Roller coasters

[bhodges]

It's a holiday weekend here in the U.S., and with beautiful weather, I'll probably go out to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone.  It is 80 years old this year, and one of my favorite roller coasters anywhere.  Here's a nice history of the ride and check out the photo below, from CoasterGallery.com.

--Bruce

[Harry]

Just looking at that makes me sweaty Bruce.
I would never ever enter such a contraption like that.
My stomach would not take that.
Nevertheless I wish you lots of fun and good health.

[Robert]

It's a holiday weekend here in the U.S., and with beautiful weather, I'll probably go out to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone.  It is 80 years old this year, and one of my favorite roller coasters anywhere.  Here's a nice history of the ride and check out the photo below, from CoasterGallery.com.

--Bruce

Bruce,
I am assuming your talking first car here.....

[bhodges]

Bruce,
I am assuming your talking first car here.....

I would enjoy the first car, yes -- but only with Harry along with us!  (Harry, you can bring selected CPO discs to provide a soundtrack!)     

Seriously, my favorite place to sit is in the back, where you really get whipped around, depending on how many other people are sitting in front of you.  Here's another view.

--Bruce

[Robert]

I would enjoy the first car, yes -- but only with Harry along with us!  (Harry, you can bring selected CPO discs to provide a soundtrack!)     

Seriously, my favorite place to sit is in the back, where you really get whipped around, depending on how many other people are sitting in front of you.  Here's another view.

--Bruce

I was weaned on this baby first and last cars exclusively

[Harry]

You never get me to the States for that my friend, and I rather play the soundtrack at home, and watch both of you on youtube.

[bhodges]

I was weaned on this baby first and last cars exclusively

Do tell!  Would love to hear more.

The Cyclone is probably my favorite coaster.  It's not the fastest ride out there now, nor does it have the tallest hills or the steepest drops, and it's not the longest, but it does have one of the best combinations of all factors.  At least, that's my theory of why it is so much fun.

But the middle seats are kind of interesting, too, since you can get this slightly "weightless" feeling when the car reaches the peaks (albeit a smoother ride). 

--Bruce

[bhodges]

You never get me to the States for that my friend, and I rather play the soundtrack at home, and watch both of you on youtube.

Well, now you're giving me ideas.   

--Bruce

[Robert]

Do tell!  Would love to hear more.

The Cyclone is probably my favorite coaster.  It's not the fastest ride out there now, nor does it have the tallest hills or the steepest drops, and it's not the longest, but it does have one of the best combinations of all factors.  At least, that's my theory of why it is so much fun.

But the middle seats are kind of interesting, too, since you can get this slightly "weightless" feeling when the car reaches the peaks (albeit a smoother ride). 

--Bruce

Born and raised in Bensonhurst, Coney Island was not that far about 15 minutes by car and about 35 mins by bike. I cannot remember how young I was when I started riding the Tornado, that was my first coaster ride. I eventually graduated to the thunderbolt and after awhile I got courage up to ride the cyclone. It took quite awhile before I would move up the first car....We all believed to become a man you had to ride the front car of the cyclone three consecutive times. In those days you could ride as many times as you wanted without getting out of the car you just had to pay the attendant who came up to the car....Somewhere I have a picture of my daughter and her cousin riding the first car when they were about 11 years old. I took the picture from the street with a zoom lens. Its just as the car came over the top of the first drop...These are wonderful memories....

[bhodges]

Born and raised in Bensonhurst, Coney Island was not that far about 15 minutes by car and about 35 mins by bike. I cannot remember how young I was when I started riding the Tornado, that was my first coaster ride. I eventually graduated to the thunderbolt and after awhile I got courage up to ride the cyclone. It took quite awhile before I would move up the first car....We all believe to become a man you had to ride the front car of the cyclone three consecutive times. In those days you could ride as many times as you wanted without getting out of the car you just had to pay the attendant who came up to the car....Somewhere I have a picture of my daughter and her cousin riding the first car when they were about 11 years old. I took the picture from the street with a zoom lens. Its just as the car came over the top of the first drop...These are wonderful memories....

Very cool, Robert!  I think the Tornado is long gone (?) and you are probably aware that the Thunderbolt was replaced by the new minor league stadium, which is very nice, but still...I miss it.       

You can still ride the Cyclone for as long as you want, though!  It's more expensive: $5 per ride, $4 to repeat (although if it's a slow day you can sometimes negotiate, if you're riding over and over  ).  On a crowded day I use the "repeat" to hop to a different part of the train.

Thanks for sharing that snapshot. 

--Bruce

[Heather Harrison]

I love old wooden roller coasters; their rickety appearance adds to the excitement of the ride.  Lagoon (Farmington, Utah), the amusement park closest to me, has a wooden roller coaster that was installed in 1921.  It definitely looks rickety (although it is sturdier than it looks - it is well kept up) and is quite a bumpy ride.  I couldn't find a good picture of it, but here is its web page:

http://www.lagoonpark.com/show_ride.php?id=41

There used to be another one at Lagoon - The Wild Mouse.  It was a fun one, but it actually was dangerous; a few people got killed on it over the years.  It was finally torn town and replaced by a metal version with the same track layout.  Although safer, the metal one isn't as much fun as the dangerous old wooden one was.

Another one that I like is the Giant Dipper at Belmont Park in San Diego.  It was installed in 1925.



Heather

[toledobass]

I love the old wooden ones too.  They throw you around a little more and can be a little more bumpy.  Here is another Giant Dipper.  This one on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz,  Ca,  where I got my ungergrad degree.  It's a short ride but a ton of fun.  The last year I was there they had installed cameras for taking a picture on the big hill and we always tried to look perfectly relaxed like nothing was happening to us,  maybe looking like we were having a normal conversation on a park bench, while everyone around us was screaming their heads off.  Friends have pictures of themsleves reading magazines or brochures etc that is pretty funny to look at.  Make sure to take the virtual ride.


Giant Dipper, Santa Cruz Baordwalk

Allan

[Maciek]

the Cyclone.  It is 80 years old this year,

Wow! Is that really good? I mean do roller coasters age like wine or something...?

[bhodges]

Wow! Is that really good? I mean do roller coasters age like wine or something...?

  Normally it might be cause for concern, but in 1991 the city gave it landmark status, making it eligible for funding to keep it going.  And they have many other safeguards to ensure it runs properly.  There was an article a few years ago about the employee whose sole job is to walk the length of the tracks twice a day, inspecting for loose hardware, rotting wood, etc. 

See?  Doesn't that make you want to ride it now?   

--Bruce

[Maciek]

Maybe I'll just wait until it is a hundred... 0:)

[sidoze]

I love roller coasters, the more extreme the better. Not far off skydiving while being cheaper and safer. Some of the best ones I've been on were back in CA.

Superman, from 0 to 100mph in 7 seconds while shooting you straight up. You can just see the cars towards the top of the track.




Batman, fun but not as piss-yourself-screaming enjoyable




and Viper, with the infamous corkscrew -- though last row for the initial drop is the most exciting part.






Unfortunately the one that I really want to go on now wasn't even in existence when I lived there. It's supposed to simulate flight by tilting you upwards so that you hang facing the ground.



Apparently it only cost $21 million to make 

[greg]

yesterday i went on Kraken at Sea World

[bhodges]

Now listening to:

The sounds of people screaming, plus wind rushing by, on various "first-person" roller-coaster videos on YouTube.  Here's a great one, of the Mantis at Cedar Point in Ohio:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwwo45MsUAU&feature=related

And Magnum-XL-200, also at Cedar Point:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Si_xOp_crc&NR=1



--Bruce

[SonicMan46]

Guys - I have not done roller coasters in years; growing up in Toledo (Ohio) & southern Michigan, we used to go to Cedar Point when I was young - last visit there was a HS graduation party when I was 18 y/o; let's see, last roller coaster was probably in Orlando at Disney World (i.e. Space Mountain) when my son was young, 20+ yrs ago!

Now, wife & I just take gentler boat & carriage rides, in such places as Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, GA, and elsewhere! 

[Wanderer]

I love these things! Sadly, the only time(s) I've ridden one was quite a number of years ago in Disneyland, Paris.