Mechanic

The ongoing 49ers new stadium project continuining to keep CGA in limbo is still a big disappointment to me. If it weren't for Bay Area Bash, I wouldn't have visited CGA this year at all.

Not obsessively, but yes. Do you like snow?

The entire conversation about any new Tron attractions may be rendered moot if Tron: Legacy continues to underperform.

^ Times two! I have enjoyed the photos and reports of the ongoing progress a great deal. Please continue to post updates as often as you feel they are pertinent. A few little gaps during construction don't bother me a bit and I completely understood the context of your photos showing them.

Thanks for the pics. It's been several years since we've been to a Holiday Lights event at this beautiful little park. I just may have to try to squeeze in a trip this year.

I'm not exactly sure what AWESOME sounds like, but I think we're going to find out as soon as they start testing this baby.

I figured you were still in cool down mode from the "Where in the world.." trip, but I was just thinking about putting in for a couple days off on either side of WCB. I was hoping the dates would be posted soon. Your timing couldn't have been better. I'll be looking forward to the details and another awesome WCB event.

No, due a hearing loss issue. I was given the choice of using a device to assist me in listening to the proceedings, or to opt out of jury dury. I chose the latter. Have you ever stood on top of a mountain over 10,000 feet tall?

I don't really consider my affinity for theme parks to be "nerdiness". I have no issues with my family and friends knowing that I enjoy parks and rides. My criteria for judging rides doesn't have a great deal to do with the nerdy (technical) aspects of them anyway. Sure, I enjoy learning about the various technologies in use and being developed, but my bottom line is whether or not I enjoy the rides and parks. I'm interested in the technology for the experience it can create, not for the sake of the technology alone. Interaction with family and friends is way more what I enjoy about parks than the exact specifications or design of any ride or show. In general, the more immersive the experience, the easier it is for me to suspend disbelief and enjoy the time I'm fortunate enough to spend at parks while putting my everyday concerns on the back burner. Throw in some food, fun people, ERT, TPR antics, and... Well, it just doesn't get a whole lot better than that.

God, I love this forum! Here's to hoping that the latest incarnation of Superman actually does go into the red on the tower and that it really is open for West Coast Bash.

ABC news has a story with a video here: ABC News link

Another vote for SCBB Giant Dipper here. Not that I have all that many wooden coasters to compare it to, let alone ones that are under 75 feet tall, but it's still a great ride at any height.

Hire LeBron to clean your bath tub. He's guaranteed to not leave a ring.

This is BY FAR the most random thing I've ever heard of happening to anyone at an amusement park. That was damn brave of you guys to get that close to some random alligator. Those things can take out an eye! Or an arm. And the van has an Alaska plate... Does the story get any weirder, or was that all of it?

- Takes a bow - Six Flags can use the sizeable check they now owe me toward building a new dark ride.

There are lots of videos on youtube about Playland at the beach. Some of them are fairly creepy. They project an image of a seaside park similar to that portrayed in the ride "Pinocchio's daring journey". I do remember my dearly departed dad talking about riding a wooden coaster that was there. I seem to recall him saying it went out over the bay, but the pictures I've seen of the coasters there don't support that. I may have heard him wrong. He said it was really thrilling, but I'm not sure exactly what else he had to compare it to back then. He never mentioned the place seeming as seedy as it looks in many of the youtube videos. Good luck with finding more information on the park. Please post again with whatever you do come up with.

A couple cans of black spray paint and voila!

Can I go haul away the coaster trains? I've got a pickup truck with a winch.

Apocalypse: The ride Easy re-theme.

This project just keeps looking better and better. Thanks for the pictures!

Because they're not Cedar Fair?

I'm certainly thankful for TPR, and Club TPR, and the great job they do of providing enthusiasts with special events and activities that would never be offered to "regular" park patrons. I'm also thankful for the numerous trip reports from so many different members that allow me to at least vicariously visit parks I might not ever see otherwise. Last, but not least, I am thankful for Piers' antics, drunken and sober, that never cease to make me laugh.

Is that a station fly-through that I spy?

I feel that SF has got to do what's in the best interest of the bottom line. If the licensing fees they're paying for these franchises isn't providing the needed return on investment, then there's really no reason to keep paying. I've been somewhat amazed for quite some time now that the Looney Tunes characters have had the staying power that they still enjoy. My generation, and a considerable amount of the one before mine, grew up with these characters as a regular part of the lineup of Saturday morning cartoons, or as pre-movie fodder back in the days when people regularly went to movie theaters. (Yes kids, believe it or not, there was actually a time when cartoons were only on TV on Saturday mornings.) Then came the afternoon cartoons, and then at some point I can't exactly put my finger on, we had cartoons available 24/7 on TV. Considering how politically incorrect some of those old Bugs Bunny cartoons were, I'm half surprised that there hasn't been a movement for Bugs Bunny to come forth and issue an apology. The part I've never really been able to figure out is when and where, exactly, were the generations since mine exposed to these characters other than in SF parks, and how do they manage to continue to be so recognizable?

Additional attractions in the form of rides would be great. USH is a great destination and what is there is of good or excellent quality. It's just that there isn't quite enough there to justify more than a single day visit. I really like the feeling of going to a park and going away after a full first day with attractions still unseen to get me to come back again. Although I've never been to USF, I get the clear impression from trip reports that it's a much more immersive and expansive experience than USH. Although I don't expect USH to ever grow to the size and scope of its FL counterpart, any move in that direction would be welcome. P.S. Thanks again Joey! I still owe you an adult beverage the next time I see you.