Are you a roller coaster addict? Do you find the entire thing nauseating? Do you enjoy holding all the food while your friends ride over and over and over?

What do you like most about amusment parks, and is there a ride or show that you just have to recommend to everyone else?

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Answers

I've always loved amusement park rides, but not especially the roller coaster. I can do skydiving, bungee jumping, whatever but the thought of being on a roller coaster and having my head bashed left to right on the safety bar just doesn't do a thing for me. If someone invented a roller coaster that was smooth as ice and went at warp speed doing twists, spirals and sudden drops then I would be in heaven.

We have Canada's Wonderland in Toronto, Ontario. The place is huge but so insanely packed with people that I can't bear the thought of walking in there. You pay something like 40 dollars to get an unlimited pass but you can only ever go on two or three rides because the lines are so insane. I don't plan on going back, nor do I see myself going to any other amusement park just because I hate crowds so much.

I do love the thrill of the rides though, so it looks like I have to keep on dreaming of skydiving.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

I recommend that any roller coaster lover visit Kennywood (Roller Coaster Capital of the World don't you know)just outside of Pittsburgh. I must confess though that those new-fangled coasters (with the shoulder harness) just make me feel like I am getting my head bashed in. Give me an old-fashioned, wooden, feels like it's going to collapse roller coaster any day.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

The best coaster in Kennywood is the side-by-side one where you can race against your friends. I forgot the name, but even though it's not the biggest, baddest and scariest, it's a load of fun.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Hey Jeanine, you rock! As someone who was born in Pittsburgh and went to HS right down the road in McKeesport, I wholeheartedly agree. All of my girlfriends in HS (okay, one of them) worked at Kennywood, and I still equate being in awkward teenage love with the smell of Potato Patch fries and rides on the Enterprise.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Rich, the side-by-side coaster is the Racer (they certainly weren't very original) and I agree that it is a true classic. I do love the Jack Rabbit and Thunderbolt too though.

The most vivid memory I have of the Enterprise (besides getting someone you like to ride it with you because you had to sit jammed together on that seat) is being so dizzy once you got off that you couldn't even walk straight.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Ah, yes.. the racer! Very cool. My girlfriend at the time brought me there.. I was going to CMU at the time, and she grew up just outside of the city. It was one of the most fabulous times I can remember.

I wouldn't go on that crazy big coaster. My friend and I waited as our girlfriends went on it. Twice.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

I remember Dorney Park (And Wild Water Kingdom) well. I'm from Philly originally. But does anyone remember Action Park?? I think that place closed because they ignored all safety regulations on their rides, which made it fun!! And what is Kennywood? I don't remember that. Although if it's by Pittsburgh, I don't think I made it out that far for an amusement park ever.

Who remembers the "Free Fall" craze of '85? Was that the biggest waste of 3 hours in line or what?

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

When we were at disneyland many years ago, my mom talked me into going on Space Mountain with her. I was wearing shorts...I came out with blood dripping down my legs, because I'd dug my fingernails in so dang hard. She also dragged me onto the ancient wooden rollercoaster at the PNE in Vancouver, and I swear, I thought I was Going To Die.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Kennywood! Oh my God! I so love that place. It's always on my list of reasons to move back to Pennsylvania for a while. I get all nostalgic and start saying stupid shit like "Yeah, it would be nice to move back there. . .hang out in the strip district, drink coffee at the beehive, spend afternoons at Kennywood." My favorite was always the log jammer. You'd try to figure out where in the log you needed to sit to get the least wet, but you'd always get splashed anyway. I just miss that place so much.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Well, I grew up in Indiana, and the closest park we had was King's Island. Ah, the Beast (the world's largest or fastest all-wooden roller coaster) would shake your fillings loose. And the racer was always a nice ride. But my favorite, which they tore down for a stupid water ride years ago, was the Screamin' Deamon. You had to climb a huge flight of stairs (most of it waiting in line, so it went slow) just to plummet down a huge drop, through a hoop, and up on the other side. You had just enough time to stop screaming before you went again - BACKWARDS. Whoo-boy. It was a short ride, but it was the BEST.

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

I've lived right by Busch Gardens Williamsburg for almost 10 years, so I kind of adapted to the whole roller coaster thing. They're not a big deal for me.. only if i get to ride them 6 times in a row because there's a small crowd that day and no one else wants to get bruises on their ears (like on Drachen Fire.. I'm not sure it runs anymore though since no one had the balls to ride it). Oh yes, and Busch Gardens is also the home of Apollo's Chariot, where Fabio got bonked in the face by a 15 pound goose. Classic. But if you ever go there.. do NOT go in the teepee in France!!! pssst: people have SEX in there!!!

-- Anonymous, May 18, 1999

Hooray for King's Island! I used to live in OH and that was my favorite memory of the whole damn state. Just being on the same coaster on which Mike Brady's plans were lost was worth the trip. My mom worked for a mental health hospital at the time and was able to go again, but with mental patients on an excursion. She said one got away from the group, proceeded to get drunk, and bought one of those harnesses-you-put-on-your-kids-so-they-don't-run-away-thingees because he thought it was a headband. I guess we all go a little crazy at amusement parks. My brother was actually kicked out of Six Flags Over Georgia for jumping out of the raft on the Thunder River Rampage. He didn't get hurt, but he was banned for a year. For myself, I just prefer to go to your amusement park of choice during that 2 week window where the local schools are in session but the parks are still open during the week. You miss all of the lines, but you have to time which rides you go to correctly because they tend to shut them down periodically for maintenance.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Pamie Pamie Pamie! You are the best! For years now, I have been thinking that the Boblo Island experience was a product of my fertile imagination...and now my hazy memories have been validated! But like yourself, all that I can remember about the place was the ferry ride (although I can assume that my stepbrother and I acted like the proper little assholes that we were). And, I must confess that when I speak of the place, I get a kick out of calling it Bob-Blow Island (tee hee hee).

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Do you know, I've never been on a rollercoaster. I've never been to a big amusement park at all, because there's only one in all of New Zealand to my knowledge, and I've never been to the Gold Coast of Australia (reportedly cluttered with amusement parks) and I've never been to the USA. I'm sure there are amusement parks in England, but I haven't been to any of them yet. I'm currently nagging my husband about taking me to Euro Disney soon because I'm starting to feel like a never ride a rollercoaster kind of freak. (I'm actually nagging my husband about any number of things - I've taken to a wifely role like a duck to water).

I did find Kim's (of the Kim and Wil travelling break-up show)account of a trip to the wonderful world of Disney funny, though.

http://www.omnigroup.com/People/Friends/cirocco/dizney/

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

I am new too england too Jackie (from america tho) There are tons of amusment parks here... I live near blackpool...which is alot of fun.... There is also one called Alton Towers which is supposed to be the best. I will probably go this summer. I heard Euro Disney is really terrible and expensive.

Mae

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Shame on me! I've just thought of a rollercoaster place half an hour from London - Chessington World of Adventures. So I really should check it out.

Actually, the Euro Disney trip is just an excuse to go away for the weekend, visit Versailles, and hear my husband speak french (sexy language).

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

I live in Williamsburg, too. But I hate roller coasters. I hate the sensation of falling - it makes me sick to my stomach. My mom loves roller coasters, and when I was about eight, she took me on this coaster at Busch Gardens (that has since been removed) called the Glissade. Now tell me how dumb this is: When you get off the ride, they make you walk down a ramp to get to the exit! My legs were shaking so hard I couldn't do it. My mom had to go down and get the ride attendant to let my dad come up the ramp and get me.

When I was fourteen or so, I thought maybe it had changed. So, on a trip to Busch Gardens with my friend Kelly, I told her that I was going to ride the Loch Ness Monster, and that she shouldn't let me back out. She was good: She didn't let me back out, and she got us in line in the middle, which I've been told is the wimpiest place you can be. If you've never seen it, the Loch Ness Monster goes waaaay up, and then there's this little baby dip (just a couple of feet to the drop, really) before the first big plunge. I screamed on the baby dip. Really. I was terrified. The twisty-turny parts were kindof fun, and the two loop-de-loops were GREAT, but I just can't handle those drops... I threw up my breakfast as soon as I got off the ride, and spent the rest of the day nauseous.

About once every three or four years, I'll go back to Busch Gardens with a group of friends, and the rule is: I will not sit by myself while everyone else rides a roller coaster. Before we buy tickets, everyone has to agree to take turns babysitting me. But I don't mind waiting for two rounds, so everyone who wants to can ride. Between roller coaster rides, though, I like to ride the carousel and the swings and all the mostly flat rides, and the shows are a fun way to get out of the heat...

My husband and I went to DisneyWorld for our honeymoon, and he was so sweet - I told him if he wanted to ride "falling" rides, I'd be happy to wait for him, but he said he wasn't going to abandon me on our honeymoon. (Awww...) So now we have an excuse to go back with some friends. ::grin::

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

The scariest roller coaster ever has to be the Cyclone at Coney Island in good ol' Brooklyn, New York. Not only do you really feel like you are going to die on it because it is so old and rickety but that thing is still REALLY fast for an old fashioned woodend roller coaster. Plus the view of the ocean and the sound of all the pulleys and chains while you are going up that first hill really brings me back to when I was a little kid. It is truly one of the best things about summer.

I go to the beach by myself almost every Sunday during the summer months and the sound of the waves crashing is always mixed with the people screaming going down on that roller coaster. Everytime I hear it I smile 'cause I know how much fun they are having.

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Ooh.. roller coasters and any kind of amusement park ride are right up my alley. My favorites are the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and the Demon and Grizzly at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara. The Loch Ness in Busch Garden's Williamsburg ain't bad at all... especially when the two tracks interloop with each other (I think that the right rollercoaster - correct me if I'm wrong!)

I'm heading back out to the Bay Area in two weeks and I plan on at least a full day of riding at Great America... can't keep me away!

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

What, did everyone live in Pittsburgh at some point in their life?

-- Anonymous, May 19, 1999

Las Vegas' New York, New York has one of the best roller coasters I've ever been on. It's called Manhattan Express, and even though the price goes up a dollar each time I've been there, it's still worth it.

Man, that ride rocks.

You do a loop and then right when you come out it turns you around and upside down and sends you in the opposite direction. It's so high you look down at all sorts of places in Vegas.

Do it at night.

don't chew gum while you're on it.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

Wow! I used to get Season Passes every single summer for Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ! Man did I really get use out of that! I would be there every single day with my brother and his girlfriend or even friends of mine. I LOVED the roller coasters (Scream Machine kicks ass!) but my most favorite was Freefall! (nah, the stories about girls getting their scalps ripped off never scared me, just thrilled me more!) I can remember the Grand Opening of the much hyped Batman Ride!!! My brother, his girlfriend and I waited in the sweltering summer heat for 4 hours!!! (no joke!) 4 hours just to be able to say we rode it on the first day it opened!!! How's THAT for die hard coaster fans?! *L*

I actually haven't been there in a few years but I plan on making a trip this summer for sure! What with 25 new rides and a NEW Batman Ride....how could I NOT???!!!!

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

Oh man Pamie, I tell my friends about that roller coaster in Vegas all the time! That is the best part when it turns you upside down and you are just crusing upside down! I've never been on a coaster that has ever done that before..woo hoo! I want to go on it right now!

-- Anonymous, May 20, 1999

I think I'd have to be the biggest roller coaster wuss. I seriously do not like them. I tried one ride once, at the Perth (Western Australia) show, called the Mighty mouse, lots of sheer drops and right angle turns. I ended up a small crumpled heap in the bottom of the cart, my legs were wobbly for the rest of the day, and the only reason I didn't throw up was because I sept a childhood getting motion sick and will do Anything to avoid throwing up. So, I don't do rollercoasters.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 1999

I truly dig roller coasters. And pretty much all amusement park rides, for that matter. I haven't been to that many parks. Disneyland about a billion times when I was a kid. Space Mountain used to scare me to death, because I was always a real shrimp and came close to slipping underneath the bar a couple of times. Talk about white knuckles. I've been to Knotts Berry Farm (last time was about 14 years ago though) and Six Flaggs Magic Mountain. I remember riding on the Batman The Adventure Ride at the latter shortly after it opened, and it was a blast. First rollercoaster I'd ever been on that let your feet dangle like that.

Anyone ever been to Elitches (or however it's spelled) in Denver CO? Not a very big park, but it had great wooden coasters I used to ride on over and over again. I saw someone mention Great America too...I had a season pass there for two years in a row. I like the roller coasters there a lot too (the Tidal Wave was one of my favorites because you could put your hands up in the air the whole ride without those irritating shoulder bars) but the absolute best thing about Great America is the Drop Zone. It's basically a free fall ride, and for someone as terrified of heights as I can be, falling 175 feet is an absolute rush.

Anyone ever go to Cedar Rapids in Ohio? That's where I'm planning on going next, and was wondering if anyone had opinions.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 1999

Sorry...it's not Cedar Rapids, it's Cedar Point. I don't know where Cedar Rapids came from.

Anyhow, I thought I'd post because I just went there a couple of days ago. Cedar Point, not Cedar Rapids. It was a blast. A LOT of really great rollercoasters. There was one, the Magnum, that was the best. Two or three tunnels that just caught you by surprise each time. The best part about it was that it didn't go upside down, so they had no shoulderstraps. I think that rides with loops and corkscrews are fun, but if they really work at it, the rides without them can be even better.

Anyhow, I'd definitely recommend Cedar Point.

-- Anonymous, June 04, 1999

I've only been on one roller coaster... when I was in college went to Playland at Rye Beach (or something like that but it no longer exists) in Westchester County N.Y.

When I was a kid I loved carnivals so I could ride on the Ferris wheel and the whip and the tilt-a-whirl...

About twelve years ago I got some kind of inner ear infection trashed my sense of balance for a day... I mean I spent hour clinging to the floor because the room was spinning and spinning out of control... and ever since then the thought of going on anything more than a carousel has not seemed like fun... (and I even had a few moments of vertigo on a carousel that summer)

But I love carousels... I lived in Binghamton NY for many years... there are a half dozen wonderful carousels in that area (Binghamton, Endicott, Johnson City) all free of charge, donated to the communities many years ago by the Johnson family (Endicott-Johnson Shoes)... We lived on Binghamton's West Side, near Rec Park, and loved to take my kids to the park and ride the carousel. (If you are a Twilight Zone fan you have seen a fictional version of that park and carousel on the show... Rod Serling had grown up in that neighborhood.)

Two summers ago we spent two days at Six Flags New Jersey. My son (who was 12 at the time) rode all of the roller coasters over and over (including Batman)... He finally persuaded me to join him on the little one that's inside the mountain. I survived the ride without suffering from a vertigo attack and even enjoyed it... but I still don't think I would want to try a real one.

I do totally

-- Anonymous, June 05, 1999