Six Flags is cleaning up

^You have got to be one of the biggest tools to ever post on a coaster website.

It just baffles me how you describe something and actually believe what you say.

I was also around for the Marriott days and I still contend that you need to wake up.

Did anyone that visited SFGAm this year see a weed infested park? I know I didn't and I only visited a couple times this year since I live in Florida. What I saw was a perfectly landscaped front entrance around the pond by Columbia Carousel and throughout the park.

I guess if a coaster collection doesn't meet certain other people's standards, you need to resort to saying that the park looks like crap.

They could always just scrap these rides, and take the money from their scrap metal value. NAH! Six Flags would never think of doing something that pathetic, would they? ;)

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Absimilliard said:
In 1999, the city of Montreal (who owned and operated La Ronde back then) was supposed to build a Coasters Works! junior woodie. The design was finalised, only thing needed was to start construction. But, due to the strike and how ugly that turned out, the city of Montreal threw in the towel with La Ronde and put the park for sale. In the end, Six Flags and Parc Asterix were the 2 companies who were in the running. Six Flags was picked and decided to build a B&M inverted instead of the woodie.

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I never knew about any of that. Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the Coaster Works! design was eventually used for the Race World coaster that can't seem to decide what country it wants to be a part of?

IIRC, Thunder Eagle (aka, Intimidator) was supposed to go to a ski resort in the Montreal area. That deal fell through, as I recall, due to NIMBY concerns about the height/noise/eyesore issues.

Ha! Lucky break...here's THEIR website.
http://www.mssi.ca/en/piedmont

Thought I had heard that this particular CW creation was then sold to a buyer in Mexico (is TE in fact the ride supposedly being built in Juarez)? Since it's a slow day here at work, LOL....this is the site for the people who I *think* were rebuilding Thunder Eagle:

http://www.rcdb.com/pd1523.htm

Back to Six Flags.....cleaning out the boneyards was supposed to be one of the priorities of the new regime. Took a little longer than expected (by only one season), but there's NOTHING I don't like about either refurbing or selling to someone who will. Having those rides sitting idle in the boneyard of SF**** wasn't helping ANYONE....and the rides were deteriorating past the point of saleability. Win-Win-Win, as far as I'm concerned.

Yeah, that coaster went from the U.S. to Canada an now Mexico. It sure gets around.

Cleaning out the boneyards is understandable (didn't they start to do that by installing Canyon Blaster at TGE?) but a lot of the rides just listed for sale are ones that were in operation in 2007. I'm not saying there aren't reasons for getting rid of those rides, it just seems odd when capacity remains an issue at most Six Flags parks.

^They're reducing the need for capacity by upping the ticket prices...

LOL, I think mostly they're getting rid of rides that are too costly in terms of operations and upkeep, or that simply cannot be maintained (not worth the headaches, e.g., Vus). Plus they're changing up the product mix. Can't help but noticing the lack of "family-friendly" rides among those newly-listed... ;)

I remember that mess about Thunder Eagle. The water park that wanted to install the coaster already had a slide tower that was taller than the coaster. Yet, the city just invoked some city ordonance banning buildings taller than 2-3 stories to block the coaster. So, the city lost all the property taxes involved with the amusement park extension. Their loss... Regarding the Piedmont water park, its experiencing a slow death I think. They were barely open 6-7 weeks this summer!

I remember reading a bit about the hell that property went through trying to get permission to rebuilt the coaster. Too bad for everyone involved.

Hey get your head out of your ass, just like Great America you can't see past the front gate. However all that really matters is Corporate Six Flags apon receiving detailed pictures of our concerns saw what we compained about. It's all good because they promise to clean up the park and bring it to real Six Flags Standards in 2008. But you see no problems, please the word Landscaping and Great America not in 2007. As I stated before with the decrease in attendance this season it afforded me with the best riding year ever. However at every visit friends would wonder what will become of the park if they don't clean up their act. Remember living in the Midwest our park time is limited and if we have to travel out of market to enjoy a park visit so be it. A caring park would not be gutting a perfectly good theater for queing. So much for your families Bugs Bunny Theater it will be a line next year. They are their own worst enemy as proven that all other parks surronding Great America saw an increase in attendance while Great America was down. And don't blame the weather is was 98% PERFECT.

Record Breaking History Making blah,blah,blah.

What are you talking about?

^ He is talking out of his ass, which means all of that content really translates into "nothing." :)

@ Ronman...

Hunh? I was able to get up to Great America once this year, and out of the seven parks that I made it too, discounting Busch Gardens, it had by far the nicest landscaping of the bunch for what they have to work with. Maybe you only went during Fright Fest, in which case I think that the "weeds" are this magical theming element called "corn stalks."

Also, did Six Flags state that Great America had an attendance decrease? The day that I was there in August was really quite busy, yet everything seemed great by me.

Oh, and your little tagline was from 2001 -- Different management definitely equals a different mindset. And one that, at least from almost everyone that I have talked with, agrees is a MUCH better mindset than the "build 'em big, fast, and don't care about anything else."

For the record, I'm definitely planning on returning to Great America next year thanks to the great time I had when I was there.

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Chitown said:
Did anyone that visited SFGAm this year see a weed infested park?

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I did. I was more disappointed by the abandoned kids area in hometown square, the rubble pile that was the basketball game in county fair infront of Johnny Rocket's, the abandoned retail spaces that is the new Eagle entrance and there was more. I still enjoyed myself and i know the park is being managed at a different level from when it was owned by Marriot, Time-Warner.

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otterkpr said:
I did. I was more disappointed by the abandoned kids area in hometown square, the rubble pile that was the basketball game in county fair infront of Johnny Rocket's, the abandoned retail spaces that is the new Eagle entrance and there was more. I still enjoyed myself and i know the park is being managed at a different level from when it was owned by Marriot, Time-Warner.

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I had read that the new Eagle entrance was new for this year, and had been nothing the year before? Was this wrong?

As for the area in Hometown square, when I was there one of my friends lost his sunglasses so he went to lost and found to put in a claim on them, and we were all impressed to see about a million tulips back there. It didn't seem to be a "rubble pile" to me. In fact, that area was one of the things that sticks out most about the level of detail in the landscaping that there was at that park when I was there. Sure, I guess that we can all complain that they took out those four or five crummy kids rides that no one ever rode with the other two areas, but it didn't seem like a loss to me.

I'll admit that I thought that the queue line for Raging Bull looked weed infested, but it always has, and I find it hard to be constantly disappointed in an area of a park filled by gravel ever year. Sure, it sucks (although it is better than the "theming" that Shockwave there used to have, in all its parking lot glory) but since it was the last ride that they made an error like that too -- Superman is very nicely landscaped, I think that V2 fits great for where it is at. Deja Vu is (was) also in a nice place. So, while there is one ride there that definitely looks bad, the rest makes up for it.

They used half of the sky coaster entrance/exit but didn't clean it up any, they just threw up the sign and rerouted the sky coaster line to use only half of its former entry space.

The park placed games in front of the old ride locations and left some the fencing and awning framing in place, but the area near lost parents did look nice, as it always did. The rubble pile was in County Fair where the basketball game use to be. *** Edited 11/8/2007 12:11:02 AM UTC by otterkpr***

I think you are complaining about nothing. I think Ronman is just not happy with the rides at that park, and thus just wants to complain about anything about the park. When you really hate a park, everything is brought into such detail. When you love a park, you overlook stuff.

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otterkpr said:

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Chitown said:
Did anyone that visited SFGAm this year see a weed infested park?

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I did. I was more disappointed by the abandoned kids area in hometown square, the rubble pile that was the basketball game in county fair infront of Johnny Rocket's, the abandoned retail spaces that is the new Eagle entrance and there was more. I still enjoyed myself and i know the park is being managed at a different level from when it was owned by Marriot, Time-Warner.

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That area has not had kids rides in years and they did landscape that area. What abandoned retail spaces? The new Eagle entrance is an add-on with the existing Dare Devil Dive upcharge attraction building. They never had retail over there. *** Edited 11/8/2007 12:55:45 AM UTC by Chitown***

Well finally it's good to see other people noticed. I'm talking about the condition of the pavement in HomeTown Square. Just in Triple Plays grass it was over grown by Weed by September. Hey I enoy Great America but let's see the empty area's in front of Johnny Rockets until Fright Fest. The Crazy Buffalo was closed tight since August, a sign was even posted. During Fright Fest Aunt Marta's Chicken along with The Crazy Buffalo so thousands of people where left without 2 of the biggest indoor resturants during 40 degree weather. Yes, the former planter in Hometown Park is now sitting empty behing the Newly Moved Basketball Shooting Game. They couldn't even finish planting the grass past Wiggles world and the 1 tree they planted along with little area of grass died! In Hometown Square alone $ shops sit abandoned. The whole East Side former Trail Blazer and Leather shop boarded up. Columbia with An electric problem that caused the light to be Dim never was fixed all season. The Grand Ave Sign was never lit this whole Season. The back parking lot needs to be mowed, because it's crumbling already. The only two coasters I don't care for are Stupid Man and Raging Yawn. All the rest are fine as are most of the flats. Oh the Shop in Mardi Gras Empty or closed 37 visits you see alot you start to shake your head in disbelief. The we don't care attitude of Park Management always was present. But people once again Corporate promises a rebuilt up to standards park for 2008. I am resting my trust on them. Yeh, it burnes me that we are loosing one of our best theaters for a line. While Spygirl was the joke of the year of a show, so much all future palns where quickly dropped about expanding Spygirl. I'm sorry that I want my home park to look and operate as other parks around them that I visit do. Great America should be a gem of a park only they can make it that way again. Now I'm sick about bad feelings so I'm off to my Happy Place Cedar Point, Great rides resturants and perfect landscaping. Goodbye Great America six months should be enough time to rebuild. See you my old tired friend in 2008. Both you and I will hopefully be smiling once again. Stop with the hate face the facts and until 2008 Peace.

Perfect landscaping at Cedar Point? If you like concrete and silver que rails I guess.

Most of Great America is pretty 'put together' if you ask me. We've got some great looking rides (Eagle, Demon, Viper, etc.), rides in trees (Whizzer), flowers, and a tiny bit of 'hillage' in places (around the entire park, along the train line).

We also have Whizzer and Viper, Demon and Eagle as well. The newer coasters are big, sleek, and easy to market, but just seem to lack 'fun'.