100th Coster: an unlikely (and surprise) choice

This one will be short, but I Thought I'd Share.

I'm in Brighton, UK for business. The meetings start tonight, and run through Wednesday, and I was too busy at home to tack on an extra day on either end to visit one of the Obvious Candidates. Instead, I figured I'd zip in on the Saturday red-eye, walk around the beachfront Sunday afternoon, get to business, and go home. A little disappointing, because I've been sitting on 99 coasters since BeastBuzz, but I just haven't had the time to get to anywhere new (to me) to cross that threshhold.

Luckily, the Great Enthusiast in the Sky was watching out for me, because what should be just a 10 minute walk from my channel-front hotel but the Brighton Pier. It's cute---a pier that juts out well into the channel, plenty of slot machines and other gambling devices in a beautiful old rotunda with stained glass windows along the upper reaches, plus maybe a dozen or dozen-and-a-half attractions. Two of these attractions are coasters: a Reverchron spinning mouse, and a Pinfari looper. The mouse was a standard mouse, in need of a bit of new paint, but tons of fun, particularly given its location at the very end of the pier. The Pinfari was surprisingly entertaining, and surprisingly not painful---the setting only added to it! Each are 2 pounds 50, ($4 and change in today's rates). I also took a spin on their darkride, a mildly amusing haunted house with a freeroll dip---well worth the 2 pound entry fee.

The pier itself is sort of what you'd expect---plenty of cheesiness, lots of outside vendors, and the smell of fish and chips everywhere you look. If you find yourself in London with a half-day to kill, take the train down and check it out, and you'll be glad you did!

So which one was 100?

LoL, I was thinking the same thing, Rob!

Now that you've gotten 100, 150 should be easy. Or, at least they tell me. My next is 125, and I just hit 100 in march.

Some would say that the "freeroll dip" constitutes a coaster...it IS coasting after all! (See: Devil's Den).

Congratulations, can't WAIT to get myself to England...

I think the Mousey was #100, since it was mentioned first....just a guess. :)

Got to enjoy a couple Jersey piers recently, but the rides were closed for the season....didn't stop me from enjoying the smells, and some food. (Pork roll is a Jersey treat, but not *that* jersey, LOL).

Clint, are you making an occasion out of 125? Because I unknowingly hit 125 this weekend (Ricochet, at Kings Dominion) but I wasn't trying to. I've only made strides to ensure that every 50 are, so to speak, "landmark" rides -- i.e. I planned that #50 would be Millennium Force and I planned WELL in advance that #100 would be Shivering Timbers. So now I have to start thinking about #150, with only 17 to go. What to do, what to do...

No occasion, but I do know that the next one will be 125, which will probably be the Veggie Tales coaster at Dollywood (which, coincidentally, would have been 125 back in July had I waited for it. And since the only coasters I'd not done in Myrtle were kiddie coasters, I knew I was doomed to get the 1 and a quarter on a Ped-O-Coaster).

I'm not better than Dave anymore :(. I had BORG as #50, and Matterhorn as #100 (and #99 as well). But #150 isn't planned. Depending on how things go, it could be in either SoCal if I go to Solace (and even if I go, I doubt I'll hit that there, as I don't know of 25 coasters to grab), at Holiday World, or SFGAdv, or, perhaps, and this is a high possibility, in Japan. But, then #200 might be there as well...

Aww, I don't try to hit certain coasters for those 'landmark' numbers. It's way more interesting to let the chips fall where they fall.

#50 - Gold Rush, Wild Adventures
#100 - B:TR, Great Adventure
#150 - Hurler, Carowinds
#200 - Pipeline Express, Wild Water & Wheels
#250 - the next new to me coaster I ride; 2006, I guess :)

Which will be at Camden, right Gonch? ;)

Heh. I thought you wanted me to go to Myrtle Beach? :)

#250 at Camden would be pretty cool.

Either way. You could do Swamp Fox, a very deserving #250. I just hope I'm closer to Swamp Fox by next summer...

Oddly enough I had #400 in Brighton Pier a while back. I'm not convinced I rode the same Painfari as you did though...

Congrats Brian

<----just did his 100th coaster last month (Ninja @ SFMM, yeah I know nothing special)

Yes, the Mouse was #100. I briefly thought about counting the haunted house, but it is 90% powered ride, and 10% freeroll, so it just felt "wrong".

I'm happy to be convinced otherwise, though! ;)

Richard, I was plenty jet-lagged, and did have a few pints for lunch before I made it to the pier, so perhaps I was, well, "relaxed" before getting on the Pinfari. I was *sure* I was going to be tortured on it (which is why I went for the Mouse first) but found it entertaining. Perhaps it was only because it was a totally unexpected treat to get a chance to ride a few new rides, but I sure enjoyed it.

Clearly, I didn't plan my milestone (who would pick Brighton Pier?), and it was pretty neat to catch it so unawares.

OOH i just did my 50th this year im still at a low number but it was IJ:ST at PCWonderland.

Congrats Brian! I'm still trying to get to 100. Right now I sit at 92, (I've really got hit some new parks next season!).

I at 353 coasters now hoping hit 400 on next year coasters trip(Going out west Denver,Utah,LV,California,and Washington state)

As some here know my son Gage, he has hit

#150 S:UF at SFGAm

#200 Teddy Bear at Stricklers Grove

#250 Aska at Nara Dreamland (Japan)

#300 Superman Krypton Coaster at SFFT.

All this year and he is only 9!!!!!

Clint-kinda bad that he has hit more new to him coasters this year then you have total! ;)

Iggy---Who hands Clint a little salt for his wound! *** Edited 10/27/2005 6:01:15 AM UTC by Iggy ACE***

Wow, now I think he's even more spoiled. What a lucky kid. Hoping to get at least 2 more credits this weekend at GAm and break 260--still need V2 and the spinner, plus the kiddy if I can ever get it. :D

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Iggy ACE said:
All this year and he is only 9!!

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Not all of us have parents with substantial theme park budgets! :)

Parents, don't let your kids grow up to be credit whores! ;)

Heh, and I thought my daughter was ridiculous for being at #165 at age 7. :)