Photo TR: New England Mini-Trip

[printersdevil78]

This TR is about a week behind due to some health problems (which materialized during the trip itself), but nonetheless, I recently had a quasi-enjoyable long weekend in New England during which my girlfriend, Kelly, and I managed to squeeze in a couple theme parks, some famous restaurants and a few other neat surprises.

 

I apologize in advance that a handful of the photos aren't up to my usual high standards, but I was on painkillers most of the time I was taking them (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). Enjoy!

...and the park's 1911 carousel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (as with the Wildcat, its "historic" significance seems to be little more than survival). An historic carousel devotee, I'd normally have cued right up. Unfortunately, the crowds, the heat and my health at the moment prohibited me from doing so.

...bumper cars...

...Wipeout...

We toured a few more random flats, including Drop Zone...

And I'll be darned if my seatbelt didn't come unfastened in mid-ride again! That's never happened to me once in my life, yet at Lake Compost it happened one two different rides within a half hour? That's got to be more than a coincidence... right? Then again, maybe that's why they insisted on stapling the lap bar so tight....

It wasn't the roughest coaster I've ever been on, but it certainly was painful, starting with the ride op who took stapling to a whole new level! I've never involuntarily (or voluntarliy, for that matter) yelped in pain before upon being locked into a coaster.

Besides the fact that it outlasted many of its kind, I'm not clear from this sign exactly what makes the Wildcat "historic," but hey, a landmark's a landmark.

As a fan of old-school woodies, I certainly wasn't going to pass up a ride on the Wildcat.

A nice view of Boulder's final stretch.

As for the ride itself, the coaster was amazing! It's just too bad that I got stuck with some lousy clientele on consecutive rides... and that maintenance at this park seems to be somewhat of an afterthought. Or maybe I was just having an unlucky day.

Kelly opted out of a second ride, but I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment. I ended up in front of four pre-teen girls who screamed in high-C the entire ride, from the second they fastened their seatbelts to the time they stepped off the train, which just did wonders for my earache. Fortunately, the fact that my seatbelt came undone in mid-ride helped take my mind off that. Thank God for lap bars.

During our first ride we got shut out of the train we should have been on due to approximately 25 people wearing family reunion shirts who decided it was their right as American citizens to run through the line, jump the rails and shove everyone else out of the way to be on the next train. Instead, we ended up seated between two cars of gang members (or very loud, very large, very intimidating individuals who really, really, really would have liked to have been in a gang) who flashed signs and shouted good-tooth-punctuated slogans across us the entire ride.

And now you know.

And then there was the reason we came: Boulder Dash.

Unlike Holiday World, however, sunscreen wasn't free. It was a $2 upcharge... and came with a whole host of potential legal problems: "Mommy, I didn't know the gun I found in the closet was real! I was just trying to put sunscreen on little Billy, honest!"

One feather in Lake Compost's cap is that, like Holiday World, it's among those elite parks that offer free sodas with admission. These machines were mobbed all afternoon.

It's your typical Sally Corp. shooting dark ride. Unfortunately, Kelly's gun didn't work, so all she could do after 45 minutes in line was watch the scenery go by. It was around this time that she began referring to the park as "Lake Compost," a name that became more apt as the day wore on.

As we waited in the 45-minute line, Prof. Phearstruck taught us how to ghost-exterminate the mansion.

Giant stuffed dogs, on the other hand, terrify me!

I ain't afraid of no ghost.

This was the first thing we actually rode (Ghost Hunt, not the Enterprise).

An unfortunately bad view of the ferris wheel--but a view, nonetheless.

Hi, Ty!

Only lightning was working (or is that thunder?).

More signage. My favorite part is hidden behind the guy at the right--it's themed to look like lightning hit the sign.

...and here's the ride!

Here's the sign...

That's some patriotic flyers ya got there, Lake Compounce!

Had enough of food, flats and carousels? How about a coaster shot to boost your interest? It's a boomerang--nuff said.

Between the 90-degree, humid heat and the fact that the park was operating at crowds and lines that seemed near capacity (they were out of maps at the front gate by the time we arrived), Kelly and I opted to skip the electric car ride, one of our favorites at most parks.

Best-themed Pirate ever!

While I applaud Lake Compounce for having an authentic old-fashioned Rotor, I was in no shape to try it out that day.

We begin our tour in the park's kiddie section, where we find a long-armed, demented clown preparing to club riders with a xylophone mallet.

Today this unique, only-one-of-its-kind, traditional, most historic amusement park in the universe is a shill for Go-Gurt.

Fun fact: Lake Compounce is one of only 397 amusement parks in the United States that claims to be the oldest/longest operating/most historic park in the Americas.

Insert more traditional Lake Compounce establishing shot here.

Finally, we made our way to Lake Compounce.

This is all that's on display in that "wing" so far.

Coming soon... another random sub-museum on Greek culture!

This was, by far, the sexiest exhibit at the museum!

...or the fire axe that was used aboard the "Queen Mary." And bonus... the fire museum is available for wedding receptions (really)!

Lest we forget the selection of fire helmets from around the world...

Jump!

Yep, it's a hose!

Not to be a one-note tourist stop, the carousel museum also featured its own subset of mini-museums, including a room dedicated to fine art (which I not only didn't photograph, but struggled to stay awake through as I was on my first painkiller of the day) and the New England Museum of Fire History!

Our tour guide also provided us with a brief glimpse of the museum's restoration area.

...and this nifty piece, which apparently was operated out of the bed of some guy's pickup truck for years, during which he drove from neighborhood to neighborhood offering kids a ride for a dime or a quarter or whatever. I'd like to see someone get away with something like that today!

...this pony ride ticket booth (complete with scary clown)...

...an original Lusse Auto Skooter...

The museum also had some oddities, like this decorative giraffe...

"Come along, come along, to the carousel hug 'n' song!"

These giant word panels once joined to form the revolving canopy support on an English carousel. Unlike U.S. carousels, traditional merry-go-rounds in England operated clockwise, allowing the words to revolve and be read from left to right (like an electronic news ticker).

...and even Donald Duck!

...a stagecoach...

...bunny rabbits...

...steer...

But this museum had much more than horses! For instance, there were pigs...

This is a rare flying horse. Instead of a pole, chains were affixed to its side, and it hung from the revolving canopy (special thanks to Beemer Boy for previously having explained to me the difference between flying horses and derby racers).

The one in the back is from a derby racer.

So what did you expect to see in a carousel museum?

We were about two miles from the park when we saw another sign, looked at each other and said in unison, "Oooh, carousel museum!" More tire screeching.

...and this ricotta square, the absolute best bakery confection in the history of the world (and I'm not even exaggerating)!

 

Soon enough we were on our way to SFNE. Only on the way there, we passed a billboard for Lake Compounce, and I told Kelly it had one of the No. 1 wooden coasters in the world. She said, "Well then why are we going to Six Flags?" I punched it into the GPS, and she changed course so fast, the tires screeched!

But we sampled other fine products from Neil's, including this giant chocolate chip cookie...

Unfortunately, they were out of the jelly... and the cinnamon-sugar was just OK.

The place was small, but had a huge selection. We'd been tipped off that the traditional cinnamon-sugar and jelly doughnuts were the best.

For dessert we decided to sample the bakery we had missed earlier: Neil's in Wallingford, Conn.

The lobster rolls were a little pricey, but they didn't disappoint!

Our original plan was to sample a local bakery I'd read about for breakfast, chill out at the hotel for awhile, hit the Glenwood Drive-In for hot lobster rolls and then head to Six Flags New England. Our clinic trip rerouted us a bit, but we still managed to make it to the Glenwood by lunchtime.

About an hour later, we finally made it to our hotel. I'd been having some problems with clogged ears in the days leading up to the trip, and by the time we reached our "home" for the next two nights, the pain was excruciating. The next day began with Kelly's taking me to a local immediate care clinic, where they were pleasantly surprised that I had insurance and prescribed OTC Mucinex and Motrin. That worked... for a day, anyway.

Finally, the piece de resistance: an authentic original burger served on toast, just as they have been since 1900. To be honest, it wasn't really the best burger I'd ever had... but I'm glad I can say I tried one. I guess Louis' burgers are kind of an acquired taste.

Part of what makes the burgers Louis' burgers are these 1898 vertical cast iron gas stoves. The other part is the restaurant's "atmosphere," which ranges somewhere between "cozy but historic" and "small but grungy." Ten years ago, I wouldn't have been surprised to have walked in and seen everyone in the joint smoking big, cheap cigars--including the ladies.

No. 2: Don't come during August. They won't even let you help count spoons.

There are a couple of rules for dining at Louis'. No. 1: Whatever you do, don't you dare ask for ketchup!

After nearly eight hours on the highway (including a two-hour complete standtill on I-95), our first scheduled stop was historic Louis' Lunch in downtown New Haven, Conn. For the uninitiated, Louis' is one of the three or four places in the United States that claims to have invented the hamburger (around 1900). Back then it sold for 7 cents. Today, it's $4.50... but it's still one of only nine items on the menu.

Behold Ted's famous steamed cheeseburger! They steam the meat in little trays and the cheese in little trays, then scrape the cheese onto the meat and top with ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc.) and serve with homefries. This was 10 times better than what we got at Louis' the night before, in my opinion, though most foodies would dispute that.

 

Next stop: We finally do make it to Six Flags New England... though we practically have to park in Vermont to do so. Coming soon!

Drat! We should have hit Ted's before we went to Lake Compounce!

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at our second famous hamburger destination of the weekend: World Famous Ted's Restaurant, which was conveniently just two miles from our room.

Good night, Lake Compounce! We're glad we got to visit... but you probably won't make our "must return to" list.

At Lake Compounce, visitors exit through a gift shop (why haven't more parks thought of this?). Like the carousel museum, they have their own Lusse Auto Skooter, too... only Compounce's doesn't appear to be as authentic.

That's definitely better than a giant-ass panda.

Hey, they have Potato Patch fries here, too! Bet they're not as good as the ones at Kennywood or Idlewild....

We walked down what could be considered Lake Compounce's "Main Street" to exit.

We thought about taking a cabana boat ride, but it was still hot by 7 p.m., and we were pretty tired. Besides, we had already seen everything there was to see aboard the train.

The park's sky ride.

These slides went right out into the lake!

The train afforded us some nice views of the water park.

We ended our day with a train ride, which we got on despite more flash-mob line breaking.

...and the chairs were held together with zip ties! This promised to be one of the most awesomely bad shows yet! Unfortunately, the verdict was split. Kelly thought the show (no photography allowed) was pretty bad, while I thought one of the singers actually had some minor talent.

This was the promised "air conditioning" (wish I could say these were for circulating the actual AC, but it certainly didn't feel that way)...

...and seating areas that consist solely of folding chairs.

Kelly and I are always on the lookout for the world's most horrible theme park shows, and Rocknation looked promising. Key signs in identifying a potentially horrible theme park show include show buildings that prominently advertise air conditioning...

The park had advertising set up for its annual Halloween event. Did you hear that Cory died? I wonder if it was Haim or Feldman.

[larrygator]

You didn't miss much with the Rotor, it is horribly run. Actually you missed rug burns on your elbows from sliding down the walls.

[coastersrule85]

Great trip report! I'm hoping to head to Lake Compounce and SFNE next summer.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[VGplay]

Sounds like you hit the park on a bad day. When I visited a bit more than a month ago, everything was open and I thought the park as a whole was in pretty immaculate shape.

 

And how were you stapled on Wildcat? It has buzzbars.

[printersdevil78]

^The bar wouldn't catch, so after a failed safety check, the op raised the bar, manually slammed it down with all his might into my legs (which I thought he was going to break) and let it spring back up into the "lock" position. It was a new (and painful) one on me, too.

[LcHg5265]

Note: The Potato Patch French Fries at Lake Compounce are the same ones you would find at Kennywood and Idlewild.

[printersdevil78]

^Yeah, I know. I just doubt they would "taste" the same without the Kennywood/Idlewild ambiance. Kind of like I doubt Thrasher's french fries in OCMD would taste the same outside of OCMD.

[jedimaster1227]

 

Its good to see that Garfield's face has been covered by that of a more appropriate Wildcat!

 

This has been a great trip report so far Jason! Once again, you've gotten me extremely hungry by showing things like the lobster roll and that amazing looking cookie, but I do notice a distinct lack of Delgrosso's Sauce--and you know, "it's all about the Sauce!" I'm loving the little throwbacks to last year (I'm still waiting to return to the Hug-N-Song party), and I'm really liking your take on Compounce (though it seems that our experience was far better than the one you had, which is a shame).

 

Oh, and now you've got me thinking of that amazing candy sushi you made from day one of the Behemoth tour...

[TheRapidsNerd]

You had me at lobster roll, cookie, and train ride.

 

Looks like a fun atmosphere and thanks for putting this one up.

[almightyfire]

This is a very cute park with a showcase woodie, now all they need is a B&M hyper to go through those mountains and then it will be a well rounded park.

[redfoot12]

I always get hungry after looking at Printersdevil's Trip Reports.

[Sue]

Great report so far! When I saw you seemed to like the unique food places and wasn't too crazy about Louie's, I was going to suggest that you try Ted's for the bugers. Turns out you were one step ahead of me! We've never tried Louie's, but Ted's is very good.

 

As for LC, we love the park and Boulder Dash, but for the exact clientele reasons you mentioned, we avoid the park at all costs between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

[printersdevil78]

Time to wrap up this TR with a visit to Six Flags New England! My ear was killing me on this day, temperatures were in the low 90s, and most of the park was wall-to-wall people, so we didn't overexert ourselves. By the time we waited nearly a half hour in line to park, we had only about three hours of theme park time left, and 45 minutes of that was eaten up in line for Thunderbolt (more on that below).

 

In all, we rode only two rides, but we still enjoyed the park for the most part--and Kelly got to cross it off her list of "Six Flags Parks to Visit in 2009!"

Anyway, as Porky Pig might say, "Th-th-th-th-thus ends my report from New England." Hope you enjoyed!

...and one of the biggest WTF prizes I've seen yet: Sam the Snowman, AKA the narrator from the 1964 Rankin/Bass production "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." In the middle of summer, no less!

...Captain Caveman (really, does anyone under age 30 remember him--and is he really going to entice anyone to play a game?)...

Before I end this SFNE journey, I'd like to continue my ongoing (stretched through a few threads) photo commentary on some of the oddest prizes offered at today's theme park games, including $100 bill pillows...

I liked that SFNE had street performers, as well.

...and Tweety busting a move with Mr. Six (IMHO the best walk-around at any Six Flags park).

...Petunia and Marvin (again, do kids even know who these characters are?)...

Making our way out of the park we ran into Daffy and Bugs...

I gotta be honest... by the time we had made it this far into the park, I was so wacked out on meds, I don't even remember taking this photo. But since I did, I figured I'd include it. You know, in case it's someone's favorite SFNE ride or something.

I thought it was neat that they bothered to put so much work into making the teacups sign look interesting, what with the tea sloshing out and everything. Moving along....

Yet another low-capacity electric antique car ride Kelly and I passed up that weekend. We really didn't do a good job with those credits.

Oooh... my kidney!

Too bad--there it is anyway!

Are you ready for some Mind Eraser?

One thing that puzzles me is why this isn't the Penguin's Blizzard River. I mean, there's so much going on here with Batman villains, and yet there's no mention of the Penguin (that I can remember) anywhere in the park. Since he seems to own every other Six Flags Blizzard River I've seen (including the ones without DC lands), I'd have thought that would have been a no-brainer.

DC has such an awesome logo. Take that, Marvel!

I really like how they have the villains' logos on the canopy and all the various bat logos at the base.

Best. Chain swing. Sign. Ever.

...Batman!

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na...

No matter, I guess, because wherever Catwoman is, Batman is sure not to be too far behind!

A nice little family coaster--though it's a little unclear why they would theme a family coaster around a villain instead of a superhero.

It would be a crime to leave SFNE without getting this signature shot!

Hello! What have we here?

Oh noes! It's the Legion of Doom! This was the first walk-around Riddler I'd ever encountered, and he was pretty cool, though I thought Six Flags Great America's Sinestro outfit was better.

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice....

Can you name the superheroes all these symbols represent? If so... well, that probably means you wasted most of your childhood in the same way I did, reading comic books.

I was really psyched because I thought this phone booth would play messages from Clark Kent or something. Turns out it's just a phone booth.

Even Lex Luthor has his own attraction in this DC Universe!

Um, souvenir penny machine? You're doing it wrong!

"Me am not Bizzaro, and me not approve this message."

Soarin' Over Football

Oh yeah, by the way... here's the actual coaster.

They would have had it in '04 and '05, too, if not for that sex scandal between Coach Johnson and Principal Smith.

So anyway, yeah, for those who have been living under a rock, they pretty much repainted Superman: Ride of Steel in Bizarro's colors, added some fire and fog and set everyone's heart aflutter.

"Why you not show pictures of me yet? Me kind of big deal."

He makes this ride about 10 times creepier than it would be otherwise.

Yay for old-school Joker!

I ultimately chose "cheesy" and chose not to go in... but the facade still looked pretty cool.

I went back and forth on whether this would be fun or cheesy.

I think this was about the best-themed DC Comics area I've seen at any Six Flags park (not that I've seen them all... yet).

No clue why this is called the Blitz. It just is. Deal with it.

And there it is, folks, the backside of wa--I mean Scream!

There hasn't been a ride this onomatopoeia-relevant since Knoebels' Skloosh!

While in scenic downtown Rockville, why not stop by and ride the Twister?

Is that like A&P's scratch-and-dent center?

To balance the budget in the current economic climate, the Rockville City Council had to make a few concessions... like subleasing City Hall to Johnny Rocket's.

Closeup for truth.

They would have had it in '54, too, if not for that sex scandal between Coach Johnson and Principal Smith.

Domokun makes all TRs better.

"Oh, you have made me very angry, very angry indeed!"

"Buy something from us, and we'll deliver it via skunk!"

Do those stars mean his biscuits are burnin'?

...to "transvestite" faster than you can say, "Who thought it would be a good idea to put lipstick on a Tasmanian devil?"

Taz can go from "mean"...

I love the Brown Derby... even if this is just a cheesy walk-up snack stand replica.

"Excuse me, is this where I audition to be an extra on 'Dawson's Creek'?"

The Great Chase... through the trees!

I'm not really sure what this coaster has to do with Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam, but I guess they had to put something on the sign.

(Eatibus Almost Anythingus)

(Velocitus Delectiblus)

I believe I can safely say this is the best-themed kiddie whip I've ever seen.

Extreme closeup!

Pandemonium? Based on its color scheme, it looks more like "Pumpkin-monium" to me.

Scramblers are always fun! Except when the inside of your head is trying to leak out through your ears.

The New England Skyway looked kind of fun... but its low capacity and long line didn't.

Loop-de-loop-de-loop....

It's been a few pictures since we've seen a coaster... so how about some Flashback?

What better attraction for a Wild West-themed town than an empty DDR stage?

Houdini--The Great Escape is housed in the Crackaxle Canyon Opera House, and for those who don't know, it's a modern take on the old-time haunted swing... which I didn't even know they made anymore! This was my first-ever ride on one (Kelly had never even heard of them), and I'm really glad we rode without really knowing in advance what it was (we thought it was going to be a simulator) because that made it even more fun.

This was the surprise hit of the trip! Of all two rides we rode at SFNE, it was our favorite--though I suspect it would have been even if we had ridden every ride available.

All joking aside, I really did like the Wild West Show theming on Tomahawk.

Grate theming, guys!

I really would have liked to have ridden the Cyclone, but between my ear pain and the 45-minute posted wait, there was just no way.

Teddy Roosevelt: president, Rough Rider, conservationist, T-shirt salesman.

That "rustlin, bustlin" part must be one of those ironic jokes--Crackaxle Canyon was actually the only part of the park where we didn't feel stiffled by the crowds.

Uh oh! At our 35-minute point in line, they evacuated the train and called in maintenance... just when I was on tap for the next circuit! Most people left, but we stuck around. Fortunately, it took only about 10 minutes, and then we were on our way!

Unfortunately, this is the only track shot I managed, and it's not that great (obviously). But hey, if you haven't been, it's better than not seeing it at all, right?

Just look at that 1941 wooden goodness! Too bad they have to manually release each lap bar--it really adds to the wait time.

This was the main reason I came! If nothing else, I was going to brave the pain, the heat and the crowds to obey the sign and ride the Thunderbolt!

A fairly lousy picture of the 1909 carousel. Once again, I'll blame the painkillers, which were in full effect by then.

Sylvester and Porky also made the rounds near the entrance.

I had never seen a Scrappy Doo walk-around before. As a cartoon buff, I thought it was kind of neat, but I wonder how many younger kids realized exactly who Scrappy was supposed to be.

Finally, we made it inside!

The lines for the trams were insane, so we decided to brave the path to the park via foot. At our ROS (rate of shuffling), it was another 20 minutes or so from our spot before we saw these--but there were six of them, so we figured we were still on theme park property, at least!

An hour later we were in Agawam, where we waited... and waited... and waited to park. Had Kelly not had parking on her pass, we probably would have parked in one of the $10-per-spot front yards that surround the park. It's amazing that this place is smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood--I swear, there were a couple of houses where we could have reached right over the Six Flags fence and stolen some laundry from the clothes lines!

 

At any rate, we finally made it this close to the parking area after a 20-minute wait in line... and ended up in the third-from-last row of the auxiliary auxiliary lot just an hour and a half after park opening.

All in all, it didn't really live up to the hype--though the blueberry fritter wasn't bad.

The yummy, free hotel breakfast at the Monte Carlo Inn during last year's Behemoth-Flyer Trip disuaded me from trying a real Tim Horton's in Canada, so when I realized there was one practically within walking distance of our hotel in Meriden, I insisted we stop there for an authentic Canadian New England breakfast.

"NO! Do not even try to knock on this door until we've checked out of the hotel this morning! Bad maid! Bad maid!" (I loved this sign.)

[Tikifire]

Awesome trip reports! Thanks for sharing all that and sorry your head was hurting you so bad when you were there!