bert425

dang it. . LGBT community (and the Feminist movement) lost an icon R.I.P. Lesley Gore. [youtu_be]http://youtu.be/XsYJyVEUaC4[/youtu_be] [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

what's good is that we're frequent Vegas visitors, so we're used to "Vegas blocks" walking from Casino to Casino.. so I'm EXPECTING long walks between buildings. (heck, in Chicago, I walked from the Art Institute to the Willis (Sears) Tower. .they told me it was too far, but it only took me 15 minutes. so a walk between museums won't bother us). Once we lock in the decision that we ARE doing this trip, that's the next discussion. because we're DINKs (Double Income, No Kids), we don't mind paying for convenience on vacations. In Philly last year, we paid $$ to stay at the Marriott across from City Hall, so we wouldn't need to drive to anything (we walked to the Museum District, and also to the Historical District (Independence Hall, Betsy Ross house, etc). . even tho we were paying for the EXPENSIVE parking at the hotel. so knowing my partner, we'd likely end up at a more expensive hotel close to the National Mall than something cheaper, but would involve a train ride to get to it. but we shall see thanks for the input tho. .it's all good!

did you not watch Breaking Bad? a familiar character is going to show up at the start of episode II the show is fantastic thus far, and can't wait for it to get it's "legs". .it's already renewed for season II, so we at least have 30 episodes of it

Yeah. . I'm excited for the LA spin off. . something Kirkman has refused to do in the comics -- he wants to just focus on the main characters. as to the Show vs the comic, the basic arc of the show has followed the comic VERY closely. .what hasn't followed is the fates of the characters. Some died in different ways or different situations, some have NOT dies (there are several in the show that are dead in the comic, and vice versa). . and then there are the characters that were created for the show. I won't spoil, but I will say that of all the characters on the show right now? only 6 are still alive in the comics, and in the comic there are two characters who are alive who the show killed off a while ago. I take it you've seen the premiere? The character who died last week never made it out of the prison setting in the comic. SPOILER from the comic below. . tho not a major one. . . . anyways, Kirkman in the comic killed off the Governor pretty early after introducing him, and he obviously felt he did the comic a dis-service by removing such a big "bad" from the storyline. So he created a very "similar". . tho much more evil character named "Negan" who showed up just before a comic storyline called "All out War" so yeah. . .I'll put money on it that we have just seen the first evidence of Negan existing in the TV universe. I'll be absolutely shocked if he shows up this season. . I'm figuring teases and hints thruout the rest of the season, with maybe a big reveal of something terrible done for the finale. . .but the character and his supporters (army) seem to be the seeds planted for that character to show up.

it will always be this: [youtu_be] [/youtu_be]

^ it does, thanks for more input! one thing about DC, is we would be going there for 3-4 days. I'd plan at least two full days for the Smithsonian Museums we want to visit (I was surprised they are all free, but yay, since the hotel prices in DC are mucho $$$$). Then a 3rd day to do Monuments around the museums. I *think* that would be enough time, tho I'd love to fit the zoo in too (considered part of the Smithsonian complex, so maybe 1/2 a day at the monuments, rest of the day at the zoo). but yeah, it would be 3- 3 1/2 days in Williamsburg, then 3-3 1/2 days in Washington if we end up on that option. (as a bonus, a friend of mine from HS lives/works in DC with his partner, and he said if we come we can meet them for dinner one night).

ooo. .maybe it will be a stand up! looks amazing, seriously, and can't wait to see it completed!

I tend not to change mine. . so it's still me in the Pony Express test seat at Knotts.

This, there is plenty to check out in these areas for someone who isn't the die hard park fan. Plus numerous good restaurants and breweries in the area to check out. Cedar point is pretty much it's own little place with not much around in. Though spending an afternoon drinking at the TGIF patio is not a bad way to relax either If you end up with passes and you have never been I would suggest stopping by SFA as well. It is in the area and it is always quiet, a two hour stop will give you time to do a lap and then head on to other things in the area. a definite option on the table IF we get the passes. there's a bunch of stuff he won't ride at Fiesta either (Iron Rattler, Superman, the new Batman). . but he loves Poltergeist, and RoadRunner express. . so we would buy it to make trips just for those. (and Frisbee. . I LOVE Frisbee)

thanks! yeah. . he would definitely ride Verboten, as well as Loch Ness Monster (normal cars). .and that's it for coasters. . but he'd ride most all of the flats!

thanks for the input. yeah, we'd like to do the shows at BGW (at least *I* would. on our prior trip, we did NO shows. . and I really would have liked to do 1 or two at Hershey). that's why I tentatively planned for 2 full days. good suggestion to do BGA, then full day at Colonial Williamsburg. . we could actually check out of the Hotel the next day, drive to KD and spend the day, and then drive on to Washington and check in Hotel there (or just find a cheapie along the way for 1 night).

I already do a yearly trip by myself to Atlanta for a big sci-fi/pop-culture convention (Dragon*con). so this is the yearly trip we take together (and I like the culture and Museum stuff as much as he does. . we *loved* Philadelphia).

cool. . thanks! It's on the radar. .if we end up doing shorter trip, def. a stop there!

hmmm. . . if we're in DC anyways. . . . (tho I think a 3rd park might be a "hard sell". .in particular a Six Flags). but then again, I mentioned in passing that I thought we might buy Season Passes this year, since Fiesta is only an hour or so drive from us. . and he didn't shut me down. So if we HAVE a pass at that point, and we're right there. . . . hmmmmmm (then again, I've been going to Atlanta for over 18 years on Labor Day weekend for Dragon*con, and have yet to make the trip out to Six Flags over Georgia. .and that's right there too . . .I"m just always so busy (or hungover) to do it after a weekend of partying w/ my friends at a convention).

as it gets closer, and if it gets decided, you'll definitely have to give me restaurant tips! (assuming we end up in Virginia).

thanks. . tho isn't the Busch Gardens building the new coaster the Africa one (in Florida?). Edit: you are totally correct! I forgot they were installing that crazy one right now. LOL. . another one he won't ride

You know, I think this is so weird. My missus is the exact same way. She was totally freaked on Nitro with the open B&M hyper trains (mostly the restraint she said - she felt she could slip out) and wouldn't step anywhere near Skyrush. Inverts/SLCs also freak her out a bit, but she says the OTSRs feel her more at ease on those. Normal old school enclosed cars - fine. She was totally fine on El Toro of all rides - rode it 2xs twice in fact. Anyone else know of folks that have issues with open trains/restraints? I am the opposite, I love the open feeling of lapbars, and I get the feeling most people, at least on here, might agree. I really don't have a preference and will ride anything. I hated Skyrush . . but that didn't really have ALL that much to do with the restraints -- tho it did feel like I was going to fall out at any moment (which is the part I HATED. . .but that wasn't just due to the restraints. .and I've ridden with just the lap restraint on Titan at SFoT, and hell, I felt safe on Pony Express too. . and that's not really a secure feeling restraint. but yeah. . Nick? Open sides on a car are a BIG no-no. He used to love Superman at SFFiesta Tx (a floorless) and as I noted, he refused to ride Hydra, and that's the same kind of car. luckily, he likes flats too, so we still have a great time at parks, even tho he won't go on many of the coasters with me anymore (tho he did ride MOST at Hershey, both at Knoebels, and all at Kennywood (yes, even Phantom's Revenge. . but again, that has "normal" coaster cars). I saw your trip planning thread, but had forgotten about it. Thanks, I'll take a look. Tho I'm really fingers crossed hoping for option 1, even tho it will be more expensive (hotels in Williamsburg, and then 3-4 days in DC, even with no cost to get into Smithsonian?? oy. .that's not gonna be cheap!). . but that's what I really want. It's going to come down to how many days we can vacation this year.

question about CP, in particular Hotel Breakers. if you are staying there, does that give you free admission? (it looks like it's in the park itself). if not, then we likely WOULD stay an extra day or two, just to enjoy the beach, and do a day trip to the R&R Hall of Fame, after 2 days in the park.

it really does help. Everyone's opinion and input helps . . . so thank you for taking the time! we're OLD (LOL. .you're still under 21). . so yeah, a slower pace is what we need. my Partner also does not to heights very well. .so KD would be mainly for me, because although he LOVES speed, ain't no way, no how would I get him on I305. Volcano is likely an option tho, because even though he is not a fan of "suspended", it looks like that goes close enough to the "Mountain" that you don't appear to be high off the ground. so he'd ride it most likely. At BGW, I already know going in that I'd be on Apollo's Chariot (the car design (open on the sides)), Griffon (again, the car design is too open) and AlpenGeist are ones that I'll be riding alone. If we end up at Cedar Point?. . I'll be riding a lot of the coasters alone. But he likes most flats, so we have a great time anyways, and he does ride coasters if they have "normal" (ie: sit inside a closed car) design. he surprised me at Dorney by riding Steel Force -- even tho it was WAY out of his comfort zone (but the design of the car made him feel safe). . but he wouldn't ride Talon, Hydra or Possessed with me. again, at Hershey -- he wouldn't ride StormRunner, Great Bear, or Skyrush. . but rode all the other coasters (and loved Lightning Racer and SuperDooperLooper). so it's going to depend on the mood, but also if he's simply up to it (he's 8 years older than I am). so yeah. . planing on really going slow. . one of the reasons we don't do fast-pass stuff. . we don't MIND waiting in the lines, as it gives him time to rest between thrills.

^^ The Pennsylvania parks were our trip last year: flew into Pittsburgh, Kennywood, Hershey, Knoebels, Dorney, and then two days doing culture/sightseeing in Philadelphia

This trip may be your best option. BGW is simply brilliant, and two days is a perfect amount of time to truly enjoy it. KD is also an easy drive from Williamsburg, so there's no trouble adding it on. As for the museums/historical stuff, there's TONS of stuff in that area. Colonial Williamsburg is really nice, and I highly recommend you spend at least one day seeing the place. Plus, there's Historic Jamestowne (the actual settlement), Jamestown Settlement (the recreation of said settlement), and Yorktown. Then, of course, you can venture farther north to DC for the usual tourist stuff. Honestly, if your partner isn't big on parks and loves history, this would be an amazing trip for the two of you. There's not a whole lot to do in the immediate area. There's some historical sites related to Thomas Edison south of Sandusky, but that's about it. If you want museums, you could go to Cleveland. There's the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, their art museum (which I understand is quite nice), the natural history museum, etc. The closest parks would be Michigan's Adventure (4.5 hrs), Kings Island (3.5 hrs), and Waldameer (2.5 hrs). Hope this helps! It does help, thank you! (and you summed up exactly why I was leaning towards option 1 in the first place for trip planning (and considering the day doing Colonial Williamsburg before Washington DC). Glad to hear my plan for 2 days BGW / 1 Day KD is a sound one. would 2 days be enough for CP if we end up with that trip? He's a big music fan and would love the hall of fame. but the other parks, even at just 2.5 hours for Waldameer (that would be a "maybe"). .i think would be a hard sell. (if forced to go on a shorter trip, rather than skimp on Washington, I'd rather just save BGW & Washington for another time. . hence keeping CP in the mix as an option).

So. . I'm looking to do a trip in mid/late June this year (or POSSIBLY Late May) and could use some help. For this Year's vacation (which I'm planning and still have to sell my partner on) I'm looking at either Bush Gardens Williamsburg or Cedar Point (both are on my "bucket list" parks, so I'm really leaning towards one of these two) .. .but could use some input. "both" isn't going to work as an answer -- my Partner cannot do multiple parks in one trip (he barely survived 4 parks in Pennsylvania last year, even tho I built in a lot of downtime), so although I'm in early stages of planning, these are what I'm leaning towards: option 1) 7-8 day trip: Hotel in Williamsburg, 2 days at Busch Gardens -- want to really take my time to enjoy this supposedly beautiful park, then drive up for 1 day at King's Dominion (driving back to Williamsburg at end of day for sleep in hotel). Then either day in Colonial Williamsburg, or just drive to Washington, DC for 3-4 days and do the Smithsonian Museums, the National Mall, and other touristy stuff. option 2) 3-4 day trip (or possibly longer?). Stay on-site (likely at Breakers) for at least 2 days at Cedar Point. . .then ?? this is where I need the help. What else is there near Cedar Point? I've never been or even researched it, so I dunno if there are any other parks close by? or any Museums/historical things to do? any suggestions are good ones, as I don't know what to plan. my partner, of course, likes the idea of a 3-4 day trip, but I have absolutely no issue stretching out to 7-8 days as long as we have something fun to do, either culturally or relaxing. so hit me. . what should I plan? best, bert

CNN covered it http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/02/10/vo-hotel-implosion-las-vegas.ksnv

do you read the comic by chance? they are stealth introducing a character from the comics, whom i expect will be the "big bad" next year. I think we'll see signs of his group around (such as the chopped up walker bodies). . but Rick and co are going to find a place to stop and settle before we meet the next bad guy. .and it's a pretty good bet whom it is, since Kirkman has said we're about to have a gay character show up. . and that's GOT to be Jesus, a scout from a community that I'll put $$ on that they'll end the year joining with. as far as Tyrese. .he lived much longer than the comic book version did, and for some reason, he never really worked for me on the show. (odd, since Comic Michonne and Comic Rick made the translation on to screen with no issues for me). so . . eh. Not too upset about this turn of events.

thought the layout was terrible (very confusing, and SO many hills ). . . but loved the park. and you forgot the Kettle Corn. . even BETTER than the chocolate.