boldikus

But that yank over the drop tho...

Sleigh Bells - Rill Rill

^ Because the loading and station in general would be a complete clusterfu*k with people trying to figure out which train they want to be on. Can you imagine how insane that would be? They'd have to have two different loading areas which obviously isnt possible. Also I didn't realize we only had one train, that's lame. Capacity is going to be a nightmare on July 4th.

Just talked to my buddy and looks like I'll be up there Friday afternoon/night after a half day @ work. Hope its not too crowded. Also hoping that since Namtab "opens" on Saturday they may have some sort of soft opening Friday night, we'll see.

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

^ LMAO. It definitely looks intense. I like Batman and I am stoked to try it at least once, hopefully more if its not too much.

Great Adventure Online posted some pictures of Namtab testing today.

^ LOL. Yes, El Vez and a bunch of other great spots are in the Gayborhood, which is basically all of 12th street and some of 13th Street from Market to Lombard. And yeah new rainbow crosswalks to go with the rainbow street signs. Ha! Another great area right nearby is on the other side of Broad St around 17th/18th/19th between Chestnut and Spruce is Rittenhouse which has a great park which gets very lively on a nice day, and a ton of high end shopping/food/bars on the streets around it.

Yes if you are in center city it is highly advisable that you park in one lot for the full day. Its going to be way cheaper than at a meter and you can use the El & subway to get around. The El (Market Frankford or Blue line) runs right through the heart of the city east-west and the subway (Broad St line aka Orange line) runs north to south. I take them each twice a day and avoid buses like the plague. You can basically get anywhere you need to go by those to trains, cabs, and walking. It's super easy to get around in CC (and west/north/south) because the streets are numbered so if you can count you can navigate. And @michaellynn just so you know re: Genos' - I don't know if that "Must order in English" sign is still up but Joe (the old racist owner) died a few years ago and the place is run/owned by his young/progressive/openly gay son who is actually named Geno (after the store, not vice versa lol).

^ ^ That makes sense. I wondered a few days after our trip where the entrance to the skyride/chairlift was, and where it went to (it seemed to just go up into woods), and why we never saw it operating. When we first arrived, not really realizing it, we parked right underneath it, and then moved to avoid risking someone dropping something on the car. I didn't realize there was a parking lot up there but yeah looking at google maps I see it. Is that the free lot all the way up there? LOL we were so close to the entrance, and we got there after noon. It must have been dead that day because even when we left around 5 the lot was not even half full.

I might be wrong since we never rode the Skyride @ KW (I dont recall seeing it operate at all) but I dont think it has anything to do with the parking, other than it goes right over the lot. I will point out the preferred parking is only $7, which we did when there and we parked about a 2 minute walk from the main entrance. Worth it, imo.

^ Yeah has anyone pointed out that Great Adv has 5 B&Ms (more than any other park on the planet)?

^ Its surprising how many non-enthusiast folks Ive taken to GreatAdv that approach El Toro and say "Oh hell no, I don't do wood coasters" and after some prodding and explaining I get them on and after they all agree its the best ride they've ever been on.

Really it depends on where in Philly you will be, its a pretty big city. Let's get the cheesesteak talk out of the way. If you are dying to eat a Philly cheesesteak do yourself a favor and avoid Pat's/Genos at all costs. Yes they are famous, yes its a tourist trap, no they are not good. Take it from me, I've lived here for 37 years and have probably eaten thousands of cheesesteaks. Tony Luke's has the best real deal Philly cheesesteak in the city (but the original location is in deep South Philly and waaaaay off the beaten path and they have shitty hours, closing whenever they feel like), and many of the corner pizza joints have better steaks than the slop they'll serve you at Pat's and Genos. If you MUST go there, Genos, Genos, Genos. Pat's has its fans but imo it is completely inedible. I only really enjoy the cheese fries @ Genos but if I'm drunk enough I'll get a steak. If you are staying right in center city there are tons of restaurants/bars but nothing that stands out as a unique place (at least not to me). El Vez is great but pricey. Same for Jones. Ditto on Morimoto and Village Whiskey. For stuff to do there is the Mutter Museum which is weird/fun. The Franklin Institute is really cool. If you are into art we have one of the best museums on the planet (you can run up the steps and be a big tough guy like Rocky! Yay!). And of course all the historical/independence crap in Old City - Liberty Bell, Constitution Center, etc. As a lifer that stuff is all a bit boring to me. I would avoid of all that and venture into one of the "cooler" neighborhoods like Northern Liberties, Fishtown or Passyunk Square. Fishtown has Barcade which is a bar serving "upscale" bar food and craft beer, and is packed with old school restored video games at $.25 each. There is also North Bowl which is a bowling alley with good food and beer (and pool and air hockey tables etc). Nearby is the Piazza which has festivals, outdoor concerts, and a massive TV screen where they show movies or sporting events. Theres a few bars and restaurants there that are at least somewhat decent. There are lots of other great places to eat in the Fishtown/Nolibs area - Johnny Brendas and Standard Tap are two personal favorites. Both gastropubs serving local beers and bar food made with local seasonal ingredients. Everything both places have is phenomenal. Jerry's is another that is super good. Get the Jerry's Burger, its a short rib patty that melts in your mouth and maybe my favorite thing in the entire city to eat. Dos Segundos (mexican), El Camino Real (tex mex) are delicious. Dmitri's (Greek) is incredible! Go there hungry. Another cool thing most people don't know to check out is the Magic Gardens, which is the indoor/outdoor space completely covered top to bottom in mosaic and random crap. It's super cool/different and one of my fave places to take out of towners. Its on South Street which is also a tourist trap but I guess outside of the city its well known (but dont go there on weekend nights, it gets super crowded with some undesirable types). Franklin Square I guess is the closest thing we have to an amusement park in the city, as they have mini-golf and a carousel. Its a really cool place to stop and relax, lay in the grass, you can get food there (food trucks and a burger hut). Expect lots of kids and families. Race Street Pier is cool to just relax and check out the river. Same for Spruce Street Harbor Park, only its not quiet and they have food/beer there. Other than that I'm drawing a blank. Philly is a great city and I love living here, there is tons of stuff to do all the time. If I think of anything else Ill post up. Oh and co-sign on ^ Paesanos, good shit.

^ Yeah maybe its just me but I really don't understand why "enthusiasts" clamor over one another to be the first person to break the unconfirmed, completely speculated "news" about a new attraction. Its fun to try to figure it out based on clues but nothing is official until the park announces it. I thought it was bad last year but its completely absurd this year. Maybe its just a consequence of social media? Page hits/Followers?

^

LOL way to twist my words guys haha. If you ever go to the park in the morning you know Bizarro never opens with the park, its usually not until 11am, or sometimes noon. They never include it in morning ERT, so I thought it was interesting. I said absolutely nothing about it being removed lolol

When I went a couple weekends ago, the front row was the only row I rode in. When it comes to hyper-coasters, I only ever ride in the front row. So you've never done Nitro in the back row? It's like an entirely different ride imo.

^ What they said. Hershey is undoubtedly my favorite park, and the coaster line-up is rock solid, imo. Skyrush and Stormrunner are incredible and top 10 for me, Lightning Racer, Fahrenheit and Great Bear are fantastic. The park itself is gorgeous.

Grrrr I have two people asking if I want to go - one wants to go Friday, the other Saturday. As of right now there is a chance of thunderstorms on both Friday and Saturday. Obviously this can and likely will change BUT Saturday it looks like it gets worse as the day goes on but Friday looks to start crappy and clear by evening. I have work on Friday (half day likely) but thinking Friday afternoon/evening might be the move for me. Hopefully the early rains will keep the park empty at night. We'll see how this shakes out.

Just saw the morning passholder ERT for this Friday includes Bizarro. Guys that means Bizarro will be open @ 9:30am. Aka get your affairs in order, for the end is near.

1. Maverick 2. El Toro 3. Skyrush 4. Millennium Force 5. Nitro 6. Phantoms Revenge 7. Superman: ROS (SFA) 8. Stormrunner 9. Possessed 10. Magnum XL200

This thread got... interesting.

^ LOL better watch what you say about Knoebels around these parts!

^ Or they could melt it into the ground and build a Skyrush or Maverick clone. Hell, even a Batman clone would be light years better. I'm sure SF has never considered that but this park could use a great invert.