California Great America (CGA) Discussion Thread

[Tmcdllr]

I'm hoping too but I think someone would have spotted something by now unless its on an area you can't easily see, even from the tower.

[coaster-crazy]

I really hope the 'mystery' GCI coaster is the one for CGA....

 

One can hope, right?

 

~Nicholas

[Tmcdllr]

We don't even know if it is a coaster, its only a "project" at this point which could be anything.

 

There actually is more than enough room in Whizzer's spot, between the Pictorium and WWF for an awesome coaster.

[Columbia]

The aforementioned (to death) wooden coaster project proposed in that area has been CANCELED. Since it was never actually announced by the park, I consider it only a "serious design study." (As no construction or prep work ever happened.)

 

Here's to crushing your spirits a bit earlier than any announcement from another park could.

 

I'll drink a glass of Jet-A if I am incorrect in reporting this.

[Lady Gaga]

Anyone have an idea of how busy it will be on Labor Day weekend?

Saturday September 4th to be exact.

 

Also, do events at CGA get busy?

It's a toss up between that Saturday or the next one, but it's Autism Awarness that day.

Edited August 29, 2010 by Lady Gaga

[robman]

I was at the park last night and there was some big steel plates over by Xtreme Skyflyer who knows what its for but let the speculation begin.

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

 

 

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[Tmcdllr]

Construction for something, hmmm.

[Angry_Gumball]

Perhaps some ground work? Maybe electrical work/pipe work being done...not to burst anyone's bubble but I don't think anything's coming...correct me if I'm wrong!

[robman]

I didn't really think it was for much of anything myself either but who knows.

[Tmcdllr]

Its probably just work on the sewer!

[Vffreak07]

Smooth concrete for the sliders at Haunt. Calling it now.

[Lady Gaga]

Anyone have an idea of how busy it will be on Labor Day weekend?

Saturday September 4th to be exact.

 

Also, do events at CGA get busy?

It's a toss up between that Saturday or the next one, but it's Autism Awarness that day.

[Sunfire]

On Saturday the 4th, it will most likely be a little crowded. Most of the coasters will proabably have 30-45 minute waits. After Labor Day weekend, the lines will be very short.

[gforce532]

^So Saturday Sept 11th shouldn't be that bad right.

[Jew]

Smooth concrete for the sliders at Haunt. Calling it now.

 

Nope. Steel plate covers like that are the most common way to temporarily cover up a giant hole in the ground when you are not done working on whatever is in the hole. It's most likely electrical work or a water line.

[Sunfire]

^^That's right, the coasters will probably have 5 to 15 minute waits at most, if not walk ons.

[Lady Gaga]

^So Saturday Sept 11th shouldn't be that bad right.

 

I'm thinking about going that day but there's an event (Autism Awareness Day)

I'm not sure how crowded events like that get at CGA.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I know people are complaining about the stadium and future park "expansion" but seriously, when was the last time the park was actually "expanded"?

 

I mean, if you look at the park maps from

 

1982: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DvZ80Oz4Yd2sRH0u4F2Liw

1993: http://www.themeparkbrochures.net/maps/1993/pga1993.html

1998: http://www.themeparkbrochures.net/maps/1998/pga1998.html

 

It doesn't look like the borders of the park have actually been "expanded" at all in 30 years. I don't know what makes people think it's going to happen now.

[Angry_Gumball]

I could be 100% speculating but I personally feel that the stadium project's affecting the park not with expansion (park's landlocked anyway) but with adding new rides and whatnot. My assumption is that Cedar Fair already has enough issues to worry about with the stadium project that throwing in the addition of a new ride (permits, stupid neighbors, etc) might be like trying to bite off more than you can chew.

[Sir Clinksalot]

I don't see the stadium that will be in use maybe no more than MAYBE 50-75 times per year (between football games, concerts, moto cross, etc) really having THAT big of a negative impact. I personally think it will have a positive impact.

 

I don't think adding a new ride/coaster is going to have an impact on the stadium at all.

[Angry_Gumball]

I know this is probably a little dated (Feb 2010) and a while back we were debating on a parking structure being a solution. The other day, I was talking to a coworker about the situation and I was informed that the plans included a parking garage/structure. While I wanted to confirm this, I did some googling and came across this:

 

http://santaclaraca.gov/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=2133

 

Pretty much everything you wanted to know about the 49ers, CGA, and the city is contained in that document. I certainly don't mind the parking structure, as long as the park won't be affected. Reading this though, the structure's only an element for the stadium, not an overall solution.

 

Will a 1,700 space parking garage be big enough?

Of the 1,700 garage spaces, a portion of those spaces are required to

meet the lease requirements of the Hyatt Regency hotel if they exercise

their expansion option in the lease. Another approximately 700 spaces

will be required to meet the parking requirements of Great America

theme park. The remaining spaces in the parking garage can be used by

the Convention Center, or on game day by the stadium. Game day

stadium parking requires over 19,000 parking spaces, so this garage is

only a piece of the larger parking requirement for the stadium.

 

So this looks like it could help.

[USCoaster]

^^ Considering CGA doesn't have year round operation, you are probably right about conflicts with 49ers games. That is if CGA can make it until the stadium opens. They 18-24 months while the stadium is under construction could be enough to make Cedar Fair just walk away from the park. The construction site will take up a lot more of the parking lot than the finished stadium will and unless there is a phased plan to have a garage built and operating for the park to use, I could see a point where CGA has very little if any parking lot available for use during its normal season.

 

I hope that Cedar Fair is working with the city to get some positive outcome out of this whole situation. This could come in the form of a more streamlined approval process for new attractions or even permission to expand into any remaining parking that may be left after the stadium and parking garages are built.

[Angry_Gumball]

^You know, I never thought about the whole construction process. That in itself can cause quite a bit of harm unless they've got things figured out that we don't know. A wise move would be to build the structure first that can be utilized by the park while the rest of the lot is dominated. Ultimately, I'd like to see both the stadium and the park coincide and neither one be affected. Hopefully Cedar Fair won't let go and pull a Geauga Lake (strip the park of it's rides). Minus not adding any rides, they've done a great job with even minor improvements...which feel almost like major if you ask me...halloween event, longer hours, clean park.

 

Aside from my Cedar Fair praising, a thing to realize is that while there's probably 4 home games at that stadium, that particular venue won't be unused during the summer. I'm sure there will be a number of events to happen there during the park's peak season. Let's just hope that everything comes together smoothly with this parking situation. That PDF I posted on the previous page had some interesting stuff, basically a Q&A on how such things are going to work, what's included in the project, how CGA could be affected, CGA's concerns, and how things could be handled.

[RandallDuell]

Just for reference (for those that aren't quite as in-tune with all of this as many in this thread), I found this picture where you can see where they want to put the new stadium.

 

http://49ers.savesantaclara.org/images/Santa_Clara_San_Francisco_49ers_Stadium_Site.png

 

In the upper right hand corner, you can see the over flow lot --- that, apparently, is where the stadium would be built.

 

I have several questions;

 

*How is parking, no matter what they do with parking structures etc, and traffic flow not going to be a HUGE problem on game/event days? Eyikes.

*Is that over flow lot ever used? If so, is that not a HUGE walk? Seems like quite a hike.

*Are they really THAT hard up for land, in the area, that they need to squeeze it in there? I know that part of Cali is really congested, but wow. Is it simply the convention center/existing infrastructure that entices them to shoe horn that thing in there?

 

Anyway, I've somehow missed the visual of what they're trying to do - so once I found that photo, just wanted to share.

[Angry_Gumball]

I was at the park last night and there was some big steel plates over by Xtreme Skyflyer who knows what its for but let the speculation begin.

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

 

 

 

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Just got back from the park today and checked out the ground work that's going on there....just found out its....just some maintenance on some water lines. Was moderately busy when I arrived around 2:00 and after an hour into our day, the park seemed like a ghost town with walk-on rides on Invertigo (Hi Sunfire!), Flight Deck, Drop Tower, etc. I guess everyone was attending the special event show that was going on in the amphitheater.

 

A few pages back, a number of us pointed out the old Wild Thornberrys RV getting some new paint...here she is! On the topic of Haunt, looks like half of the mazes are nearly done. The rest are 'just starting.' No signs of black widow-ness on Loggers quite yet. While riding Loggers, I noticed some wall sections sitting back stage...not sure which maze it's for, maybe Werewolf Canyon...or could have been All Wheels Extreme parts as those were spread about back stage as well.

 

Random note: Why do say 2 back-to-back rides on Invertigo make me nauseous yet 4-5 back-to-back rides on Flight Deck are perfectly fine? I'm still feeling "Invertigo'd"

Wild Thorn Berrys RV with Haunt Makeover.