Skycoastin Steve

I wish I could find a giant Lego man on a beach, I love Legos!

Cedar Point getting a fast pass system that works would be a huge step in the right direction for them. I would honestly rather see a Q-Bot system rather than the one implemented at Kings Island, but anything is better than nothing.

In the words of Mick Hubert...........oh my.

Not trying to be a jerk, but why don't you wait until........oh, I don't know.......August next year to ask this?

^I'm sure the park will give an update or two.

^You said "should rolling," he said "should be rolling."

^ Does Cedar Point know about this?

All I have to say is, they need to chill on the event building until next weekend so I can see this track for myself.

Thank you all for the comments and for reading, it is much appreciated!

^There are going to be lots of lighting and special effects going on, as well. There was also something in the plans about to giant pairs of hands that resembled tree limbs that will be above the drop section.

I'm going to become a theme park defense lawyer. Anybody with a shred of knowledge about these rides could mount a viable defense against crap like this.

Agreed. Maybe one of these days I'll upgrade on the site, but for now, the free features are fine and dandy for me!

^No, but now that you mention it, I might try that some time!

I think it's time to make my mark on this wonderful thread! I don't get into the tilt shift quite as much as everyone else, my specialty is more of the selective color variety. I always think pictures like this look cool as crap, so I'll share with you guys all the ones I've made in the last year. If anyone wants a full size version of one of these, just shoot me a PM! Original, I had actually doctored the color up already. Intimidator at Carowinds. This was made from the true original, so I guess you can say both were shopped a bit. Original, from West Coast Bash 2010. Shopped. Original, Mindbender at SFOG, taken in early 2010. This actually won the Photoshop category of that Coaster 101 photo contest this year. Original, Rampage and Zoomerang at Alabama Adventure, taken on closing day 2009. This took every bit of 2 1/2 hours to do. Original, Intimidator at Carowinds, taken on opening day 2010. I remember this one taking quite a long time, too. Original, taken in June 2010. Still one of my favorites. Original, Intimidator 305, also taken in June 2010. Another of my favorites. Original, Intimidator, taken 4th of July weekend 2010. Just played around with the colors to get it like this. Don't remember exactly what I did. Original, taken at the Korean War Memorial in Washington, D.C. This was early April 2011. And what is now probably my favorite one. Original, tulips at BGW in early April 2011. Kinda cool. Original, more tulips at BGW in early April 2011. Love this one, and it took maybe 2 minutes. Original, obviously Mantis, taken late June 2011. Just finished this one a little bit ago, also a favorite. Took about an hour.

The only place I ever ride Grizzly is the 2nd last row, and it's spectacular every time!

^The deliciousness of my half stayed completely intact, thank you very much.

You get thrown out of your seat on the drop if you ride in the back on TTD.

305 definitely rattles around the first turn, but nowhere else on the course. That turn puts extreme stress on the wheels and trains, so the vibrations are understandable. The silver train is typically worse than the red train, it's usually worse in the back, and it honestly varies from day to day. I've had 66 rides on it this year, and a majority of them had some type of vibration on that first turn.

^Well crap, I had a beer with the pizza, but somehow it didn't get photographed. I am ashamed!

^ The pepperoni and onions were fantastic, so I feel no remorse.

Alright everyone, it's time to step away from theme parks for a moment and share another culture credit that Jen and I were able to get while in New York City the weekend of September 17-18. For a little back story, we were going to a Dave Matthews Band concert on the 18th that had originally been scheduled the weekend of Hurricane Irene. The concert was postponed a few weeks, so we were able to take the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial, an opportunity we wouldn't have had if the concert had gone on as originally scheduled (it opened on the 10th anniversary, for those of you who don't know). Visiting this particular memorial is unlike anything I have ever experienced. Usually, when you visit a memorial in Washington or anywhere else, it's a building or monument built in a separate location (i.e., the Vietnam Wall, Arlington Cemetery, etc.). In this case, the memorial is built on the very ground where the tragedy happened 10 years ago, which makes it infinitely more somber and humbling. I've also been to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, and the feeling is the same. It's so difficult to comprehend the suffering and death that happened on the very ground where you're standing. When you go to either of the memorials, it's so peaceful and serene, which is obviously such a stark contrast to 9/11 itself. All I can really say to anyone going to New York City in the future is visit the memorial, it's something you absolutely have to experience in person. I know I'll make it a point to get back to the site when most (or all) of it is finished, because it's going to be breathtaking. We also went up to the top of the Empire State Building the day we arrived in the city (Saturday), and did a return trip to Lombardi's Pizza on Sunday after leaving the 9/11 Memorial, all will be covered in the pictures. Please comment, and thank you for reading! Quick, who can guess which building is at this street corner? If you guessed the Empire State Building, you would be correct! I've driven by this building before, and for some reason, never realized just how massive it is. I mean really, how did King Kong climb up this damn thing? In case you already forgot which building it was.. Famous lobby mural. I had to cut out the bottom because there were so many tourists posing in front of it. After waiting in some crazy lines full of annoying tourists, we have reached the roof! Lower Manhattan with some wicked clouds. The Chrysler Building, which held the record for tallest building in the world for a brief time before the Empire State Building was finished. For an analogy everyone will understand, the Chrysler Building was Millennium Force, Empire State was Steel Dragon 2000. Central Park and the Rockefeller Building, which is the building Jen and I went up in last time we were in the city with TPR! For what it's worth, I think the Chrysler Building is prettier than the Empire State Building, even if it's shorter. The very, very tip top of the building. You can pay extra to go up there, but we passed on that one. This is where King Kong died. First person to tell me how many buildings are in this panorama gets a million bucks! Sunday now, and much better weather for the 9/11 Memorial. This is the Freedom Tower, which is the new World Trade Center 1. It will be 1,776 feet tall when it is completed in 2013. Flag of Honor. Inside the Memorial now. They have dozens of trees, some of which were taken from the three crash sites. The South Tower site. It's tough to comprehend how enormous the buildings were until you're standing there looking at the holes where they used to stand. The names of all 3,000 people that were killed on 9/11 grace the walls around the two waterfalls, including the names of the 6 who were killed in the 1993 bombing of the WTC. The shorter building on the right is the future 9/11 Museum, which will open in 2012. I thought the design for this memorial was brilliant. It really was incredible to see these in person. I got a little artsy for a moment. These are two support columns, or "tridents," that were still intact after the buildings collapsed. They are the focal points of the Museum. A reflection of Freedom Tower in the museum glass. I was able to catch a faint rainbow in the waterfall. This is the North Tower site. You can see the bottom of Freedom Tower in the background, so that gives some perspective on where it is in relation to the original towers. I will say that Freedom Tower is going to be spectacular when it is completed. Looking back to the south from the North Tower. A reflection of the American flag hanging on the Freedom Tower in the water at the North Tower waterfall. This is the Survivor Tree, a pear tree that was crushed by the buildings after they collapsed. It somehow managed to survive, and they kept it alive and brought it back to its original home in the WTC plaza. Survivor Tree and Freedom Tower. I'm assuming the tree is not strong enough anymore to hold itself up, so they have cables doing the job for it. Either way, it's still living! They also have this cage around the tree to protect it from any tourists who think it's a great idea to climb it. Through the trees! Panorama of the South Tower. I absolutely love this, and may get it framed one day. So in summation, if you are going to NYC at any point in the future, go here! We also strolled by the historic Trinity Church, which is right down the street from the WTC. And I like this photo a lot, so I figured I would share it! And now for something a little happier......... LOMBARDI'S!!! And we ran into Scott's Pizza Tour! For those of you who followed along with the Northeast Trip, one of the early add-on days included this tour. Awesome! FYI. America's first pizzeria, and I would imagine still one of the best! I'm already smiling! Delicious!!!

Thanks! It was one of those lucky shots that just worked out with the timing during the day and the monster rain storms that rolled through before we walked by there.

^Cold, windy days are going to be like that on every coaster usually, but especially MF. So much of it is above the tree line, so wind has a much more dramatic effect on the ride.

^From what I've understood by talking to the ops who worked there at the time, if it comes makes it to the brakes in less than 59 seconds (I think it was 59) after it crests the lift hill, a warning light comes on in the control booth. And on those warm July nights, it definitely beats 59 seconds.

^That's because you rode the first train of the day. It's always that slow on the first train of the day. When I worked at CP, we used to get night rides in when it was going so fast it triggered the overspeed alarm in the control booth every cycle.