Greetings,
So yesterday, I put up a post about people who have left the Pittsburgh area and went on to become famous. Now I know I may have been a little harsh about having to live here as an artist, but I'm not above saying that living here doesn't have its good points. I can think of something else we have here that no one else in the world does. And that is Kennywood Park.
If anyone doesn't know, Kennywood is an amusement park in West Mifflin which is a suburb of Pittsburgh, and for all of us who live within fifty miles of it, it has been a big part of our lives. It truly is a historical landmark being one of only two amusement parks in the National Register of Historic Places. In its over one hundred year lifespan, Kennywood has built a reputation of being extremely well taken care of and extremely fun. Though some changes have understandably occurred over its past century of existence, they have managed to keep the spirit of the history alive. Of course, the best part of the whole experience is the rides.
In my life, I have seen rides come and go and come back, but I've always had my favorites. So today, I will share with you all my top ten Kennywood rides, and for those of you who have not been there, I will do my best with descriptions. Now, to clarify, these are only rides that I have actually been on, so if you see any glaring omissions, that's probably why. Oh, and I stayed out of Kiddieland, the kids part of the park, mainly because most of the rides there are mini me's of the adult park rides. Not to say I didn't love my time there. But feel free to comment on your own favorites from either section. And rides only. I know that the Mushroom Fountain and the Potato Patch are life changing experiences, but they just don't have a place here. Maybe later. Okay, let's ride.
Honorable Mention: The Laser Loop - As I just said, no rides that I haven't been on are allowed. That is why this one did not make the official list. This roller coaster went away before I was old enough, or possibly brave enough, to ride it. I did want to mention it, though, because for all the years it was there, it was the signal that we had arrived. We would be in our car, still on the road, after the long trip and we would see the highest point of that ride rising up into the sky. We would see that and say, "We're here!" It's just a big memory and I wanted to share it.
#10. The Raging Rapids - This is a ride that had to earn a spot on this list. I did come to love it, but, initially, it was a little too realistic for me. Since whitewater rafting is something I would never do in real life due to my not wanting to drown, the fact that it had the "raging" water and rocks and stuff was a bit of a deterrent. But once the nerves were set aside, it became a must ride on every visit.
#9. The Kangaroo - This was a going around in a circle ride that had one hill that led to a jump, hence, the kangaroo name. I just loved how it made us feel like we were flying. And I love the shout out to the park mascot, Kenny Kangaroo. This may have been one of the first "grown up" rides I went on after I was no longer allowed in Kiddieland. That was one of the negatives of getting really tall, really fast when I was still really nervous about those big rides.
#8. The Turnpike - You know how we, as adults, may have a tendency to really hate driving? Well, as much as we hate it now, that's how much we wanted to do it as kids. The Turnpike gave us that opportunity. Now I grew up in the era where the cars were electric, but apparently they used to be gasoline powered since the whole thing was sponsored by Gulf. It closed in 2009, but I hear it might make a comeback. Let's hope so.
#7. Noah's Ark - Okay, I'm cheating a little here, since this is technically a walk through attraction and not a ride. But there is one part where the floor shakes, so it counts. It is basically exactly what you think. You take a walk through Noah's Ark, getting to see all the animals and what not. It was a bit of a freak out for little kids because it had a lot of dark areas, but if you make it through, you felt pretty grown up. My only objection is the entrance. You used to get in by walking through a whale's mouth. Sweet! Then they just made it a door or something. I have no idea why. Still good, though.
#6. The Wave Swinger - Or the Bavarian Wave Swinger if you wanna get technical. Even before I rode this one, it served to engage my imagination, which came in handy for the writing. I remember watching those people swing around on their seats through the air, and I would picture the chains breaking free and the people continuing to swing around. Not in a horror movie way, though. No, I would just imagine them flying through the air, up and up and up. It was magical, and so was I.
#5. The Steel Phantom - I believe this was the first roller coaster I rode that had the upside down element. Now it is still in the park, but also kind of not. It opened in 1991, but was revamped about ten years later and renamed Phantom's Revenge. I guess they took out the inversions, whatever those are, because people were complaining that that part of the ride was painful. Oh, please. It hurts to be beautiful and to ride mega coasters! Oh, AND the Steel Phantom and Kennywood itself got mentioned on an episode of CSI, where Grissom said he holds the record for most rides in a row or something. But I think he makes things up.
#4. The Racer - This one holds a special place in my heart because it was the first roller coaster I ever rode. And since the concept is that the two cars race, it cemented my competitive edge and made me always want to WIN!!!!
#3. The Pirate Ship - This is what I call a transitional ride. Let me explain. It's a big ship that swings back and forth, and the swings get bigger and bigger until the people sitting near the back are practically upside down. A lot of us start in the middle of the ship where it's not so bad, but then we work our way back. Yes, I did eventually make it to the back seat, and I loved looking straight down into the guts of the ride! That's right, the guts.
#2. The Whip - This is a pretty simple ride. It goes around in an elongated circle motion, where, at the ends, the cars are whipped around. It also used to be under a pavilion, which brings me to the elephant in the room. Sadly, about ten years ago, a woman died on this ride and several others were injured. It happened due to a micro burst that hit the pavilion causing it to collapse. Of course, they had to close the park for awhile, but soon they reopened as did the Whip sans the pavilion, which makes it safer but still fun.
#1. The Turtle - Again, nothing fancy here. You sit it a big metal turtle and go around and around and over about three hills. And it was one of the adult section rides that was for everyone. I think this is my favorite because, again, it's special to me. This was always the last ride we would go on before we left the park, and we were the kind of people who showed up at 11 AM when the park opened and stayed until 11 PM when it closed. We would hit The Turtle, then the Potato Patch for some cheesy fries for the ride home and that capped off our day. It was a good way to end.
I don't have a ton of happy memories from my childhood, but a lot of them have to do with the time I spent at Kennywood Park. It makes me realize that, sometimes, not a lot has to be done to make a person's life better. So, in all sincerity, I would love to thank the people who have always kept the place open to give everyone great memories. They are worth their weight in gold. And Potato Patch fries.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
