milst1

Thanks for the great photo TR. I was there last in the late 1990's and just *loved* Blue Streak. The place wasn't exactly thriving then but you felt it had a future. I went into the old pavillion then and just marveled. I love those traditional music halls that all the parks used to have. I guess the lesson is: Support your struggling local amusement park! -Martin

Ah, the kid asked me if Big Mike was coming and I had no clue who he was talking about, but now I know! Yes, the free bumper sticker was a nice touch!

I think parking was $7 if I remember correctly. And apologies, we didn't ride Derby Racer and I didn't look at the turntable to see if the horse motions were operating. I know, lousy report! Martin

I remember going to Rye a few times as a kid, mostly on summer camp trips and such, so I was excited about a return after more than 30 years. We got a late start and sat in traffic for most of the ride. This is probably the closest "major" amusement park to our home in lower Manhattan and should only take about 45 minutes. Of course, when we're at Cedar Point, we make sure to arrive in time for park opening. At home, we're lazy and didn't get on the road until almost 1pm. That doubled the normal travel time as weekend traffic snarls on the FDR, I-95, and the Hutch kept us at 30mph most of the way, if that. We finally broke free of the traffic and made it to Rye at about 2:30pm. Spiral lift on Super Flight Super Flight. This is a Zamperla flying coaster similar to rides at Elitch Gardens and Canada's Wonderland (for you North Americans). The spiral lift is a neat trick, but this was not my cup of tea. You're in a cage and I would fall back into the cage during the heartline rolls. Thank goodness for the heavy padding around the head but mine got smacked on the turns. Unfortunately I didn't get a great shot, but you've seen a very similar ride at Cedar Point called "Cedar Downs Racing Derby." Their model was originallly the "Great American Racing Derby" at Cleveland's Euclid Beach. These are the only surviving rides of their kind. You can find more info at http://history.amusement-parks.com/racingderby.htm Rye has kept a number of it's pre-1930 rides up and operating. Yes, Derby Racer is a Prior & Church Racing Derby ride. This was cotton candy made the old-fashioned way with tubs and paper cones. The line was really long! Dippin' Dots at Rye. My Dippin' Dots photo collection is growing by leaps and bounds. They had both Cookies and Cream and Cookie Dough, but only in individual serving packs, not in bowls. We prefer the bowls. I just wanted to mention the weird ugly green-topped collonades. These must have been added in the '50s or '60s. This was the most salient re-memory from my childhood visits. There's a beautiful green lawn through the middle of the park. At the end is the Music Tower with a performance stage underneath. Much of the architecture is done in the art deco style and the park is on the National Register of Historic Places. The fountain. One thing you'll notice at Rye Playland is that there is no admission gate! This area was a boardwalk with amusements, like Coney Island, until the late 1920's. At that time, public outcry over bawdy and noisy crowds pressured Westchester County to buy and develop the land. This is a public park! You only have to pay for rides, games, amusements, etc. Walking around is free! Every amusement park needs an ice casino! It was a cloudy day but not unpleasantly chilly. Yesterday's hight was 65 degrees. Here's the three young coaster guys and my wife Cheryl on the queue at Dragon Coaster. So we're on line for Dragon Coaster and I see a kid with a Millenium Force shirt looking at my shirt and he sees "Theme Park Review" and walks over really fast and we go high five, me and him and his friends. Jeez, I look like hell. Thanks for looking at our trip report!!! We actually didn't mind this aspect of the ops, which is unusual, right? Also, because of the pay-per-ride nature of the park, you have to scan your card or wristband at every ride. The park museum was closed but it looked pretty cool. They even have mini-golf near the water. Pretty cool. I love Hampton kiddy rides. Shit. Sadly, we were too tall for the 1928 Kiddie Coaster, an ACE Classic. Get your kids on it before they're too big. Whore credit for the day. Simply stunning Mangels-Carmel carousel built in 1915. Was originally at Savin Rock (my mother's home park in West Haven, Connecticut) and moved to Rye in 1929. If you grew up in the 70's in the New York area like I did, this sign has deep meaning for you. (spoken in gravelly old voice) We're not really into flats but there seemed to be a decent number of flats for a small regional park. But the Shoot-the-Chutes was not. Log Flume was open... Free performance by "The Daytrippers". They've got the early Beatles sound down pat. The Zamperla "Crazy Mouse", which seemed more brutal than the other mouse coasters we've ridden lately. We did, however, ride the Flying Witch, which Cheryl gave a "thumbs up". First of two haunted dark rides. We didn't ride this one. For some reason my wife runs hot and cold on dark rides. A House of Mirrors! Ah yes, a Mangels Whip! Kid would not get out of car. Morgan train on Church-designed Dragon Coaster.

Which park is bigger? We're going first weekend in May and now Sunday is a bit abbreviated because of an obligatory 6:30pm dinner date with an ex-boss. Can we do all credits in both parks in two days in early May? So far the weather forecast is for more chill!

Yes Yes, two health issues. First, I've found that I'm prone to dizziness and vertigo after riding on looping coasters, spinning coasters, and coasters that go backwards. For this I take the over-the-counter drug Meclizine in advance, which generally does the trick, but a multi-day coaster tour usually leaves me with occasional bouts of dizziness for a couple of days after. Second, I have some kidney stones lodged in my left kidney. They are due to be removed in the near future (surgically), but I found on a recent trip that on some extremely rough wooden coasters (in this case Rattler at SFFT, Texas Giant at SFOT, Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk), I had some serious pain in that area from banging so hard against the seat. I know, too much information. Good luck on your paper. Martin

Boardwalk Bullet at Kemah Boardwalk, Kemah, Texas

Nice photo TR!

^^^^^^^^^^^ Cool, thanks for the extra insight, GuruGuys. After painful experiences on Texas Giant and Rattler, it's my conclusion that Boardwalk Bullet is the the best woodie in the Lone Star State, even with an empty train stall. And overall we really liked the whole Kemah boardwalk setup, hotel, restaurants, etc. And let me note for all that Houston Hobby Airport is not too far from Kemah...we made it there in about 30 minutes right before rush hour on Monday. And I'm terribly sorry for Houston about the loss of Astroworld. I did that park in '96 too and loved the Texas Cyclone, even with the Morgan "coffin cars". -Martin

First, thanks to everyone for the very nice comments! Yes, front row was definitely smoother than back. We actually settled into the middle of the train for rides 3 and 4. I was astonished by the amazingly powerful sideways slam right after the first steep grade. There were also spots where the coaster seemed slow and "hung" while banking. The train also crawled at a snail's pace, literally, from the final brake run to station, but all of this could have been due to the fact that our trains were always light (few riders). I gotta watch the TPR video again now that I've been on it. We didn't carry anything around with us so I'm just not sure if they were enforcing a locker policy, sorry. Ops did generally suck but everything was open, and the crowds were really light so the ops didn't make much difference, with some exceptions: S&S Tower (Scream?) had only one tower in operation, Poltergeist only runs one train, Tony Hawk loading seemed really slow, and the line wasn't even that bad. Is this typical for this ride? This was interesting: We almost always get a Flash Pass, but when we went in to get it, they actually told us not to bother, they hadn't sold one all day. As a guest, okay, cool, saved me $101 (price of a Gold FP for 3 people). As a SIX shareholder, I'm thinkin' "Take the Money!"

This was our first trip of the year and I scored 19 credits (22 for my wife, Cheryl, and her sister, Lauren). Enough chatter. It's off to the airport and back home. Hope you liked my trip report! Re-rides were not a problem! I admit that I was a bit disappointed at how rough it is for a new coaster, but it *was* rideable. Yahoo! We had to wait for some maintenance issue to be resolved before opening, but open it did! Lovely views of Galveston Bay. Kemah Boardwalk! Tony Hawk! Fun! Dizzy! Then a *long* drive and an overnight stay in... From soaring to whoring. Pretty cool Scooby Doo shoot-em-up dark ride. Cheryl couldn't hit a barn door! You'll be charmed by its looks, but the Rattler is deadly. If only the ride were a fraction as good as the kickass sign. Yes, fun, flight. Fiesta Superman Superman Lift Hill Porn If I never see one of these again, it'll be too soon. This is the 3rd incarnation of this B&M inverted, re-dubbed "Goliath". It's finished and they need to build the station. A ride op told me the first riders will all be named "David". Hello, SFFT! Goodbye, SeaWorld San Antonio! I love theme park landscaping, and SeaWorld does it right. Is it a flume or a roller coaster? Yes! Shamu Express! Land sharks! Not a bad coaster sign! Power outage leaves riders stuck for several minutes on Great White. Steel Eel lift hill. Really really great ride. We rode 3 times in row. Amazing. And for my money, this is the best roller coaster in Texas. I know this is only 150', but it's an air machine. Definitely worth the trip. We drove back to Austin for the night and then it was another early morning drive, this time to San Antonio and the nicest park on our trip, SeaWorld! It's the *very first log flume ever*!!!! First ride was awesome, second ride jarred my kidney stones loose. La Vibora! I rode this 12 years ago when it was "Avalanche Bobsled". I love these things, they freak me out. Titan was my favorite ride in the park. Of course it went down as we reached the front of the line. You can see what a crappy day it was. Batman to the right. You were right if you guessed: "An animatronic Mr. Freeze". SF and the Gotham theming thing...I still don't get why they completely fetishized it to death. That's my rant. Now who would live inside an old abandoned Gotham City snowcone factory? Here's the flip side of that construction site. There are some signs of life, and we did see track pieces in the parking lot from the top of Titan. Here's the front of the new Tony Hawk coaster...not much happening yet. Shrunken junk and nipples pokin' b/c of the chill. We're at Guest Relations presenting our special letter from Corporate in NYC that says that even though our home park is SFGAdv, we can have our season passes processed at SFOT. Hooray! Oil Derrick Yay! After a 3 hr drive from my sister-in-law's in Austin, we're at SFOT pretty close to opening. Kinda cold and dreary for most of the day. That late Friday flight from JFK to Austin...

I recently interviewed Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA and produced a podcast which can be heard at Pat McCabe's podcast feed "A Walk In The Park" (about theme parks, roller coasters, etc.). I had a million questions about what the heck is going on down there in Brooklyn, and he boiled it down for me. If you're interested in Coney Island, this is an informative show. Please check it out at awalkinthepark.podomatic.com/ and it's Season 3: Episode 8. Thanks, Martin

There's a very interesting article in today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (the area's conservative leaning daily) that implies that not all of the owning families are on board with the sale. Kennywood owners divided on foreign sale By Thomas Olson TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, March 8, 2008 The sale of Kennywood Park is proving not to be as smooth a ride as management had bargained for. The deal to sell the storied amusement park and four sister venues to Parques Reunidos of Spain awaits approval from the Kennywood founders' dozens of heirs. But many, including an owner who sits on the board of directors, are not ready to punch that ticket. "I am very much opposed to the sale. It's just kind of getting rammed down people's throats," said Kay Matthews, a Kennywood shareholder whose grandfather, Andrew McSwigan, co-founded the park more than 100 years ago. Kennywood Entertainment, the parent company under sales agreement, is owned by the 76 descendants of the amusement park's two founding families: the Henningers and McSwigans. Terms of the deal require a "super-majority" -- not just 50-plus percent -- of both family members' votes in favor, said company executives. The Madrid-based buyer is still scrutinizing Kennywood's books and properties. "It's taking a little more time to answer all their requests for documents," said Peter McAneny, CEO of Kennywood Entertainment. He said the tentative agreement is in its third draft. Management announced an agreement Dec. 11 to sell Kennywood. The deal includes the park in West Mifflin, Sandcastle Waterpark in West Homestead, and Idlewild & Soak Zone in Ligonier, as well as theme parks in Bristol, Conn., and Glen, N.H. McAneny, who is not a shareholder, and a Parques Reunidos spokesman said they expect the sale to be finalized within four weeks. "As leader of the family, my goal is always 100 percent," Kennywood Chairman and former CEO Harry Henninger said. But with 76 different shareholder owners, "getting 100 percent of a vote on anything is like herding cats." The initial offer was about $200 million, all in cash, said some family members. Henninger declined to confirm the amount. "Some want to sell, and some don't want to sell," said Andrew McSwigan, a fourth-generation owner and, since 1971, one of four directors on Kennywood's board. "I'm on the side that doesn't want to sell." "Kennywood is a hometown treasure," said McSwigan, 69. "I spent my childhood out there and remember riding some rides while they were still under construction." Kennywood Park is set to open eight weeks from today, on May 3. The founders formed the original Pittsburg Kennywood Park Co. in 1906. Parques Reunidos owns 61 amusement, animal and water parks, mostly in the United States, and has annual revenue of more than $570 million. At publicly held corporations, a "super-majority" commonly means 66 percent or 75 percent. "Some have more shares than others, but nobody has the bulk of the ownership," said Jean McCague, whose father was Kennywood's president for nearly 40 years, until 1963. "I'd rather it continue in the family," McCague said. "Kennywood has been in our family for so many years that I'm against (the sale)." Kennywood executives would not spell out its super-majority threshold. Henninger estimated about 90 percent of shareholders at a meeting Downtown around Thanksgiving favored discussing a deal with Parques Reunidos. But that meeting and the Dec. 11 sales announcement confused some owners. Some thought they were voting whether to look at offers, not to accept one. "We had not signed a sales agreement," McSwigan said. "Parques Reunidos sent in an offer and wanted to look at the books, and that's all the shareholders authorized." Henninger said the late-November meeting left "a lot of confusion on all levels -- the management, the board, the shareholders and the press." None of the family members contacted would disclose their ownership stake. But the owners are spread around. Of the 76 owner-heirs, more than 50 percent live outside the Pittsburgh area, Henninger said. Henninger said that with increasingly scattered owners, some younger members start to see Kennywood as more of a passive investment than a personal legacy. "A child might be interested in dentistry, but wouldn't otherwise have the money to pursue it" without proceeds from a sale, he said. "Kennywood is Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh is Kennywood," said Matthews, who lives in Deerfield Beach, Fla. "It'd be like selling the Carnegie Museum to some conglomerate from Europe."

Unless you're really a credit whore (like some of us), you're better off sticking off with your original plan of the 4 parks in 3 days. JJ I'd say our 2008 travel plans would qualify us as "credit sluts", or perhaps "assistant credit whores". I'll take that advice. -Martin

Dare I ask...isn't Legoland in the area?

First, thanks for these great tips. We are CF and SF passholders so park entry (and parking for CF?) is taken care of. Given that, is it worth staying in a Disney-branded hotel? I think two of you have suggested spending parts of all 3 days in L.A. at DLR. Do hotel guests get those "extra-magic" hrs. in the evenings as at WDW? And is a 3-day park hopper with hotel package a good value compared with staying in a non-Disney hotel? Thanks again for all of the help. I know there's a ton of info out there and I've been reading about theme parks and listening to podcasts for the better part of a year but there is just too much info out there. I appreciate those in the know just answering my questions as they come and I'm grateful for your patience. Thanks! Now can someone point me to the thread on attacking Magic Mountain? -Martin

We will be in California May 3-7. We are spending the first couple of days up north with family and hitting SFDK, CGA, and maybe the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for the first two days. I'm wondering if it's possible to drive from SF and hit the four majors in LA (DL, DCA, SFMM, and KBF) in 3 days ---- starting from San Francisco. I figure if we leave at 4 in the morning (ugh) we can get to one of those parks around opening time (assuming no bathroom breaks). Any tips or advice? Hotel advice would be good too. These are basically totally new parks for us...neither of us have been to a California theme park in 25 years! Thanks! Martin

1. When do you see a return to profitability? 2. When is my share price going to go up? I'm down 42% from $3.65/share! 3. When is the Year End/Q4 Earnings Call? 4. Any chance of a return of Mr. Six, who was a recognizable brand image with more personality than 6 colored triangles? 5. Is Six Flags looking at the addition of healthier eating options at its parks given the alleged national health crisis with regard to obesity? I suggest you amuse him by telling him the "30 lbs. in 30 days" tale! Have fun Robb! Martin

Jeez, that just seems like a crazy amount of driving, but thanks for the ideas. We'd have to leave from Beech Bend at 4:30AM and drive straight through to make the 11AM opening at Indiana Beach. And then it's 3 1/2 hours back to Louisville Airport. Dang. IB may have to wait for another trip.

Could we do all 4 parks (HW,BB,KI,IB) in 3 days, or is that insane? We fly in late Friday to Louisville and out Monday evening. We've sent in registration for both HoliWood Nights and RumbleFest. Neither of us have ever had any ERT. I know, lame. I was trying to decide between BB and KI, but now people are saying IB. We're also assuming KK on Monday before the flight out. How would you do it if you had these parameters? Thanks, Martin

I dig! This past Labor Day (2007), I had trouble locking in at CP on Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster. Something about my body shape and that particular Intamin restraint...anyway, I got the belts clicked, but I was shaken by the experience. I totally hear you man. I went home after that long weekend and weighed in...230. I'm about 5'10 1/2". I started going to the gym, watching The Biggest Loser, counting Weight Watchers points, and I cheered Robb on as he slimmed down for his vacation. Now it's 5 months later and I weighed in at 193 a few days ago. It may not seem like that much but it's made a huge difference in my life. I can't wait for this weekend, my first ride of 2008 on the Dania Beach Hurricane! Martin

Wow, that sounds harsh. My experiences at PKI in the 90's were positive. Has Cedar Fair destroyed the park? Or did you have a uniquely bad experience? Thanks, Martin

Unfortunately, Southwest really only serves Long Island around here and the other Big 3 airports are way easier for us but Southwest-deficient. Okay, so what's better: Sunday at Kings Island or Sunday at Rumblefest (Beech Bend, Bowling Green, KY)? I haven't been to Kings Island in over 10 years, my wife's never been there. Neither of us have ever been to Beech Bend. What are your votes? I think someone already weighed in for Beech Bend. Thanks again, Martin

I've been thinking about this! This weekend: Dania Beach Hurricane March: SFOTx, SFFTx, SeaWorldSATx, Kemah Boardwalk April: Nothing specific planned yet May: California's GA, SFDK, SFMM, KBF, Disneyland, DCA, HW, SFKK, and either BeechBend or KI June, July: Nothing specific planned Yet August: SFOTx September: TPR Korea-Japan Trip!!! October-December: We will see...

You guys are awesome, thanks!