IBtacoDave

Hey Big Mike, I just wanted to say I enjoy this thread quite a bit. I know I speak for everyone here when I say we're all looking forward to the day when the Big Mike Road Show rides again!

I know I saw a pinball arcade in one of the C&C trip reports. I guess you could say they have a few . The full TR by JimmyBo is here.

I didn't know about this place until I read this, it's so Schwarzkopf-centric. I can't believe how many unique rides they have, plus kegerators in the bungalows! Thanks for the report!

I've always hoped the Travel Channel would do a show like this, instead of all the gallivanting foodie shows they've been showing recently. Within the first 5 minutes into the first episode (Utah) I realized this wasn't the theme park travelogue show I've always wanted. I forget the exact quote but it was something like Wicked has been voted one of the best coasters in the world. Once I heard that, I realized once again there is nothing real about reality TV. The Cedar Point editing bothered me a lot too. Although this sort of continuity stuff won't bother anyone who's never visited the featured destinations. Here's the upcoming schedule according to Comcast's website. 7/14/10 - Florida 7/20/10 - Phoenix 7/21/10 - Wisconsin 7/28/10 - Texas 8/4/10 - Massachusetts 8/11/10 - South Carolina

I just wish I lived closer, It's the only place I know with a CSI pinball machine. Awful show, great game. It was not. I'm looking forward to checking it out. I always thought that, as the logo of Brookfield Zoo, the bison deserved a better habitat. Photo TR: Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory Chicago's second zoo is located lakeside, about 10 minutes North of downtown. While not as big as Brookfield, it has a charm all it's own. Admission is free and the ipod clad joggers generally give it more casual feel. Along side the zoo is the Lincoln Park Conservatory, a series of interconnected greenhouses housing hundreds of exotic plants. Children may quickly grow bored of the greenery, however, I highly recommend a quick stroll through. Unfortunately, due to an accidental memory card deletion, this report is not as thorough as I would like. It should still give you a good idea of what Lincoln Park has to offer. Not included in this report are the childrens zoo and gorilla/ape exhibits. Not being a fan of large primates, I find the gorilla building to be quite odd. It's kind of like if your library had a plexi-glass gorilla enclosure built inside of it. But I digress, as mentioned I am not a gorilla person. Lincoln Park also boasts a very nice polar bear exhibit with underwater viewing, unfortunately no bears were available at the time of our visit. The entrance to the zoo has this ornamental ironwork archway. Though you can't tell with this awful picture. They also have a carousel located underneath the tent in the background. The large cats are the first exhibit you see when you walk in. They pace around, they sleep, repeat. Many of the zoos exhibits have underwater viewing. The underwater hippo and polar bear viewing areas are especially nice. In the middle of the zoo they have a large sea lion/seal exhibit. This area used to really draw a crowd, although at the time of my visit there were only 2 seals on display. They have some marsupials here as well. If I remember right this is a wallaroo. Much like Brookfield Zoo, the giraffe exhibit can bring you extremely close to the animals. Extremely close. This African habitat is one of the newer exhibits here. Standard zoo stuff really. Here is the conservatory, which just like the zoo, is free to the public. Inside you'll find hundreds of plant species, some koi ponds, fountains, and interesting smells. Lets not forget this is Chicago, so of course there is a sausage tree. I'm guessing by the smell this one is Polish sausage, but I didn't ask and the specific type wasn't posted on the sign. They have a whole room filled with orchids of various types. I looked for vanilla but I didn't see it, although it's probably in there somewhere. Regardless, this was a great place to get my macro-mode on. Here's a manly plant for manly men. There's quite a few WTF plants here that you probably never knew existed. Maybe this is where the bad smell is coming from. Wrapping up the conservatory tour, here's one we all know about but rarely see. Back to the zoo, this underwater hippo enclosure offers some great views. The penguin exhibit has underwater viewing as well. I like it a bit better than the one at Brookfield. They have puffins too, and who doesn't like a puffin. My personal favorite is this spider habitat. Although the webs are set back 10 feet or so, there is no glass between you and the spiders. Signs assure guests that the spiders will not leave their area, although I didn't see anything to stop them if they wanted to. Here's a rhino, nothing special I know. So early in my TR career and I'm already using cheap filler shots. So that's it for the zoo, here's a shot of the skyline from the parking lot. Yep, that's Chicago. The best thing Lincoln Park Zoo has going for it is the location. There's hundreds of great places to eat just a short jog away. My favorite is Shiroi Hana on N. Clark St. Thanks for reading!

^^They're referring to these monkey bars, located in the drive through zoo next to Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ. ^I apologize I didn't notice that you already answered it. I guess the latter 2 paragraphs erased the first sentence from my short term buffer

People ask me all the time: "Dave, I'm planning a trip to Chicago and I want to take the family to a zoo. I don't have time to visit both of them, which one would you recommend we check out." OK, this has never happened, but if it does I've made a trip report that I can refer them to. First we'll go outside the city to visit Brookfield zoo, then we'll meander back to the North side of town and check out Lincoln Park Zoo & Conservatory. The following pictures were taken over the course of several visits within the last 2 years. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to ask. Now on to the photos... Photo TR: Brookfield Zoo We're just West of Chicago in the cozy suburb of Brookfield, IL. This is the map of the zoo. It's the kind of thing you post first when you don't take an entrance shot. They have a really nice carousel here, If I remember right it cost $5 to ride. I like the anteater best I think. It's an under-appreciated animal in my opinion. Yes indeed, I do like a good anteater... We spent at least 5 minutes just checking out the carousel. I'm not an insect fan, but it's good to see that they didn't leave them out. We started with the aardvark first. Can you kids guess what the last picture will be? Though similar, the aardvark is not closely related to the anteater and therefore does not inherently earn my respect and admiration. This used to be the lion house. Now it is a 2 part exhibit called Fragile Kingdom. This entrance is for the desert area. It features, you guessed it, desert animals. This meerkat... Lives comfortably with these here porcupines and the rest of the meerkat family. We like this guy...a lot. We'll try to come back later when he's awake. Here's the opposite entrance, Fragile Rain Forest. The big cats live outside of this building. This clearly fragile otter makes his home in the Fragile Rain Forest, along with some binterongs (also known as bearcats, they can be identified by their overwhelming Nacho Doritos smell), some medium sized felines and a few reptiles. There's some insects in here too. I don't like them anymore than you do, trust me. This is Tropic World, a gigantic, enclosed, artificial rainforest environment. This building is massive, I can't stress that enough. This is just one of 3 equally large rooms, each depicting a different continent. Do you see any animals? Neither do I. You could fit Joker's Jinx and Poltergeist in this building, effectively turning them into dark rides. See any animals yet? Rumor was before his departure, Shapiro wanted to send those rides to the Columbus or San Diego zoo's but most people think Brookfield deserves them more. However, this anteater clearly is not happy about sharing his space with a launched Premier. Tropic World concludes with Gorilla Island. There is no glass barrier between you and the apes, so it's best to avoid eye contact. If the signs are any indication, poo flinging is not uncommon. Moving on to Pinniped Point, home to many precious, poignant, Pinnipeds. Like this guy! The underwater viewing area provides some great photo opportunities. This is a life-size statue of Olga the walrus, the parks ambassador for many years. It's a shame there are no more Walrus here, but as I understand they are insanely expensive to feed. You can view these giant fish from underwater, or pay to watch them put on a show. These lazy Australians just lay out in the sun all day. I do not know the name of this bear. However if it's anything other than Ditka, Singletary, or Urlacher I'll be really disappointed. They have since built a new enclosure for the bears. A small crowd was gathered around this polar bear because he seriously looked like he was contemplating jumping to his death. True story. Then came the inevitable feeling most of us get at zoos. That while amusing to us, the animals are essentially imprisoned. Buzzkill. I know a hungry, hungry, hippo when I see it and this fine specimen has assumed the position. The indoor pachyderm enclosures offer close up views. Thankfully, this is the last of the their old-style concrete and steel animal houses open to the public. Name that meme. This is my girlfriend, Erin. She likes rollercoasters and pinball. She also has three pet donkeys at her house. So, yeah...She's pretty cool. Here's one of the newer exhibits. Its a fancier building with Sea World aspirations. This building houses some large aquariums and interactive exhibits. It concludes with this penguin/seabird area. Its spacious and immersive, but I still prefer Lincoln Parks penguin exhibit. Both are equally stinky. These Mold-a-rama machines are all over the zoo. The smell of these makes me feel 9 years old again. The indoor giraffe enclosure brings you terrifyingly close to these dangerous even-toed ungulates. There was no zoom used on this photo, they are really that close. It doesn't take long to realize that they love to lick stuff. Brookfield Zoo has always been proud of their Okapi's. And why not, look at that thing. The children's zoo is a small up-charge. It's not much, I think $2.50. It has the usual farm animals and if you like goats you're in business. There are many, many goats. If you don't like goats I say skip it. I don't really like goats. Bonus points for representing the Wegies. The best cat of all the cats...combined. I am biased. Back at the Fragile Desert, this little guy has awoken from his slumber. This is the last zoo picture. Did you think it was going to be a zebra? You're hubris has gotten the best of you again! For a drink before or after the zoo I highly recommend Brixies on Ogden Ave. in Brookfield. They have pinball, an extensive beer list and free bacon on Mondays. That does it for Brookfield Zoo, stay tuned for Lincoln Park Zoo & Conservatory. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the kind replies, this is my first park trip report so I appreciate the feedback. You can definitely feel it move while walking across, especially if there's a large group of people on it. Windy days are also fun, but like has been mentioned it doesn't sway enough to frighten anyone. If you're a bridge enthusiast next time you're in Indiana you should check out the suspension bridge at Turkey Run State Park. Every time I visit there is one or two people waiting at one end, afraid to cross. Just a few miles south in a tiny town called Bridgeton, lies a covered bridge built over a small waterfall. Let me preface this by saying I am not a handy person, but yes I do maintain my own machines. Keeping them clean is half the battle, I clean the playfield and balls at least once a month. The amount of maintenance a pinball requires relies on many factors including it's age, type of machine, previous owner, etc. If you can use (or are willing to learn how to use) a digital multi-meter, soldering iron, and schematics, you can fix just just about any problem. Much like the used car industry there are thousands of people across the country that make a living from ripping-off first time pinball buyers. Do your research and don't pay more than you should.

Despite rain in the forecast, my girlfriend Erin and I headed down to Indiana Beach for some crepuscular tacos and pinball. I know there have been a few IB trip reports posted this season so I will try to refrain from redundant coaster shots. An in-depth photo report of Indiana Beach's pinball collection can be found here if that sort of thing appeals to you. Enjoy! We arrived around 7pm to an empty parking lot. Hopefully there will still be enough people here to get our Fascination fix. Locosumo was still down, I blame Intamin. We just missed a pretty good sized storm. Quite a few rides stayed down for the rest of the day, including Cornball Express. Although considering it only launches a train once every 10-15 minutes it is possible I didn't notice it running. Suspension bridge POV. At the time I took this, I was really thankful for the grip-tape on the path. Que tumbleweeds Why are these swings so awesome you may ask? Well, aside from being built over the water, and the fountain effects, you may notice that they are lacking the usual plastic covers that prevent you from grabbing and manipulating the chains. So if you pull them towards yourself you'll tilt backwards, and vice-versa. (Note: doing this may cause you to soil yourself) Now this is what I like to see, people playing pinball! On a stagnant, humid day this area feels like a sauna. Regardless, the pinball games were extremely popular today and that was a great thing to see. We had to cool down with some Fascination. I strive to one day achieve the elusive "guest player" title. To beat the heat we decided to try and find the tackiest item in the gift shop. This bear wasn't necessarily tacky, but the price was. I named the zebra "Lucky Pierre". TSA is gonna love this. More dainty than tacky, but we're getting close. These were actually pretty cool. I'm going to pick one up on my next visit, you know for the um, kids. And the winner is... Light-up tentacle hat thing! Congratulations! My favorite restaurant. It never ceases to amaze me how consistently delicious these are. They taste exactly like they did 20 years ago. Despite their popularity they remain $2 a piece season after season. I was noting the upstairs AC and curtains when it occurred to me, could someone live up there? How awesome would that be to live inside a scrumptious smelling roller coaster. With Happy Trails playing in the background it was time to head home. I hope you enjoyed the pictures, we had a great time!

^That's really cool! Transporting a pinball machine is neither easy nor fun, thanks for bringing it to the Expo to share. Photo TR: CP Pinball in S. Roxana, IL Whenever I visit a new city or one that I haven't been to in a while, I like to do a quick web search to see if there are any pinball arcades in the area. Usually I don't come up with much, however,while planning a recent trip to St. Louis I hit the veritable jackpot (or the double jackpot with bonus multiplier if you will). CP Pinball is only open 4 days out of the month, so I had to cancel some reservations and re-plan my trip. It was well worth it. Check out CP Pinball's website for more information about the collection and it's owner. Here we are just a few miles from where the Missouri river meets the mighty Mississippi. What could possibly draw our attention away from such a historic confluence? Pinball! This is a comprehensive collection of 1990-present Williams/Bally and Stern games. I would list them all but it's easier to list the ones I didn't see. It's also BYOB and most of the machines have cup holders. There were only a few Williams/Bally DMD games absent. Most notably Cactus Canyon, Champion Pub, Scared Stiff, Cirque Voltaire, and Safe Cracker. I only say this to illustrate the size of the collection, as virtually every other top 100 game was here to play. I was especially excited to see this Tales of the Arabian Nights. It was among the handful of games not listed on the website. Needless to say, it was a welcome surprise. This game seamlessly combines gameplay with story, a fantastic execution of theme. Check out the plastic scimitars that cover the flippers. I like everything about this game. We fired up Tommy in pinball wizard mode. This is among only two Data East games I saw on my visit, the other was Tales from the Crypt. Even if there were more here, I probably wouldn't have played them. In my opinion they just aren't as fun as the classic Williams/Bally and Stern games. It was hard to think about just one game at a time. It was around the time I took this picture that I contemplated moving closer to St. Louis. Until then, it's still worth the five hour drive. There are dozens of great machines in 2 buildings, we'll check out the other building in a moment (after a few games of Funhouse). In this building we find what else? More pinball machines! No bush here, the Stern Playboy was the PG version. Also pictured, No Good Gophers. I don't think the 360/PS3 version of this game does it justice. Here's Hurricane, the last in the Williams series of amusement park themed games. It has some great artwork. And the same playfield details as Cyclone and Comet. My personal favorite in the category of "Fun pinball machine with forgettable and or awful 90's movie theme". Of all the games that do the "loop underneath the flippers" (including Hurricane & Rollercoaster Tycoon) Flintstones seems to do it best. It also has a working mini bowling alley. I found it to be an underrated game that was a blast to play. King Conga does not appreciate being called forgettable and awful. Meanwhile, Starship Troopers and Demolition Man agree. Its good enough just to be a fun game. I got plenty of games out of this Dr. Who. I also got plenty of Medieval Madness games in, I was quite excited to play this one for the first time. For those that don't know, this is generally considered the most valuable full-production pinball game. Owning one of these will set you back the same price as a new Hyundai. Why is that? The humor really works, the theme is universally accepted, the ruleset is deep yet intuitive, the artwork is fantastic. Should I go on? The staff at CP Pinball was fantastic. They were all really friendly and quick to fix any machine that had a problem. The only machine that wasn't working on my visit was NBA Fastbreak. This is understandable, because every one I've tried to play has been broken. As a fan of poker I was anxious to play World Poker Tour which is considered a lousy game by collectors. I have to agree, this game is just bad all around. Swords of Fury was the lone Williams series 11B in the collection at the time of my visit (there was an Earthshaker parked outside). Although its not the first late 80's Williams that comes to mind, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. Judging by the wear on the cabinet near the flippers, this was one of the most popular games at CP Pinball. It was occupied most of the night. It really is a great game though. It deserves all the praise. Dolly was making an appearance as well. All of these games are clean and well maintained. Most are collectors quality. Tee'd Off was one of only two Gottlieb games (the other was Strikes and Spares). Much like my indifference toward Data East, this didn't bother me at all. There were also a few MAME cabinets if you're into that sort of thing. We had a fantastic time here, thanks to everyone at CP Pinball. I hope to be back very soon! The next morning we got a tip that Napier was cleaning out Axis Chemicals. A bonus pinball credit at Six Flags St. Louis. Once we made our mark we left for the real reason we came to Eureka, MO. Super Smokers BBQ!!! The best BBQ I've ever had. This is the menu, they also have plenty of trophies from BBQ competitions. It's a great place to eat next time you find yourself in the "land of the million mile queues". Thats all for this update, don't forget to check out CP Pinball's website for more information. Thanks for reading!

^Early last season I set the grand champion score at 26mil, my best game ever, and it stayed there all season. Unfortunately, the scores were erased over the winter and I could only come up with 13mil my last visit, good for 3rd place. My high score initials are DJS. I like the Funhouse machines at IB because they are slow (I prefer stop and shoot style games), and the mystery mirror kickouts are generally predictable. Photo TR: Chicago Pinball Expo 2009 Chicago has long been regarded as the center of the pinball universe. At one time there were well over 100 pinball machine/parts factories in and around the Chicago area. Now only one in the world remains, and fortunately, it is still located right here outside Chicago. So while the Chicago Expo is not the biggest or highest attended pinball show, it nevertheless possesses an inherent importance among pinball enthusiasts. Here we are at the Westin North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, IL. People bring their machines here from all over the country. Some are just to show off but many are for sale. They are all set on free play for everyone to enjoy. Here's one of my favorites, Elvira Scared Stiff. Here's Scared Stiff's playfield. Believe it or not this game was made by the same design team as the furry themed game in my last update. They came along way! Attack from Mars is considered one of the best games ever produced. After playing for the first time I concur, its a fantastic game, definitely in my top 5. Along with all the games to explore, there are also plenty of vendor booths to check out. They also have pinball seminars, tournaments, and other special events going on throughout the weekend. Pictured is the autograph signing session. Here's a rare Atari pinball machine. You don't see these often. Speaking of rare, here's the Aaron Spelling table. It was commissioned by his wife in 1992 as a gift for the man who has everything. It's really just an overhauled Lethal Weapon 3 table that appears to have been vomited on, oh wait that's just Tori. Only two were made, price tag: $10,000. Here's a rare prototype for Cirque Votaire. This is the mock up they would make at the factory before they went into production. I was happy to get the chance to play it, but I still haven't played a real Cirque Voltaire yet. It was created by my favorite designer, John Popadiuk. He also designed Tales of the Arabian Nights and World Cup Soccer '94. This game used a real pool cue ball instead of a pinball. It got old fast, but was still fun to see. A very rare Australian, Empire Strikes Back machine. Although the gameplay is mediocre at best, the artwork really makes up for it. I really like the Millennium Falcon shot and the Blackhole style infinity backglass. Some bizarre redemption game. $975 is quite a bit for an old electro-mechanical game. I giggle a little every time the monkey hits that bell. One of many great games in the category of "Fun pinball machine with forgettable and or awful 90's movie theme". So don't be sad Johnny Mnemonic, it's not the games fault. The main reason I look forward to this event so much every year is that I can literally play pinball all night long. I feel some things are just more fun at 4 in the morning. This Guns N' Roses game was modded to use a guitar hero controller. Much like any rhythm game, I wasn't very good. Popeye has some awesome sideart. Too bad the game is a real stinker. Some of these video pinball cabinets are really well done, this miniature one in particular. Much better than this glitchy, awkward, poorly-themed, production model. And this atrocity, which seemed to have an old Intel 386 under the hood. With such low framerates on both the OCC pinball and Spongeball tables, I couldn't finish a game on either one. What a way to turn kids off to pinball. There were a few other non pinball coin-op games there as well. I really enjoyed this Williams upright game. Some artists and designers had their own booths. I liked this one because Star Trek 25th Anniversary is hands down my favorite Data East game. I'm glad I had some time to spend playing a few Gottlieb/Premier games. Although they aren't quite up to the quality of games that Williams/Bally was producing at the time, they still had some fun toys. This Wipeout machine has a working ski lift for example. And this Rescue 911 machine features a helicopter that picks up your ball and moves it around. Gottlieb/Premier is the Vekoma of pinball. Usually they're pretty rough but you come across a decent one from time to time. I spent some quality time on this Red and Ted's Roadshow. I love this game, even with the awful soundtrack. I found this Lamborghini modded Getaway 2 pinball on ebay autos for $13,000 a few weeks after the show. I'm sure whoever spends that will be more than happy with the shoddy work on the electro-luminescent wire. Stay classy pinball people! This year the expo runs from Wednesday, October 20th to Sunday, October 24th. I must warn you that if you only plan on only attending one day, make sure its not the first or last days of the event. I would highly recommend visiting on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday to see the peak amount of games. As the expo wrapped up the Tournament raged on. Can you feel the excitement in this room? I'd also like to take this time to inform you that pinball expo is held just a few miles from one of the best restaurants in the Chicago area, Bob Chinn's Crabhouse! Most people started packing up early on Sunday morning. And that was it, see you next October! Next update I'll take you to the pinball mecca of the midwest. One of the best collections in the world open to the public, thanks for reading!

You have excellent taste, luckily for you it's a very affordable game. I was fortunate to find mine, It's in great condition and I've never had a significant problem with it. I don't have space for a large collection myself, so far I have just have the World Cup and a beat up Cyclone. Since it seems like there are a few pinball fans out there, I'd like to share some of the pinball related places and events I've visited over the past year. The first is a place familiar to everyone here, Indiana Beach. Photo TR: Indiana Beach Pinball Along with its great coasters and delicious taco's, Indiana beach also features not one but two open-air pinball arcades. Skyroom arcade is located on the North end of the park, underneath Skyroom bar & restaurant. Inside you'll find eight pinball machines that are excellently maintained. Among them are some of the most popular and highly rated games ever made. The Machine: Bride of Pinbot Theatre of Magic Star Trek: The Next Generation The Twilight Zone Funhouse South Park The Addams Family The Simpsons Pinball Party Indiana Beach's other arcade is located in the campground across from Schafer Drive. These games aren't nearly as well maintained as the ones inside the park, but still worth checking out for any pinball lover. The campground arcade also has a decent selection of retro arcade-games , skeeball, and redemption machines. Behind the arcade you'll also find an International themed mini-golf course and a hand powered train ride. The campground games include: Rollergames Jokerz No Fear The Twilight Zone Cyclone Party Animals Funhouse The Addams Family The Getaway: High Speed 2 Enjoy the pictures! Don't forget pinball tip #1: Make sure the game is in working order before you load it full of credits. Older pinball machines require regular maintenance, part of the reason why they are nearly extinct in the wild. Fortunately, the machines inside the park are generally well maintained. The Twilight Zone and Star Trek: The Next Generation are regarded as the most complex pinball machines ever produced. I'm never surprised to see them turned off, waiting for a part or special repair. Theatre of Magic, a favorite game of many pinball collectors. I consider it a bit overrated. I'm more of a Funhouse guy. Beat my score and post it here, I'm looking for some friendly competition! These machines at the campground are a bit more neglected. That's Cyclone on the end there, the second in a three part series of amusement park themed games. The various ramps and targets are named after rides from Chicago's long lost Riverview Park. How cool is that! It even has a sweet dark ride! The detail in the playfield is what really makes this game great. And yes, the Cyclone and Comet ramps do count as credits. Pinball for furries? Believe it or not they made a sequel to this game a few years later. I'd love to listen in on that boardroom think tank. "Look at the juggs on that cheetah!" wait...what?!?! Rounding out the campground games, don't forget to check out the artwork in Rollergames. Is that another cheetah suit? And we'll end with a view of the mini-golf course for Electerik. Because of whom I know far too much about the Smokey Mountain region of Tennessee.

^Any cat owning pinball collector (a narrow demographic to be sure) can surely identify with this. I loved it! Taxi is one of my all time favorite pinball machines, a true classic. My cat never misses a chance to see the flashing lights and bouncing pinballs. Here he is resting after a frantic game of World Cup Soccer '94. Timely I know. Even cats get World Cup Fever

There are so many impressive photos in this thread, it makes me want to go camera shopping (or at least learn how to use the one I have). These are my favorite panoramic photos along with a photo-mosaic I made using a nifty program called Andreamosaic. Indiana Beach July 2009 King's Dominion June 2009 Michigan's Adventure July 2009 Panarama.zip full resolution panorama shots Hydra, compiled of shots from my 2009 East coast trip. Hydra Mosaic.zip full resolution Hydra mosaic

Great TR! I was at the park the day after your visit and noticed maintenance focusing on LoCoSuMo's elevator lift. I did see it testing from time to time throughout the day so hopefully it will be open soon. I thought Hoosier Hurricane was running much smoother than last year. This may be due to the blue trains, which I don't recall them using at all last season. I also noticed an interesting new sign on the taco stand (graphic designers shield your eyes now, you have been warned!), and a new place for stroller/wheelchair rental. I'm no expert, but I think it might be a problem with the lift. The sign reads "Home of the Worlds Best Tacos as seen on The Food Network" New for 2010! Formerly a toy/gift shop