Astroland...go ahead...laugh

I hit Astroland one more time last week before hauling my ass down to florida...so it's gonna be a while before I can see my precious Coney Island again. and, I'm sorry folks...I know there's really only the one ride worth mentioning, but no one writes Coney Island TR's so I'm doing my hometown park a lil favor...:)

Cyclone

what can I say? this ride never gets any worse...ever. my favorite woodie all time...mean streak is huge, yeah, the twister is okay...split lift hill blah blah blah...the KP Thunderbolt comes close, but to be fair, CI doesn't have a cliff to throw the Cylclone off of, haha. anyway, this ride just amazes me. you always feel like your gonna nosedive outta those big open cars down the first drop even after however many hundreds of rides (I lost count) and the flat (kinda) turnarounds just get more brutal, and yet entertaining, as you gain age and weight ;) the air through the second half is as good as ever and the headchoppers still deliver that "OH F***" feeling as they should. I love this ride like a son and godforbid it should have to come down in my lifetime, I will never be the same.

Water Flume

okay, so the name lacks creativity and its pretty much the same as most any other log flume, but hey, I still get a kick out of it. the finale always looks so small from the ticket booth but every time I go down it, it catches me by suprise. so its tame, basic, and old, but it gets you wet which is what REALLY counts in August.

aside from those two, there obviously isn't a whole ton more...the astro tower is a must ride, somehow, every time I go. I guess the view really is just that good. the few bigger static rides hele my attention long enough bewteen Cyclone rides, so no complaints, and as always, there's NEVER an argument with the Nathan's hot dogs to end the day. I swear I gained ten pounds during dinner on cheese fries...gotta love it! anyway, that's all for this dinky TR...oh, and for the record, I still miss my Jumbo Jet.:(

Not laughing. Cyclone is the one coaster I want to ride sometime before I die. Great report and now I salivate even more for the ride!

Bob, the only other ride that I can think of from that era that has (well, had) THAT kind of *sick air*...Screechin' Eagle. And, apologies to c-punk, those four-benchers are absolutely THE best trains I've been in...on ANY ride.

Jumbo Jet, like the CI Thunderbolt, are rides I saw standing, but never got to RIDE... :(

Cool TR!

The only thing "laughable" is the fact that I have never been to Astroland (yet).

Who needs all these Dells and Kennywood TR's anyway....;-)

-Tina

bingo:) not alot of people travel to them, but for the locals like me, parks like CI just absolutely rock. plus, the fact that the Cyclone is alone as far as really big thrill rides go in that park kinda makes the appeal shoot up even more, to me anyways. all in all, I guess its just refreshing to hear that I'm not the only one that still craves the taste of CI air. I can honestly say that I've never had as much fun on any wooden rollercoaster, and rollergator, you ain't kidding. those four seater cars are the best...big, roomy, nicely padded, (on the cyclone anyway) the cadillacs of wooden rollercoaster cars, hahahaha

I have *drove by* Coney Island, years and years ago (in the middle of January....lol).

It's in the cards for next year, that and all the parks in New England which I have never been to either (everything above Jersey).

-Tina

AHEM...

The Cyclone might be the major draw and I love her dearly....BUT...for any flat ride enthusiast you're not going to get a better Zipper, TopSpin, or Breakdance anywhere else in the US. Not to mention 3 above average Tilt-a-Whirls.

The log flume btw is Arrow #4.

And how can you not mention the Wonder Wheel???

I love Coney too and there's nothing like the being there - the sounds, smells, and sights! I miss hearing the B&B band organ but hopefully that will be playing again soon.

Thanks for you report!

jimvid

...the only Zipper that allows single riders, btw!

So Demo... did you take the subway to CI? I'm just wondering if they've done anything to the station there. It was a major pit a couple of years ago.

Agreed on Deno's Wonder Wheel, jimvid. Gotta ride that thing if you're out there!

the wonderwheel!!!!!

thats so terrible of me! I definately did leave that out, huh? I guess its just a given now that anyone who goes rides it....even now though, those rolling cars still give me the shudders like no coaster ever can...just something delightfully insecure about being in those things....hahahaha, and yeah the static rides are more than enjoyable, but the cyclone is the driving factor in whether or not I wake up one morning and decide to head out to CI. gotta love it!

Chaindog,

Both of the subway stations are brand spanking new and amazing. If anyone has the opportunity to get out there before the end of the season - take the subway from 8th street by the Cyclone to Stillwell Ave - you will be amazed and it's the cheapest ride there. The MTA did a beautiful job restoring the terra cotta facade on the Stillwell station - and they've covered it with lights like Luna Park. The inside of the station is even more impressive!

Jimvid

i was at Astroland a few weeks ago and I rode the Cyclone, it's a good ride but can be rough at times. And I didn't get on the Water Flume since it wasn't so hot that day.

true, true...but its that ferocity I love...I mean, its 80 feet tall and it gets cookin at 60 mph, an old wooden legend, no less. I mean sure others are smoother, but how many 80 foot tall rides get moving that quickly? some I'm sure, but they're probably amazing as well. long story short, the cyclone has to rough you up a little if you really want to feel like you've ridden it, but thats just me.;)

and kudos on the Stillwell Ave. station rundown jimvid...the work they did there is outstanding, certainly much better than when I was a little guy.

Its not the grand-daddy of the modern rollercoaster for nothing!

I love the Cyclone. Kicked my ass pretty good...and I should be used to it being a Kennywood kid and having ridden the Thunderbolt 100+ times....but I was NOT prepared for the Cyclone, which made it that much better of an experience!

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Mamoosh said:
...the only Zipper that allows single riders, btw!

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Only stationary one, maybe. I've ridden 2 in WV, one at the State Fair of WV, and one at Mountain Fest by myself. In fact, after getting sick from heat on the one at Mountain Fest, I haven't been on a Zipper in about 6 years. I think it is time :).

I know how the zipper looks like from the outside but from the inside, how does it looks/feels like....does it have shoulder harness? Is the space that they provide small? etc...

When was that flume built?

The flume was an original installation when Astroland opened in 1964. I believe that the flume, kiddie carousel, scrambler, and Tilt-A-Whirl are the only original Astroland rides left. The skyride that is now at Six Flags New England was originally at Astroland but was moved in the late 1960's.

jimvid