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^That's a great point. Prior to Comcast purchasing Blackstone's stake, the parks shared little in common besides the name. They were two separate entities with totally different operating structures/policies/etc.

They went forward with the draft environmental report last year (released in November---1 month before the sale was announced), so I imagine Comcast was well aware of the plans.

Leviathon for sure. An extra 100ft still won't make it anything more than a "fun" typical B&M hyper.

Free chocolate? Sold!

Regarding potterland at USJ, remember that USJ is not actually owned/operated by Universal. That is probably a deal breaker, as it came out when Blackstone sold its half of Universal that there was a clause in the licensing deal stating that Universal had to own/control the park or the licensing deal would end. You can never say never, but I do think that it is going to take a bit more time to get potterland into USJ/Singapore/any future parks Universal only licenses the brand to. Regarding expansion, keep in mind that Universal is also working on its "vision plan" that would be a major redevelopment of the entire property. Part of that was possibly removing Gibson and building a smaller theater behind ifly (along with a new hotel, more space for city walk, addition/subtraction of things on the backlot, and a new attraction for the wild west arena)...

^And I imagine that number will only go up in 2012 with Transformers on the way! USH is always in the top 25 for worldwide attendance. Harry Potter seems like a perfect way to keep the momentum going. I just hope there will be some new stuff in the park before this project opens, or it will be very boring from 2012-2015 at USH!

I know nothing about Harry Potter, but I would imagine there are many other parts of the "potter verse" that can be used to create a unique area that is not a clone of Florida's. There's two logical areas: either the back half of the upper lot (keep the path with shrek, curious george, studio tour, simpsons, possibly castle theatre) and convert the rest of the upper lot into WWoHP or WaterWorld/Gibson area (which would mean they are going through with the plans to relocate the amphitheater further back in Citywalk by iFly). I'm all for keeping the local theme park market competitive!

I'd complain. I don't want a reason to visit SFMM.

Not the churros!!! They were so good!

Word of advice: whenever a sauce says "caution, extremely hot" be sure to read all the information on the bottle/website. You might miss the fine print that says "use as additive only." And heed the warning.

The 190ft tall version requires "200 A, 400 V" according to KMG's site. Pretty standard for a major fair ride.

Kings need help on offense...Ducks sure aren't producing this season.

Lakers need CP3 and/or Howard. The new luxury tax rules are going to make it impossible for them to keep the current team together in 3 years.

I would also imagine given the current economy, they are getting some pretty favorable terms on any added debt for this expansion. Maybe even some tax credits for creating jobs? I think this quote from the article sums up why it has a decent chance of success: Orlando has always needed something below the "big 3" to give budget tourists and locals somewhere they can go without spending a fortune. Fun Spot appears to be heading in the right direction to fufill that need.

Everytime I see your updates, I always think the same things: I miss Oktoberfest and I really wish the U.S. would get some real traveling flat rides for its fairs...

Picked up the macbook pro best buy had for $150 off.

In my first ride-through, no. I was focused on the projections - the elevators are hard to notice. As for its speed, I would say that it's like a normal lift? It doesn't go very fast, and other than transporting the ride vehicle, it also carries those expensive HD projectors, which moves up/down with the ride vehicle. IIRC, the projectors have their own independent lift system.

Looks awesome! Can't wait until spring of next year when it opens at USH.

Was the ticket shack demolished, or pulled out for restoration? They have been doing a pretty good job restoring ghost town lately...hope this is part of that.

This is what Cypress Gardens should have been: a park tailored to locals/budget tourists that's actually close... Looks promising!

...And that's why I'm saying he's no longer the best player in the NHL. His style of play is not as effective, and he's not willing to change. The best players in the game evolve to stay on top.

Which one is it? Change his style, or keep being stubborn? You can't even make up your mind. He is also being lazy on defense. To me you can't be the best player in the game if you are half-assing it...if he wants to prove a point, you would think he would actually want to play effectively with "his style" instead of tanking it because he doesn't like a coach trying to get his team to play better.

...So how do you define tanking because you don't like the coach?

^And Crosby is the crybaby? Unless of course purposely playing like sh*t to prove a point to his coach is how the "best" player in the league is supposed to play...

^You can get scares without chainsaws too... I'd much prefer they kept sliders over the cheap scare that chainsaws are. Knott's monsters invented sliding, and I know it is very popular amongst the guests as both a scare and as a show. In fact, I wish they'd allow GTS monsters to do their slider show as a hanging pre-show again.