ElJosho

^^Yep, there's a link to the url I foolishly said was fake right at the bottom of the page I posted in my reply above, which I would have seen if I'd taken the time to scroll down and read it, so that's my bad on that element of the post for sure. In hindsight, airing my thoughts on the subject here - not as great an idea as I thought it was at the time. I've been here like two weeks and people probably saw a new topic in the main forum next to an almost non-existent post count and thought either, "Noob - please lock thread." or "Spammer - please ban." Also, this seems to me to be less a forum than a crazy-awesome, ever-growing, archive of personal trip reports and new ride reviews and theme park personal review threads that were started in 2005 and still live at the top of page 1 of the topics. But my post idea was none of that, so I could have found a more appropriate outlet - I'll just be glad it wasn't instantly deleted and move on. Even if every word I wrote turns out to be wrong, and it probably is, the endorphin high was totally worth it. That is all.

Not to take the Hersheypark thread off on a complete El Toro tangent but I think I get the restraint thing. I'm not a twig, about 5'11" 215 but I don't know that I'm a big guy either, but I'd say that I've required ride op assistance to get the lap bar in position about 25 percent of the times I've ridden (always on the left side for some reason.) Out of those times, there have been a handful of times that the op has jammed it down far enough to make it uncomfortable. Otherwise, totally perfect and whatever, the ride's still awesome. And a quick note on Skyrush - I hadn't decided whether I liked riding with hands up, hands down, edge seat, middle seat, or what, but tried a combination I liked last night. Second to last row, far right seat, hands on restraints, feet in the air, euphoria. Maybe I'm three years late to the party and everyone knows this already but it was awesome. Tried the same thing but last row for the last ride of the night and didn't like it as much, like the negative g forces were turned up a tiny bit too high for maximum enjoyment at that point. But like El Toro, still awesome.

http://www.dauphincounty.org/Pages/default.aspx I did say a 2015 version - meaning features that people want right now, not ones they wanted a hundred years ago. I guess I'll be more clear next time. A copy would be ridiculous, nobody would want to go to that!

So I think there's about a 65% chance I've got this thing nailed, but a 35% chance that I am but an unwitting pawn being manipulated by forces that my puny brain could never begin to understand. My theory is that Hershey is building a 2015 version of Spokane's 20th Century Natatorium Park, and I submit the following arguments: Natatorium Park, which I had never heard of before yesterday but can be easily Googled or Binged or asked of Jeeves, was apparently a charming old time place - rides, massive pool, miniature train, BASEBALL!!! The place was the shizzle for the first half of the 20th century, and dovetails seamlessly into every communication Hershey has produced regarding the project so far. But it's evidence you want. This link will take you to the original story that Mr. Alvey posted a link to by Barbara Miller of the Harrisburg Patriot-News in which she mentions that Hershey Entertainment & Resort had applied for a storm water permit related to construction for Attraction 2015. If one were so inclined, one could search for the minutes for the April 23 Dauphin County Board of Governors Legislative Meeting minutes and see that same information. I checked it out on the DEP's e-facts search engine - it's just storage tank license renewals, nothing to be learned there. But she fails to mention two more interesting nuggets from the April 9 minutes (also one search away): 1. The Hershey Company has applied for permits to reduce the number of storm water outfalls discharging into Spring Creek from 13 to 2. So pretend you're one of the two remaining outfalls for a minute. Remember all that water that the thirteen of you were carrying? Well we're gonna have the two of you get that now. Okay, buh-bye. Come on, even Masaaki Imai and Tony Robbins are like, I think those two could use a little back up right now. That kind of change is indicative of either a system wide shutdown or a system wide overhaul people, and I think we can safely eliminate the former, so let's go with overhaul and move on. 2. Hershey Entertainment & Resort Company is applying for a storm water permit associated with the replacement of indoor and outdoor pool facilities and with proposed modern natatorium facility within same footprint. Hmm. Well in the literal sense natatorium usually means a swimming competition facility and this doesn't necessarily mean Hershey Park. Let's search for properties of Hershey Entertainment and Resort Company, several have indoor and outdoor pools, but why would you put a natatorium at any of them? You see those at universities and city centers, not luxury hotels. Okay my friend my google, I need you on this one, give me a list of Hershey Entertainment and Resort properties with indoor and outdoor pools. There appear to be two, The Hotel Hershey, and the Hershey Lodge, and this is where we go down the rabbit hole. Search for "hershey lodge" + "natatorium" and you get some peculiar results. A tiny blurb from some paper called the Palmayra Sun reporting that a natatorium has been approved for construction at the Hershey Lodge - is this newspaper a real thing? It's a pay site although there doesn't appear to be any more beyond the pay wall than the two sentences the public can read. You'd think this would be big news, and there's not a word from the region's primary paper the Patriot News, who would have a story if the Hershey Lodge were constructing a new storage shed. But then look at the next result - the natatorium at The Hershey Lodge is confirmed by a pdf summary of monthly zoning reviews for Dauphin county posted to a government website - or is it? I bought it at first, too, but look closer. What exactly is a "Monthly Reviews Report?" A slightly misnamed, so as not to be accidentally mistaken for something real, kind of report, that's what it is. Search for "Monthly Reviews Report" - nothing but the five fakes they've posted for the past few months and some random other results. Now search "Monthly Review Report" - 739,000 results. Wouldn't want your phonies getting mixed up with those legit ones now would you? Oh and one more thing, look closely at the url: tcrpc-pa.org/Dauphin-County. This url is cleverly crafted to look like a government website but it is not. This document is a phony, and someone is clearly in the business of the subtle distribution of misinformation pertaining to the construction of the new attraction at Hershey Park. This permit that was filed re: indoor/outdoor pool facilites, etc. is about Hershey Park and that's why all the secrecy. So now what? Nobody I've talked to at the Hershey Lodge knows anything about any pending changes to any of their pool facilities. I haven't talked to the DEP about the real permits of importance - yet. I stumbled on the park in Spokane last night, I believe through a google suggested search when I had typed in natatorium and paused to think. I stopped in the middle of whatever I was saying to my fiance and said, never mind, I know I just found it.

The full house clue makes me think giant ferris wheel. Four of a kind beats a full house, and this would make four of them in the United States. after Vegas, Orlando, and New York. And London, represented by the queen, kind of has the original. Seems really expensive, but it is a new take on an old boardwalk classic.

What's up everyone, I'm Josh, 35, in Philly, and here's how it's gone down: 6/16/14: Hersheypark Trip 1. I've ridden six coasters in my life and am white knuckling it the entire way through Comet. 7/5/14: Hersheypark Trip 2: Main highlights - Sky Rush twice, Storm Runner once. Opened my eyes at one point, I believe. 7/8/14: Six Flags Great Adventure Trip 1: El Toro and Nitro all day. Had to do the last one of each alone after my fiancé has had her fill. Finished the night with back row on El Toro, hands up the whole way and didn't die. This is awesome. 7/10/14: Great Adventure Trip 2: More El Toro and Nitro from a different row every time, first time in front row on El Toro at 9:59 pm, can't remember the last time I touched a handle bar and now I'm in it for life, so nice to meet you.

I concur wholeheartedly. My first two two trips to the park were this week and pretty much all of my off-ride time was spent walking every possible route between El Toro and Nitro via trial and lots of error, so I didn't see every part of the park, but saw a lot more than I originally intended to. At the time I was focused on getting across the park, but now that I stop and think about it, I can't think of a single thing - park maintenance, custodial, cleanliness-wise that I could have complained about. I know, first post, no street cred, blah blah. That's just what I saw.