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Thank you for taking the time to tell me! You and me both! Today’s photo set is the complete opposite of yesterdays…whereas in yesterdays set it was hard to find hardly anything interesting to look at, in today’s it’s hard to know where to start! 1974 Coney Mall in 1974 was perfection. 2011 Excluding International Street, I would think that Coney Mall has the most remnants left over from 1974. Where would I rather be standing today…1974 or 2011? Is there ANYONE reading this that would choose 2011? I don’t care if I wouldn’t have Flight of Fear or Firehawk...I would trade those in a heartbeat for that amazing landscaping…not to mention Skee Ball, The Flying Eagles…and NO Subway!

Definitely my favorite one so far.

The "islands" have been there as long as the park has, as seen below: April 29, 1972. Photo courtesy Paul Holzschuher. Regarding the '74/'11 comparison, I think this is one of my favorite shots so far. I like how similar the shots are and how many buildings and attractions have survived. Once again, thanks for taking the time, energy, etc. to put all of this together, J.D.

I think standbyme has a standing assignment. In the year 2048, he is to go back and do this again, in the exact same spots to the extent possible. And Hendrick is to do those amazing transformations. I just pray I'm still around to see them and have enough gumption left to appreciate them.

That is my favorite picture yet. It is so amazing to see how everything has changed over the years. Thanks to Hendrick as well for combining all the images together, very very cool to watch it change like that.

Monsters pad was awesome looking in 1974, bet it added to the twirl and hurl aspect of the ride. I like the monorail track in the background also.

Today’s photo set isn’t really a great way to start out the week...but it is what it is, sorry. 1974 2011 There is not a whole lot to look at in either photo...about the only thing that I can appreciate in the 1974 photo is that it shows just how intricate the bushes were around the fountain. Where I would rather be standing today is easy. In my opinion there is no contest between 1974 & 2011...1974 not only has nicer landscaping at the foot of the fountain...it doesn’t have any flagpoles blocking the fountains view. I am not un-patriotic...I just liked the unobstructed view of the fountain better. (I wish the park would have put the a single larger U.S. flag at the head of the fountain instead.) I am guessing that there are several KIC’ers who will choose to be back in 1974 if only because there isn’t a Keyhole Photo booth in the shot! P.S. Thanks to all of the responses that I received over the last few days...and once again, again...thanks to Hendrick for continuing to give ME something to look forward to daily!

Ride 5-3 on either side and The Racer still has the most airtime then any coaster in the park. Iv'e been saying for a while that if The Racer was touched up in terms of paint and aesthetics, the ride would feel new again. If I could point out one ride that needs more love and attention it would definitely be The Racer. I just hope Kings Island will also see that the ride is worth too much to the park to leave it chipping away because the state it is in right now is down right pathetic.

Wow, I never get tired of that video. Yes, I'll chime in. I think a lot of the old beauty of KI has been lost, although I still think it's a beautiful park.

I hadn't thought of that. I would love to see these…I have only seen one far-a-way shot of the Festhaus construction. I also appreciate that you took time to sign in to post your thoughts! I wish I could say that I had a shot coming up of the inside of the tunnel…but I don’t. I agree it seemed magical when I was a kid. I remember walking through it at night…as cool as it was in the daytime…at night it seemed so peaceful. 1974 Anyone who looked down upon the fountain from the tower in 1974 just HAD to have been impressed. Looking down at the fountain is still great...but seeing these sculpted bushes from up there just HAD to have been awe-inspiring! (Sidenote, look at the skyride cars down there!) 2011 Where would I rather be standing today? Shockingly, at least to me, I choose 2011! Why, because even though the 1974 shot looks amazing from the tower...when I am down on “street level” I can’t imagine not having all of those trees all around. Sitting next to the 1974 fountain in the summer would be about as much fun as it is roasting by the wave pool in Boomerang Bay. I love sitting underneath the trees just watching the fountain. Thanks again, again for all the comments...and once again to Hendrick for the great work!

Chase...nice hearing from you! The start of a new week! Today’s photo is the one that you could see in the “working photo” in my very first post of this thread. (In hindsight I probably should have started out with this one. ) 1974 VERY nice landscaping! 2011 This photo was pretty easy to duplicate…and it is VERY close to being exact. While taking these photos I learned something that I hadn’t thought of before…but makes sense…it appears that when the park remodeled an area, they tried to not have to move things that were underground if they didn’t have to. (Things like power & water lines.) In this shot, even though the “pillars” on the corner of the building almost line up perfectly in both shots, the lamp post is not quite in the same location. I wonder if they moved it a little or if I had moved 2 feet towards the fountain if the photo would have been a perfect match? Live and learn! And now the (like you even care) comment about “where I would rather be standing” statement! This one was a tough one for me. I love the landscaping in the 1974 shot…but my family has had at least 6 caricatures drawn at this spot over the years…something that might not have happened if the park hadn’t placed them at that spot. (It just seems to be a good spot there for our family. In our case it seemed to work out that one adult would hang back with the kid who was getting a caricature done…and everyone else would head to Nickelodeon Universe/Planet Snoopy to ride rides…that way not everyone was standing around doing nothing and it was a quick walk to where they were.) SO, I guess, even though I love the landscaping while I am at the park…as I sit and type these I can look up onto the wall at one of the caricatures…which always brings a smile to my face...I will say that I choose to be standing in 2011 today! I’ve skipped saying it for a couple of days so that it doesn’t lose it’s meaning…but it truly does make this all worthwhile when I know exactly who is enjoying these. Thanks for the responses!

Good morning! First off I would like to say I am sorry that yesterday’s photos were so boring. (I should have trusted my gut instinct and just skipped them.) Today’s photo is another one from the former Lion Country Safari. (The person who took this batch of photos must have been impressed with that area. ) 1974 This photo was easy to duplicate. 2 obvious landmarks in this photo still exist, the Eiffel Tower and the Kafe Kilimanjaro Restaurant building. (Which is currently Stunt Crew Grill.) 2011 Here is my working shot if you want to get a feel for where I was standing. And here is a shot of The Stunt Crew Grill if you just wanna compare it to the old Kafe Kilimanjaro. Where would I rather be today? Since I not only love Congo Falls...and hate the thought of those poor little lion cubs stuck on that dinky little island, I will say that 2011 wins for my choice today. (Anyone know if the park brought the cubs in nightly?) Once again, a BIG THANKS to Hendrick’s continuing devotion to making the fades for me/us!

Maybe a Shoot the Rapids. lol