Transcript
Zach: I'm Zach and I named my farts after weed strains.
Ben: I'm bad and I'm too unprepared for to make a funny statement.
Zach: To be completely fair, I thought of that one when I was out smoking.
Ben: Nice.
Zach: Like, wouldn't it be funny if it was like, a that's cherry gelato.
Ben: so
Ben: Speaking of weed farts, um I remember when, ah i guess, Mutual Friend of ours, back in the homeland, um adjacent to cakes and Pop-Tarts, would tell me like the day after she smoked, her farts smelled like weed.
Zach: What?
Ben: Yeah. Yeah.
Zach: That's kind of fucked up.
Zach: I don't think that's how it should work.
Ben: Yeah, I've never...
Zach: Was she smoking through her ass?
Ben: I don't think so, but who knows? um I still... i i i think I have the file for the Pop-Tart video, but I just don't know how to convert it out of like whatever cryptic phone video format that was used at the time.
Zach: It's probably better that way.
Ben: Yeah. Yeah.
Zach: It's a funny memory.
Ben: at like three frames a second
Ben: size of a postage stamp.
Zach: And in Gloria's... Yeah, in Gloria's 8 pixels...
Ben: I mean, I think it was at least 80 pixels, but a good.
Zach: And we're not talking megapixels here. We're talking pixels.
Ben: Yeah. Like pro is probably like 60 80 pixels. pixels
Ben: um
Zach: I just remember like the sound of the fart. I'll never forget. Cause it was a very like short, but like, not like that. It was like ah
Ben: I just think the the the formatting or the ah the setup is just funny because like you see you just see the Pop-Tart on the toilet seat cover and then like slowly zooms in and then like you see the shower that's just like full of like junk because like um their their shower was insane. They had the...
Ben: the like multiple colored, like five different loofahs. And they had like all the, the shower caddy things. And they had like crazy shower curtains with like multicolor fish on it and stuff.
Ben: Um, and then suddenly you just the ass hovering and then the phone zooms in a little bit and then you hear it as, as a work of art.
Zach: I remember the first time I saw it, I was like, what the fuck is this? And then ah ah hear, and I'm like, oh shit.
Zach: Oh God. And what was that? Like
Zach: Jesus Christ. Fucking 17 years
Zach: seventeen years ago
Ben: Yeah, 09. Yeah. Bought that. That's fun. That's a fun little memory.
Zach: Welcome back to your favorite coaster sucks. We're clearly an all roller coaster podcast, but occasionally we might delve into pop tart farts.
Ben: What is, what do you think should we have her on the show?
Zach: I don't know.
Ben: i don't know how that would go. got, I, I, I think it would be kind of funny, but also it might not. i don't know.
Zach: It might be fun to have Applebee's on the show.
Ben: Yeah. So one thing I learned just from looking at other, like, uh, other YouTubers or other podcasters who have like their old friends on to like talk about memories is that sometimes it just doesn't like convert into an entertaining show.
Ben: Not saying it wouldn't be entertaining, but Applebee's would be kind of fun. Although that could be, you know what i mean? Like that could just be so it's so much time has passed. Like, don't know.
Ben: Well, we, we, maybe we'll have to do like a trial run.
Zach: I feel like if any of our old friends came on the show, my top choice would be screwy St.
Ben: I think
Zach: Louis.
Ben: yeah.
Zach: Um, cause we already had John on the show.
Zach: i would have John back too.
Ben: Yeah. I mean, I think we should do that too. um so so you since I, I just got to hang out with them recently.
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: Um,
Zach: As did I.
Ben: nice.
Zach: but I'm pretty sure for the same reason.
Ben: it Yeah, it was, um yeah, I got to go to Great America. to both did, but not at the same time.
Ben: So we both have a trip report of Great America, our home park that we both do not live at anymore, that we visited on different days.
Zach: And we missed each other by like, a week or something.
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah. I had to wait for some work stuff to settle down so I could travel. And then, um, I also had to do my, my trip though was like family overload and not in like a bad way. Just, it was basically like I landed, ah got my like three hours of great America time on the way up from the airport. And then ah basically just like stayed with family the for like eight days
Ben: And I drove back down to Chicago to fly home and stopped at Great America again for like an hour and a half, two hours.
Zach: That's kind of similar to the trip that I had.
Zach: Bookended Great America ah with a bunch of being my with my family.
Zach: Which is fine, but definitely can... um
Zach: I got to be careful here because I know my mom listens to the show occasionally.
Zach: It's nice to see them. um
Zach: But like.
Zach: You know you reach a certain point where you're like. Yeah. Yeah.
Ben: I think that, yeah yeah, I mean, I think the problem with, that's just the problem when you live away from home is because
Zach: You know what i mean.
Ben: You're trying to utilize all the time you have. But even when we did live at home, it's not like we were with our parents the whole time. Like you were either at school or at work or you were hanging out with friends and you would like eat dinner together maybe. Or like on Sunday you would do like a ah lunch with extended family or something.
Ben: But then when you visit from out of town, suddenly you have this expectation to see them all the time because you're only there for a few days. but you've never spent that much time with them really before and like a long time.
Ben: So it's just it's just weird. It's the same thing.
Zach: Well, and like, let me ask you this, and I'll just be straight with you. You lived in Milwaukee for a while, and I know that's not super close to where your parents live, but it's like, you know, reasonable that they would come out and visit you.
Ben: Yeah. And vice versa.
Zach: So,
Ben: Like it it it was very common of like, okay, we're going to meet, you meet for a few hours and then once it gets boring, you, you leave, you know, it's like, but you could always go back like the next day or next weekend, you know?
Zach: Yeah, and, like, I had the same thing. I lived in Chicago. Not super close to my parents, but they're in the suburbs, so not really far. um But, like, we didn't see each other ah ton then.
Zach: It'd be, like, quarterly.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: And since I've moved, it's been, like, pretty much the same frequency
Ben: Okay. Yeah. Yeah.
Zach: So it's like, you know, it I see you just the same now. You know what I mean?
Ben: yeah
Ben: I think I've been on like in every, like i' I'm kind of been on, I think it's been like twice a year because my parents will visit me once a year, typically around the holidays or like usually between October and December and then I'll go out there. But the last three years I've been out there for literally funerals.
Zach: Oh, gosh.
Ben: So this is the first non-funeral visit in a while.
Ben: But... The holidays, it's just like, and also I don't like traveling on the holidays anymore. um
Ben: and I think, i don't know.
Ben: I think I owe it to the Midwest to be back more frequently because I have the means to, but it's just like every time I go back, it's what's weird is like as time, more time passes and then you go home, it's like you realize how much the home is not changing.
Ben: like Even after like a year or two, you go back and you're like, oh this is exactly how it's been. Nothing's new.
Zach: Yeah, it's like, oh um oh, that fucking pizza place is still there. Oh, the other pizza place went out of business. Oh, okay.
Ben: Yeah, in my town, it was a big deal when they opened a second Taco Bell in the town across the...
Zach: I remember going to the one Taco Bell.
Ben: Which, oh, did did we go there?
Zach: With you, me, and it and um St. Louis.
Ben: Oh, right. Okay. yeah that was, at the time, that was like the one Taco Bell.
Ben: have a lot of, it's funny how many memories Taco Bell has, because that one has a lot. I wish there was a way, and they knocked down the building and like rebuilt it in the same spot.
Zach: Oh, so it's like different now. Well,
Ben: Yeah, they did that a couple years ago, apparently.
Zach: it's a good thing all those memories were gone due to being stoned anyway.
Ben: Yeah. There was one... like there was one time that... This probably happened... maybe in like 2009, 2010. And was with I was with some friends and like we smoked, I had to drive. So we drove my geo, the old geo prism, which is another vehicle that has a lot of memories tied to it, which is still running.
Ben: actually, and met the guy recently who I sold the car to you for like 500 bucks. ah
Zach: It's still running?
Ben: Yeah, it's up to like 230,000 miles.
Ben: um Apparently no issues with it, so...
Zach: That Geo Metro is still running in 2025.
Ben: Yeah. To be fair, it was a Prism, not the Metro. the metro was The Metro was a shitty car. The Prism was basically like a... ah What's the fuck?
Ben: Not the Honda... Honda Civic, maybe? What's, what the fuck? I forgot what their little four-door is. Anyway, but yeah, basically, they're basically all the same cars.
Ben: But like, and so I'm at Taco Bell and I'm like rattling off orders and the guy at the, taking the order is probably just as high as I was. And so like, this was back when they had like the red screen with the pixels on it where it showed you like what you were ordering.
Ben: oh And so i was ordering for four different people and they're like, they're like, does everything look right on the screen?
Zach: Uh-oh.
Ben: And I look at it and I can't read anything. And I'm just like, uh, yeah, looks good. And then suddenly like we pull up and they're like, okay, the total is like 3650. And, um,
Ben: and um I was like, fuck, like, how is it how is it this expensive? Like, it should only be like 20 bucks. And I'm like, I don't know. Like, hey, I need cash. So everyone's just like handing me like singles and fives to try to get the amount. was like, how is it this much?
Ben: And then they hand us like two big bags. And we're like, oh this is not, like, this is way too much food. And then it was like, everything was wrong. It was just like, it was like a Mexican pizza instead of a quesadilla. It was like,
Ben: 2 XXL burritos, which were like a new thing at the time.
Ben: yeah and everyone got the wrong food.
Zach: And everybody ate it anyway.
Ben: Yeah, it's all the same.
Zach: It all came out of a cock gun.
Ben: I remember the fucking the coin game where you drop the coins and you get like free, free, whatever.
Zach: Yeah, you'd have to like rotate that thing around and get it all the way to the bottom step.
Ben: Mm hmm.
Ben: Yeah. the The trick was, though, is that if you could position it to where you could drop it and it you can skip all of the steps and go right to basically the second last one.
Ben: And then you would hit it, hit the little spinning dial and then knock it back by like jiggling.
Zach: Oh, okay.
Ben: The easiest, the easiest though was the nickel for the cinnamon twist because the nickel was nice and flat. So it wouldn't bounce off the little steps.
Zach: What about a quarter? I guess a quarter is not really flat.
Ben: Yeah, the problem with the quarter is that it's heavier and it's obviously like if you try it four times, you just lose a dollar.
Ben: i think the also the what did I don't even remember. I think it was like a college charity, right? I don't remember what the what the charity was for.
Zach: Um, that I don't know, but I know, i remember that a quarter got you a bean burrito.
Ben: yeah Yeah, the nickel, I think a dime was nachos and then the nickel was the cinnamon twist.
Ben: If I'm not mistaken.
Zach: Dude, I wonder when those went away.
Ben: I mean, probably like easily 10 years ago when people stopped carrying coins.
Ben: It'd be kind of funny though, if they just turned this like a video slot machine, like with like a touch thing for like your debit card.
Zach: Right? Accepts Apple Pay.
Ben: yeah
Zach: It's like one spin, $1, can win, a number seven combo.
Ben: Honestly, that's not a bad idea.
Ben: Just a dollar a shot. Plus, like with inflation, i mean that ah a quarter is basically a dollar now.
Ben: there is i mean Up until recently, there was shit on their menu that was under a dollar. Remember all the 89 cent stuff? That was an era through at least 2012, 2013.
Ben: twenty thirteen
Ben: the 89 cent half pound cheesy beefy melt.
Zach: Yeah, i still don't know what the hell's in that.
Ben: I mean, to be fair, that one had a lot of cheese in it. or That one was like mainly, not cheese, it was mainly rice. It was like half rice,
Ben: maybe a quarter of beans and then a quarter of beef And then just like cheese. The way that they rolled it though was that like the cheese was all kind of in like the top of the of the cylinder, but it was end to end.
Ben: So you had the cheese on every bite, but it didn't really like melt throughout the whole thing.
Zach: Well, at least you got the good cheese distribution, though. That's important.
Ben: Yeah. But that shit in the, what Eric and I did are like, huge Edmonton road trip that shit. Like it was basically lunch was $2 menu McChickens and a medium fry for like $1 59.
Ben: That was under five bucks. And then talking about, I'd get like two cheesy beefy melts. And then, uh, I don't know, like maybe a quesadilla or something or the $2 meal deal.
Ben: also under five bucks. So you're eating for 10 bucks a day. a long gone era.
Zach: God.
Zach: Yeah, I don't even know how you would do like
Zach: a cheap ass fucking giant road trip anymore.
Ben: i mean, I guess you could do, Yeah, because all the... Yeah, I mean...
Zach: Make a shitload of sandwiches, get a cooler.
Ben: i don't know, 7-Eleven food, like the 99-cent pizza or whatever, pizza slice or whatever. um Little Caesars is still $6. under six bucks i think it's up to like now.
Zach: Oh, yeah. I was also thinking, like, local grocery store, you get, like, frozen meals and microwave them at the hotel.
Ben: yeah
Ben: The day I do you remember though, like those occasionally like the little Caesars like binges where we'd have like five people and we get like five pizzas.
Zach: That sounds pretty horrible.
Ben: With the crazy bread, the crazy bread was the for 99 cents.
Zach: Dude, I remember...
Zach: Well, one, there was a but Little Caesars. It's still there, I think, in Waukegan, so not too far from Great America. That has a fucking drive-thru for Hot and Reddy's.
Ben: Oh, that's a good idea. That's probably like, that should be standard.
Ben: If they're actually hot and ready.
Zach: ah That would be cool.
Ben: Yeah. I'm curious what the quality of a hot and ready is nowadays though, because it's been a long time. I think probably since 2012 was the last time I bought a hot and ready.
Ben: Oh yeah.
Zach: Gotta look up if Reviewbrah's been there any time recently.
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: There there there is a little Caesars.
Zach: all
Ben: I pass it literally every day for the last 10 years that I've ever been in there.
Zach: I had one since I've moved and was just as fine as I remember it being previously.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: You're like, yep, that's a Little Caesars pizza.
Zach: I remember um in high school, the first year I had like off-campus lunch.
Zach: One time, ah bunch of my friends and I crammed into somebody's car and went to the Little Caesars and got a hot and ready. We're all eating slices and like driving back to school.
Zach: Some dude like leaned out the window and full-on whipped one at a sign.
Ben: ah A slice of pizza.
Zach: yeah
Ben: Nice. Was it, did it like explode or did the cheese get stuck or anything?
Zach: i We drove by, so like I think he like just was trying to hit it. I couldn't see for sure because he was in like the passenger's seat, and I was like behind the driver's seat.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: So I didn't catch if he made it or not, but it was still fucking hilarious either way. Cause like, he like leaned out of the window with the slice and fucking hucked it.
Zach: And we're going like 30 miles hour, 35. Ah, dude, the suburbs.
Ben: Nice.
Zach: ah dude the suburbs
Ben: here I remember a similar thing, but with like a full Taco Bell soda cup, like chucking it at, i think it was, uh, I don't remember what the sign was, but, or what it was, but I remember somebody like throwing a full soda cup, like out the window and then it just explodes.
Ben: ah so Also, someone one did that to me 94. on ninety four we were driving back from Great America, one of our mutual friends, and he like had a full soda cup and he like chucked that out the window like super high and it arced and then it just landed on my hood and it just popped and soda went everywhere.
Zach: um That seems pretty on brand for that person.
Ben: Yeah. Yeah.
Ben: It was right before the the toll thing too. would have been funny if the camera would have caught it.
Zach: You're like, I got to get a picture of that ticket.
Ben: Oh, speaking of which, fuck, I never paid my tolls for my trip.
Ben: Rental car toll thing is such a scam because you either pay like $15 a day to use the I-Pass that's in the car or... I don't think it switches by day of use. Let's say you rent your car for 10 days but you only need to use the I-Pass for one day. I think they charge you like the $15 per day to use Or...
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: um or You don't use their pass, but then they charge you like a $9.99 admin fee per toll that they bill. So it's like if you go through five different tolls and each one was a dollar, it's a dollar plus $9.99 admin fee for everyone, which adds up.
Zach: Yeah, you're better off getting the I pass.
Ben: Apparently the old ones don't work. I like, cause I Googled it. I was, you know, like I have an old I pass, whatever. And like, apparently they don't accept those anymore.
Zach: think you could trade it in for a new one, though.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: You got to go to, like, fucking a jewel next time you're...
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: Well, so we don't, so in Colorado, our tolls are, um, we have like two main tolls that are HOV lanes, but I don't think the I-pass works for it. It's like, pure it's like purely license plate tolling, but i think it is the same company that does easy pass, which I think also works with high pass.
Ben: Right. I've isn't that like they're connected or something.
Zach: I believe so.
Ben: so
Ben: I don't know, Tolles are a scam.
Zach: But so is car dependency.
Ben: True.
Ben: That is true.
Ben: Well, speaking of Illinois, i have to say, Great America, when i when i went, I had like probably the best visit to great America I've had it since.
Ben: um
Ben: Opening day 2009.
Ben: If you remember that one.
Zach: That was a good time.
Ben: Yeah. And I guess like the operations wise wasn't that wasn't good back in 09, but like there were no lines. Um,
Zach: Yep, because it was early
Ben: Yeah, April 3rd. That was insane the time. But i I have to say, like, um I don't know. this is happened This happens every time I've been to Great America since moving away.
Ben: i have, like, these expectations in my head of, like, just, that annoyance of like, These, like, little annoyances, like, oh, this would be annoying. Like, ugh. Got to get there early because of the fucking parking. Oh my God, the security line. um I'm sure the pass isn't even going to work. like All these like little things. And then ah get there and it's completely seamless.
Ben: Parking was fine. the security line was super easy. Got into the park, no problems. oh But everything was so clean.
Ben: The entrance itself, like the design of the entrance is kind of like... It's okay. Like the, what, it what does it say? Like, see you again next time or something or, uh, yeah, like it looks a little tacky, but it at least looks complete.
Zach: I don't really like it.
Ben: I guess like, and I like, I miss the old, the old entrance obviously, but I mean, it's, it's, it's fine. Like it's, it's not great, but like, it's not cheap. Um,
Zach: I don't like that they put up that fence that whole way around.
Ben: That's actually kind of crazy too because we were talking like what happens if there's like a mass evacuation situation? um That gate is just a choke point.
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: um i don't and I don't think there's really any way. It looks like it's permanent too. you like It looks like there's not really a good way to like open So...
Zach: No.
Ben: so
Zach: Like, yeah, they could have put like additional gates with like the locking mechanisms in the ground.
Ben: Yeah. I mean, I guess even then if they were temporary, it wouldn't have helped, but I mean, I don't know. i But I, yeah, that's kind of little weird. Yeah.
Zach: I don't like those gates at all because, like, I liked the freedom of being able to approach
Zach: the security line from anywhere.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Instead, you have to walk to the center of the parking lot from wherever you are.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Um, and then also they fenced, like, they put that one bathroom behind security now.
Ben: Oh, did they I didn't even notice that.
Zach: Yeah, dude, that bathroom that's outside by the old dog kennel. Yeah, that shit's, that's all behind that gate now. So there's not even a bathroom before security.
Ben: Okay, interesting.
Zach: Which, like, their security is pretty seamless, like you said. But still...
Zach: Like, dude. No bathroom?
Ben: Yeah, I mean, i guess if the bathroom is most mainly used, um
Ben: yeah, I don't know.
Ben: Talk about
Zach: Plus, I think they they probably got rid of the bike parking there, too. Not that it's ever used that often, but...
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: So I'm trying to remember what it looked like. Are there still those tree planters there? Like those big trees that were, okay.
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: But those are, but those are before security.
Zach: No, those are all after security now.
Ben: oh right. Okay.
Zach: Like, all of that's past security. That's what I don't like. It's like, that used to be, like, a proper entry plaza, but now it's all gated off.
Ben: Okay.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Because it's, like...
Zach: It's kind of nice-ish to have a smaller actual entry gate to get through, like an admission gate. But, like, it kind of ruins...
Zach: the entry plaza, like the pre-admission entry plaza vibe.
Ben: yeah i mean i guess you could argue if you're talking about like before the park opens you're most likely going to go through security first and then you'd like hang out in the front before the gates open but yeah it's uh
Zach: Yeah, but they had fixed that a while ago.
Ben: Well, because wasn't it how the old design was, they had all those like switchbacks basically in the plaza for security before the, before the ticketing.
Zach: From the old ticket booths.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Remember the old ticket booths?
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Yeah, that all was like... They had the switchbacks from there up through the security point.
Zach: And then like that little space between the old ticket booths and that admission gate.
Zach: They pushed the admission gate towards the parking lot and got rid of the old ticket booths. Which makes sense structurally, like, right? There's no need for those ticket booth buildings.
Zach: But that had solved that problem of, like, um I don't remember when they changed it, but remember, I know in, like, 05, 06, 07,
Zach: There was like, it was like security and, or it was admission. They would scan your ticket and then immediately it would be like the metal detector, like the old style one.
Zach: And so admission would just take fucking forever.
Ben: yeah lots of memories of that but they also had like whatever 12 16 lanes yeah sixteen lanes
Zach: Yeah, that's true. But still, if they're only going like, you know, 45 seconds per person.
Ben: yeah
Zach: It just made a choke point at the turnstiles. And so they switched that and that solved that problem. And I thought that that was like, it was perfect as it was, right? At least in my mind.
Ben: yeah
Zach: Although, I think there's also a chance I'm being super nitpicky.
Ben: I mean, it's i I think it's minor compared to the advantages of the new design, at least like what I saw, but I guess aesthetically the new thing, I don't love anything.
Ben: But it's all I guess like it's six flags. As long as it's not cheap, that's really like the main thing. like I'm going to look up a photo of it now because I forgot what it looks like.
Zach: But I also gotta say, when you walk in to the park itself,
Zach: and I'm not, I really don't like what they did to the left side of Carousel Plaza.
Ben: Oh yeah. Cause they kind of opened that up. Right. Where it's, you can now.
Zach: Yeah, they got rid of like, basically a bunch of trees and green space.
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah. i I, noticed that too, when I walked through, like I was leaving the park and then I'm like walking and like, wait a minute. Like this isn't, this is different. There used to be something here.
Zach: Yeah, they changed that. They changed that last season.
Ben: Okay.
Ben: I do think it opens things up though. I mean, i don't love it, but I don't think I hate it.
Ben: I'm trying to look up a picture.
Zach: Yeah, but like, here's the thing, right?
Zach: and don't just disagree that it opens things up. But like, why do they need to be open?
Zach: It's not like the park's, like, fucking so consistently crowded that they need extra, like, elbow room for people to walk around, you know?
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: is it Do they still do that parade down New Orleans' place?
Zach: Dude.
Ben: Or no?
Zach: I was with our, um, ah Great America buddy. And, uh, and our buddy John, the day I was there, well, the first day i was there, um, and our Great America buddy goes, so yeah, there's a parade.
Zach: And I'm like, oh, I gotta see this. And he's like, well, it's not much of a parade. It's really like a float being pulled by a tractor.
Ben: Nice.
Zach: And then it was like, so I'm like, okay, I got watch this. So we sit in um Orleans Place, like across from like Rouladage.
Zach: And it comes out. And it's like a truck. And it's like a bunch of people, performers on this flatbed.
Zach: and And they're singing Walking on Sunshine.
Ben: Nice.
Zach: And that was it.
Zach: No other floats.
Ben: so ah So just literally a single float.
Zach: Yeah, I think there might have been some dancers, but it was definitely, um
Ben: Okay.
Zach: it was more of like a a cavalcade than a parade.
Ben: I mean, at that point, at that point,
Zach: To put it in, to put it in Disney terms.
Ben: and I mean, at that point, just like, might as well just call it like a street show.
Zach: Well, I mean, i don't understand why they wouldn't have just gotten Bugs Bunny. That's one thing. I got to compliment them. Every time I walk through Hometown Square over the past, like, two seasons, I've seen um characters taking pictures in Hometown Square.
Ben: Yeah, forget I think I saw that too. um In general, I actually thought Hometown Square had some energy again. And I don't like i couldn't tell you like what differences there were, but I i remember like it wasn't as sad is what I remember. like wasn't it um How long ago was that where that Kazebo was like cut?
Ben: Remember that they just like cut the fucking Yeah.
Zach: That was like 2012 or was when they had Ignite.
Ben: Oh, okay. that was a while ago.
Zach: Yeah, that was 2013. yeah that was twenty thirteen
Ben: Oh shit. Okay. That was a long time ago then, but pretty, I always thought since then, like the, that hometown square really didn't have any purpose. Um, But I felt it was doing a lot better this time around.
Ben: Also, like the the approach of Ratharak Shasta I thought was pretty cool. like Just how when you're in Hometown Square and you can see the drop. Because I was a little concerned about there not being a midway next to the front first drop.
Ben: Like on other dive coasters. But um I think there's enough. There's enough midway interaction. I think they did a pretty good job. With that.
Zach: Yeah. um I agree. So I ended up going for the season pass preview.
Zach: All right. Legacy membership.
Zach: So like the line stretched all the way back to fucking Aunt Martha's.
Zach: Or whatever the hell it's called now.
Ben: hmm.
Zach: And so we're waiting there. And then it starts raining and it's like, oh, fuck.
Zach: And meanwhile, it's like not surprising. It's like every fucking coaster person.
Zach: Because
Ben: For the... Nice. yeah
Zach: people are talking about.
Zach: Oh, Magic Mountain. and Oh, Kings Island. and I'm like, OK.
Zach: So, then finally gets moving.
Zach: It was, I got i got a lanyard.
Ben: for the
Zach: They gave everybody a lanyard for the ride preview.
Ben: nice
Zach: And it was it was cycling well. I mean, it was only about 15, 10, 15 minute wait.
Zach: Without the switchbacks.
Ben: Mm-hmm.
Zach: Um,
Zach: yeah, dude. So I got row two seat seven all the way on the right hand side in the direction of travel
Zach: for my first ride.
Zach: Yeah, it was um definitely like a lot of side to side movement after the drop.
Ben: Yeah. And you can see that from the ground too. I don't know if it's technically shuffle, but it's there. It's yeah. It's a, I wouldn't say it's glass smooth.
Zach: No, it's it's kind of aggressive side to side. Like, I got a little bit of a headache after that first ride. I do have to say, in that right seat, the roll into the turn, that shit's fucking awesome.
Zach: But then I rode again, and i got row three, seat seven, and it was, like, even worse. Like, that was the, like, aggressive wanton dude.
Ben: That's too bad.
Zach: Like, I definitely had a bit of a headache, and I was like, two is enough. I'm going to go ride the Whizzer now.
Ben: How long, i mean, how long was the ride open for preview?
Zach: As far as I know, the whole night,
Ben: ah that's cool.
Zach: um I did my two rides and then did Whizzer, and then we bounced.
Zach: Because it was also like, um that stretch of county fair wasn't open. There was still a construction wall on the other side, like near X-Flight.
Ben: Okay.
Zach: And I think Demon has since reopened.
Ben: Oh, that's cool. Yeah, it was Demonist will close when I was there two weeks ago. i was then It looks like they're doing a lot of work to it. I'm kind of surprised. like I'm glad it's happening. Because...
Ben: over Overall, I would say it looks like they're putting a lot of energy and money back into a lot of neglected things, which is good.
Ben: but um
Ben: i had so I had the opposite problem with Rathorakshasa. in I got three rides on it, but I only got fucking center seats. so Basically, rode row one.
Ben: right, just one right of center, row two, um, left of center, one left of center, and then row three dead center.
Ben: The dead center was like the lamest shit I've ever been on because there's no other rides you can ride where you're like in the dead, dead center of the heart line and there's zero forces.
Ben: It's like literally zero forces in the roles, um, which makes sense. But, I kind of was like, with such...
Zach: Okay, but how' like the pullover on the drop is pretty great.
Ben: yeah the drop is... ah Drop's obviously good. yeah Yeah, like I like the drop. um It was mainly though just like... i was just kind of thinking like in this and in this situation of not allowing seat assignments...
Ben: do they need to implement something in the station that allows you to either wait like in the dead center or on the right or left? Because I think that there's some people who would want to only ride in the center. And then there's people who would only want to ride on the outsides.
Ben: That was just kind of like, was just like thinking through that because like the dead center is a totally different ride than any of the outside seats.
Zach: Um, no, because after this season, there won't be, like, demand like that for the ride.
Ben: Yeah, I mean, I suppose.
Ben: But yeah, I don't it don't think there's really a good way to do it. i don't know. Either way, dead center, though, doesn't have a rattle or it's not really rough. It's actually pretty smooth if you so ride in the dead center.
Ben: So that is the one like upside. i just kind of hate the setup. Like, I don't get why you need an odd number of row, like odd number of seats. It's just it's kind of weird.
Ben: Yeah,
Zach: Yeah, i like... I don't get the whole appeal of, like, why there's, like... Basically anywhere from, what, 6 or 5 to 8?
Ben: I don't know.
Zach: Like, 6 and 8 seems fine. Those are good two good sizes, right? Like, why bother with 5 and or 7? I think there's a 5, right?
Ben: um I don't wait. Is there five?
Zach: Maybe not.
Ben: ah thought it was. Yeah.
Zach: Maybe it's six. But, like, if it's six, seven, eight, why even fucking bother with seven?
Ben: Yeah. I don't know.
Ben: I don't get it. Also, i was supposed to have. um i was the last. Like I was the last person in the air game. I was supposed to get the outside seat.
Ben: Um, but then the two kids that were in the, in the queue with me, they like, they sniped it. So like they were in front of me, but they like sat down on the outside. So I had to go to the middle. I wasn't going to like make a stink about it.
Ben: Um,
Zach: You should have. You should have been like, you know who I am.
Ben: um, I was, this um I was bummed out though. And I saw it happen actually a couple times. Like if I think kids have, I think, i think the kids kind of figured it out. How do you can like snipe the outside seats?
Ben: Um, and then i felt bad even asking, but there was another, said I, the last time I went to go ride, I was in the front row and I was supposed to be, um like third, whatever one, one right of center.
Ben: And there were two kids behind me and I just asked, i was like, Hey, do you guys like want the outside? And they're like, yeah. And I'm like, Oh, okay. That's cool. Like just wondering.
Ben: So I did not get, i did not get my outside seat. also didn't try very hard, but I figured it's not worth it. Um, but anyway, I walked away with thinking pretty highly of the ride, not as like a roller coaster, but just as like a great America edition.
Ben: I think, Like great America did a really good job with it. I mean, the landscaping looks good. i think the way that they squeeze it into the spot was good. They didn't really have to like fuck anything up to get it to fit.
Ben: um I think, so I think great America did a really good job. All of my complaints are mainly about being in. I don't like the odd number of seats.
Ben: I don't i think it's great that you have such a rattly rough ride. in 2025. I also,
Zach: Yeah, I just to tack on to that real quick. I literally rode this shit on day zero to the public. Fucking what the hell?
Ben: yeah. Yeah.
Ben: I I'm, I'm guessing it's because of like whatever their people are saying, like the cheaper steel manufacturing or like the cheaper wheel assembly components or something.
Ben: It sucks because like if that were... Also, like I was on YouTube and I was looking up Sheikra media day footage and that shit was like glass smooth because no one's heads are moving at all. like Everyone's head is like stationary in the restraint.
Ben: and Then you compare it to Ratha-Rakshas and everyone's head is bobbing side to side.
Ben: so The coaster that opened 20 years ago They somehow glass smooth and they one to go through the modern one is the rough one. I don't get it.
Zach: Well, our great America buddy pointed out that thankfully um
Zach: it has the vests, not the old hard restraints, because that would be fucking painful.
Ben: Do you think that's why they switched to vests?
Zach: No, but I think it's benefited them.
Zach: Because they switched to Vest like 10 years ago.
Ben: Well, they switched it on Banshee.
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: but bansshee was like But Banshee was the first like
Ben: in the like enthusiast bubble, the first like so-called rough B&M. Because everyone always talked about the Banshee shuffle when it first opened. So I wonder if there is like some weird... I mean, I don't know. I doubt B&M was like, we're going put vests on so there's no headbanging, but...
Ben: Banshee would be one of the rides where you would get a little bit of headbanging on some of the port on some of the like rattly parts.
Zach: I don't like remember much of a rattle on there. I just remember it being fucking boring.
Ben: Yeah, Banshee is like, it's it's hit or miss because it runs, it seems to run super different just depending on like the day and the train and stuff.
Zach: To be fair, I've only ridden it like in the late fall.
Ben: Yeah,
Ben: yeah when it's colder. Yeah, that could be some ah could have something to with it.
Zach: Yeah, I mean, the drop is cool, but, like...
Zach: I don't know. I'm not trying to shit on Banshee.
Ben: i mean, Banshee's always been pretty polarizing. I've had like bad rides on it I've also had great rides on it. with not much in the middle.
Zach: Fucking...
Zach: Um...
Zach: I was thinking about inverts. Well, for one thing, i was like right basically at Great America this past weekend.
Zach: In fact, I found out that I didn't realize that the park is open sometimes during events.
Ben: Oh, yeah. Yeah, we were there during Ed Sharon.
Zach: which apparently set the attendance record for that stadium. So...
Ben: Wait, Ed Sharon?
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: Oh, my God. and
Ben: What's up with arenas? Like, arena shows in general, whether it's comedy or music? Like, I don't i don't know anybody who knows and don't know anybody who listens to Ed Sharon.
Ben: How is he selling an arena? How is he selling an arena?
Zach: I mean...
Zach: Like, what's it called?
Zach: Probably a lot of people there to hear Thinking Out Loud.
Ben: Yeah,
Zach: And um
Zach: Shape of You.
Zach: like He's had like some like incredibly big hits, so it kind of makes sense.
Ben: yeah that's true.
Zach: It's like it's like i went and saw Metallica at the stadium. and like they do like they They're on a current run where they're doing two-night shows.
Zach: um In fact, if this comes out Friday, they're in Denver.
Ben: On Friday.
Zach: um And Sunday.
Ben: Okay.
Zach: and if it like it And if it's like how it was here um in the Bay Area, then tickets right now in the lead up to the show should be pretty decently priced.
Ben: I just hate going to mile high for concerts. It's like, I've never, I've just really never enjoyed the arena shows. I can probably hear it from the backyard though. Also it's pride weekend, which is kind of funny.
Zach: Oh, that's fun.
Zach: but i know I have some Metallica friends who will be in Denver for the shows. But anyway, um
Zach: it was like on Friday, crowd was kind of tepid, and the band was particularly loose, which was odd. But...
Zach: um They played Nothing Else Matters and like everybody fucking got their phones out.
Zach: And it's like, oh yeah, that's, that's what, that's why there's 60,000 people here or whatever.
Ben: Right. yeah that makes sense.
Zach: Like, you know, I'm i'm a diehard. I know the words to the songs that they're the other songs. I know the fucking drum fills and all that shit. And I'm rocking out the whole time. But.
Zach: The reason that there's fucking everybody in the stadium is to hear nothing else matters and master of puppets and understand, man.
Ben: They would just play those all up but up at the top. And then...
Zach: No.
Ben: So i always thought it was funny. Every time I've seen Modest Mouse, they literally will just... They crank out all of their like main hits right up at the top. And then they do like a little fake-out closer. leaves. Yeah.
Ben: and then everybody like half the crowd leaves and then they'll take you like a 20 minute break and then they'll come back out and then like everyone moves closer and then, and then they'll do, and then they'll do like a second fake out closer and then they'll like go off for another 20 minutes and then they'll come back out and the crowd's even smaller than they play like all their old stuff.
Ben: It's a good way to like weed out the ty different types of fans you have at your show. But it was literally like, um, They opened with like, it was basically like dashboard and then it was float on and then it was, I don't know.
Ben: Lamb shades and then they maybe like two other songs and then like, it's like, okay, all right, everyone, thanks for coming out. Great time, like drive safe. And then the lights went out and then literally everyone just fucking like left.
Ben: Which I thought was like a very pretentious way to manage your shows, but also kind of funny.
Zach: It's kind of a dick move, but like, if you're going to follow it up with like some real deep cuts, then that's dope as hell.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Like, I wish they would be playing like a shitload of deep cuts, but I also think that if you're playing like a stadium like that, you have a, but like um a bigger responsibility to the audience.
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah, because that's, I mean, that did the income that you probably get on an arena tour is insane.
Ben: With that too, like, have you ever seen comedy at an arena?
Zach: No, but it seems awful.
Ben: Like, who the hell is going to see Bert in an arena?
Zach: Like, comedy with more than, like, honestly, like, more than, like, 300 to 500 people in the seems awful
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Like, if you if you can't just, like, see the comedian, if you're looking at, like, a screen, why? You know what I mean?
Ben: Right.
Ben: Yeah, like... um
Zach: Because comedy is, like...
Zach: it's not even like music, you know, you're not going to record standup material in a studio. Like when you see a comedian doing their material, there's an, there's an audience that's replying, you know what I mean?
Zach: So even if it's the same material, it's going to be a different experience when, if you see it, you know what I mean?
Ben: yeah
Zach: So if it doesn't have that, a certain level of intimacy to it, um,
Zach: I think it's kind of it's kind of self-defeating.
Ben: Right. Yeah, exactly.
Zach: It's like, sure, Kevin Hart's fucking funny, but like it just it it can't hit the same in some giant 15,000-seat building.
Zach: building
Zach: watching a screen, right, versus, like, going to, know, the bar, the comedy club, whatever, and, and catching some local cats, because even if the material is not so good, it's, like, the performance is the art, and the moment is the art, right,
Ben: Yeah, like in even, yeah I don't know. Also like the delay of the sound to be kind of annoying, especially if you're, I don't know. I imagine if you're like trying to do comedy because theran the arena is so big, the feedback is probably going to take a couple seconds.
Ben: And also, yeah, the laugh, at the laugh, it probably just sounds weird. It just sounds like all like, you know, It's all melded together. Yeah, yeah i've never I've never seen an arena comedy show. i don't know if I want to
Zach: Yeah, and no, I mean, I've seen, like, the original Kings of Comedy tour movie, and, like, obviously those dudes all are funny.
Ben: Like...
Zach: Apparently Steve Harvey stole some of that material, but I don't really know all the details there. um But more to the point, it's just like, yeah, dude, going to an arena to see comedy just seems bizarre.
Zach: I think the biggest the biggest place that comedy could probably work at and maintain that type of intimacy is like a rock club, like a 1,000 seat.
Zach: And not even seat, you know, they normally it's a pit if there's a band type of thing.
Ben: yeah
Ben: Oh, whoa. Real quick. Before I forget on Grand America for switching topics.
Zach: Oh, yeah, no, we should probably talk a little more about theme parks.
Ben: Oh, it just popped in my head. i have to say when i left the park that first time, i was like, I'm actually excited to see this park as a Cedar Fair park.
Zach: no
Ben: because i think the no but that's a poorly managed cedar fair park i think great
Zach: You've been to the other one.
Zach: and the different
Ben: no i think um no i i think as a flag as like a main flagship park if for the chain as like a high money maker um I think also just because of the theme, because a lot of the theme at six foot gurney, Illinois or a gurney, great America ah still kind of intact. Like that, whatever you want to call it that a like Americana theme is still intact. And I think it actually, that actually works better under Cedar fair than a does under six flags with like fucking hair gel ads and, you know, all the like, uh, DC shit everywhere.
Ben: I think,
Ben: Great American.
Zach: Okay, well, yankee Yankee Harbor is not coming back, my friend.
Ben: Well, yeah, I know. I know. But I guess what I'm saying is like, I think.
Ben: Great America, Gurney, Great America might be the outlier of the it's probably the only park in the chain that is actually going to get better under Cedar Fair management.
Ben: It's probably in it like it's literally going to be the only one that gets better under Cedar Fair management. I think i think of in a weird and like this weird in this weird situation, like it's going to come out really far ahead.
Ben: And I actually think that the park's best days are ahead. I'm a little optimistic. um I don't know. i just it just It felt like there was life in the park again this past visit um that I haven't felt in a long time.
Ben: Plus it's like little details. Like every queue line was like, everything was like pressure washed. Everything was repainted. Those like little things that you are just used to seeing that have been broken for 10 plus years, like finally work again.
Ben: Like speakers were replaced.
Ben: potted plants that were just normally dead were actually like looking pretty good. i don't know. It just, it felt like a different park.
Zach: Yeah, but they started doing that shit last season.
Ben: And,
Ben: Well, right. I wasn't there last season, so it's possible this was all before that. But either way, it also, but they it seems like they stripped a lot of the bullshit out.
Ben: Like all the like the weird ads and just like the things that didn't make sense that were out of place. um don't know. And also just like little, it's like these tiny things like the sound effects and giant drop were working in the queue line.
Ben: And it looked like it was like cleaned up.
Ben: and repainted a lot of things like that. And also the grouppers all the rides are doing a pretty good job. The, ah the old like Batman Q line soundtrack was back on, which is, which is kind of cool.
Ben: Although that might've been on for a while.
Zach: I feel like I gotta say this.
Ben: Point.
Zach: i hope they bring back holiday in the park.
Ben: I mean, I feel like of all the parks, they probably should because if it's really if it's really a good if it's really as big of a moneymaker as they claim it is, like I don't see why they shouldn't.
Zach: I mean, it was there from 2018 through 2022. te twenty twentyt two
Zach: So, like...
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: I don't know. That seems like enough years of bringing it back that it must have been somewhat profitable.
Ben: Yeah. I mean, especially with these mild winters, doesn't... Although, I guess I wonder if it's some weird management thing of like layoffs and trying to doge their staff because they don't want to pay people full-time year-round salaries.
Zach: Oh, yeah, probably. Probably.
Ben: i you What's funny is it probably does make them money, but I have some weird feeling it's probably literally because they don't want to pay people year-round.
Zach: That makes a lot of sense.
Zach: Tony Clark doesn't want to have to fly out to Chicago in the winter to do media.
Ben: But yeah, like, um I wish I got a ride on Demon to see how that was changing. um or see how that was in, what shape that was in. yeah, I don't know. i I just, it may have just been like a one-off day, like a really good day, but I actually felt, I was very leery of the whole Switch, the whole merger, and i actually feel pretty good about it now. At least for me.
Ben: Great America. have The other parks, I think a lot of the other parks are probably going to get fucked. Like, um, obviously Six Flags America is closing. the
Zach: Six Flags Great Adventure.
Ben: you think Great Adventure is going to close? Or is it just
Zach: o At this point, no.
Zach: Although, see like, I don't know, man.
Zach: Anything could happen, right?
Ben: I think Great Adventure is safe, but I have a feeling they're goingnna try to they're going to try to change it into more of a like a family park.
Ben: So I think they're they don't need to invest in thrill rides there anymore. I think it's their main transition.
Ben: so
Zach: I think um ah California's Great America is definitely done.
Ben: Oh, for sure.
Zach: And will.
Ben: Well, yeah. My prediction is that they're going to want to close Discovery Kingdom because that park doesn't make sense.
Ben: I would almost say it's like one of the worst Six Flags in the Chain that I've been to.
Ben: Like they take out the dry side completely. Maybe they leave the zoo. I don't know. Or they just sell the whole thing. And then they, so they transition the California theme park market into purely magic mountain and knots.
Ben: So like they try to make magic mountain more of the like main draw for the California, like get people in from San Francisco to drive the five hours. Maybe they add a hotel or a resort or something.
Zach: Yeah, I don't see that happening.
Ben: The resort part or the discovery kingdom.
Zach: ah Discovery Kingdom. i don't know. I don't know if Vallejo is. it doesn't. I haven't been there.
Zach: But it doesn't seem like the most desirable area for land in the Bay Area. But I, again, haven't been there. I don't really know much about it. But they definitely could just close it because um and in terms of Magic Mountain,
Ben: Yeah. I mean...
Zach: I don't see them pouring that much resource into that park, right?
Zach: and don't think they'll sell it off. Currently, but I think Knott's is going to be even more of the favorite, right? Because
Zach: look, it's just, it's not.
Ben: Yeah, I think Knott's is always going to be there. I don't think that park is going anywhere. i don't think that like it's going to remain as is. But I do think that there's enough market to keep both Magic Mount and Knott's just as like different experiences. Yeah.
Ben: But I do think that in the state of, for the state of California, like the Bay area doesn't really need theme parks. I mean, Portland doesn't have a theme park besides like two small ones.
Ben: Seattle doesn't have a theme park besides wild waves. Like for some reason, just
Zach: Hey, hey, can I just say fuck off?
Ben: I'm just saying, You guys up in the Bay Area, like, they're just not, like, the, like, the West Coast besides Southern California just isn't, for some reason, they're just not, like, theme park people.
Ben: It's the same with, like, Colorado and Montana, and, like, they're just, for some reason, like, people just aren't, like, theme park people unless they go to, like, Disney for the weekend.
Ben: You know what i mean? They go out of the way to...
Zach: Oh, goddammit. You're not wrong.
Ben: Right. Like, I don't know. It's, it's because it it's just, you just don't need it. You do need theme parks in Ohio. You do need theme parks in like Indiana and Pennsylvania and, um, you know, Wisconsin, whatever.
Zach: Yeah, but, like, I feel like San Jose needs a theme park, right? And they have Great America.
Ben: But I feel like no one's going to miss it. Like, cause it's such a, it's such a transient place and it's so many, there's so many like new residents there. Like it doesn't, it doesn't like that area doesn't have any like long time residents. It's all like people who move there for a couple of years and they move out. It's like a fast moving just transient place. Same with Portland and Seattle. It's, I don't know, Denver, like
Ben: It'll be missed, but I don't think it's like ah it's a real hit. Whereas, like do you close a theme park in Pennsylvania, and people will fucking you know people will lose their mind. You close a theme park in Ohio, and you'll be put on like a terrorist watch list.
Zach: They closed Geago Lake, dude.
Ben: Yeah, but it was like, there was still Cedar Point and Kings Island. i mean, it's that's true, though. That's a good point. But I think that one is a little different. And actually, no, people did freak out about gigo Lake.
Ben: But I also... But there was a park 45 minutes down the road, too.
Ben: i mean, that wasn't... That was a dumb idea. Trying to compete with Cedar Point 45 minutes away.
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: In the same metro area, too. Like...
Ben: um I don't know. I think we're going to see some major changes, but I also think that after a couple of years, I mean, is, is the closing of six flags, America and six flags, America or six ways, America and great America.
Ben: Um, but just kind of funny that there are two parks with America and their name closing.
Ben: What does that say?
Zach: I feel like they're going to be shrinking their portfolio even more. their portfolio even more
Ben: yeah With that too, though, I think this like a lot of people say Valleyfair and Dorney and Michigan's Adventure are next. i think
Ben: doorny or I think Michigan's Adventure and Valleyfair are safe because they're those are like easy markets because they don't really have to build anything new.
Ben: They're basically, they're like those like small time, like day trip picnic school group kind of parks. I mean, Valley Fair doesn't really put that much money in their park to upkeep it.
Ben: mean, they don't build new rides all the time and it does just fine. um
Ben: Dorney though.
Ben: i mean, is Dorney like, is Dorney, it has to be somewhat of a popular park, right? I mean, if they built a dive coaster,
Ben: Yeah,
Zach: Yeah, I mean, that's the thing is, right, they have a huge, huge portfolio now. And so I'm sure what they're doing is not only looking at how profitable the parks are, but also looking at how valuable the parks and the land they sit on are
Ben: yeah and with that, I don't think Dorney's land is that valuable. Is Allentown, like I don't see Allentown as like.
Zach: And also, like, to factor it in, what parks do they actually own versus which parks are they just in operating agreements for?
Ben: um Well, isn't.
Ben: What's the Great Escape is one of those, right? They don't own it.
Zach: No, I think they do.
Ben: Oh,
Zach: I think, like, Darien Lake...
Ben: oh right. Yep.
Ben: And actually, that's another park that I think is safe. Because Darien, like, it's just like a small market. And because of the concerts, I think that park actually does pretty well.
Ben: They might close...
Zach: Well, here, let's see.
Ben: They might close rides, though. Like, I could see Darien, like, ripping out a couple coasters, but... And downsizing. Um...
Zach: I'm trying to find out a number
Zach: and like a list.
Ben: orney
Ben: Yeah, I would, if I had to like put any money on parks, like if I had to pick another park for them to close, after Six Flags America and after Great America, i would put money on Discover Kingdom before Dorney or Darien Lake.
Ben: And as far as safe ones, like I guess a good way to do it is like if you go through the ones that are safe, like Gurney Great America is definitely safe. Over Texas, Fiesta Texas, over Georgia, I think are good. Magic Mountain, Knots, those are probably definitely good.
Ben: Worlds Fun.
Zach: Um, well, I don't know.
Zach: Worlds of Fun is like, maybe.
Zach: Frontier City, that could probably go.
Ben: True, although but ah but at the same time, Frontier City is one of those that it's so small that it probably doesn't cost them that much to operate.
Ben: i mean, let's see, they yeah they have four coasters. Their newest one was from 2019, Mine Train, Kitty Coaster.
Ben: Diamondback is espionau
Zach: Glad I wrote it.
Zach: I'm looking at the map and I'm like, i don't know which ones.
Ben: Apparently, a Frontier City, they got um Six Flags of Astroworlds Mine Train. and But it was in storage.
Zach: What about LaRonde?
Ben: That's one...
Ben: I think that one could be on the chopping block because of how neglected the park is. Like they haven't,
Ben: I mean, the park, that park is shit.
Zach: I haven't been there in many years, but yeah, that's what I'm like, that one's standing out to me too. It's like, i don't know.
Zach: We're going to have to let that one ruminate and revisit that soon.
Ben: yeah Yeah. I think that's that's one of those parks where
Ben: it doesn't really offer anything special and everything is garbage to where i don't like no one's going to miss anything. Ednor, SLC is their newest coaster from 2010, which is an SLC from...
Zach: They were supposed to get Green Lantern.
Ben: That's right.
Ben: Oh God. And then their stand-up coaster was bad.
Zach: Yes, it was. It was one of those Intamin ones.
Ben: To this day, it was probably like one of the roughest roller coasters I've been on.
Ben: It just had such an awful like side-to-side shuffle. It wasn't like
Ben: it wasn't ah It wasn't like I don't don't know how to describe It wasn't like a abrupt headbanging. It was almost like somebody was... Like if you were sitting in a computer chair and someone grabbed the computer chair and they were just like slowly like sloshing you like side to side.
Ben: don't know. It was hard to explain. But it had some funky forces on it that were very painful with those restraints.
Ben: Le Cobra.
Zach: Yeah, that was a weird park.
Zach: I remember of our friends went on the mini mine train
Zach: by like basically like just sitting down and when they were yelled at just like kind of waving it off.
Zach: And I was like, yeah, this is why people don't like Americans in other countries.
Ben: To be fair, everyone in Montreal knows English, but they just refuse to speak it.
Zach: Yeah, I know, because when I when i was there, i was eating some poutine, and this dude comes up to me and asks me in French, you know, and I'm like, I don't know, what?
Zach: And he's like, where did you get that?
Zach: So that was a very, like, Like, what the fuck was was that about, right?
Ben: so
Ben: Also too, like and this is I heard this from friends that have lived there. Basically, the French Canadians, their resentment is towards like other Canadians that visit and don't speak French.
Ben: but if you tell But if they find out you're an American, then it's cool and they'll talk English to you.
Ben: like Their resentment about not about speaking French is really just towards the Canadians. but if you But once you they know you're an American, it's like, oh, you're just like a dumb American. Then they're cool with it.
Zach: Oh, well,
Zach: that's kind of weird.
Zach: i guess that explains a lot about that episode of Letter Kenny.
Zach: Which I haven't watched that show in a long time.
Ben: Yeah, same. I don't, I never thought I would, I mean, I didn't get bored of it necessarily, but I mean that format kind of, it runs its course.
Zach: Yeah, it's like, i think I watched like the first six seasons.
Zach: And that's about all I needed.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: feel like that was plenty.
Ben: Yeah, six is fine.
Ben: God, I'm looking at all these old Laron.
Ben: Yeah, Laron can go. no one's going to miss this park. Even what's funny is like you look at these videos from like I was watching this Coaster Force video and even in the Coaster Force video, everything like looks old and shitty.
Ben: And that was 12 years ago and nothing has changed since then. There's probably not even anything that has new paint in that park.
Ben: That park has not seen a ah paintbrush since probably the ninety s
Zach: I mean...
Ben: Goliath is good though.
Zach: yeah my... 300th roller coaster is there.
Ben: i would almost say that Goliath is one of, still one of my favorite hypers.
Zach: It's really good because the layout so simple.
Ben: It's, I know.
Zach: Just like airtime, airtime, airtime.
Ben: And there's no ejector, but every every bunny hill has like perfect floater.
Zach: Yeah, and I remember, I'm pretty sure I rode in the front and back, and like both were really good.
Ben: It's like...
Ben: Yeah, we got a bunch of rides on it, even in the middle rows. like The middle rows are still pretty good. like Yeah, that's such a fun ride.
Zach: I'm pretty sure I snuck a camera on that ride.
Ben: Nice. I mean, I bet no one cared at that park.
Zach: No, the scary one was when I snuck my camera on fucking Behemoth.
Ben: Oh.
Zach: The year it opened.
Ben: for
Zach: was on that same trip.
Ben: Although even there, I wonder if i wonder if Canada's Wonderland is weird about cameras.
Zach: I mean, I know Cedar Fair is and was at that time.
Zach: But, yeah, I, um...
Zach: I think Leron definitely is probably in that pile.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: I'm like, maybe Worlds of Fun?
Ben: For clo...
Zach: Possibly St. Louis?
Ben: For closing?
Zach: Yeah.
Ben: Um...
Ben: Oh yeah, I suppose... I forget that they are kind of close together. That's a...
Zach: Eh, they're not, like, super close. But, like...
Zach: I don't know.
Ben: But see,
Zach: They just both seem like...
Zach: Parks that maybe aren't super profitable? I don't know.
Ben: yeah, I mean, yeah, hard to say.
Ben: i mean, St. Louis seems fine, but also, we' I don't know, because World's of Fun has a water park, right?
Zach: Yes. Yep.
Ben: and and Oh, and Six Flags St. Louis does too, I think, right?
Zach: yep
Ben: Huh, okay.
Ben: Maybe, I don't know. I guess like it wouldn't surprise me if one of them closes, but I don't think I could give a good answer of which one I think would close. I think because like Worlds of Fun seems pretty solid.
Ben: Those parks have also been around for so long. And I mean, they were clearly successful then, but i don't know, is part of their success due to their like competition?
Ben: don't know.
Zach: I don't think they compete with each other because st Louis and Kansas City aren't really like close to each other like that.
Ben: Yeah, it's true.
Ben: Oh, damn. So there's a little monster POV that was from Coaster Force, and it's running completely trimless, and it looks insane.
Zach: Oh, shit. Yeah, that ride wasn't great. That's my 300th. It was not great when I rode it.
Ben: Yeah, it was like slow, and it was boring.
Zach: Yeah, the deadly combination.
Ben: And rough.
Ben: One of the operators is just like air drumming as it pulls in.
Ben: All right. So my, yeah, I'll add Laron to the pick of go die.
Zach: We're up in the ante from the, uh, the coaster death pool to the park death pool.
Ben: Although I could also, also with any parks closing, I also could see them not closing for a couple of years.
Zach: Yeah, dude.
Ben: Like, because once they get rid of the two America parks, you know, it might be a minute before they close another.
Ben: I think overall it's fascinating how Great Adventure has not announced their new ride yet.
Zach: Yeah, they've just been like, I assume
Zach: just chugging along.
Ben: Damn, one of the corkscrews at L'Aaron is called Super Minaj.
Ben: ah
Zach: Does it have three inversions?
Ben: um I think it has two.
Zach: Well, shit, dude.
Zach: It's starting to get a bit late.
Ben: Yeah, same. Same over here.
Zach: Yeah, I know.
Ben: I made the...
Zach: It's even later for you.
Zach: But it's nice to be back.
Ben: Yeah, if... Let's see. I think this will probably come out before the two backlog episodes.
Zach: Yeah, so we'll have two episodes we recorded, i don't know, six weeks ago or whatever.
Ben: So...
Ben: this is This is probably the longest break I think the show has had in a while.
Zach: But you guys are good to hear that soon.
Ben: That's okay. okay
Zach: Yeah, it's kind of like a season break or whatever.
Ben: Yeah. Life's been too a weird lately.
Zach: There's a lot going on, yeah.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Maybe we can get into more of that sometime soon.
Ben: yeah Yeah, it's...
Zach: Or we could talk about theme parks.
Ben: a
Zach: I don't know.
Ben: I'm still job hunting shitty job market. and
Zach: Could always learn to grow weed.
Ben: true.
Ben: Or, uh, figure out how to sell sales interfaces for the weed industry.
Zach: There you go.
Ben: there is an ah There is an agriculture component to SAP that a few companies use. I wonder if there's a way to like implement that for weed.
Ben: I'm sure, that I mean, there there should be. But problem is, though, that those i mean those projects are super expensive. i don't know if weed companies have the capital to like invest in a big yeah ERP system like that.
Zach: No, because everybody's trying to do everything for as cheap as possible while also making the most amount of money.
Ben: Yeah.
Ben: Yeah, that makes sense.
Ben: Mm
Zach: But, you know, there's always money in the banana stand.
Ben: hmm.
Zach: I don't know why.
Ben: Only, only, there's always only only fans.
Zach: Yeah, there you go.
Ben: I've got a ah shed in the backyard to utilize for some movies, I guess. don't know.
Zach: Is this before after it becomes the International Roller Coaster Museum?
Ben: Maybe at the same time.
Zach: That seems like a pretty good plan.
Zach: Look, there's... there's that's that's Like, look. The Venn diagram of rollercoaster weirdos...
Ben: and gay men
Ben: and and furries and all sorts of things
Zach: Yeah. Yeah.
Zach: Yeah, yeah, and like different kinks, yeah. That Venn diagram.
Zach: it's It's pretty, it's got ah it's got a lot of overlapping space.
Zach: The problem is when people start showing up to get tours.
Ben: ah You got to make sure you really
Ben: no when someone comes to visit, you got to know what what the exact intention is. It's like, what exactly are you here for?
Zach: I'm game for whatever.
Ben: oh my God. Okay. So lately, my YouTube algorithm keeps feeding me all videos with less than like a hundred views. And this, I just found one. okay. So this one has 201 views, but it's, uh, it's a Bush light apple flavored review.
Zach: That's disgusting.
Zach: Like, you said bush light, and I was like, ugh. And then you said apple flavor, and I was like, ugh.
Ben: Yeah, it looks disgusting.
Zach: I, like, weirdly can really picture the person that that that is, like, stoked about that, though.
Zach: I'm pretty sure they're wearing Carhartt.
Ben: like a golf tea
Zach: Not the reviewer. I just meant like the like the person that's like, holy shit, Bush Light Apple?
Ben: I just.
Ben: fish
Ben: Oh, now I'm getting weird. Mike's harder lemonade reviews. Man, this is getting dark.
Zach: One time YouTube get like was like, you probably want to watch this. And it was like a dude that's like, I'm going to drink and smoke cigarettes in the park all day.
Ben: Oh yeah. Um, that guy, that guy's channel blew up though.
Ben: even, even was recently interviewed by, uh, that goblin guy.
Zach: That checks out.
Ben: What is it? David Jones or something?
Zach: I don't know. it was kind of sad.
Ben: I mean, imagine doing that like in 2011.
Ben: And just how grim of a start that channel must have like must be.
Zach: Yeah, right? I mean...
Ben: Because if it doesn't kick off, you're just alone in a park smoking cigarettes and drinking beer.
Zach: he wasn't even drinking beer. He was drinking, like, ciders.
Zach: That was the sad... It was sad because it was like he was drinking ciders.
Zach: and I think he was smoking Reds.
Ben: Nice.
Zach: I was like,
Zach: well, that's, i don't know if that's what depression looks like, but that's certainly something.
Ben: In the interview I saw with him and Goblin, they were like like doing user-submitted questions. And it was like, what's the best cigarette for drunk driving?
Ben: Apparently it was the American spirit black.
Zach: Oh, okay.
Zach: that's a That's a pretty specific answer.
Ben: I've never had one of those myself.
Zach: Nor have I.
Ben: I was always the, either the orange pack or the light green pack.
Zach: i think I only ever had the yellow.
Zach: But now the idea of like smoking is kind of gross.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: Like a cigarette.
Zach: That's the other thing is like just being like smoking a bunch of cigarettes and drinking without any weed. That like seems nauseating to me.
Ben: Oh, without it? See, usually usually when if I mix with the weed, that's when I get nauseous.
Zach: Yeah.
Zach: Oh, really?
Ben: Yeah, have like the opposite sometimes.
Zach: Yeah, for me, it's always like... this I think especially with the cigarettes, it's like... Helps settle the stomach a bit.
Zach: But anyway, I digress.
Ben: Yeah. Well... I'm ready to
Ben: bounce and make some summer episodes going forward. Our lives are going to be a little up in the air. That's okay.
Zach: yeah
Ben: We at least got on, hey, we at least got on, both got on one of the new coasters for the season.
Zach: a
Zach: Yeah, we had we had something to actually give some feedback on.
Ben: i mean, that's a pretty good start, so.
Zach: Yeah, that's a good that's a good way to start off, to kick off, you know, 2025 season.
Ben: Yeah.
Zach: And yeah, it's good to be back.
Zach: So we'll ah have some some more content coming in your way soon, y'all.
Zach: um You got anything else tonight, Ben?
Ben: ah no, think I'm all good.
Zach: All righty-o. Cool. Well, um thanks, dude. This was fun.
Ben: ah yeah.
Zach: And thank you all for listening. Join our Discord. And... Yeah, we will be back shortly.
Zach: So until then, your favorite coaster sucks.
Ben: Your favorite coaster sucks.
Zach: Yep.
