Six Flags Great America (SFGAm) Discussion Thread

[Superbatboy 7]

^Just let it go.

 

Okay I will. By the way, I see a huge panel gap on the Subaru in your Avatar

[prozach626 117]

Hah. Yeah, that's pretty much par for the course.

[RollingCoasting 0]

It's almost done

 

From the Chicago Tribune:'

 

Set to open Memorial Day weekend.

 

Interestingly, the rumor about V2's removal was mentioned in the article. However, Tess only said they were no plans to make changes to the ride as is, she never said it wouldn't be removed. Also the park debunked the rumors of Iron Wolf's removal 2 weeks before posting that it would indeed be removed. I'm not saying that it isn't going to stay, but I'm not sure I'd take their word.

 

Also, a few pictures were posted here (Scroll down) showing Orbit and Jester's Wild Ride sitting in the parking lot

[sixflagsfans3793 0]

It's almost done

 

From the Chicago Tribune:'

 

Set to open Memorial Day weekend.

 

Interestingly, the rumor about V2's removal was mentioned in the article. However, Tess only said they were no plans to make changes to the ride as is, she never said it wouldn't be removed. Also the park debunked the rumors of Iron Wolf's removal 2 weeks before posting that it would indeed be removed. I'm not saying that it isn't going to stay, but I'm not sure I'd take their word.

 

Also, a few pictures were posted here (Scroll down) showing Orbit and Jester's Wild Ride sitting in the parking lot

Wow!! It's going up pretty fast.

[Vonni 0]

I'm still really surprised Jester's Wild Ride wasn't sent to SFA for 2017

[Superbatboy 7]

They've been hustling, seems like this one went up even faster than the one at SFOT.

[sixflagsfans3793 0]

They've been hustling, seems like this one went up even faster than the one at SFOT.

Yes it is going up faster than the one at sfot.

[Brassinthegrass 0]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

[RollingCoasting 0]

2 good ways to get to the park from downtown Chicago:

 

-Take the train from Ogilvie Transportation Center (Train 319) to Waukegan.

- Metra UPN from Ravenswood to Waukegan, then take Pace 565 up Grand.

[JT325 0]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

 

Post on here a week or 2 before your trip here, and maybe a local could give you a ride. It's fun meeting other coaster nerds. And sometimes strange, too...

[storms555 0]

Looks really cool. Looking forward to riding it this summer! I never been on a coaster like this so im curios to try it out.

[9Armgeddon4 0]

^ Same here. I'll be there May 26 for the Season Pass day. This will also be my first ride on one of these. Can it be April 29th already for the parks opening day.

[sixflagsfans3793 0]

^ Same here. I'll be there May 26 for the Season Pass day. This will also be my first ride on one of these. Can it be April 29th already for the parks opening day.

Me too except I have already ridden the one at sfft and I am going to ride the one at sfot cause it is my home park.

[RollerManic 0]

I really like the Joker's proximity to Batman's spaghetti bowl.

[ytterbiumanalyst 1]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

I'd look into the Uber, honestly. I have done public transport to Six Flags, and it's a journey. You'll need to take Metra to Waukegan, then transfer to a bus. Metra is similar to LIRR, big passenger trains. It takes over an hour from Chicago to Waukegan, and then about another half hour on the bus. If all goes well, the bus will be waiting for you when you get off the train in Waukegan, but in my experience, delays can and do happen. I left downtown about 4:30 AM to make it to the park by 10:00, and I still just barely made it. So look into that Uber.

[azza29 0]

I'd look into the Uber, honestly.

 

I have a similar scenario, planning to Uber from O'Hare to the park and back. So getting out there is no problem, but is anyone able to comment on whether it's a reasonable option to get back again? Am I likely to have trouble getting an Uber pickup around park closing time (10pm)?

[RollingCoasting 0]

On a completely unrelated note, CAD dates have been announced:

 

https://www.sixflags.com/greatamerica/special-events

[IntaminLove 2]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

 

I have a similar scenario, planning to Uber from O'Hare to the park and back. So getting out there is no problem, but is anyone able to comment on whether it's a reasonable option to get back again? Am I likely to have trouble getting an Uber pickup around park closing time (10pm)?

 

Pace is the suburban public transportation bus and you can take it to the park. This will be your cheapest way there. The trip is about 45 minutes from Rosemont, IL to the park. You can take this bus from the park back to Rosemont, IL. I took this bus once and it worked out well. Go to this page for more information on the route. http://www.pacebus.com/sub/espd/six_flags_express.asp.

 

Azza29 - Get on the CTA Blue Line at O'hare and take it to the first stop, which is Rosemont. You will find the Pace bus in the bus terminal when you exit the Rosemont station.

 

Brassinthegrass - Find the nearest downtown CTA Blue Line station and take it to the Rosemont stop. This is about an hour ride. You will find the Pace bus in the bus terminal when you exit the Rosemont station.

 

Go to this page for information on the CTA portion of your trip. http://www.transitchicago.com/

 

If you have any questions then feel free to ask me.

[azza29 0]

^Thanks for the heads up.

[PKI Jizzman 23]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

 

I have a similar scenario, planning to Uber from O'Hare to the park and back. So getting out there is no problem, but is anyone able to comment on whether it's a reasonable option to get back again? Am I likely to have trouble getting an Uber pickup around park closing time (10pm)?

 

Pace is the suburban public transportation bus and you can take it to the park. This will be your cheapest way there. The trip is about 45 minutes from Rosemont, IL to the park. You can take this bus from the park back to Rosemont, IL. I took this bus once and it worked out well. Go to this page for more information on the route. http://www.pacebus.com/sub/espd/six_flags_express.asp.

 

Azza29 - Get on the CTA Blue Line at O'hare and take it to the first stop, which is Rosemont. You will find the Pace bus in the bus terminal when you exit the Rosemont station.

 

Brassinthegrass - Find the nearest downtown CTA Blue Line station and take it to the Rosemont stop. This is about an hour ride. You will find the Pace bus in the bus terminal when you exit the Rosemont station.

 

Go to this page for information on the CTA portion of your trip. http://www.transitchicago.com/

 

If you have any questions then feel free to ask me.

 

These are great options. Like most people in Chicago, I don't have a car otherwise I'd chime in.

 

Taking the Metra to Waukegan then ubering from there would be a time effective and cost effective trip.

 

Again, post or PM a week or two in advance. I'd be down to split an uber to the park if I couldn't find a friend to share a ride/go with.

[eugjackson 0]

Hey everyone,

 

Planning a trip to Chicago at the end of June. What public transportation choices do we have from Downtown Chicago? also, is Uber a viable choice? I have a Gold Season Pass to SFGAdv so I may look into ZipCar as well... Any guidance is appreciated!

I'd look into the Uber, honestly. I have done public transport to Six Flags, and it's a journey. You'll need to take Metra to Waukegan, then transfer to a bus. Metra is similar to LIRR, big passenger trains. It takes over an hour from Chicago to Waukegan, and then about another half hour on the bus. If all goes well, the bus will be waiting for you when you get off the train in Waukegan, but in my experience, delays can and do happen. I left downtown about 4:30 AM to make it to the park by 10:00, and I still just barely made it. So look into that Uber.

 

To anybody reading do not believe the statement, " I left downtown about 4:30 AM to make it to the park by 10:00, and I still just barely made it. " This statement id ludicrous.

 

If you take the UPN Metra Line from Oglivie station leaving at 835am you will arrive at Waukegan Station about 955am. The PACE Bus 565 to Six Flags leaves just after 10am. It's about about a 25min bus ride and it drops you off right in front of the park at the shopping plaza. The stop is right in front of Burger King. You then just cross the street to the park and walk down SF Drive. Including the walk you will get to the gate essentially just after the gates open. If you wanted to be early just take the 725am Metra and 565 Bus and then you could kill a bit of time if you want to get something to eat at BK or someone else along Grand Ave.

[ytterbiumanalyst 1]

I assure you, it is completely 100% true. I got on the Red Line subway at Grand station at 4:30. We stopped just before Howard and sat on the tracks for an hour due to a traffic jam created by an electrical problem on the loop track there. Then once I finally got to the platform, I had to wait about 20 minutes for the CTA cops to remove homeless people who were sleeping on the train. I took the purple up to Evanston to switch at Main St. However, due to these delays, by the time I got there, the next northbound train that was stopping at Main St. was 45 minutes later.

 

Well, turns out there were problems at Ogilvie and the Metra UPN was 20 minutes late even beyond that. I finally made it on the 9:05 Pace bus which dropped me off at that Burger King to give me just enough time to cross the street and get there by 10.

[PKI Jizzman 23]

I assure you, it is completely 100% true. I got on the Red Line subway at Grand station at 4:30. We stopped just before Howard and sat on the tracks for an hour due to a traffic jam created by an electrical problem on the loop track there. Then once I finally got to the platform, I had to wait about 20 minutes for the CTA cops to remove homeless people who were sleeping on the train. I took the purple up to Evanston to switch at Main St. However, due to these delays, by the time I got there, the next northbound train that was stopping at Main St. was 45 minutes later.

 

Well, turns out there were problems at Ogilvie and the Metra UPN was 20 minutes late even beyond that. I finally made it on the 9:05 Pace bus which dropped me off at that Burger King to give me just enough time to cross the street and get there by 10.

 

Yikes, sorry to hear...no wonder it took you that long. That's a very long and unnecessary way of getting to Great America from downtown..I wish someone could have directed you better. No one should ever take the RedLine/Purple north to Evanston to get to the Metra since there are the main hubs downtown that will save tons of time.

[ytterbiumanalyst 1]

Yeah, I went that way because my hotel was near the Grand station. I did at least plan to miss every single connection, and I'm glad I did, because that's exactly what happened!

[eugjackson 0]

I assure you, it is completely 100% true. I got on the Red Line subway at Grand station at 4:30. We stopped just before Howard and sat on the tracks for an hour due to a traffic jam created by an electrical problem on the loop track there. Then once I finally got to the platform, I had to wait about 20 minutes for the CTA cops to remove homeless people who were sleeping on the train. I took the purple up to Evanston to switch at Main St. However, due to these delays, by the time I got there, the next northbound train that was stopping at Main St. was 45 minutes later.

 

Well, turns out there were problems at Ogilvie and the Metra UPN was 20 minutes late even beyond that. I finally made it on the 9:05 Pace bus which dropped me off at that Burger King to give me just enough time to cross the street and get there by 10.

 

Like I said, it is ludicrous. You just didn't know what the heck you were doing. You instead made it seem the trip was long, complicated, taxing, etc...which would discourage the person you were responding to from using public transport. Leaving downtown at 430 am if you had a clue of what you were doing. you would have made the 540 UP-N, which would have got you to Waukegan Station at 650am. After taking the bus you would have been at SF about 3 hours before the park opens. There also is a train that leaves like 630am which would have gotten you there way early or even the 725am one, the 835am was also an option to arrive tight at gate opening essentially.