Nrthwnd

Terence Stamp, 87. RIP General Zod and Bernadette.

It's been pouring rain, all day today. Haven't had this much fall, in well over three weeks. Badly needed, as we have forest fires on our Vancouver Island, needing attention i.e. RAIN. Hopefully that`s happening now. But, I was planning to hit Playland, the very last day (i.e. today) of it`s current season. But a no go, from me. So here are the photos I took this past Wednesday at the park. Add to that a 'deal' they announced with Two-For-One admissions available. And at my arrival at the park, the ticket kiosks were already shut down, with the "Park Is Full" sign posted outside. It was very scarce with people out front, but once I got in side .... it was amazing how packed it was! The only ride I went on, the West Coast Wheel, took a half hour to board. Unheard of, in previous park visits! Pretty shocking, and I remember that PNE visitors to Playland don't have lineups like these. Anyway... Tomorrow is Opening Day of The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE to you and me). There's a small chance of rain, for a short period of time. Hopefully... It looked very non-busy in the entry plaza, and not seeing the "Park Full" signs there, too WTF??? And that family in the middle there, are at the end of the Swinger queue! Eep. Coaster was an immediate no-go, from where I saw it. Huge lineup for The Beast. I have no idea where the queue started! Whee. Noted. A look at how the new Amphitheater construction is going. Another view, from another angle. My one ride for the day, there. Wierd AtmosFEAR shot. Lineups everywhere! The Twins looking good, from here. PNE stuff popping up here and there. The big Sanctuary Park is behind all this. I still have no idea ..... A Coaster shot, with the single train in operation. (Sorry I might not be riding it, any more.) Even that kids' drop tower in back, had a huge lineup. I mean, really??? Enterprise UP! One more shot of it, for today. Bought the regular size popcorn. A dollar cheaper than large. And it fills the bucket with 'extra' to enjoy. Nice. I was not expecting this, at the Triple O's. Too - many - people. So I skipped this. And one last Coaster shot for today. Followed by a Starbucks visit, which was strangely empty compared to ...'that park'. <shudders> PNE OPENING DAY TOMORROW!!!

Boo to the Boo on the Boo.....Hill.

I hate to bring it up again, but ...... the food, the food.... The Food! What a wonderful set up of dishes they're offering. And THREE lobster tails??? :drool: Great tour of the ship.

^ A Mrs. Knotts' Chicken Dinner for takeout. They have take out already, at their (outside of park) Market Mall shop. Note: These are prices from our 2019 train trip, to there.

Hoping to get back to the park (at least) one more time, before The PNE officially opens (Sat.Aug.16~11 am) That said here's a PNE Photo Blast from The Past .... Here's hoping Santa (a/k/a Steve) will be back, grillin' ribs during his "off season." (PNE 2023)

We just finished up, watching our second musical last night at Malkin Bowl. "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" and "Legally Blonde" were the two shows, alternating evening performances. We enjoyed "Charlie..." BUT the real winner of the two was "Blonde" So much energy and power singing, from the lead playing Elle Woods, to even the smaller parts and chorus. All great, and the audience definitely showed their enthusiasm for it. In our awesome Stanley Park, this is the entrance to Malkin Bowl. This shot (taken by someone else, thanks!) shows the configuration of seating, etc. On the right, you can lay down a blanket, bring a picnic, and enjoy the show from there. Our usual seats are Row 3 - Seats 15 and 16 Ctr Orchestra. The show onstage back then, was "Hairspray." Opening set for "Charlie/Chocolate Factory." I think it's supposed to be chalk drawings on all of it. The bows. It was interesting to see and hear a Willy Wonka with a beard. He was great. The show itself was 'okay.' "Legally Blonde's" opening set for Act 1. A bit closer. A LOT of PINK in this production, lol. This was the opening setting for Act 2. The bows. Here is part of The Greek Chorus of Delta Nu. Individual bows. These are the actors who played Vivienne; Brooke; Warner; and Callahan. All great in their parts. The Blonde herself, Elle Woods. Great actress and powerhouse singer. We were very impressed with her. Thanking the orchestra and it's conductor. And Bruiser was being led onstage for his bow, too. The final bow. Great show. We've see this three times, now. They've produced "Blonde" three times now in Malkin Bowl, which I believe is some kind of record? We saw the second version of it, several years back. And we saw a great touring production of it, thru Broadway Across Canada, a few years back.

I made a quick visit to the park last Wednesday, not just for riding a few rides, but also buying some popcorn and seeing how much can go into my Playland Popcorn Bucket. Turns out the Large is twice what my little plastic "pail" can hold. Next time, I'll get the smaller size and see how that works out. On my usual way to the park. Once inside, I turn left and see this. The log flume ("we're riding in a ....") is at the front of the park. Pretty basic layout. Still gives a good WET thrill. Now THIS is landscaping, lol! Too bad there's not more of this around the park. My popcorn destination: The Snack Shack. I can already see that it won't all go into my bucket. It's twice as much popcorn. So next time, I'll get the smaller bag. Work on the Amphitheatre is looking good there. This was a quickie TR, so I end this one with the usual WHEEEEEE!

Now that's what I'd call " Awesome Customer Service!" Glad it worked out for your birthday boy...and all those hugs, and popcorn, too!

I wish we had one of those original Mad Mouses (?) back at Playland. Years ago, there was apparently a little amusement center in the Russian River area in CA. And it had one of those Mad Mouse(s), too. When I last saw it, the park was shut down, weeds everywhere, and the poor Mouse (painted white) just sitting there, in disrepair. <sad> Mom took a photo of me on our Mad Mouse at the PNE. At least 1963, aged 10. Great ongoing Road Trip!

^ It sounds really great, the way they're setting it up, etc. EDIT to add: They didn't abandon the courtyard after revealing where the Monsters, Inc. door coaster would go. Good for them!

^ Beat me to it! All hail the God Father of Heavy Metal Rock! RIP Ozzy.

Working hard, to stay retired, ha!

Stella Artois is my go-to beer, while visiting my home park, Playland. From any Drinx 'Hut' in the park. Like I said... "Drinx" - and I have no idea why they spelled it, that way. Maybe I should ask, next visit. My Playland "Beer of Choice."

Sorry about the re-arranged photos at the end of the post ^. I still don't know how these pix ended up at the end of the report(s). And for some reason I can't erase them and then re-position them where they;re supposed to go. Such is progress, lol.

Three Visits ~ And (sniff) No HOT DOG Day! Here are a bundle of photos taken from a few visits to the park. There are repeats here and there, but I'll do my best to see that it doesn't get toooo boring, lol. 06/22 This was around 10 am - one hour before the park opened. Testing. History board. Noted. But I didn't have to wait that long, thankfully. Progress on the new amphitheatre. Have no idea what that 'hole' is for. Will eventually fine out, next year. Lookin' good, there. Future landscaping? ThunderVOLT in action. I get headaches from Enterprise, so it's a No-Ride for me, now. Kettle Creek Mine coaster. One I can still ride, enjoy, and not get banged about. Oooo... Got my fave beer to end this short visit. The onride photo. What IS that woman doing??? 06/27 This was another short visit, and I got to try and the new special milkshake at Triple O's ( a/k/a the White Spot restaurant). The lineup was HUGE for this day. Thankfully I was there around 10 am, 1 hour before the park opened, so I missed all this. Near opening time. And allll the way down the block! Viewed from ThunderVOLT. Ongoing construction of the new amphitheatre. Sad, empty-looking little train. There's an adult up front, so I suspect a child is there, too. The Cotton Candy milkshake. With a bit of the real stuff on top. And it's Canadian-made, too! And it was good. Might order it again soon, if still available. Last shot before leaving the park. 07/02 Today was another brief visit. The only thing new here, was the ongoing construction of the new amphitheatre. But that's okay. I enjoy just walking around and taking in the 'atmosphere' of Playland. On the way to the park. A good place for hot dogs! The menu. Not too crowded right now, for Coaster. Well, hi there! Fancy running into you today. It's pretty plain looking, but still an important part of Playland. This looks somewhat completed Cloudy day over the mountains nearby. I am guessing this is to become the entryway into the amphitheatre. Getting better. But still, a not-too-great attempt of a 'selfie' on the Carousel. By the way, FYI - a Carousel goes counter clockwise, like this one. Merry-Go- Rounds go clockwise. Easy! And that was it for this visit. 07/16 Today was supposed to be "Hot Dog Day" as advertised by the email I received from Playland (I'm on their mailing list). But it turns out Coaster Dogs wasn't offering their One Dollar Hot Dogs till the 19th, Saturday. And Beaver Tails, which was also offering a special hot dog, had no clue what I was asking about. Then, I tried to order something off their regular menu ...... and "that wasn't available" I was told ...WTF? A Fail for Beaver Tails. Anyway.... Back we go... Wheee. Dead Unicorn. Yeah. Hot Dog Day. Not here I found out. From the West Coast Wheel. Big ass hole still there. Nice shot of Coaster from The Wheel. Damn, I love this coaster! Not really that busy, this visit. Up and over it goes! Clear sky, with a great mountainous view. I still enjoy riding Gladiator. This is a sweet little family ride I enjoy riding, sometimes. Touching the sun? And with that, the visit was at an end. Playland did send another email out, with the 19th as Hot Dog Day, with both Coaster Dogs and Beavertails offering their special dogs. But I didn't go. Not on a Saturday there. So I passed. I have no idea how these three shots got in, here. Nonetheless... a shot from ThunderVOLT's queue. An early shot of construction.

^ We all do!

Well, the TONYs have come and gone. "Maybe Happy Ending" grabbed Best Musical, while the play "Purpose" won in it's Best Of category. That said there are now three musicals .... uh ..... biting the dust, etc. And they are (neither of them won a single TONY <sad>): Smash - Closed today. and Real Women Have Curves, along with Dead Outlaw next weekend (29th). That said, it's great they have, indeed, produced Original Cast Recordings. Good for them! ....And add to the current closings list .... Boop! will be shutting down on July 13th. (Also, has a cast cd, available.)

That's sad about Oakwood closing. It was actually one of my favourite parks in previous UK tours. And my #100 was there - Clown Coaster, naturally. Do you know, or anyone else (Elissa? Robb?) that this was the only amusement park in Wales? Just curious. And so --- many --- t-shirts you got !!! As well, that's a mighty collection of magnets, too. It was great following you on your UK trip, Bert.

This just in... 2025’s Global Liveability Index: The top 10 1. Copenhagen, Denmark 2. Vienna, Austria 2. Zurich, Switzerland 4. Melbourne, Australia 5. Geneva, Switzerland 6. Sydney, Australia 7. Osaka, Japan 7. Auckland, New Zealand 9. Adelaide, Australia 10. Vancouver, Canada We just slipped in there, last on this list!

^ Thanks. We are at year 53 right now. Still holding on, lol.

^ Yep. Nope, And it didn't "break down." It broke off.

^ QUICK! Send me a plane ticket!

It all looks and sounds impressive. That said, I just hope most (if not all) of this does "come to life," as only Disney can do it.