited the park in the middle of a coaster trip, so I basically went from great parks to the Six Flags ghetto park. It was after coaster con at Cedar Point and Six Flags Worlds of Adventure and Beast Buzz at Kings Island, and I also was at Six Flags Darien Lake, Holiday World, Dorney, and Knoebles, so maybe it seemed worse than it actually was. Maybe not. But yeah, I agree that a bulldozer would probably be best. Blow it up and start from scratch.

I gotta say, Raptorboy, thats a sweet shot of Dragon Khan.

I think I have to go with the defunct "Viper" from Six Flags Great Adventure. A very painful and boring ride. The exact opposite of what now lies in its place.

Some of my favorite shots of "The Beast" One of my few on-ride shots - "Thunder Run" at Six Flags Kentucky dump... I mean Kingdom. "Chang" The hardest coaster to photograph - "The Raven" "The Legend" "Wildcat" from Hershey Park I've realized that I like photos of wooden coasters far more than steel coasters.

If your a Pat's fan, Why did you put "I love Eli Manning" above your avatar? Come on.

How could you get on Brady and Moss for not going to the Pro Bowl? I EXPECT they wouldn't go after blowing the SB. Anyways, it gives other guys a chance to play. It really is a useless game though. Well, next season can't come soon enough. If it doesn't work the first time, try again. 19-0 next season.

It really depends on what you want in a ride. For steel, if you want air-time and speed, Superman Ride of Steel at SFNE is the top of it's class. If you care more about just height and speed, Millennium Force is great. If you want crushing +g's, Goliath will please with the awesome "helix from hell". If you want pure intensity, Top Thrill Dragster or Kingda Ka will deliver. For wooden coasters, I would suggest El Toro if you want speed and airtime. If you want just fun airtime, Phoenix at Knoebles Park is a great pick. Probably the best park to visit for wood would be Holiday World. The Raven and the Legend are both fantastic roller coasters and though I haven't yet ridden Voyage, most enthusiasts rank it in their top 3, if not #1. Other great notables are rides like Boulder Dash, The Beast (in my opinion, it's a must), Alpengeist, Nitro, Appolo's Chariot, etc.

Intamin. Millennium Force, Superman: Ride of Steel (SFNE), Top Thrill Dragster (Kingda Ka), and El Toro. My top 5 favorite coasters are all intamin. Plus B&M doesn't do wood. Intamin are creating some of the best wooden coasters today.

They must have made some improvements to SFKK. I remember going there a few years ago and the place was a dump. The staffing was horrible, the landscaping was running wild, all the rides' paint were warn and fading and bad. On top of that, the people (GP) there were pretty rude and horrible. But worst of all, the park was just boring. I didn't have any bit of charm at all. Not an ounce.

RED SOX ARE IN THE WORLD SERIES!!!!! GAME 1 AT FENWAY WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!!! WHOOOOOO LETS HERE IT!!! LETS GO RED SOX!!!! YEAH!!!!