darkridedan

That looks so cool. It looks very 'Boardwalk.'

I know people from a different frame of mind than my own would love to see Rolling Thunder and The Great American Scream Machine done away with because of the pain it causes them. I find them very enjoyable and RT is a reason why I come to the park. I've worked them both and I know they are very reliable rides, unlike some of the park's newer coasters. They also have the best capacity in the park, should people rediscover them (through marketing.) I could be ok if GASM made an exit to make way for another attraction, but I think I would have to be done with the park if RT left.

If anything else leaves, I hope it's not an endearing ride and for whatever reason a ride is removed in the future, I hope it gets a replacement the same season.

In '79 Rolling Thunder became the 3rd major coaster in the park and in '89 GASM was the first full circuit thrill coaster in the park's history. Today, the park has a very different ride collection and Six Flags is in a different financial situation.

A few mainstream rides like those that were built at the park in the 70's, 80's and up to (and not including) the late 90's would make me happy. When Six Flags sprinkled in kiddie and high thrill rides amongst many new mainstream rides, it made Great Adventure one of the top 5 most attended parks in the U.S. And like you said Chris, it would make the park feel complete.

Now all they have to do is ship it to GADV and ill be content.

I know the park doesn't need one because the park has six 54" coasters and one of them is a top-rail floorless coaster with inversions. What SFGAdv gets is altogether different. If they do build it, they could call it Insanity: Building the same coaster and expecting a different result. If they do it, what would they have to build in two more years to make you feel content?

I understand WHY they have done what they have done, but they have overthought their decisions. They missed the point. But anyway, "maybe next year. Maybe next year."

Catapult is still nuts. I know people who wanted it to come here after the closure of SFAW. It has a 50'' and it's only 5 hours away. Something in me thinks it would have been a better fit at SFGAdv, but I try to ignore it! Nightwing was closed as it had been on my past 4 visits. Kontiki was open, but is still located in a corner of the park that nobody goes to. Our Matterhorn was a much better ride, but if nobody is riding it there...

The rock n' tug was in a kiddie section, where it belonged.

Time Warp (the inverted, inverting flying carpets,) the scrambler and Crime Wave never stopped moving. They were very popular even on a slow day.

That's not too bad. When I worked at the park, I would see Millenium Force shirts and think, "ugh." Then I rode it and has the same reaction. My first words when I got off were, "That was retarded." I liked it better when I rerode it on a cool morning in September, front seat. The back on a hot day was not even memorable.

Not getting Maverick, Dainan? You have classic taste; I am surprised. After going to SFNE, I think I still like Maverick better.

TTD is better than Kingda Ka from the second car and back, IMO. I would rather be comparing Mavericks tho. It would have been the perfect replacement for Viper! I don't know where El Toro would have went tho.

I third that. A Garden of Marvels spotlight sounds fun too.

Yesterday, I had the chance to visit SFNE for the first time in a couple years. I still came home feeling like I spent the day at Disneyland. The first ride I took in was the masterblaster-type water ride in Hurricane Harbor. It's fast, has lots of air, tunnels of pitch-black darkness, and crazy turns where water shoots at you to disorient your sense of direction. This type of ride would make an excellent addition to Hurricane Harbor. And the line moved quickly too.

always. Riding Houdini and Tomahawk were like visiting old friends. Flats, water rides AND coasters = more fun!

Cool little ride. I rode this every time I went to the park. It went really fast and seemed like a thrill ride.

I always remember the cages. I must have blocked out the cars before the modification. Like all the things the park was doing at the park at that time, I see it didn't work out well. I think the ride would have made a nice fit for Frontier Adventures/ Plaza del Carnival, minus the cages.

Thanks for the spotlight guys. The pictres are great!

I remember a show named Horizons. I believe it played in the late 80's and early 90's. I think it had the Coney Island Cyclone in it...

With the trucks in the background, I am thinking it's the water tower that's still in the Big Red Cars area.

Rye Playland has the best whip and the best dark ride collection outside of Disney. The bumpers cars are pretty good and it's one of the best flat ride collections in the country, IMHO. It's a nice looking little park. It is not a coaster park, but the wild mouse is one of the best of its kind.

It's so easy to get to. Drive North on I-95 and take exit 19 straight into the park.

EDIT: Harry, as a plus to you, I see that they have replaced the Powersurge with a Music Express.

They have also replaced their Waveswinger with a YO-YO Swing.

It's easy for a coaster enthusiast and park fan to have fun at the park.

Operations A = S.U.F. Medusa, and Batman!!! crews are better than they have been for a long time (2004?). Almost all the crews are better thanks to the park not allowing guests to bring artciles into the station. The Skyway crew is awesome! They need to work on teh Rolling Thunder crew...again.

Maintenance A = Rolling Thunder Coaster 2 is running much better than last year. Coaster 1 isn't too bad either. Batman and GASM are as smooth as ever and Medusa seems to be running a little faster. Kingda Ka's breakdowns seem to be fewer and haven't lasted too long. El Toro and S.U.F. are never down while I'm in the area. Nitro needs different wheels because it's getting very shaky again.

Food A = Yes it's expensive, but it's all been great. The wraps at the Nitro Grille, the hamburger from Best of the West and the Yum Yum from the water ice shop in the Congo River shops are my favorites.

Management (GAdv or SF) C- = Overall, The Dark Knight is a nice addition. Any effects inside Skull Mountain are welcomed! The Log Flume was closed too often in the begining of season and Rapids took a while to use the second station; Closing Old Country to keep the Cabana area quite is bad karma. Every successful entertainment park has bumper cars, a roundabout (not just a Carousel) ride and swings! The importance of the spin and flat rides should be re-evaluated. The side walk replentishment is nice. Hopefully allot more is to come!

Hey, that's cool, the Knott's observation tower was once the parachute tower. That would be a great family addition should the parachutes days become numbered. It woudl require less operators for allot more guests. It would also use an autospiel...good time for a commercial Mr. Snyder. ;-)

(You can take your camera on an observation tower.)

Great spotlight!

I always thought it was a high thrill ride. I didn't ride Typhoon until I was 15! I stopped riding it when by the time we were spoiled in '99, but by the summer of 2002, I rediscovered Taz and had allot of fun on it for a few more seasons.

Not to beat a dead horse, but I have respect for Time Warner for moving the ride when they decided a new ride would take it's location. The same could be said for Bally's. Attendance figures being what they are, it must have added to the good karma!

I was trained for the ride at a time when an operator and an attendant were required to work the ride together. I only worked there for a half a morning, but I think it would have never gotten old to work. Watching people's reaction before, on and after the ride was priceless. It was fun to work as El Sombrero and Rodeo Sombrero. Working Tango, no.

I rode Canobie and SFMM's version, where the floor drops a few feet further. Everybody seemed to have a great time and it was allot of fun for me to experience. SFMM got rid of theirs because it's a family ride, but this spotlight makes me want to go to Lake Compunce and ride their model.

My parents used to call this ride the Hell Hole. Are there any locations that anybody knows of that actually called the ride by that name?

So much for having all the rides open, after removing so many. The 'chutes were open a few weeks ago but they were closed last weekend. It IS a family ride, so I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it were removed. Having one operator run only one shoot is the dumbest thing I've heard...since the "Visual Check" spiel and no re-rides on only certain rides (NITRO.) Either their needs to be a house cleaning at Six Flags management or Great Adventure. My guess is both.

I stick with "Top Spin" as a ride that needs to go. Musik Express, Autobahn and Houdini are FAR better rides, as is Fantasy Fling. Other parks have these rides and they operate well. If a ride doesn't do what its name implies, it's taking up space. It's like putting floors on Medusa or sit-down trains on S.U.F. Speaking of Medusa and S.U.F., they make great coasters for some of Six Flags' other parks! I read on the St Louis boards that they would love to have a floorless and I always thought S.U.F. would be a better fit at SFNE, what ever it's name. A high capacity dark ride would look sweet on the Boardwalk...or anywhere at Great Adventure!

That's why Harry's the man!

Nice pictures Harry. I spent my fourth at the same fireworks display where my parents first learned about the construction of this huge new park in central NJ!

Flat ride > Thrilleaders....I think. I can't decide. ;-)

That is a beautiful idea. I would have bought one myself. I have only been to the park three times with my season pass and I won't be returning until late August, early September and early October. I would have missed on on Coasters After Dark, but that's ok.

If I weren't meeting friends for Rise and Scream, I would have saved my gas money. It was still a fun day with a nice Spring-sized crowd in the warm Summer weather. Once the park opened, my friends and I had a great ride towards the front of Ka with a one train wait. We had a four lap mini-marathon on Toro, a two lap ride on Nitro (until a ride attendant had a power trip and told up we couldn't ride again) a one cycle wait on TDK (with an almost quiet preshow crowd, except for the group that Security allowed to cut us) and a walk-on at Medusa, Runaway Train, and the Sky Ride! After a small cloud burst, we rode Rolling Thunder and it was smooth and quiet and full of floater air like well maintained woodies in other parks. The rain shock-charged Toro too. I've never had a more "what-in-the-world just happened" ride at Great Adventure. The hill over RT was like being pushed over the side of a cliff. After browning out through the entire helix on Nitro, I decided to call it a day.

Wow, that's a tough one Harry. I have to go with Honeymooners even though we no longer get Ch 11. I did just watch Talking Tina! Honeymooners or I Love Lucy?

I guess I had to be there to get one.

Harry, was this set used for anything else? I went to the park on May 16th of that year. It was probably too early for the set to be up. Also, are those the original park admission booths used in the set?

I'll wave as I go past around 8 am. I'll be heading to Del Grossos, Lakemont and Idlewild. Good luck to your team.

Wow. This is definitley a reality show watching, video game- playing world. People don't know to stay away from a train going 50 mph without larger signs? Six Flags would be smart to stay away from the stupid demographic. There is absolutely NOTHING about this story that surprised me.