Astroworld Parking Idea

The parking problem is one that could have easily been rectified if Six Flags wanted to keep the park open- there are many alternatives. The cold reality is that Six Flags feels this park is worth more dead than alive and they are going to do whatever it takes to justify shutting it down to create a temporary increase in the price of PKS stock in order to fend off Snyder and his swollen wallet.

Six Flags is abandoning a huge market and they're too blind to see the ramifications of that.

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I remember a time when we would all mourn a park closing.

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Yes…and there was a time we all loved coasters too. Now we like water parks and kiddie rides. Get with the times.

I believe that had Astroworld just had more of those 3-horse merry-go rounds like the K-Mart, then we would not even have this thread. That would have brought the families in! At 25 cents a pop, who could argue with the perceived value? :-)

Or did K-Mart go bankrupt…? *** Edited 9/29/2005 8:24:45 PM UTC by Jeffrey R Smith***

Oh no, if SFGAdv gets rides from AW, that will only "pad" its official record as the park with the most rides. What will we do? Buy CF, buy!

As far as the Astroworld crowd is concerned, both SFOT and SFFT aren't THAT far away(about 260(4hrs) and 200(3hrs)miles). While Astroworld is closing, they can head to D/FW or San Antonio to find parks.

What it also does is re-make their rides into new attractions at other parks. GP aren't going to know that a ride was relocated to their park. All they will know is that Six Flags is bringing them a new ride. Is it a shame that a park is closing? Of course. But the redistribution of rides will attract new customers to their other parks and create a boost in attendance at those parks.

Lets face it. The park itself was a place where SFInc has placed older rides from other parks for years. Over half their rides were hand-me-downs. Six Flags has been in financial trouble for a few years now. They sold all their European Parks, and now this will be the Second US park that will leave the company. At least with this one, the rides will stay and will produce money the slow way, instead of straight out selling the park. The rides will remain in the chain, and those people who have never gotten down to ride them in Texas will get their chance. I just hope that the Texas Cyclone can get rebuilt somewhere. The steel rides I am sure will end up at other parks, but it takes a lot more money to take down and then rebuild a 25+ year old wooden coaster. My guess is it is going to end up being used to feed the fires to melt down the rides that won't get relocated and will suffer the fates of Drachen Fire(BGW) and Shockwave(SFGAm).

i heard that if they find parking space they will let the park stay open.

You heard wrong.

Simple investment to create plenty more parking, a parking garage. Can be done underground if they wish to keep the look similiar. It was done not too long ago here in Chicago to the Museum of Science and Industry parking on the South Side. It would help in the stadium parking as well.

I wouldn't dought that the teams in Houston are looking at it more to the idea of a new stadium instead of an amusement park.

I would sometimes go to the park and ride the The Texas Cyclone for my lunch hour to blow off steam or re-think an issue. For some reason San Antonio and Dallas don't appeal to me as a home park. Neither is a place you just decide to go on a whim. Yeah, San antonio is 3 hours away but thats 6 hours total drive time.

Its not like I will be going to SFOT or SFFT any more now that SFAW will be closed. I think Six Flags lost a market for theme parks. the Waterpark will always have a market here but i don't see people who live in Houston flooding the gates of the other parks. *** Edited 9/30/2005 1:38:57 AM UTC by Coaster Cynic***

I could be wrong but all the stadiums in houston are fairly new in the grand scheme of things. So I doubt thats what will happene.

What do stadiums being new have to do with anything?

And I have to agree with Coaster Cynic. I dont want to have to drive to San Antonio or Dallas to ride roller coasters. I used to wake up and say "I guess I'll head to Astroworld today." It was a place to go, and if I just lived off of water, it only cost $2 for a bus/train fare. Going to either of the other cities will cost an arm and a leg for gas, food, etc. And you arent going to want to go alone, and that takes careful planning...

All in all, Houston will miss its theme park. Splashtown is still open, so that's a plus. But being able to hit both water rides and roller coasters within the same 85 acres is something Splashtown cant offer.

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GamRCFreak said:
As far as the Astroworld crowd is concerned, both SFOT and SFFT aren't THAT far away(about 260(4hrs) and 200(3hrs)miles). While Astroworld is closing, they can head to D/FW or San Antonio to find parks.

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Well, for every major park in the northeast, there are even more than two major parks of equal or CLOSER distance as the other Texas SF parks are to Astroworld.

Yet, if any one of those parks were closing, I wonder how many of you would be saying "oh well, the locals can always go to X park or Y park just 4 hours away".

I guess SF can just "taer down" Great Adventure then, considering the close proximity of SFA, SFNE, SFDL, Great Escape, Morey's Pier, Hersheypark, Dorney Park, Knoebels, Lake Compounce, Playland, Coney Island, Seabreeze, Kennywood, King's Dominion, BGW, etc.

So losing any one of those parks would be no big loss then, right?

Even if it's your home park?

Losing Astroworld will create a painful loss both to the Houston market, the immediate surrounding region, and anyone who truly cares about theme parks and rides worldwide. Whether they had the chance to experience Astroworld or not.

This editorial says it all, IMO:

http://www.amusementtoday.com/editorial.html

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*** Edited 9/30/2005 4:48:12 AM UTC by Frontrider*** *** Edited 9/30/2005 4:50:20 AM UTC by Frontrider***

...would be no big loss then, right?

Not to me. I mean, I hate that AW is closing. But my closest park is Camden, and unfortunately, Gonch was right, there isn't much of a reason to visit as it isn't 'on the way' to anything.

Actually, that isn't totally true, for me it is 'on the way to CP, PKI, GL, and SFKK. But still, I've yet to hit the park a second time in 20 years or so.

So while I hate that the park is closing, I don't care that people in Texas may have to deal with driving 4 hours to go to a theme park. Heck, I do. Thankfully, though, in 4 hours, I can be at Dollywood or PCar. So I have very little sympathy for people that are losing one of 3 Six Flags in their state.

I'm more upset for purely selfish reasons, because I'll never get to go to SFAW, and may never get some of the credits.

I guess I look at it differently. I'm more into the total experience I get at a park than just "credits".

Not just the rides individually, but the total experience of how those rides collectively, along with the ambience and everything else a park has to offer, form a tapestry that is the very essense and "soul" of a park.

So no matter how many other parks there are in Texas (and it's a BIG state), losing the essense and spirit that is Astroworld will still be a devestating loss.

You can move around some of the rides elsewhere and those of you who have never been to Astroworld can get your "credits", but you still will never have known the essense that is Astroworld.

That is why this is tragic to me. That is why any park closing is tragic to me.

Besides, as has been pointed out, if any ride symbolizes the heart and soul of Astroworld, it is the Texas Cyclone.

And there is no guarantee it will be moved anywhere.

Frontrider *** Edited 9/30/2005 5:20:08 AM UTC by Frontrider***

Houston right now is getting a case of Chicago.

Why do I say that?

Because Chicago's big amusement park was Riverview which was located downtown just like Astroworld is. The park quietly closed in 1967 because the value of the land it sits on was so great, the owners couldn't resist. That park opened in the early 1900's so it's history far outweighs anything Astroworld held. So now you have the 3rd largest city in the United States without a big amusement park to entertain people.

It took 8 years for Old Chicago(first indoor amusement park and now closed) to open and 9 years to open Marriott's Great America (now SFGAm).

Could the Houston market entice a corporate park company to come in and open something up in the outskirts of that city? We shall see.

Frontrider, I agree. Living in Houston we don't have a bunch of parks within an easy drive.

But with me its more personal. I think I have been to the park every year its been open wit the exception of the year I was stationed in Germany.

So I have lots of memories associated with the park. It was mt first job as a teen. I have memories from childhood, my teen years and now adult years.

Now I am creating memories with my Son and that will be cut short.

Its just a bad call. For all the reasons listed in the editorial you linked to. The people of Houston stood by the park despite the way Six Flags treated it. It was always profitable, it did not under perform at all. It performed right up to Six Flags standards.

Its no secret the Six Flags is known for bone head moves, why is this one such a good one to some people? This is a huge mistake on Six Flag's part.

In talking to people who are in the real estate market, they are amazed at the over inflated numbers quoted at the value of the land. Its like there is a real demmand for land that has a Sams Warehouse on one side and a car dealership on the other. The land is worth something, but not near the numbers Six Flags is tossing around.

If Astroworld is raized, there will be no new park to replace it. Something that took 37 years to grow and develop should not be thrown into the scrap heap. *** Edited 9/30/2005 5:30:31 AM UTC by Coaster Cynic***

I don't think I was clear with my post. I'm not in it for credits either. I just said that I missed seeing AW go for purely selfish reasons.

However, the question asked was something about if SFGAdv (or let us put any other 'major' park, like CP, PKI, etc in there) was to close after this season, would I still be saying "oh well, the locals can always go to X park or Y park just 4 hours away".

Yes. I would. Because, to me, it seems, and I could be misreading you, and I'm not saying you are wrong for feeling this way or anything, but it seems like asking for some sort of sympathy for the people that are losing their home park.

I don't feel any sympathy for people that are losing their home park. Sure, that may be selfish and down right rude, but it doesn't affect me. I don't have a 'home' park. Never really have. for most of my life, I've lived too far away to have a home park. So the local Hustonians are losing a park. I've never had one to begin with.

Can't feel sympathy for people that are losing something I've never had, because I can't understand the feeling. I'm not trying to come off as a total idiot here, but I am being honest ;).

In general, parking garages are only viable for year around parks. Otherwise, they simply don't generate enough revene to pay for the cost of building them. I seem to recall that the cost is something around $20,000 per parking space. Building garages is expensive because of the high live loading and the need for fire resistance. You don't even want to think about the cost of an underground garage.

Also of course is tha matter of land values. The land at Astroworld has simply become too expensive to be used for an amusement park.

From the Amusement Today article:

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With Six Flags pulling the plug on AstroWorld it will have made the second biggest mistake in theme park history. The first was when Gaylord Entertainment closed Opryland USA in Nashville, Tenn. in favor of building a mall. That city has yet to recover it's tourism losses.

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This is very true. Nashville's governing leaders are finally just now acknowledging this to be the case.

Our Mayor is very business savy! I am really surprised he made no effort to do anything. The economic loss to the city is going to be larger than a lot of people realize. People say it's not a destination park, but out of state tags were all over the parking lot.

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thrillerman1 said:
From the Amusement Today article:

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With Six Flags pulling the plug on AstroWorld it will have made the second biggest mistake in theme park history. The first was when Gaylord Entertainment closed Opryland USA in Nashville, Tenn. in favor of building a mall. That city has yet to recover it's tourism losses.

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This is very true. Nashville's governing leaders are finally just now acknowledging this to be the case.

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I really don't think Six Flags cares if they made the second, third , or fourth biggest mistake. As long as they get the cash they want for that land, that is what they care about. Houston is the one that will feel the pinch but then again, I don't think it will hurt their bottomline.