Park News
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ParkHoppin’ with Paul Ruben
The Pleasures of Pittsburgh
On my way to Kennywood to report on tits new Sky Rocket rollercoaster (see last issue or
www.parkworld-online.com) I stopped in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for a two-hour tour of the city on a Segway. You know, those two-wheeled electric vehicles that are perfect for unbalanced individuals because their gyroscopic sensors are self- balancing.
As seen in the photo, even I could remain upright on a Segway.
Walt Disney World offers Segway tours, and now so does Pittsburgh. I thought they might find a place as an amusement park attraction. But that was before the Segway operator had me sign a liability release and insisted I don a protective helmet. Just try to offer Segway bumper cars or a Segway racetrack and watch your insurance rates skyrocket. Which brings me to Sky Rocket, the new LSM-launched coaster at Kennywood. From Premier Rides, it's modest-sized by steel coaster standards, 95ft tall and 2,100ft long, with three inversions and a zero-to-50 mph launch within three seconds. Moderately priced, this may be the answer for mid-sized parks looking for a sexy steel coaster. It is fast and smooth; a coaster that can readily be ridden over and over again. So I did, with my niece who lives in town, then boarded the Lil' Phantom with my grandnephew. That's two new coasters for me, numbers 795 and 796. Kennywood has a world-class wooden
coaster, the Thunderbolt, and several smaller but thoroughly entertaining woodies, the Jack Rabbit and the Racer. I love the 'Rabbit because it has the world's best double-down, and I love the Racer because the other train is always within range of my water pistol. They also have a world-class steel coaster, the Phantom's Revenge. To my mind the Sky Rocket is to Phantom's Revenge what the
'Rabbit and Racer are to the T-bolt. In other words, it's a perfect fit for Kennywood.
It's a thoroughly entertaining steel coaster, a joy to ride. There is no
over-the-shoulder restraint, but several comfortable inversions, two straight-down drops and a “Surf Curve“ that I had never before encountered. It's a series of perfectly banked S-curves that have you wobbling through an otherwise level stretch of track. What fun! In case you haven't guessed, Kennywood is my favourite traditional American amusement park. Besides its seven coasters there are three distinct dark attractions, an assortment of classic flat rides and lots of mature trees providing shade.
The park first opened in 1898 as a trolley park for the Monongahela Street Railway Company. Owned by Kennywood Entertainment, which until December 2007 was a closely held family business owned by the Henninger and McSwigan families, Kennywood Entertainment is now operated by Palace Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Spanish Parques Reunidos group. Kennywood is the very best of Pittsburgh. Why the town can't fix its dreadful traffic congestion, however, remains a mystery. Everyone should just leave their cars home and ride Segways.
8 Drayton Manor Hotel
Fans of Drayton Manor in England can follow construction of the park’s new hotel, scheduled to open next summer, via a webcam on its 60th anniversary website. The 150-room development will be run by Chardon Management and feature two restaurants, a coffee shop, crèche and conference facilities, as well as a number of Thomas & Friends rooms to complement the park’s Thomas Land attraction. Pictured here is a still webcam image from September.
draytonmanor60th.co.uk/ hotel.php
Toy Story Playla
Toon Studio expansion at Disneyland Resort Paris
Buzz Lightyear, Slinky Dog, RC Racer and the rest of the gang from Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story films are the stars of a colourful new area at Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Resort Paris. Toy Story Playland is the first Toy Story-themed land in any Disney park worldwide and represents an expansion of Walt Disney Studios’ Toon Studios. Here benches are fashioned from Lincoln Logs, a wall is constructed of dominoes and a four-metre-tall Buzz Lightyear greets visitors at one of the two entrances. “When you are in this land, nothing is human scale and everything is made of toys,” highlights Walt Disney Imagineering senior show producer, Chrissie Allen. Toy Story Playland contains three key rides. RC Racer features a U-shaped coaster track and a Hot Wheels-themed car. Riders are shot out of the station by the Hot Wheels “Super Charger” as they race to the top of the 25-metre-tall half-pipe. Toy Soldiers Parachute Drop provides a simulated fall from the sky. The setting for the 27-metre-tall attraction is a Green Army Men toy training camp. Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin, meanwhile, is a zany attraction inspired by retro Caterpillar rides. All of the music throughout Toy Story Playland is based on the original themes from the Toy Story movies composed by Randy Newman.
OCTOBER 2010
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