bert425

OMG. . I'm gonna have nightmares from the American Girl Cafe pictures now!

^ glad to hear you are doing better after the 2nd hospital visit. and congrats on keeping the trend going in the direction you want weight wise!

Mark died the other day (I posted some TalkTalk vids in his honor) Keith Flint is kind of a gut punch. . and it was (apparently) by Suicide. such a shame

^ and nevermind the park has several other "destination worthy" attractions anyways (besides the fact that it's in Japan!!). I mean. . even without the White Cyclone RMC, this park has been on my bucket list for years for this sucker here: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] RMC White Cyclone is just icing on cake

World's 1st *Subterranean* RMC ??? #2021 rumors

I gotta say, maybe it's the time of the year you went, but being "pricey" is just not true. I went with 3 people last May to get on Steel Vengeance, we paid for 1 night in a 2 bedroom hotel room with queen beds and a view of the park. We got tickets for both days (the day we arrived, and the day after we stayed the night at the hotel), we got drink wristbands for both days, and early entries on both days if we showed up early enough the first day. Stay Duration Mon. May. 21, 2018 - Tue. May. 22, 2018 (1 night) Guests 3 adults [48" and taller and under 62 years] Room Room 2 Queen-Size Beds & Sleeper Chair Rate 2 Day Ride & Refresh Total $410.64 ($387.40 + $23.24 Taxes & Fees) At $136.88 per person, that is an effing bargain to visit Cedar Point and stay on the peninsula for 2 days if you ask me. you're talking 3 people for 1 night (with a special package deal), vs 2 people for 4 nights. so yeah, that's where Bill is getting "pricey" from. is it worth it? absolutely, but yeah, it's not as inexpensive as staying off site. (tho I would never go and stay off site. . . for me, Breakers is the place to stay when going to CP, since not a local - it's a rare destination visit for me)

. . . said everyone who's ever purchased a ticket for "Manhattan Express/NY NY/Coaster" and immediately regretted doing so.

I enjoy Star Wars as much as the next person. . . but is it weird that I want to go now, NOT for the new rides, but for the food options? holee crap, I wanna try some of those food offerings! (and it likely works in my favor that everyone will be in line for the rides, which might make the food lines shorter). I honestly wasn't in any rush to get to DisneyLand for the Star Wars stuff. . but now penciling in early 2020 for a visit.

congrats to Kristen! looks like she's having a ball in those pics too!

lost two today: the original Marilyn Munster, Beverley Owen (she played Marilyn for 13 episodes before quitting and being replaced by the better known Pat Priest) and the one that hit me a bit harder, as I was a big fan: R.I.P. Mark Hollis from Talk Talk Founding Member, main songwriter, and lead singer. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Last night, FANTASTIC set by Spear of Destiny (the band Kirk Brandon formed after leaving Theater of Hate). They had a couple of minor US hits in the late 80's (videos below), but were much more popular in the UK. first tour in many years, and only a smallish number of stops - but included Austin. not many folks came out to support them, but just a fantastic sounding show - guitars clear as a bell, and his vocals are as great as they ever were. Interestingly, they are touring as a 4 piece, since the Bass player is ill, but they made due with keyboard bass, and it wasn't even noticeable. . course that could be why the guitars were so great sounding. really, really good set, and of course got to hang out with Kirk and chat after the show. sounds like we might be getting a full on Theater of Hate reunion tour sometime in 2019. .so really looking forwards to that. if you're not familiar with Spear of Destiny (or Theater of Hate). . I'd describe them as a nice mix of Post-Punk & Folk music. good stuff, and they put on a fantastic show. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] here's their biggest USA "hit". . but they did NOT play it - which I thought was brilliant: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] but after the smallish crowd begged for one more song, they broke out the Brilliant "Liberator". .which they hardly ever play live, and haven't been playing on this tour. When it really kicks in around the 2 minute mark, the whole club was just bouncing [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

Really like "Carnival of Chaos" as the name. watching thru the video - did I miss the info on the rethemed Whirlygig? (ie: are they going with Gotham Crime Wave (as it's named in SFOG)?. . . didn't see it in the video, but was skipping around. surprising news about Hustler (because it was there last Sat and operating). . but it really needs a repaint, so glad to see it's getting one.

Just a note, I believe Panda at SFFT has been closed since at least early December, but it looks like they're doing a lot of work there, including rebuilding the entire awning above it. I think there was probably a lot of work to be done inside, as well. dunno about that, since I was there in early Feb, and tho as noted, I never ate there? would have noticed if it was closed, and did not notice. but hey, could be mistaken. an Asian style restaurant changing over to an Asian style restaurant? seriously doubt any kitchen remodel was needed, since the kitchen would have been set up to produce the same kinds of food, and would still require the same type of cooking set up/equipment. they are changing the front of the building tho (obviously new signage), and painting - hence the awning is being redone too. here's the pic from last weekend that I took, once wall/sign went up.

back from Corteo. . . enjoyed it immensely, tho thought the 2nd half (post intermission) had several problems and weakened the overall show. the "Romeo & Juliet" clown scene brought the show to a screeching halt and just looked messy. overall a very solid show, that would rank in the top half of Cirque shows, tho not sure it would crack my top 5 (maybe #6 or 7). the staging and set design overcame some weak acts (the trampoline we've seen done better, but having them designed as beds really elevated it.. and same can be said for the teeter-totter set piece. some very unique acts tho, the floating "pole" is something we'd never seen before and were really impressed. also the Trapeze done without an actual trapeze (opening of 2nd act). . unique and so very cool to watch. the giant balloons floating the performer over the audience, bouncing her with their hands was also quite the experience. I did enjoy the music very much - enough that i bought the soundtrack CD during intermission. overall? liked it, and would see it again if it comes back thru.

Dinosaur! (near Primeval Whirl) is a much more solid choice anyways, and if you have to wait in line for one of em? I'd pick Dinosaur! every time.

Hey! It's not a lousy lousy kid coaster it's a lousy adult coaster. Get it right. Seriously though... that coaster is terrible. we had a blast on it when there (tho to be fair, was with a TPR group, so it was gonna be fun regardless). . those hairpin turns as it progresses were a mix of pain and howls of laughter. the Mini Golf there looked really nice, as did the bumper boats - tho the big race car track was just being built when I was there. I'd absolutely go back, and plan to when I'm in town for Dragon*con over Labor Day weekend. so yeah.. . .agreed its not a MUST do, but I enjoyed my time there.

the rendering of the new entrance plaza upgrade is lovely.

I'll be trying it this Saturday if it's open. Since I have the dining pass I will be overjoyed if it turns out to be even slightly tolerable. as I noted in my SFFT report from last Sat, they are changing over the Panda Express to Chop Six there too. and that one went from fully operating Panda Express in early Feb, to middle of re-construction/re-branding on 2/16. so, yeah.. they seem to be a quick change over (I suspect they don't need to do any changes at all in kitchen set up). . so might be open for ya. I never ate at Panda Express, even before we had dining plan. . so don't expect that to change for us even if Chop Six is an option. . but you never know. and it is nice to have more choices. Out of 4-5 rides I took on it, the majority were full carriage, and still got full flips.. but there were one or two where it just felt like we were swinging back and forth. so maybe it's just the luck of the draw program wise? I will say that sitting in an outermost seat gave me the best rides, as the Head/Foot chopper effects from the spinning pipes really add to the effect.

yeah. . just saw that . the Monkees were a "gateway" band for me, tho haven't listened to any of the music in well over 40 years. https://ew.com/music/2019/02/21/peter-tork-obituary/

I got the email about Marriott changing their rewards program to "Bonvoy". . I just tossed it in my virtual trash. I too, thought the name was idiotic. . maybe if Marriott was a Cruise Line? I'm a rewards member, but really only use it when I go visit my Dad to stay in the Springhill Suites near his house (as that one uses so few rewards points, it's always a "free" room - and we don't have to actually stay with him.

wonderful to see so many great photos and the construction update report! Impressed how (seemingly) quickly they've come along. . . wow, so that's all the new rides in place already? they must be ahead of schedule, and now starting to focus on queues and landscaping. this area is gonna look amazing, although it's not gonna offer a *lot* of activities for those of my age (with no kids), we certainly will stop in that area to partake in a couple of things. My favorite thing, of course one I likely will never get to ride, is the "Steeplechase-ish" Bear ride. but that could just be because of how much I love the ride vehicles

I was gonna say. . umm. . . I'm not seeing any sexual ads. LOL