cfc

^I'd like to see Great American Scream Machine at SFGA sponsored by a scrap-metal dealer.

Yes, Yosemite Sam is a far more dangerous adversary.

^That's correct. At the tour a few weeks ago, we were told that the track wasn't the problem with X--it was the trains.

^Rollercoaster at Blackpool has had seatbelts for a few years, as I recall.

Hey, as long as they have a robot butler.

Yes, even a Williamsburg resident like me has to agree that if you're into the critters, Tampa is the way to go (Euroburg is more about the "garden" part of the name). Tampa's coaster selection is a bit more interesting, too.

Come on, everybody sing! "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow/ Shining at the end of every day!" I don't see this "attraction" having much in the way of legs unless they really update it--a lot.

^Farmers with carrot fields?

Disneyland has been like that since day one--if it hadn't been for ABC buying a piece of Walt's idea in the 1950s, the park probably wouldn't have been built. One of the early attractions in Tomorrowland was some exhibit for Kaiser Aluminum.

^Maybe a tow-truck company cold sponsor the parking lots--talk about "synergy."

^True "coaster porn."

Ah, Great America's Turn of the Century was on the cover--an Arrow with airtime back in the 1970s. Oh, those misty, water-colored memories . . . It was cool to see those old photos of Nessie, too.

DerekRx wrote: When did you move to Williamsburg, Derek? That's SOP when it snows here, too. Then because they're afraid of damaging the pavement, they scrape off just the top layer, thus allowing the bottom layer to partially melt and freeze back into ice. Nay sure gets around.

That wild mouse car looks like an evil robotic space mouse in a Japanese cartoon. Once again, Jeff, I salute you!

Thanks for sharing the pics. I'm really looking forward to checking these two parks out this summer.

Roger Ebert believes that if you like a movie, you'll tend to overlook details such as the ones Brian pointed out in his posts and just go with it. But if you dislike a movie, you tend to dwell on such details and pick them apart. Wes's comment here is well taken, as are Brian's comments. As for me, I won't be seeing this until it's out on DVD anyway because excessive, jiggly, handheld camera work makes me sicker than a dog when I catch it on the big screen.

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant where it seems as though everyone--from the waiter to the kitchen to the manager--just wants to annoy and insult you? I present in evidence the Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg, Va. The service at this joint has always been a problem, but the food used to make up for it. Well, not anymore. My good friend Hilary was in town, and we decided to hit the Blue Talon for lunch. She ordered the "special," fish and chips, while I went for the spicy shrimp with cashews and penne pasta. The food arrives. Hilary takes a bite of the yummy-looking breaded fish, only to find a bone chip. Yes, a big nasty bone chip in a breaded filet. Hell, this doesn't even happen at Long John Silver's, much less a pretentious little "bistro." She cuts off a piece of the other fish filet for me. I try it and, bingo, another bone fragment. Well, enough of that, we decided. It takes about ten minutes to flag down our waitress, who hasn't bothered to check on "how we're doing" or to refill our drinks. Hilary politely explains the "bone situation," and orders a bowl of what I'm having. The waitress, with nary an apology, takes the offending fish back to the kitchen. Another ten minutes go by, and the manager ambles over to our table asking if there's a problem. We explain the "bone situation" again, and he goes back to the kitchen, only to return and tell us that this particular fish has but "one bone" to remove, so it was quite unlikely that there were any bones in Hilary's fish at all. Yes, it's always a great idea to hint that your customer is lying--a very sound business practice. My veneer of politeness was finally stripped away. "Well, then he must've chopped up that 'one bone' and stuck it in both filets," I said. The manager apologizes and leaves. Well, Hilary's penne shows up. It's cold. And to top it off, there's a big glob of Alfredo-sauce-drenched linguini in the bottom of the bowl! It's like they just dumped out a bowl of Alfredo and refilled it with the penne without even cleaning the damn thing! I later learned that my office had a business dinner there and that the staff made one of our larger guests feel very uncomfortable--pointing at him and laughing, making cracks behind his back about his weight, just overall insulting behavior. Our president had to mend fences with him (and tear the owner of the Blue Talon a new one). What a bunch of losers.

Tivoli was a beautiful little park. I wouldn't mind spending some more time there and exploring it a bit more fully. My favorite thing there was the walkthrough haunted house with the "Viking" guide--surprisingly gory for a family-oriented park.

^Would you settle for very irritable sea bass with laser beams?

^The technology for Toy Story/Midway/F***in' Mania is different from that of Buzz. Instead of using cutouts and three-dimensional figures as targets, Mania will use video technology similar to that of Where's the Fire at Epcot (or so I understand).

So, in the future we will all be either George or Jane Jetson? "Jane, stop this crazy thing!"

^Exactly. And what about those audience members who get to be "judges"? The opportunities for emotional meltdowns and other disasters here are endless. But we know the real reason for the new show: This is a dumb idea all the way around.

I see nothing good coming of this at all. It might work for say, one summer, but over the long term it'll be a bust. I know I won't be bothering with it.

Mitsui was great--my favorite non-Disney/Universal park in Japan. The Haunted Shrine drak ride with the headphones was pretty cool, too. So, the rides are baically run by independent contractors? No wonder the ops were always trying to herd people into their sections. It's an interesting way to run a park--and helps explain why there's such a great variety of stuff there.

Busch Gardens Euroburg Restore the old strobe-light, sound, and mist effects in the Loch Ness Monster's cave and helix. Bring back the original "Transylvania Express" for Howl-o-Scream and replace the "evil clown" stuff in Festa Italia (that area really sucked last year). Improve the Roman Rapids operations (that is, use the turntable the way it should be used). Bring back the French pastry shop next to Griffon. Come up with a clear single-rider line policy for Griffon (and bring back Apollo's Chariot's single-rider line while you're at it). Put an Intamin woodie where Drachen Fire used to be (I'd love to torment Kingsmill residents with the "Intamin fart"). Kings Dominion Keep the park clean (especially the bathrooms). Improve the park's food offerings (the fried-chicken restaurant has become particularly nasty). Add a single-rider line to Volcano. Keep on improving Haunt (replacing the "Maze of Madness" with something new would be good). Bring the Hurler back to it's debut-season awesomeness. PAINT the Rebel Yell (and return the lights on the rails). Fix the damn effects (and keep them running) on Italian Job or Stunt Track or whatever the hell it's called now. As for Water Country USA, how about a new slide or two, eh? (Maybe something like the "Disco H2O" at Wet 'n' Wild.)