Amusement Park

When I was a teenager, I would say, "It's never a real summer until I've been on a roller coaster." Over the last half-decade or so, I've let that idea go. Life and "adulthood" took over, and roller coasters became somehow harder to get to. This year, I finally made it happen; and a bunch of my friends came along for the ride.

Our first ride of the day: Not actually a roller coaster...

The local park is called Kennywood. It's just a short drive from where I live, which is super convenient! While checking out the website for their spring hours, I noticed a by-one-get-one-free coupon for May. Jackpot! On a Sunday late in the month, I rounded up the house, our friend Fish (yes, that's a nickname), and all of the sunscreen.

I was so excited! Kira and I skipped through the park entrance. SKIPPED! Like little girls in frilly pink tutus would. Sadly, it didn't take long for my enthusiasm to be squashed by a crazy allergic reaction. I am allergic to most things found in, well, air. And the park was full of beautiful flowers. Beautiful, evil, flowers. I was already on Clariton, but apparently it did nothing. Luckily, Shane thought to pack Benedryl. That fixed my nose, but created a short queasy spell. This was quickly solved by french fries covered in nacho cheese and bacon. I took a break on Shane's shoulder while everyone else enjoyed the merry-go-round, and we were back in business!

Shane dutifully supporting my giant grandma sunglasses + drug-induced stupor

By the way. The merry-go-round at Kennywood is very nice. It's even under an extra roof which extends out to a seating area perfect for tired parents and queasy allergy sufferers. But the clown face repeated on the outside? Creepy. No two ways about it. See:

Like if Liberace and Carrot Top had a kid...

I think we ended up covering the whole park a few times over. And I got my roller coasters!

The lines weren't too bad on most of the rides. Shane took this amazing photo of me while bored waiting for the Racer.

Amazing, because it's very hard to catch my real smile.

There were lots of midway games, and some small, pretty seating areas. But we mostly stuck to the rides. Shane took this picture of the George Washington statue. George came through the site of the park while fighting the French in the Seven Years War. (He lost, BTW.) Shane had to take a picture, because he's a guy who knows a thing or two about swords. That is not an English sabre. It looks more like a straightened Japanese katana.

Looks more like a BBQ sword to me.

Silly swords aside, I do have one earnest complaint; a word of warning, really. Do NOT try to go on the Exterminator! I say "try" because after nearly an hour of waiting in line, we quit. We were told someone had been sick on the ride, and it would take another half-hour to clean up. The line area is a small, cinder-block building. It is fully enclosed with poor ventilation and no sound-proofing. Here is a picture of our misery:

Fish, probably thinking: "I am going to murder that squealing teenager."

It really put a big black spot on our day. I seem to recall from a visit years ago that it's a pretty good ride. But no ride is worth that torture. I think they should have paid me $20 just for standing in line there.

We escaped though. Over-all we had a great time. See?

My final verdict is mixed. I certainly went with great people! And I sure had fun. But it didn't feel like the capstone of my summer. I guess I just don't need roller coasters as much as I used to.