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This is the day I have been looking forward to, my first visit to SFGAm for the season. Somehow, I managed to sneak in a solid 90 minutes of sleep.
7:45 am I depart for SFGAm from Aurora, IL with my younger sibling on a ride you won't find at GAm, the ATrain Express. This ride goes faster than any ride in the park.
8:40 Since we arrived a little bit early, a decision is made to pit-stop at McDonald's. I didn't even notice the Krispy Kreme coming off of the ramp as I was trying to catch a glimpse of the park.
8:45 Wait for the greenlight signal from the parking lot security. The wait was tolerable, and this is the first time I got to the park this early.
9:00 Paid the kind attendant $10 to park, and got to Gate 6 with Season Pass stub in hand.
9:30 Before letting the guests into the park, something I haven't seen at SFGAm occurs. The park played the Star Spangled Banner before letting anyone in.
Of course, the reason I got to the park today was to take my first ride on S:UF. I didn't really rush to the line, but I did manage to avoid all the photographers. I counted and I was about the 25th person in line. I had the chance to make some conversation with the people in line, and one rider emphatically stated that the back-row was his favorite.
10:10 The park must be a little bit behind today. I take a glance at the ever-growing line, and I could see it reaching the Carousel and perhaps further back. The same rider from while I was in line gave advice that if you want to ride in the front row, now is the best time. Well, I ignored that advice for now and got into the 7th row.
10:20 Got my first flight on S:UF in the 7th row on the first train of the day. Wow, what can I say. The pretzel loop is amazing from the back, and the unanticipated barrel loop was great as well. The seats were comfortable, which was good since when our train arrived in the station, the 2nd train hadn't even left yet.
10:35 I took the opportunity to process my Season Pass and purchase a Parking Pass. Now I see how people's heads are appearing in other people's photos.
10:50 Younger sister decides to recuperate from S:UF on the Scenic Railway from HomeTown Square to County Fair. When I've been on this, the operators seem to be elderly gentlemen who are some of the nicest, friendliest people in the park.
11:10 Got in a ride on American Eagle: Backwards, which was the only side running. This was my first time going backwards, and it was a great experience.
11:35 Next up was The Demon. Not bad, but not one of my personal favorites. It always has a short line when I go to GAm, so it's worth getting a ride in.
11:40 Got in line for Adrenaline Rush at the Pictorium
12:00 pm It's high noon and it's showtime. The focus seemed to be on flight, which fits well with the new S:UF. The film was based around Leonardo DaVinci's experiments/ideas. It was an okay film, but not worth watching twice.
12:45 After the Pictorium, young sibling decides that she is tired already. So, we decide to leave the park and head to Burger King for a lunch break. What was a lunch break turned into heading home afterwards
Now, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly:
Good: It's great getting back to SFGAm early on in the season. The weather was great and the park did not seem too crowded early in the day. The ride-ops weren't too enthusiastic but the staff was great. The definite highlight of the day was my first ride on S:UF. I can't wait for more rides to come.
Bad: Today was one of my shortest visits to the park. I don't think I can remember ever spending only about 3 hours at the park and getting in only 3 major rides.
Ugly: Coming out of the Pictorium, I noticed there was a nice rip in my sister's jeans. Being the nice guy that I am, I quickly covered that up so I can spare the park's guests.
This was my first visit of the year, and it was great to get on S:UF early in the day. Although it was a quick visit, there will be more to come. I can't wait to get to the park next Saturday and the following Tuesday by myself and enjoy S:UF and the rest of the coasters.
chiatrain said:
9:30 Before letting the guests into the park, something I haven't seen at SFGAm occurs. The park played the Star Spangled Banner before letting anyone in.
I'm pretty sure they do that everyday cause they played it last year when i came early...
*** This post was edited by keg5651 5/10/2003 5:02:03 PM ***
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If you haven't rode Raging Bull in the back row you haven't lived. The feeling on that first drop cannot be explained in words!
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All who think Mean Streak needs a match taken to it say I.
coasterphil said:
Dawn, both were running opening day and they were actually racing.
Same thing on the sunday of opening weekend...
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Final Deja Vu Count for the 2002 Season: 52
Superman: Ultimate Flight Count (SFGAm) = 40
http://www.SFGAmWorld.com
And I got to ride in the 8th row for S:UF. The G's are unbeliveable
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