speedracer

Seems to be the year for park name changes in NorCal, first SFMW, then Bonfante Gardens, and now Great America: http://www.screamscape.com/html/great_america.htm Can understand if the name patent is really the reason why. Otherwise, seems pointless to me, between Marriott and Paramount, the park was simply known as Great America for years. Hope SCBB doesn't get any wild hairs up their arse and change their name too!

Thanks for the info Jeff, best of luck to you guys with the repairs.

dang, maybe I should put my original copy on Ebay! It's a great book if you're at all interested in learning more about Traver's insane creations. But I agree with steel, $200 seems pretty steep, not even hard bound or anything.

^^ I personally don't look at it as being superficial, just a personal preference. There has to be at least that physical attraction first before anything more, I'm most likely not going to approach or pursue someone that I'm not particularly attracted to. I agree a great smile and warm personality go along way with me too, but I'm real big on chemistry. And if they just don't catch my eye first and get my motor running, not much of a chance I'll be interested in pursuing anything more than just a friendship. Absolutely nothing at all wrong with effeminate guys either, alot of guys find it a total turn on, just not wired that way and not my personal type. Not just a gay thing either, str8 guys have a personal types too they find attractive. May prefer more effeminate women, or more strong/butch, redheads, blonds, etc. Just human nature to be attracted to different types, nothing shallow or superficial at all, good thing too since we all can't be A&F models.

Trust me, you're not the only one who feels this way, doesn't have to be a curse: http://www.straightacting.net/phpbb/ Not sure what the scene is like in Dayton, but I imagine options are pretty limited. I'd say try places other than bars or the internet, the worst places to find honest and for real guys. See if there's any local activity or volunteer groups to join up, better way to meet or make contacts with other like-minded individuals looking for a more meaningful connections and common interest with a hot guy just like you. http://www.daytonlgbtcenter.com/resources.php?category=20 http://www.gaydayton.org/organizations.htm

Actually just started training last week in Aikido, a Japanese self-defense martial art. Just looking to get back into shape, and being able to hold my own in any situation should I need to. Besides that, really is fascinating the philosophy and technique behind it all: http://www.aikido-of-sanjose.org/bodymindselfdefense.html

Cool, I am SO glad SFDK is getting this instead of the Wiggles crap.

^ exactly, I was going to say the same thing! Don't associate being gay with being lonely guys, straights go through the same thing too. Only difference is they have more opportunities and options to meet someone whereas our options are significantly more limited. But the feelings are exactly the same, no one likes to be alone. Don't even go around feeling that just cause you're gay means you are doomed to be alone and miserable. Too many times people think all they need is a relationship to feel happy, fullfilled and accepted. If you go seeking a relationship with that expectation, you're setting yourself up for failure and misery, cause the true honest happiness you're looking for can only come from within yourself. Nothing and nobody external will ever make you truly happy, too many guys I know are in unhealthy toxic relationships only because they don't want to be alone and put the responsibility on someone else for their own happiness. If you're happy with and accept yourself just the way you are, people will be naturally drawn to you. I know if I meet an instantly needy clingy guy, it's a total turn off since I know he'll be expecting me to be responsible for his own happiness. I'd much rather meet someone who's already happy with himself and with his own life, and is only looking for someone to compliment that. It's a long hard road learning to love and accept yourself (that includes being proud of yourself and who you are!), but it's the only way any of us will ever achieve the real true honest happiness and healthy relationships we all want in our lives. It's not impossible guys, just takes time and alot of hard work, I know I have high hopes that it'll all be worth it someday.

^ Love it!

^ that's what I'm hoping for, always wondered if his moving to Branson and his circus trees and flying carpet at CC were some sort of trade off for something greater to happen once the current contract expires. HFE's management style is so much more inline with what GG could potentially offer it's guest again. Definitely an operator that has a better grasp and could offer better suggestions for GG's BOD that are more in tune with what makes a quality park experience.

^ only my opinion, doesn't mean anything to anyone but me, and I get that BOD's call all the shots, never questioned that. I personally think you may be mistaken though to insist the managing company has no influence whatsover on what the park does and offers. That's why they're there in the first place, to guide and direct the BOD's on operational decisions, which most likely includes what food to buy, what merchandise to sell, what entertainment to offer, etc. Even said it yourself, CF advert agency recommended the name change, not the BOD's or anyone elses recommendation, but CF's recommendation. So I'm not understanding how you can insist the managing company doesn't advise and influence the BOD's decisions on what happens in the park. But neither of us work for the park to know for sure, so no point in going on about that. The BOD's obviously feel CF's idea is a good one, I don't, but they do and in the end of the day that's all that counts.

^^ not necessarily so. The best parks out there are the one's that have retained much of their original theming and atmosphere, like the Busch and Disney parks. And even some SF parks like OT and GAM still have much of the original park's charm still intact, with new additions that enhance what was already there. I agree with the OP though, with the entrance being the lone exception, PGA looks and feels nothing like the original park. Used to be such a beautifully lanscaped, well-themed, well-rounded park. But now with all the original theming and park offerings gone, looks and feels more like a local carnival than anything else.

Actually is was the opposite. When the park was run by Michael Bonfante, he spared no expense! Since his background was food, the food throughout the park was absolutely incredible! Some of the best and most delicious of any park I've ever been. That was also the only time I'd ever seen any tv commercials or billboards advertising the park, was really cool seeing all the clever billboards and such all around trumpeting the new park. The park was kept sparkling clean and immaculate, no trash or graffiti anywhere, and if there was, it was cleaned up immediately. Since Paramount, the quality of food drastically deteriorated to the point I wouldn't even bother wasting my money on the overpriced sub par typical Paramount garbage. Many unique shops and stands were replaced by generic theme park crap and Paramount candy. As soon as BG was tied into the Paramount pass, gangs, punks along with graffiti in the bathrooms became the norm and were never cleaned. Although attendance did increase, didn't do the park much good since even companies like SF realize SP hoping teens don't spend much money at the parks. The only good thing that I'm sure had nothing to do with Paramount was that the landscaping remained as beautiful and well kept as ever. I know the park is still funded by Bonfante, but if the park were properly managed by a company that knew anything about quality and running a quality park, that alone would have brought the park the word of mouth and recognition is rightfully deserves. The way I see it, if a management company has enough influence to convince the park to do something as extreme and costly as actually changing the name of the park, why not influence the park to do something that would actually enhance the quality of the park experience. Like better food, cleaner bathrooms, unique merchandise, better entertainment, better promotion/advertising, etc. Instead, companies like Paramount and CF think cutting corners and making the park more generic is the answer. If changing the name of a park to it's home city is such a great idea, why not just do it to every single low attended park in the country? The name wasn't ever the problem with Bonfante Gardens, it was how the park was managed ever since Michael Bonfante left that was the problem. There are MANY many parks in much more obscure locations that do just fine without being named after their city. GGFTP just sounds like some generic childrens fairyland city park or something equally underwhelming, just doesn't fit with what the park actually is, a tribute to one man's love for nature and his wife.

I know it's just a name change, but this sucks! Sounds so generic and more like a run-of-the-mill city park, just completely strips the uniqueness and meaning from the original park name. The park was built from the ground up by a man with a passion for beautiful trees and for his wife, not by some city filling is space with a generic garden as the new name suggest. I don't see CF's logic behind this, maybe if past management had given a dam about promoting the park other than just as a second gate to sell more SP's to their own park (yeah I'm talking to you Paramount!), more people would know where and what Bonfante Gardens was. Oh well, hopefully when this current management contract expires, they won't renew and bring some new blood in to manage the park with better ideas (crossing fingers for HFECO to step in!). So what's next, change KBF to Buena Park Berry Farm? Change VF to Shakopefair? Stupid!

We have our own version out here in the SF Bay Area, only we play it AFTER stumbling over drunk in the bars!

This is just too funny not to post, latest from Screamscape: http://www.screamscape.com/html/geauga_lake.htm Sounds like a trip to Cincinnati is a must, quite the party town I imagine being the "Cornhole capital of the World" and all!

Stumbled across this rare POV, love the pre-lift bunny hops, rest doesn't look too shabbly at all either:

Found another very cool POV, does look f'ing freaky tipping over that edge:

^ You honestly can't tell me anyone stupid enough to stand up on a moving tram is gonna be level headed enough to take responsibility for their own stupidity. And if by some incredible miracle they are, the blood-sucking lawyers already circling will make sure they're manipulated enough to realize they're entitled to a piece of Disney's fat wallet regardless. Not jumping to conclusions, just stating the obvious sue happy nature of the stupid and irresponsible, especially since lawyers now know Disney just rolls over and settles for even lesser injuries than the serious nature of the injuries in this case.

^^ Exactly, and therein lies the problem. Sure they could put doors on the trams, but then the idiots would just climb through the window or fall out any opening they could find or some other way to jump/fall out, because they're stupid in the first place and no amount of protection can change that fact. As has been said before, if we're forced to keep idiot proofing the world, we'll be left with a bunch of idiots.

No doubt Disney will just settle on this one too, feel bad about their injuries, hope they come out of this ok. But again, Disney shouldn't be rewarding the stupid that can't follow rules, or possibly out for a quick buck: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tram25feb25,1,1223246.story?track=rss

Keep in mind X was always meant for 3 train operation, most likely they'll purchase 3 new trains which in theory would actually increase capacity (60 people on the ride at once vs. 56, or actually more like 28 since it seemed in the past they could only keep 1 of the problem plagued trains running a majority of the time). I say in theory because that would also require the attendents to hussle to avoid stacking instead of chatting on their cell phones.

Disneys latest creation from their "Living Character Initiative" featuring my fav Muppet Show characters, can't wait to see this in person! http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/The_Muppet_Mobile_Laboratory After Lucky and this, can only wonder how much longer till we see themed walking animatronic androids in the Disney parks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westworld

^ for expecting SFMM to care or bother with customer service!

^ Seriously! What a stupid wasteful move that was, destroy the best part of the ride to slap a trim on to run more than 2 trains, then never run multiple trains!