The Discreet Charm of the Flash Pass

From The Billfold:

"Six Flags is constantly one dirty look from devolving into complete anarchy. It’s inhabited mainly by throngs of people who have been subjected to the sweltering sun, outrageous prices, sugary beverages, and the extreme dichotomy of 90 seconds of thrilling g-forces alternated with 90 minutes of existence-questioning boredom." 

Other than that, Matt Powers, what did you think of Great Adventure?*


*My NJ upbringing prohibits me from calling it Six Flags.

RIP, Ray Bradbury

One of the best days I ever spent working at the Park was the one day I spent at the summit of the Alpine Slide. The sun was shining. It was warm, but not too hot. I brought my lunch with me and I had plenty of water and sunscreen. The lead ride attendants rode up to visit for a bit, under the guise of "checking the bullwheel." That was nice. But nicer still was the luxury of being able to sit and read all of "Fahrenheit 451" without interruption.

NY Times Obituary

Stranger than (Science) Fiction

Cyriaque Lamar's post on the cannonball loop over at io9 included a lengthy quote from the COTA. I am delighted, as the site is a daily read for me and my go-to source for Doctor Who news.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation, or, Days in Rodanthe

I spent the last week on Hatteras Island, North Carolina. On the way to the rental house, I passed through a town called Rodanthe, setting of a Nicholas Sparks novel. I have not read "Nights in Rodanthe," nor have I seen the Richard Gere/Diane Lane-starring film adaption, but I did stop to take pictures of what, to me, was the main draw of the town- Waterfall Action Park.

Two Amazing Videos of Abandoned Parks

These two videos deserve more prominent placement than they'll get in the larger post I'm working on.  The first has been circulating for awhile now, but it's well worth watching again.

Six Flags over New Orleans never reopened after Hurricane Katrina:



Via Gawker, Joyland in Wichita, Kansas, which closed in 2004:


No Joy from Mike Petty on Vimeo.


Amazing.

Park Talk on the Best Show

Oh, hey there! Last night, I was listening to The Best Show on WFMU, as is my Tuesday night tradition. One of Tom's callers mentioned the Park and I called in to offer my expert opinion. You can listen here. The call starts at about the 1:45 mark, but you owe it to yourself to listen to the entire three hour show, because this was a particularly good installment of what is always three of my favorite hours of the week.

The City That's Running Wild

While the Park may only live on in sanitized form, another Sussex County institution perseveres. I am referring, of course, to Wild West City. If you grew up in or around New Jersey, I'm sure you remember the Uncle Floyd-starring commercial:





Yeah, you're going to have that stuck in your head for the rest of the day. Sorry about that!

Meet the New Boss.

Same as the old boss.

Mountain Creek resort in N.J. sold to developer Gene Mulvihill