Jew

^^That's partially true. Rain is the only time it is a given that shows (Universal Animal Actors and Blues Brothers) will be moved indoors and tickets will be given out (1/8" inch of rain by 2:00pm=ticket). The hot chocolate, coffee, and show/character relocations usually happen when the forecast calls for it to be cold all day...but they are not guaranteed. Especially now with competition so fierce for entertainment dollars, it's nice to know USH does something like that for the guests. As far as I can remember, many of SFMM's rides can actually operate in the rain. I know rain shuts down S:TE, cold weather gets ninja, and wind gets Sky Tower/Thrill Shot. Severe rain will get Goliath and RRv (the drive tires can't grip as well, causing overshoots if rain is really bad). What else am I missing?

About a 5-10 minute drive up the 5 freeway is the Castaic Lake recreation area. Should be tons of camping options there.

SFMM shut down today due to the weather.

^Again, that requires the employees to be pro-active and consistently do their jobs correctly. Not going to happen @ SFMM.

I'm sure I've said this about 20 times throughout the course of this thread, but since we are talking about it again... You'll never see consistently fast operations at Magic Mountain. It's just not part of the culture there.

Crystal Wings @ Happy Valley Beijing loaded in no more than a minute. It's not the ride system that's the problem.

^They may not have a choice. Preferred stock payments are due by August 2009. They also have another $130 million in senior unsecured notes due in 2010. That's the current issue that put Six Flags on this list. Selling some parks could at least cover that debt. But again, this is all speculation. I'm sure Six Flags is exploring all their options.

I bet your stripper friends were glad to hear that when you were talking to them on the phone.

^^^It's a different color, but compared to the giant detailed coaster layouts, it's very underwhelming. It doesn't even have a true representation of all the kids rides/activities in the land. And look at Thomas Town right next to it: it's barely noticeable! Like I said, I hope the actual park version of the maps have some text or symbols to offset this. So I'll withhold my final judgement until I see one of those, but based on the picture I get the impression the whole family friendly angle isn't what the park is really going for...

Overall, I like the design of the new maps much better. The detail is awesome! However, in typical Six Flags fashion, they really dropped the ball where it mattered: coasters are clearly the emphasis of the map. If they are trying for the "family friendly" angle, IMO they should have put more emphasis on the family attractions! Hopefully the printed versions in the park offer more emphasis on the "family friendly" options.

So it's natural history week on the Big Mike Road Show?

I don't know what is more shocking... The rate at which construction is progressing, or the fact Jahan actually decided to post something again...

^It's too early to tell. If they can't yet again restructure their debt (which will be more difficult than ever given the current economic situation), something has to give. Selling assets, Chapter 11, severe cutbacks, and any other cost cutting/cash increasing things are all possible. But none of them will be good!

They were cash flow positive because of how their debt was structured. Once those payments become due...they are still in trouble.

All parks are laying off staff right now. This story isn't a big deal.

Laying off a dozen employees is a slump?

Just go to the after parties!

^Yeah, the PMR took the place of the Matrix series. In the past, whenever a new dye DM gun came out, there was a PM of the same number. Now with the SLG as the low end gun, they upgraded the PMR to fill in the gap.

What they really need is the power of the terrible towels.

^^I think having everything that comes with the Universal brand will make a huge difference. There's a lot of experienced Universal people involved with the park.

Greatest hits of Universal (with some original attractions thrown in)+a casino=

^Nothing to be jealous of...yet. Tell him to make it on a pro roster first!

In the mean time, I'm assuming they are still using the flashpass tickets? And if so, can Xtreme passholders still get those?

^^Awesome! When your green machine rolls into town, we'll definitely have to go play some paintball!

^^That's right! I do remember them having a show there...we missed it due to timing!