alwaysairtime14

I like the atmosphere of an independent, but the rides at bigger parks just overpower the little guys.

Is your absolute favorite park part of a chain, or an independently run operation? I still consider a park independent is they own other businesses, but only one amusement park.

Oh yeah, 3 seconds of near-vertical, edge of you seat hangtime staring down a 200 foot drop is totally lame.

^^^ Yes, I also find that Bizarro gets better throughout the day. And yes, I agree the further back you go, the less intense the ride is. Good to hear about Goliath.

...and the only one without any type of support on the loop. Cutting edge? Or completely stupid?

Earlier this year I was on a Wild Mouse with my friend. Apparently the trims weren't working at all. We died of pain and laughter that day. The Cyclone at SFNE, you always worry it's going to A. derail or B. get stuck. The sudden pops of airtime are funny due to the surprise effect.

SFNE's Cyclone. In the back. It's the first drop after the lift hill, before the turnaround to the larger drop. Biggest, and most surprising ejector airtime I've gotten. Yes, I've been on El Toro.

http://www.weather.com/travel/vintage-thrills-amusement-parks-through-years-20130605 Lot's of goodies in here! Mostly coasters from England, but there are some American pictures.

Good to know, I wasn't even sure if they had finished retracking it. It's been closed since September. Will have to get to the park to try it out.

Rolling Thunder at SFGAdv- The kids riding in the back told me not to do it...smartest 10-year-olds I've met. Wildcat at Lake Compounce- This is getting a rebuild this year Mind Eraser at SFNE- I swear it's bumpier this year than last. My smoothest wooden coaster that's a classic is the Dragon Coaster at Playland. Smoother than half of the wooden coasters built over 80 years later.

Wooden Warier, at Quassy. If anyone's in the area and hasn't ridden this awesome coaster yet, single-ride tickets are 3.50$. Or get a whole day for 25$. With the new waterpark expansion, I would pay 25$ for a whole day.

I'd like to see a skydiving freefall tower. Have the riders lie on their stomachs, hoist them 300 feet up, and then freefall at the top. That'd be great with the air rushing into your face as you plummet towards the ground looking straight down. It could definitely be done with today's technology.

The Mad Mouse at Quassy (CT) was removed because people died on it. Yep...totally. However, I will say it probably was the scariest looking coaster in the region.

Meh...I'd prefer reliability if this is a long-term investment for the park. I was at the park last year, midweek, no extreme weather, and Goliath was open 45 minutes the entire day. IF the new trains are more reliable (which I have a gut feeling they won't), then put em' on.

Yes, nearly everything at Playland is supplied by outside companies. The park has bought some of these rides in recent year's, but many of the concessions are outside. This is why Playland had to get rid of the Fun Card Points. The park trusted the ride owners that they would honestly report the number of "points" they received in ex amount of time. Thanks to human greediness, the park got short-handed by the ride owners, and the park discontinued the Fun Card Points. Yeah, the Park really doesn't know how to operate.

Nitro at SFGA. 80 mph. In a DOWNPOUR! It was raining so hard we had to wait on the brakes outside the station because they weren't dispatching anymore trains. I would compare it to being pelted by marbles.

Oh the community is supporting it all right. The county is a good 80% of the their clientele. There's no outside marketing, which I believe is the true problem. People around me, a mere hour from the park, have never heard of Playland. As for the park's financial state, no one truly knows. Some say the park has lost money every year since it opened. Others say that the Park has lost money only in the last decade, and others say it is still making a profit. The community is supporting Sustainable, in a poll ( I forgot the link) Sustainable had 60% of the votes. I'm doubt Playland will change management next year or the year after. For once, politicians holding everything up is a good thing

Well, the park is a historical landmark. It's beautiful. The park hasn't changed in 85 years other than new rides. My favorite part about Playland, is that it has its own atmosphere. There are no teen couples making out in the queue or anywhere. 1 in 10 people has their phone out, instead of 8 out of 10 at a Six Flags. Playland is where you bring your friends, and don't care about anything else in the world except for right now. No other park in the area can match that. Sustainable wants to come in and destroy that charm. They want to be a crappy amusement park with 5 rides, and a great community center. I live an hour away, so I don't care at all about the latter. Also, on opening day I noticed, sadly, the Whip was running slower than last year. I went on twice to confirm.

For me, Nitro at SF Great Adventure. In the rain. It was raining so hard the train I was on had to be held on the brake run because they weren't letting any other trains depart. I would compare it to being hit by hail, at 80 mph.

I hope...

Opening Day Report: Small crowds to start the day. For once I was watching the speeches made by the county officials very closely. When Astirino came up there were cheers from the entire crowd. He began to talk about "reinventing" the park for the 21st century. The crowd erupted into whispers and discussion. However, Astirino never mentioned Sustainable. He probably would have gotten kicked out if he did by all the Playland enthusiasts that were there! All the rides were operating and in good shape. Dragon was running one train. Bumper Cars had 40 out of the 60 cars on the track which was odd. Go-Karts had 10 cars, and they all stayed on-track the entire day. It t-stormed at 4 which made crowds non-existent. I got the front seat of the Dragon Coaster twice in a row! Everything was walk-on! Best Opening Day in the 4 year's I've been going.

For Steel, purple. Any guesses why? Wood: The classic white frame with red handrails.

Playland opens Saturday, the 11th. Who will be there to show support? Me and...

Now, now, Sustainable is not in the clear just yet. http://newyork.newsday.com/westchester/jenkins-vows-lawsuit-to-stop-astorino-s-plan-for-playland-1.5098263 http://westfaironline.com/53931/astorino-reaches-agreement-with-sustainable-playland/ Everything positive is below the red line. Playland’s days as a county-run fun park could be ending. County Executive Robert P. Astorino announced that he has reached a 10-year agreement with Sustainable Playland Inc. (SPI) to run Rye Playland and take it off the county’s hands. Several key county legislators remain skeptical. SPI will take over the county-run park on Oct. 1, assuming all approvals are met, including from the county’s Board of Acquisition and Contract. SPI plans to invest $34 million in the park. “Not only will the Dragon Coaster and the other historic rides be preserved, but the attractions will be expanded to make the park a destination for families year round,” Astorino said in a statement. “We have the vision and expertise in place for Playland to thrive for generations to come.” Under the agreement, SPI will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of both the amusement area and the surrounding 100 acres of parkland. Proceeds to pay the county, maintain the grounds and make improvements will come from equity investments from the operators, fees SPI charges its operators, revenues generated by the attractions run by the operators, and other revenue such as parking and sponsorships. “The SPI plan is designed to preserve, restore and enhance the historic character and qualities of Playland, including the historic amusement rides, the classic buildings and the landscape,” Kim Morque, president of SPI, said in a statement. Democratic legislators said they were not ready to support the agreement, saying they have not read it and questioning whether it violates the county charter. According to an opinion by County Attorney Robert Meehan, the legislators must approve any major changes made to the park. “The Astorino administration said its goal was to stop losing money at Playland, but Sustainable is not the way,” said Majority Leader Pete Harckham (D-Katonah). “From what we have seen and heard during numerous committee meetings held on the subject, Sustainable is the least competitive financially. But most importantly, this agreement essentially privatizes county parkland.” Harckham said the other three finalists – Central Amusements International, Legoland, and Standard Amusements L.L.C. – are capitalized and ready to invest in Playland. He would like the administration to work with the board on this process. “Let’s work successfully and collaborate,” Harckham said. “Let’s finish our review. Let’s work collaboratively to come up with the best proposal for residents and taxpayers. We have a lot of questions about Sustainable Playland.” While the administration wants this done as soon as possible, Harckham said it’s simply not fair to rush. “The administration has taken over two years,” Harckham said. “To put gauntlets and deadlines on the board is unfair to the process. We need to do due deliberations. We are almost complete with our analysis. We have to make sure we come up with the best product for Westchester.” Legislator Catherine Borgia (D-Ossining), chairwoman of the government operations committee, said she doesn’t think SPI’s plan is financially secure. “They are a not-for-profit shell corporation that’s subleasing to vendors,” Borgia said. “Westchester does not get its money until those areas are profitable. It’s very risky financially.” Borgia also criticized SPI’s plans to reduce the size of the parking lot and amusement park. “Their plan just doesn’t make sense,” Borgia said. “There are more financially viable options on the table. This is too important for political jockeying.” Geoff Thompson, a spokesman for SPI, said that Astorino’s announcement was a major step forward for the project. “We feel our plan is the right and smart approach that addresses the issues that confront Playland,” Thompson said. “We have a year-round plan that’s balanced.” Thompson said their plans will make the park accessible by being open year-round and allowing the community free access. “This can be profitable,” Thompson said. “It will help taxpayers by lowering the debt.” Donna Greene, a spokeswoman for Astorino, said the county executive stands by his selection of SPI. “We had a committee of experts evaluate this,” Greene said. “The county executive wouldn’t recommend it if he didn’t think it was a good plan.”