speedracer

Pics of the redone Games of the Boardwalk And a video: Nothing major, but definitely an improvement over what it all looked like before.

This is the most recent status I could find on GG, they are definitely considering all options: As far as the theming is concerned, one thing I've heard alot of people comment is GG is like stepping into Alice's Wonderland with all the curious and whimsical landscaping/theming. No doubt Efteling hasn't taken notice that GG consistently ties them for 2nd place or comes in right behind them every year in the only Golden Ticket Award either of them ever win (best landscaping). A new section with a Fairy Tale Forest and Droomvlucht West would blend in perfectly and compliment a rebranded GG! And bring on that long overdue planned GCI hillside terrain woodie! (No Pegasus!). Yeah I know, wishful thinking . . .

The current GG only covers 75 acres of a total 600 acres the park had planned to eventually expand on. Efteling's unique touch would be a perfect fit to guide the long overdue expansion.

Close, here's SBL's Loop/Screw. Looks like a nice little park, thanks for great pics!

From today in the LA Times

Interesting read from Miceage today. World of Color sounds to be something pretty incredible, and if this is correct, $400 MILLION for Carsland!! That has to be a record for Disney, at least the stateside parks. Side note about DL, sad news is the Remember fireworks spectacular is suppose to go away this spring to be replaced by a much more scaled back show. Can understand why, but still a bummer. Like many others have said, definitely the best fireworks/nighttime spectacular I've ever seen.

Still a few around. (383 in the US!) And even 14 left Down Under according to this. Hope this place does well and other older drive-in's take notice.

I'm sure a few here can relate to being "Homo Alone" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLQ91BDIR2o

According to the OC Register, some of the packages sold out within mintues! Check out these additional cool collectibles.

^ Oops, you right, I stand corrected. I was thinking they went back to limited operation after Presidents Weekend until Spring Break. Never really noticed before, did they ever start full operation this early before?

I wouldn't worry at all about lines at either park, both parks should be empty in Feb. Keep in mind though SCBB is in limited operation off season, so only a handful of rides will be open. For sure Giant Dipper, maybe Hurricane if you're lucky, definitely no kiddie coaster credit for you though. With only 5 or so rides open, should blow through there in no time. Be sure though to check out the main arcade while you're there, the biggest in NorCal with some great retro classics and all the latest games if you're into that. No other big parks open in Feb, but you can kiddie credit whore at places like Train Town, Oakland Zoo and Funderland if you're looking to rack up credits. If you're by chance into trains, try to squeeze in a ride through the redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains at Roaring Camp Railroad (it's on the way to SCBB): http://www.roaringcamp.com/steam.html For the ultimate thrill, be sure to check out the Heavenly Flyer while you're in Tahoe: http://www.skiheavenly.com/mountain/heavenly_flyer/ Hope you have a great time!

My sentiments exactly Read this on Screamscape this morning and my heart just hit the floor. Glad to hear some of you got to enjoy it all before this happened, really was a charming unique little park. I think they were relying way too much on nostalgia and mall traffic to get people in the gate. Other than the big media coverage of the grand opening, never once saw a commercial or billboard or heard any radio adds promoting the park. The anchor mega-strip mall was nothing unique enough to bring passing freeway interest like the original roadside attraction did, just the same cloned super stores and restaurants you can find everywhere else. The quirky unique shops and restaurants of the original park were the main draw in it's heyday, without those or any type of park promotion and it's no wonder nobody went there. Very sad to loose another NorCal park and Miler's very last coaster too, love some of their wicked little rides more than most newer B&M's!. Whoever ends up with Harvest Express is dam lucky Since the final weekend was covered by packfanlv's great TR, here's a look back at opening weekend with some additional pics of the little touches that made this park unique. RIP Nut Tree, and thanks for the good times

Welcome to LA 2018! Didn't realize Salvation will take place in LA, could be a potential theming tie in to the movie when they nuke SFMM!

Here's a thread with all the DLR area hotel reviews you could hope for: http://micechat.com/forums/so-cal-hotel-reviews/ And a cool map of them all: http://www.geocities.com/ashpsyche/DisneylandLinkMap.html I know for sure there's a 7-11 right on the corner of Harbor/Katella, and recall a few other mini-market type places in the same general area.

Wouldn't at all be surprised to see the return of the SF ride rotation program too. I call dibs on Freeze or Jinx for SFDK!

^^ I agree, please do take and treat this as a serious matter, don't want any of you kids ending up being the next Lawrence King: http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF009F953D00080098D3B2/User/Blog/BlogPostDetail.aspx

^ LOL! Speaking of those hot missionary men!: http://www.pridedepot.com/modules/wordpress/?p=1322?

I have a phobia of homophobics

Shapiro himself said it would be a family coaster when he very first let it slip way back when, so I don't get all the disappointment that it's not an El Toro clone. Pretty sweet looking family coaster if you ask me, and the only new for 2009 SF coaster, could very well end up being the last new SF coaster for a long, long time. Since Salvation takes place in some post-apocalyptic desert in 2018, they already got the desert like natural setting back there. Can throw in some menacing cyborgs here and there, maybe some indoor que sections with some special efx, which leads to your only escape aboard a rip roaring classic wooden coaster zipping across the apocalyptic desert. Er, forget it, even I can't stretch this one!

Actually, when the ride was announced, they did in fact announce that the two Mummy rides had little to do with each other, other than name. But, I don't know anything about Universal Studios Hollywood. Can't find the actual announcement from 2003, but just remember it being a pretty general announcement of the 2 rides such as this, with no reference at all to the two having "little to do with each other other than name": http://articles.latimes.com/2003/may/17/business/fi-universal17 And from archived Screamscape which also didn't appear to get the official memo about the 2 having little to do with each other, and had to wait for a physical confirmation that they absolutely would be different: http://web.archive.org/web/20040611173126/www.screamscape.com/html/universal_hollywood.html I'd like to agree with you that Transformers:TR will definitely be identical, but as you can see, based only on a general announcement, there's just as much chance it won't. Either way, no big as long as they bring on the giant animatronics and LOTS of fire!

^ Yeah SFDK is known as one of the few SF parks turning a profit consistently, they'd be absolute fools to sell off one of their few cash cows. With the housing/mortgage/economy crisis, and the resulting enormous housing/office vacancy throughout the Bay Area, no one's building jack anymore and land values aren't what they used to be. And not exactly sure what not being open year round has to do with it either considering SF only owns 1 year round park, which they tried to unload just a few years ago.

It's the same ride as going into Singapore - nothing scaled back about it. I wouldn't be so sure, USH obviously has space constrictions that the spanking brand new park doesn't. When they announced ROTM, Universal never publicly stated one would be a scaled down lower budget version. It was only by us coaster geeks comparing the show buildings and insiders spilling the beans that it became obvious the FL version would be much more elaborate. Regardless, considering this will be USH's attempt to steal some thunder from DCA's new E-tickets opening around the same time, should be pretty spectacular. And it's about f'ing time Universal gave USH a big budget dark ride like this!

Yep, already here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8O_cSD0CmU&feature=related

What I was thinking too. If it ends up resembling any sort of medium sized traditional woodie, no matter how different the layout or how much theming they add, the clueless GP will just think it's just Psyclone redux. Especially after the X/X2 redo. .... Then the rumours of a Terminator-themed family woodie wouldn't be sounding so ludicrous. Only with better theming and sets than TDK I would hope if so. (always fun to speculate!) I disagree. X2 proved to me that you could market ANYTHING. Lol. Some of those "clueless GP" don't even realize that X2 is X! They think that it's an entirely new coaster! People will be seeing ads for Terminator and come to the park, for Terminator. If they were to actually make the Psyclone-connection, I'm sure one ride would change that immediately. Lol! -Jahan That's amazing, would have never thought anyone would ever think X2 was a completely new ride! Truly amazing how gullible people can be. Just I overhear all the time up here people insisting Grizzly is the exact same ride as Roar and Giant Dipper, just because they're wood too. Like that recent article too about CGA's proposed GCI where they asked some putz in line for Grizzly what his thoughts were. And he stated CGA didn't need the new coaster because "they already have a wooden coaster that's good enough". Just seems to me that in the eyes of the coaster clueless GP, no matter how great or craptacular, all woodies are the same ride regardless.

Some of the rumours from the Disney blogs say that a lot of the Paradise Pier dressing up is only a modest quick fix for Phase I of the park's relaunch. Supposedly the budget for the major retheming of PP got pushed back to Phase II. DCA lacks rides in general and needs all the capacity they can for now with all the construction walls about to go up. Seems pretty certain that Maliboomer, Jumping Jellyfish and MM/Goofy's Flying whatever are gonners in Phase II, I imagine once plans get finalized even more of the carnival type rides will end up being removed/replaced.