speedracer

Here's where all the elaborate DD theming will be relocated to: http://universalstudiosdubailand.com/ Just speculating, makes sense though since IOA won't need any of it anymore.

Sweet! So glad Lightning Bolt will finally find a new home, been for sale so long thought for sure it would be sold for scrap by now. Loved that ride with it's crazy +g-filled Intamin first have, followed by Arrows bunny hop airtime filled second half, great family fun coaster. Wonder if the log ride will also be from MGM, was a fun one too from my memory. And only Paramount, purely for marketing purposes, ever considered S:TR to be a coaster.

As socalMAN123 mentioned, the FF activities occur only after dark, which I'm certain your school field trip will be long done with by then, so no worries. If by chance not, all the haunted walk throughs are upcharges, so these are easily avoidable. And avoid the one single lone clearly marked scare zone out by the sea lion stadium. Honestly, it's more of a opportunity to enjoy the park and coasters in the dark than anything else, SFDK's FF is pretty weak and dated as far as these type of events go.

Interesting that you were able to accurately capture in one visit what alot of us locals have been feeling for the past 14yrs about (Knottso) Great America, too funny! I never understood Paramounts logic or direction for our park, other than it just being a cash cow for them. With the park being an institution smack dab in the heart of our big business/big bucks Silicon Valley, locals pack the park year after year regardless of what's added (or removed). Or regardless of how high they jacked up the prices of everything to be the highest of any regional park in the country. Can understand businesswise why Paramount basically never felt any pressure or need to add anything significant, but it sucks for us (the height restriction theory doesn't fly, they have the 200ft tower in the very front of the park, and the 224ft Drop Zone in the very far back of the park). Excellent PTR, glad to hear you took the time to experience our smaller parks too. Too many enthusiast come to the area and just hit the big corp themers and skip over GG and SCBB because they only have a couple of coasters or don't have big looping B&M's, etc. When the reality is these smaller parks are so unique and so huge on the fun factor, they are far and away the best parks in the area. Those enthusiast that skip em over don't realize what they're missing.

^ Since Ken knew this was all coming, I actually think it was pretty cool of him to get Starliner up anyways. Adds value to the park for the sale, along with keeping his promise to Starliner fans. Had he not done this, no guarantee the pile of wood Starliner just was not too long ago, may have ever been rebuilt again.

As far as SFMM, nothing that could/should have been repaired. Can't understand the logic behind blaming the earthquake for how craptacular Psuclone was. Colossus didn't suffer such a degrade, and up North here, the +80yr old Giant Dipper at SCBB is located just 10 miles from the epicenter of the slightly bigger 1989 earthquake, still runs glass smooth to this day. The earthquake theory is just that, a theory. If a small independent seaside park can keep their much older classic woodie in pristine glass smooth condition even after taking almost a direct hit from a bigger earthquake, then why couldn't a much bigger park with a bigger budget repair any assumed damage to their woodie? Very simlple, lack of maintenance, care and repair, which ultimately had nothing to do with an earthquake and more to do with a park that just didn't give a crap.

Possibly taking a cue from Gilroy Gardens, which has had "Garden Days" on slower offseason days too since the park first opened. You wouldn't believe how many busloads of senior citizens and horticulturalist from all around pack the park on those days to enjoy the beautiful gardens without all the crowds and screaming brats. Could be a good move for CG too.

I remember riding opening year, and getting off thinking "that was it?". Always had a good first drop, but never much else going for it. The years of neglect and lack of maintenence, the actual cause of the roughness, didn't help make this Dinn mess any more rideworthy.

2 more parks on the block: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070906/fl_cypress_gardens_bankruptcy.html?.v=1

^ Ditto everything you just said. Live only 10 miles away, haven't been in over 5yrs, mediocre underwhelming rides in a lackluster park can only be entertaining for so long. Combined with nothing impressive ever added (yet Paramount insisted on always charging the highest admission of any park in the chain) don't feel like I've missed out on anything at all. Hopefully CF will change all that soon and give a valid reason for the over-inflated admission prices.

Like others have said, I also think the new design is an attempt to improve the view and experience for the middle seats riders. Always annoyed me about the 4 across seating, unless you're in the very front row, the 2 middle seats on each row have a very limited view, all you get to look at the entire time is the back of the big bulky restraint in front of you shaking around.

Yaaa for bear sex!!! Great TR so far, thanks for the lolz!

Here's a bunch of old pics of the park back in it's heyday: http://dogpatch.8m.com/past.html Detailed park history/description: http://dogpatch.8m.com/history.html

Been thoroughly enjoying the updates, thanks for taking us along! And I'll second the Zierer Witch's Dance being one of the best flats ever made: http://www.flatrides.com/Ride%20Index%20Pages/hexentanz.html

Really nice pics, excellent job capturing the beauty that is SFFT!

Great pics and nice update guy! Screamscape just reported rumours of SFOG possibly removing their Vu, would't be surprised at all to see SFMM's sold off sometime soon too. As far as freeing up space on the mural wall/removing another coaster, my vote goes to S:TE.

^

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6380556?source=rss I'm sure she's in shock right now and trying to avoid blame, can't even imagine what it must be like to loose a young child. But she really has no right to be saying anyone at GA wasn't doing their job. As a mother, it's HER job and no one elses to ensure that her 4yr old child was safe at all times, regardless of where she was at. At the very least, she should have insisted a 4yr old wear one of the free life jackets provided. Yet another example of people leaving their brains at the gate when they go to parks, thinking that it's the parks responsibility to protect them and their children from their own negligence. The reader comments below the article seem to agree. Very sad tragic accident, but most understand and agree that GA could have only done so much in this situation. Has she been a responsible parent and by her 4yr olds side at all times like she should have been, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

Respect is earned, not given. Spineless cowards that murder innocent women and children for whatever reason deserve no respect IMO. I only wish he had survived so he could instead rot in jail for the rest of his miserable life for the choices he made. To his poor innocent wife and kid who weren't given a choice, RIP.

LOL! You weren't the only one creeped out by those giant heads!: http://www.yesterland.com/americaparade.html

^ if you want the full effect, come out to the boardwalk on July 25th for an on the beach screening of Lost Boys!: http://www.originalalamo.com/Show.aspx?id=4583

Awe those pesky uncles always getting the wrong room and orifices all the time . . . I guess mine would be when I was 16 with this chick I dated only because my friends pressured me to, couldn't keep her tounge out of my mouth, yeck! Once she started nagging me to go all the way and I had no desire, really realized once and for all I was a big ol Mo and broke it off.

^ don't know about WDW, but DL has thankfully resumed their hippo shootout, after not doing so for years thanks to the PC police. Not sure how (after decades of doing so) popping a fake cap gun in the direction of an animatronic was all of a sudden wrong, but am personally glad the original show element is back.

No one ever thought in a million years a major theme park staple like Astroworld would ever be bulldozed over for any reason, but it happened. Management just simply sat by and did nothing, allowing the park and attendance to decline, sound familiar? I also wouldn't be surprised to see that prime lakefront property in Aurora sold off for luxury condos. Sell off the land and make a hefty profit rather than dumping the multi-millions it's gonna take to turn around the mess GL has become. CF has no need for GL, they've already got the market and region locked, the multi-millions needed to turn around GL would be better spent on their other parks/markets. Not being cold here, just stating the reality of business, which this ultimately is. The writing's already on the wall here for GL, just a matter of when.

People thought Bonfante Gardens was screwed when they closed doors only 3 months after the grand opening (this park took 23yrs of planning and 100 million to build!): http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2001/09/24/daily4.html Similar situation, a guy with a dream that didn't know anything about running a theme park. At least he was able to find a way to eventually make it work, hope those in charge of WWW will be able to do the same for you guys.