Would you date/marry someone who doesn't like parks/roller coasters?

I get a gold star!
When we were going through my parents house we came across boxes they had collected while cleaning out their parents' houses. There was a shoebox full of S&H stamp books, all filled, some with entire pages of Big 50's! I thought about checking to see if they have any value today amongst collectors, but finally said meh. In the trash they went!
(and please don't tell me...)
Had I just known, slithernoggin, I woulda sent them to you.

I'd guess they'd be pretty worthless to anyone outside of the Green Stamp Enthusiast community these days. I used to live in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and I do know there was an S&H Green Stamp redemption store at one of GR's malls into the late 1980s.

I've mentioned Green Stamps once or twice to the "kids these days" -- I end up describing them as credit card points before there were credit card points.

So you found your grandparent's Green Stamps books -- way to make me feel even older, RCMAC! :-)

Don't worry, bud, I'm older than you. I bet a lot of those stamp books I found were personally licked by me. It was one of my chores when I was a kid, I'd sit at the kitchen table and fill the books.
We also had TV (Top Value) stamps that were distributed by the "other" grocery store. They were yellow.

gator - traveling to coasters/parks is the thing I like to do more than anything else in the world. So, that is the one compatibility I was looking for in someone. That was the starting point. Everyone is different. I know people that their significant other don't like to ride. I am happy that works for them. But not me. There are things that we don't share love for. But, we get around those.

^That's cool too. The important thing is that you know yourself well enough to be able to find/forge a relationship that works for you.

One of the reasons I'm curious is that Jill loves the travel way more than the amusement parks. We typically build in some free time to explore the area, check out a local restaurant, visit a national park, do some touristy stuff.

While I doubt Ill ever find another enthusiast, I spend a lot of time traveling, and those travels do include going to parks. At least tolerating this is going to be a requirement for anyone who wants to date me. Much like tolerating my love of football is, I spend a large part of my free time associated with these things, and I cant see how anyone who despises them could like spending time with me.

I have a partner 24 years, and he used to go to the parks with me, but it always seemed like he was doing it because he knew that it made me happy, not because he actually wanted to go. Though our park trips were the most fun we had together as a couple. Though some of our trips were comps between what he wanted to do, and what I wanted to do.

One of those trips was combo, Disney, Bush Gardens, and Key West florida, with Key West being his idea. Though I wanted to go to the Virgina Bush Gardens and Provincetown. (Still kicking myself in the ass!) We both loved Disney and Bush Gardens. But I absolutely hated Key West. It was just so boring, and way over-rated. Like Muskegon with Palm trees. If it was not for the glass bottom boat tour, and watching them feed the sharks at the aquarium, I could have slept the whole week in Key West, and it would have been better. Though my partner liked it. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

We agreed, after that trip, that we would not splurge on a trip like that ever again. It was hugely expensive, and Key West was a huge let down. It's supposed to be a gay Mecca. Would like to know where? maybe they are hiding in the shadows of the masses of senior citizens and refugees. And, not a single fun thing to do there, other than over priced bars and not much else. Not a single amusement park, or water park. Just really boring.

He had a heart attack a while back, and we have not gone on any trips since. No parks, no nothing. I went to Cedar Point last year, and tried to talk him into at least coming along to camp with me. But, as usual, he stayed home, and I went by myself. Which kind of makes me sad, but I do have more fun park wise, without him, as he tires easily. Though would be nice if he came along...tired or not.

I had a former partner who did not do parks at all. He suffered from motion sickness. I got him to go to the fair with me, but he would not go on too many of the rides, though he tried, until he'd had enough. Though we shared a lot of other interests, and traveled to cool places, and I loved everything about him. His lack of interest in parks, kept me out of the ride pool for the almost 3 years. Cedar Point and Six Flags was out of the question. And, No, we never went to Michigan's Adventure. Though my current partner and I have been there many times.

Paul even rode Shivering Timbers and Loved it. Though his favorite coaster is either Magnum at Cedar Point, or Raging Bull at Great America. We also share a common coaster HATE. Raging Wolf Bobs.

Hey Slithernoggin.

Grand Rapids is my hometown. I think the last place that accepted green stamps was Revco. Though they went out of business around 1978. I'm not sure if Meijer ever accepted them. My Aunt and my Grandmother used to save their green stamps. I was of course too young to know what they used them for. But, they often tried to talk my mom into saving them, but, since my dad did all the shopping. It fell on deaf ears.

I was only 13 in 78.

Whether or not she likes coasters is very near the bottom of the list of qualities I look for, either tied with or just ahead of does she breathe. It wouldn't bother me one bit if she didn't (like coasters).

Not to troll one of my earlier responses but....

Today was another day of sacrifice (on my part). The Mrs. and Preflux had 2 for 1 Broadway show tickets to see Newsies. I drove them in, parked the car, walk around a VERY crowded Times Square for 2.5 hours and then drove them home through horrific traffic.

I don't particularly care for too many Broadway shows, though I can easily see how others like it and get into it. THey both liked it a lot, so that's all that matters.

My turn will come this summer.

It's all about sacrifice.

I don't agree. It's pretty rare that I do anything with my wife or kid that I don't want to do.

Jeff, I will agree that every situation is different. Perhaps I should have said, "It's all about sacrifice for us."

By the way, I just saw an ad for a Broadway show from AdChoice on the top of this page.

Slithernoggin - - -> Do you want to talk about feeling old? I was looking at a few park websites today (just to see what's out there) and I saw that I am only a few years away from being a "senior" at Kennywood.

But he didn't go to the show ;-).

I don't think people have to literally become attached at the hip in a relationship. I'm single and haven't dated since high school. It's not for me. I don't want to live with someone else, like having my space, and live making decisions only for me.

I have some friends who got married and went even allowed to go to lunch without their wife coming along. I have others that do a lot with their wife and still go out with the guys (while she goes out with the girls) and that's fine.

If I were in a relationship, I wouldn't expect my Spouse/significant other to want to do everything with me and vice versa. That doesn't mean I wouldn't expect for us to compromise at times.

My mother doesn't go fishing with my dad anymore because they did that with us together as a family, just like he doesn't go to the salon and shopping with her all the time.

My wife doesn't like roller coasters (will only ride the tamest ones), thrill rides or amusement parks (though she likes the Disney park which I can tolerate). Worked out well going on 20 years though we do not live joined at the hip. I know couples who do and it seems to work out well for them. Seems to me it would be a bigger issue if you did everything with your spouse.

The "joined at the hip" approach seems risky to me in terms of the long term. Even if you are perfectly aligned when you get married, it seems unlikely that as you travel through you life, you will continue to be perfectly aligned. I think that could create issues if the understanding was that you did everything together.

All of that changes I think if coasters and parks are a central part of your daily life. Or if anything is a central part of your daily life. The more important something is to your daily life, the more important I think it is to share that interest with a spouse. Other than my kids, there isn't anything that dominates my daily life (and my wife shares that interest -- and even then, our kids are different individuals with different interests and thus there are things we do together as a family and those we do with one or more kids and one or more parents).

Just wondering, are there any couples on CoasterBuzz (like husband and wife)?

14 years ago, the only park my future girlfriend had ever attended was Wyandot Lake and the only coaster she rode was Sea Dragon, with not much of an opinion on it.

Then she met me, and I took her around the then 3 big Ohio parks. She liked them... not all of them, but many of them.

Today her favorite coasters are Gatekeeper, Millennium Force and she sure loves the Windseekers.

We have been married for 8 and a half years.

Would it have worked out if she hadn't? I don't know, it most likely would have cause I love the girl, but there's more to do at parks then coasters, which we do, and there are coasters she just won't ride. (Vortex beats her up, as well as Mean Streak, and some of the more intense ones like the boomerangs or Face-Off)

she sure loves the Windseekers.

She don't eat meat, but...

In over a decade of doing couple's therapy, I have yet to hear one partner say...

"You know, he/she just doesn't like the kid of rides I enjoy. I'm not sure if we can work this out..."

:)

My wife doesn't dislike parks/roller coasters; but she doesn't like them nearly as much as I do. This means we have both had to make sacrifices. I don't marathon the rides a crazy amount of times like I used too. She puts up with going to the parks more than she would probably like without too much complaint. I'm OK with going solo if I really feel like visiting a local park and she can't/doesn't want to.

I don't think its necessary, but it would probably be helpful, to be on the same page as far as major interests/hobbies go. But, its more important to be willing to make sacrifices to make the other person happy (within reason), and allowing one relatively small thing to make or break a relationship would be a mistake.

Timber-Rider said:

Key West ... Like Muskegon with Palm trees.

I believe this is actually Key West's new slogan