Left on Saturday, June 26th, headed for Carnegie PA, which is just 8 miles from Downtown Pittsburgh. I have relatives there. Didnt do much Saturday, just ate and talked and stuff. Sunday I saw The Day After Tomorrow. I heard a lot of bad things, but I still wanted to see it, and Ive got to admit, I enjoyed it quite a bit. A lot better than people were saying. On monday I went to the Pirates-Cardinals game at PNC park in Pittsburgh. Cardinals lost 2-1, and ended up getting swept by Pittsburgh, who eventually went on to win 10 straight games. But still had a decent time at the game, had awsome seats, 8 rows from the field, I could never get seats like that a Busch or Wrigley. PNC park is also the best Ballpark ive ever been to. This was actually my second time there, and its absolutley amazing. The backdrop of Downtown Pittsburgh looks painted on, dosent even look real. Here are some pics from PNC park.
This first one I took from the Roberto Clement Bridge. They close the bridge off to cars a few hours before a game, and people park on one side of the river then walk across the bridge to get to the ballpark.
This next one was taken from my seats, its of the Scoreboard.
This one was taken again from my seat, it looks out toward the right center field, and the fake looking downtown Pittsburgh background.
On Tuesday we ended up going to this place fairly close by Called Dave and Busters. It was like a restaurant/ Bar/ Video Arcade place. It was pretty cool, they had some decent arcade games...my personal favorite was house of the dead 3. We also went out to eat at a nicer restaurant that night, forgot what it was called. Wensday we went to an early 1PM showing of Spiderman 2. I like it, I definatley liked it, but it somehow just wasnt as good as the first one to me, I cant pinpoint why exactly. Anywho, there is a really neat little amusement park near Pittsburgh called Kennywood. Its a family owned park, has been around for over 100 years, and its totally different than your Six Flags and what not. Ive been going there pretty much every year since I was a little kid. The place really holds a special meaning to me. Like sacred grounds from the past, its really a blast of nostalgia every time I go. Anyways we ended up getting their evening pass, which starts at 6PM, and lasts to closing. One great thing about this park is that they offer general admission, which means anyone that wants to get in the park, but dont want to ride any rides, can do so for only 8 dollars. I dont know of any other parks that offer this, and its a great thing. Kennywood has a really nice collection of rides, especially considering how small they are. And amazing variety. Theyve got a few awsome old rollercoasters, one called the Jack Rabbit which was built in 1921 that offers what is easily the greatest single moment of airtime on any rollercoaster. Another Called the Racer was built in the 40's I believe, and its the only single track racing rollercoaster in the US. This means that if you start out on the right side in the station, you'll end up on the left side when you return. Then theres the Thunderbolt, which was built in the late 60's I believe, probably the best of the 3, it features some really awsome drops down a ravine, some powerful lateral forces, and a 95 foot final drop right before the end, which just happens to be the longest drop on the ride. Not many rides can say their longest drop is the last. Oh and did I mention that neither of these 3 coasters have seat dividers? This means that you'll be slamming into your partner pretty good on the turns, which can be good or bad I guess, depending on who your riding with
. Besides that, theyve got the Exterminator, which is a really cool themed indoor wild mouse type coaster, and the Phantoms Revenge, with it's 230foot SECOND drop(right off a Ravine) and its 85MPH top speed. It really seems out of place considering how small the park is, but god what an awsome ride it is. I could talk about Kennywood for hours, but I'll end with a few pictures, some of which I took this year, some I took last.
These first two I took from the Parking lot, of the park itself. Obviously visible are the Phantoms Revenge(green) and the Pitt Fall(yellow and black), a 250 foot drop tower ride. Notice how on the Phantoms Revenge, you can see the first drop and the second hill, but you cant see the bottom of the second drop. Thats the big one that goes into the ravine.
This next one is of part of the Thunderbolt.
This one is of the Phantoms Revenge famous second drop. Theres no way possible to get the whole drop in one picture, inless your across the river, so you cant really get a feel for the size of the drop, but its huge. In 2001, Kennywood remade the Steel Phantom into what it is now, the Phantoms Revenge. They kept the first and second drops the exact same way they were, and re-made the rest of the ride, which were a series of painful loops and twists and turns. They also got new trains for it, now without those painful over the shoulder restraints. The result is a smoother, faster, more airtime filled, and definatley a better ride. Here's something interesting: The Steel Phantom was built in 1991, and it had the longest drop and was the fastest rollercoaster in the world for nearly 10 years.
Besides, the rollercoasters, Kennywood also has quite a good number of unique flat rides. The one shown in this picture is a walk through attraction called Noah's Ark. It was built in the 20's I believe, it has been remodeled several times, but its always kept whats really good. Through the "boat" part of the ride, then entire area you walkthrough tilts quite a bit back and forth, which is neat, and definatley something you wont find anywhere else. In fact, many of these types of rides were built, but Noah's Ark is the last of its kind in America.
Wow. I cant believe I went on for that long about Kennywood alone, which was just a few hours of my trip. Im obviously somewhat obsessed with this place. I couldve kept going on like that for ages, but I'll quit now. I'll post part 2 of my trip maybe later tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned.
My long Summer Vacation. (lots of pics)
Hybrid Mode
