BeemerBoy

For the record, I admire one less photographer on here now. Well, as long as his dumba$$ is still around here anyway.

Oops, it appears someone may have picked up their ball and gone home. So much for constructive criticism.

Yep, they sure did.....clicky! Actually, your report proved that they really have cleaned the place up a lot since I used to live down there. In fact, and this might sound odd to some, but considering that 99% of the controversy surrounds both the whale and dolphin show tanks, the place might prosper with the eventual removal of both, and a new "image" which highlights what would remain in the park. I think some upgrades to certain habitats like the manatees and sea lions (a la Sea World Orlando), along with a stronger focus on conservation would help the place prosper for years to come. I also think the "local park" feel to it is a strong selling point....but then again, that's just my opinion.

^ If they're gonna do something "different," then I prefer this route. The profile of the FF resembles a BMW M Coupe. Not that that's a bad thing......it just didn't need to happen.

When you first mentioned you were heading down there to MSQ, I was amazed that it was still open. That place has been a lightning rod for activists for decades now. I'll reserve my own harsh opinions on the place, and stick with the positives regarding the report, except I will say that the place was much better when it had a monorail. - The peacock picture/caption was gold medal material! - The documentation of the sea lion show was also top-notch. - The "shark channel" looks exactly like what they used to have at Ocean World in Fort Lauderdale, although if I recall correctly (and I'm REALLY digging deep into the memory bank here), I *think* Ocean World used to have trainers actually standing in the water while feeding the sharks. Using the Dave Thomas handbook, this obviously would have been better with volunteer guests....after the sharks had been starved for days/weeks. Honestly, I think Miami Seaquarium's days might be numbered once "Lolita" finally dies.

Hey, something had to make the California seem manlier, right? I mean, I guess?

^ You know, I went back through 'em and realized that I think it's basically the ones with the larger font that bothered me the most. When it comes to watermarks, I generally tend to prefer them in corners rather than across the bottom....but again, that's just my personal opinion. Trust me though, I totally understand why they're there. It's your time, money, and effort invested, so definitely stick to whatever you feel most comfortable with. In the end, the pictures still speak for themselves!

It's crazy to think that Boomers actually had some decent years starting out. But then again, I'm trying to recall, the place may not have started out as Boomers. I think the place that Boomers now occupies was originally an extension of Grand Prix Race-O-Rama (the smaller place across that access road with the huge track). It seems like it was around 1999-2000 that it changed over to Boomers, and they announced the building of the Hurricane (?). And quite possibly the only reason that coaster remains in such good shape is because it's not actually managed by Boomers....at least it still wasn't the last time I checked several years back. I also just realized that the skycoaster and "Blender" are now gone...or appear to be anyway. Any locals know when they were removed? I'm glad I got my skycoaster credit there in its first year.....back when I didn't feel like I needed to be strapped with my 9mm to visit the place.

I always enjoy looking at your work. Great images, and excellent quality. With that said, I hope you don't mind a little constructive criticism. Those copyright watermarks are really distracting to the eye, and they greatly take away from the overall shot. I understand the reasoning for them, but perhaps a less intrusive size or positioning could be achieved? I just hate to see nice work "interrupted" like that. Still, there's a handful of top notch photographers on here that I admire, and you're certainly in that group!

Yeah, definitely one of my least favorite things of early Epcot Center! You also got World of Color. Florida wins.

Yeah, those tents have always been awful looking, but with the Dumbo relocation, at least they somewhat make sense now....even though I still hate circus-related crap.

Wow. That pic is downright awful. I'll still say this for Al Davis, as well as the Jerry Joneses, George Steinbrenners, and Mark Cubans of the sports world.....they LOVE their teams. Are they disillusioned at times? Sure. But at least they're not jumping ship when the seas get a bit rough. Plus, the man had the greatest sports quote OF ALL TIME. Have they done it recently? Of course not, but "Just win, baby" is timeless.

Well, everything is sold with the purpose of making money. I mean, yes, Fiat obviously wants to see as many GTs rolling off the assembly line as possible. But when you buy a Ferrari, you're not just buying a $200,000 supercar. There are plenty of other companies willing to sell you something similar (Lamborghini, Mercedes, Aston Martin to name a few), but with Ferrari, you're buying into their rich racing heritage. That's still the true appeal to owning one, even as a major worldwide "brand" now. And worldwide, that Prancing Horse logo is far more important on the track than on the streets. With Ferrari, everything is still centered around the F1 program because it's arguably the most popular sport in the world alongside soccer (or "football"). The merchandising of F1-related stuff helps move everything, and success on the track is the only way that continues to happen. It's also why they took the calculated risk of licensing their name and image to a theme park located next to the final track on the F1 racing circuit calendar. And remember, there's a reason Michael Schumacher was the most popular and highest paid athlete on the planet less than 10 years ago, and it wasn't because everyone on your block was driving a 360 Modena. In other words, take away the F1 program and what happens to Ferrari? Believe me, whoever technically owns Ferrari (including Fiat) will always be very well aware of what's most important, and where the largest percentage of the budget will go.

Wow, the place is really turning into a dump now. A few things: - I used to know the story behind the caboose, but I've forgotten it. - The laser tag is pretty decent. - The go-cart track/arcade used to be the only thing at that site. It was called Grand Prix Race-O-Rama, and that arcade was the place to be back in the day. I'm happy you got out of their with your lives. - I'm glad the coaster still runs good.

Awesome! Really glad you guys enjoyed it. And hey, at least there was a Broward Sheriff's Deputy there to help revive you after that heart attack.

^ Ha! Then they really should have put this money toward monorail extension. Damn, why don't they ever ask my opinion on these things.

I heard it's also gonna have trims.

This is certainly the most elaborate way of selling more princess outfits I've ever seen.

That's kind of what I figured it had to be like to make it anywhere near a close race. I've never driven from Miami to Key West in under 3 hours....and that includes all types of traffic. And there's really no way to quickly get around the island at all once you're there. And yeah, I saw a picture of that scene on the bridge where they're all in the same shot. Like Joe said, definitely a closed set to get many of the "money shots" along the way. I'm sure it pissed off a LOT of people that day.

^^^ I'm gonna go ahead and go out on a limb and guess that's your own work you posted there? If so, excellent stuff, and nice to have you on board here! Thanks for posting.

Just going by these two pictures, the reality of the project *seems* much tighter in space than the artwork. Maybe it's just me though.

Here's an aerial pic of the progress from November '10. Credit: http://pix.aerog.com/

Even without watching, I'd bet the my life on the plane. Without the magic of editing, there's no way on earth either the car or the boat made that trip faster than the plane. As someone who's traveled that route many times, there's just too many variables by land or sea. Even so, Joe, you're right. That mix of location and high powered machines is eye candy to me. I've now got my dvr fixed and ready to record any re-runs!

True, but remember, everything that Ferrari does is in support of its racing program first and foremost. In fact, the only reason there are GT models, or "road cars" available to the public today was that Enzo Ferrari needed a way to fund his racing program. These days it covers the whole spectrum, from GT cars to merchandise, to their licensing deal with ProFun Management Group Inc. to get the theme park built. Everything funnels back to the racing program (whose success also naturally helps sell GT cars). As you said, it obviously wouldn't kill the brand, but I'm sure Ferrari's keeping a VERY close watch on this one. A lot of work went into branding this place, and it wouldn't be as easy to slink out of as say, Tony Hawk from Six Flags, if, of course that day ever comes. To our European friends, I'm curious what, if any kind of advertising you see regarding F1-related trips, etc. to Abu Dhabi in support of Ferrari World?

Same. By the way, I missed the Key West episode where they supposedly put a plane, boat, and car up against each other (which sounds utterly stupid and pointless). Was it any good?