"...because no one but the locals could pronounce Geauga correctly."
...Which didn't matter because, enthusiasts aside, 99% of the people visiting were local anyway.
Jeremy: I think you're over-estimating the importance of the name Six Flags. Three years ago, people in the Cleveland area had no idea what Six Flags really was, outside of "some park in Georgia." Certainly my only pre-enthusiast contact with it was passing through Georgia from Florida, and we were most unimpressed (circa 1990).
I beg to differ about the traffic issue being an "isolated" incident. One lane going west on 43 is the work of Satan himself. I experienced it first-hand in June when my company held a management summit at the resort hotel down the street. Five days of that trip made Cleveland rush hour feel like driving across Montana.
Overall, I would tend to agree that staffing is where it's at. If they can pair that with significantly improved guest service, they'll make a killing. If not, well, west I shall go.
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Jeff
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