Timberman
Posts: 845
Registered: 9/21/2004
Rank: Gold Critic
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 4/4/2007 1:50:32 AM
I believe that Horizons12 is correct that hrrytraver is destined to write the authoritative history of TPC Con I, but I figured I'd offer a few impressions of my own.
The Weather:
Many of my best amusement park experiences have been under cloudy, drizzly skies. I imagine that roller coasters run faster on wet tracks, and whether or not this is true, getting stung by raindrops as you fly along the course certainly adds an element of drama. A few degrees warmer would have been more optimal, but overall, the climatic conditions suited me just fine for this time of year.
Ms. Cyclone:
Are you kidding me? I mean rrroowwwlll, hotcha cha cha, buggitty, buggitty, buggitty. God knows I'm a happily married man, but a shapely I-talian woman in red pumps and a roller coaster-print skirt who hands out free tickets to the Cyclone is the stuff of dreams. If such a thing as the Ms. Cyclone pageant exits, I've never heard of it, but I must say that whatever the selection process is, the current incumbent does the office proud. Bachelor T2, of course, flirted with her shamelessly.
Ride Ops in the Kids Section:
Three-year-old T2 is still very instinctual with the way he approaches other people; his first reactions tend to be indicative of the rest of the relationship. Coney Island offers a lot of stimuli, and it can be overwhelming to a kid, but T2 took it all in with his usual impassive stoicism. When we ventured into Astroland's relatively extensive kids' section, he was intially a little wary, but to a person, the ride ops were kind, patient, and accommodating. It wasn't the cloying, enforced friendliness of Disneyland, which I have always found creepy and am not eager to train my offspring to embrace. Rather, they seemed to appreciate and empathize with both his wariness and the resignation he displayed as his parents shuttled him in the cold rain from one inexplicable honking, spinning gizmo to the next. As for me, I'm absolutely certain that T2 was having the time of his life, and I'm going to stick with that impression until he one day tells the world differently on Oprah or Dr. Phil.
The First 100:
The first 100 people who queued up for the Cyclone were rewarded with a free ride, and while I knew that this would be the only time all day the coaster would have any appreciable wait, a sense of respect compelled me to rouse my family early that morning so that we could earn the privilege of standing with the faithful under whatever elements God saw fit to test us with. Our immediate neightors were a large, stylishly-appointed and proudly gay ACEr; a grizzled veteran of both the Coney Island Thunderbolt (which he compared to the Cyclone) and the Tornado (which he compared to El Toro); and an Italian woman with swept-back raven hair and a denim jacket and blue jeans. T2 took to the latter immediately, so much so that MommaT and I trusted the Timber heir to this woman we had known for less than two hours while we took our first ride of the season together in the Cyclone's back seat. As we pulled out of the station, T2 had his head on the woman's chest, contentedly sucking his thumb. Later, we watched anxiously as the woman took our place in the back seat alone and was then tossed like a cork in the ocean along the Cyclone's stormy swells. We heard her screaming, but whether the sounds were of terror, distress, euphoria, or some combination of the three, we could not tell. Conversation on line centered on the relative merits of rides both old and new and, because we were all past or present New Yorkers, apartments, rents, floor space, and off-street parking. We were also serenaded by an old-timer in Vietnam-era Army fatigues, who, however acquainted with the horrors of war, nevertheless could still be moved to song by the plight of an amusement park in the clutches of a ruthless developer.
The Critics:
I know talking about others as if they were not present is the height of rudeness, but I can't he
Message updated 5/19/2007 4:56:48 PM by Timberman
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hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005
Rank: Platinum Critic
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4/4/2007 3:54:06 PM
great reading, as always timberman.
i especially enjoyed the "ride reviews" of the TPC site members. Quote:
Timberman said:
Hercules - While quiet and soft-spoken, I am willing to bet that this guy would have any critic on this boad beaten in arm-wrestling in less than 45 seconds.
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larrygator TR style -first give the name, then a brief incisive blurb. "TOP SPIN - not a good as others, but still a nice long cycle." the review regarding yours truly was very generous and complimentary. thx!
reading over what you said about coaster masochism made me think that i should reword my "timberman likes to get beat up on wood coasters" to "likes to get TOSSED AROUND" on wood coasters. that DOES seem more appropriate.
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"Consider for a moment any beauty in the name Ralph." - Frank Zappa defends naming his children "dweezil" and "moon unit".
Message updated 4/4/2007 7:59:08 PM by hrrytraver
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