cal1br3tto

I am highly envious of your Sesame Street dining experience.

^I'm also starting to see "$100 dollars" and the like all too frequently. "One hundred dollars dollars" is blatantly redundant, but that's how it's properly read. Why isn't that obvious?

What do you think it means. How long should it take the average poster to formulate a question for this thread?

Yes, I would ride it. I absolutely love the classic woodies. I know not all of them were ever the greatest and not all of them are great now, but I fully support their preservation and revival. I would rather have a traditional fixed position or single position lap bar, with or without a seatbelt. I realize that is not a possibility and isn't even necessary to make a ride good, but it's my preference on all wooden coasters nonetheless.

I like the cool colors best: green, blue, and violet (in that order, to an extent). Some of my top favorites are the blue-greens, including aqua, teal, and turquoise.

^I don't think it would be good public relations for the park to explicitly acknowledge they have a problem.

^Actually in a way I wish Dark Knight was more than just a mouse-in-a-box. Yes, the turns make it an intuitive format for a dark ride, allowing good views of the effects. And yes, the compact layout is of course well-suited to a box. But it would've been more satisfying if it had been longer.

^I'm dying to ride a wooden mouse, especially the BPB one, and I'd certainly support their revival. Have you ridden the Dark Knight coasters? As I mentioned before I think they're pretty good dark ride/coaster combos. I wouldn't say for sure that spinners should always be outdoors, as I've heard good things about Exterminator at Kennywood. I bet it's pretty disorienting.

SDC is a park you want to stay at for as long as possible--it's depressing to have to tear yourself away! They really do have a strong coaster collection; I enjoyed them all, largely for some of the reasons you mentioned. I think the Dalmatians are a really cute idea--I met one when I went recently--and I trust SDC treats them well. American Plunge is one of my favorite log flumes, even if I generally prefer ones that spend more time off the ground. Plenty of bizarre theming, and there is a storyline although it would've helped to have learned it before I rode. Thanks for the TR!

^I thought that was somewhat socially acceptable here. Also, it seems to be a slow posting day. At least it's better than bringing back 30-50 in one day as seems to happen every couple of months or so. P.S. I am sorry.

I'd suggest going to a child-oriented park so if your child isn't interested in the coaster, there're plenty of other things to do. My first coaster was Ice Mountain Bobsled at Enchanted Forest (34" height requirement), and it's only a tiny part of what makes the park great. There are a few other rides and endless quirky walk-through attractions, some with interactive elements. Another amazing choice, of course, is a Disney park, but I think that may go without saying. Otherwise, I'd suggest starting with a small oval. There are some tiny Milers out there that are very tame. Some of the slightly larger ones are pretty mild as well. Also, check out the kiddie coasters at local carnivals, like the Dragon Wagon and Orient Express. Some are powered, some are gravity, some allow adults and some don't. My 2nd and 3rd coasters were Wisdom ovals.

Spinning mice automatically win for me. They simply provide more interest. Most are at least average, whereas some wild mice are dreadfully boring and forgettable. Ragin' Cajun is easily my favorite spinner. My favorite standard mice are the Arrow Mad Mouse model and the classic mice. Tree Top Racers at Adventure City (Miler, built in 1958) and Monster Mouse at Puyallup Fair (Herschell) are adorable, not to mention pretty intense. Also, Dark Knight is enjoyable both as a wild mouse and as a dark ride. Not exceptional, but certainly fun.

^Agreed. I love the pre-show, but I wish they'd come up with a creative solution that respects the effort put into implementing it but doesn't force people to watch it repeatedly.

I never play the games. They simply do not interest me. If I'm going to spend money at a park, it's going to be on food or on carefully chosen souvenirs. Even when I get free game coupons, I'd rather spend my time riding or just hanging out. Also, the prizes don't appeal to me in the slightest, even if some might be cute or funny. That said, midway games are part of the amusement park (and carnival) ambience for me. They help add to the seedy and colorful vibe.

^^^It's nice to see some other Middle America Trip Voyage fans coming out of the woodwork. The ride has everything I love. Speed, airtime, length (not to mention height), tunnels, bunny hops, and of course plenty of unprecedented "OMGWTF" moments. And even if it's not exclusively a terrain coaster, the scenery is exquisite as well--a refreshing change from rides in more bland settings. Overall it had me thinking "I'm not completely sure what just happened...but I loved it!" It is rough, arm-wrenching, and painful. It's also not the world's most consistent ride, and it's definitely more intense in the back. I had to do a mix of arms-up rides, defensive rides, and some that were a combination. Those 90 degree turns were a bit much although it wouldn't be the same ride without them. Incidentally, Legend is not something I would label as my favorite "style" of woodie, but like Voyage it has a very "WTF" character to it which made me fall in love. So many unpredictable turns and sexy tunnels. It even has some decent airtime, something it's not known for. I feel a little weird placing it in my top 10 but it was memorable so it can stay for now.

^Since you brought that up, I'll mention I also considered putting Silver Dollar City on the list, but thought it wouldn't qualify in most people's minds. SDC honestly isn't quite my favorite park, but it is amazing and I had a phenomenal experience at the park that just kept getting better and better as the day went by until I didn't want to leave. For me it's not even about the coasters. I thought certain coasters at Indiana Beach and Holiday World were overrated. I also didn't get to spend enough time on the coasters at Adventureland and Indiana Beach because there was so much else to enjoy. Silverwood, Holiday World and SCBB each have at least one absolutely amazing coaster that easily make up for any more lackluster rides. Overall, however, it's about the full park experience.

(Similarly to other lists I've made recently, my rankings are by no means strict.) I absolutely love traditional amusement parks. I can't get enough of the atmosphere, whether it's charming, run-down and seedy, or a little of both. 1. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 2. Indiana Beach 3. Silverwood Theme Park 4. Holiday World 5. Adventureland 6. Enchanted Forest

I thought it would become easier and easier to make top ten lists, but it's actually getting harder. I've been on so many coasters that are clearly above average, but not amazing, and it's really hard to separate them from one another. Therefore, these lists are very rough. (Yes, I know this is currently in my sig, but I like to post here once or twice a year so I can look back and track changes over time.) Wood 01. Giant Dipper 02. Voyage 03. Timber Terror 04. Evel Knievel 05. Tremors 06. Hades 07. Prowler 08. Legend 09. Cyclops 10. Tornado Of those, 1-5 are solid contenders, and 6-10 (and beyond) are my "8/10" rides that blend together somewhat. Steel 01. X2 02. Aftershock 03. Goliath 04. Medusa 05. Tatsu 06. California Screamin' 07. Steel Hawg 08. Powder Keg 09. Mr. Freeze 10. Mamba Again, this list feels a bit "off" to me, but all that really means is there's plenty of time for it to get decimated and rearranged in the future courtesy of many higher quality rides.

No. I have been to Albuquerque, but not Cliff's. Occasionally I hear Rattler faintly calling my name... Have you ever misspelled "Albuquerque" (or had to look it up)?

1. Evel Knievel 2. Prowler 3. Renegade 4. Roar 5. Terminator

^About Bull...first drop in the back seat is exactly as commonly advertised. It's also good in other rows but nothing compares to the back. The twisted layout is definitely more interesting than the out-and-back hypers, and I enjoyed the sensation of speed (despite the trims). There are some spots of airtime that are satisfying, but not overly intense. Overall, I'd need some more extreme forces in order to be "wowed" by this ride. All that said, ERT was absolutely phenomenal and I wouldn't have asked for it on any other coaster.

^Mostly I had been hoping for more airtime. I will say however that it is a very sexy ride--and that's something that I know many people agree with.

I've gone through this thread and I realize it's highly debatable as to what if anything qualifies as "rare". That said... I've ridden Wacky Worm at Worlds of Fun. It requires a child to ride. Thank you, Kristen! Olympic Bobsled from Butler Amusements. I can find absolutely no interest in or documentation of this ride except from NorCal ACE (which only mentioned an ERT session) and the fact that it made an appearance at at least two carnivals in 2009. All I know is that it runs SDC trains and it strongly resembles a Galaxi. Zillerator from Butler Amusements. A reasonable traveling coaster that simply hasn't garnered much interest since it left Playland. Every now and then you do hear about it, but not necessarily from people who have actually ridden it. I've also heard Ice Mountain Bobsled labeled "rare" because of the location and unique style, and Aftershock and Deja Vu since they're GIBs. However, I've never had any trouble getting any kind of Boomerang credit. Maybe parks are putting more effort into keeping them running. I've ridden the coasters at the Puyallup Fair, but that was easy for me. And finally, I've ridden all but two of the non-restricted coasters in Northern California (which probably means I'm missing four total). I've got some whored credits that I'm pretty sure a healthy majority of enthusiasts wouldn't even consider bothering to get, or at least haven't...yet.

I'm sure it's not just you, but it definitely isn't me! SFGAm isn't one of my top parks, but I thought the ride collection was decent. Ragin' Cajun is my easily my favorite spinner in the entire world and one of my favorite rides in the park! S:UF, Vertical Velocity, Batman, Viper, and Raging Bull are all solid rides, although not amazing in my book. However, I must admit Viper and Bull didn't quite live up to what I'd hoped; they both could've been much more intense. Dark Knight was a decent mouse and a great dark coaster! I've never hated a stand-up and I thought Iron Wolf was all right. Demon and Whizzer just are what they are...decidedly average, but get points for being classic. American Eagle was one of the most overrated rides of the trip for me, I'm pretty sure everyone loves it except me. Little Dipper was "cute", not at all exciting but no complaints here for what it is. Spacely's was a credit ride, I can appreciate kiddie coasters but not this one. And that's it for my mini-reviews on this park!

Note: Needless to say, these rankings are very rough. I just thought I might as well make an attempt. 1. Disneyland 2. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk 3. Indiana Beach 4. Silver Dollar City 5. Silverwood Theme Park 6. Holiday World 7. Adventureland 8. Valleyfair 9. Worlds of Fun 10. Six Flags Magic Mountain 11. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 12. Enchanted Forest 13. Six Flags St. Louis 14. Six Flags Great America