silver2005's trip report thread

[silver2005]

I've been around coaster sites a while and for me, its easier for me to compile all my trip reports into one topic so I don't lose track of them. Along with park trip reports, I also like to do reports on the trips I do with the UC Band for bowls and tournament trips.

I do have a few things to start out with. This year I have 3 other park visits planned outside of Kings Island; being Cedar Point, Michigan's Adventure, and Holiday World (the later 2 being my first time visiting). Though I've been to Cedar Point many times, I do want to leave the option to eat outside the park for this particular trip, which I've never done before.

A few things on that. First, if I leave the park at Cedar Point including the parking lot, what is the procedure for re-entering the parking lot? Also, what are the best places to eat outside the park?

For Michigan's Adventure and Holiday World, I just need general advice. In particular, a good day plan for both (I'll be going on weekdays for each), best places to eat in the park, and any hidden gems that need pointing out (I like to do more than just the coasters, I am a flat ride fan). I will be going to Holiday World for 2 days so I can take in as much of Splashin' Safari as I can. For food advice, it's mostly the lighter food I need advice on where to find (I know that's a stretch for amusement parks, just general light food is fine). Any advice on riding their respective coasters would be helpful as well.

Thanks and I hope to have a trip report soon!

[TheBEASTunchained]

As far as good coasters go, Try riding the wooden roller coaster, Shivering Timbers at Michigan's Adventure, or even the serial thriller of an SLC coaster called ThunderHawk.

[jcgoble3]

To beat the lines at Holiday World, hit the waterpark first thing in the morning when it opens before the big crowds get in there later in the afternoon. Then around 12:30 or 1:00, as the general public migrates to the waterpark, you can head back to the dry side and enjoy short lines for the coasters during the hottest part of the day.

The waterpark has a lot of stuff to do; since you're going there for two days, make use of that and don't think you have to ride everything on the first day. Save some of the slides for the second day.

With regard to flat rides, Liberty Launch is IMO the best one at HW. Don't miss it.

[PhantomTheater]

To answer your CP questions If you have a pass, they will rescan it for reentry in to the lot. If you paid, you get one reentry with your ticket. However in both cases, get your inside right wrist stamped for reentry into the park it self. My suggestions for food are LEMmy's at Rye beach and Cleveland (US 6) in Huron, they have delicious burgers at low prices. Berardi's in Huron for there fries, which are the original CP recipe from 1978 and before. Lee's chicken on Milan (US 250), which I find better then KFC. For Ice cream I would go to Pied Piper in Huron or the Toft's parlor in Sandusky. Finally, I find both Thirsty Pony and Chet and Matts over rated.

[silver2005]

TR June 25th, 2013

This was more of a fun day at the park. It was pretty hot and muggy today, so I took my time and had fun with things. I'll let my ride list speak for itself

Racer

Vortex

Beast

Diamondback

Eiffel Tower

Congo Falls

Flight Deck

Drop Tower

Delirium

Adventure Express

Zephyr

Dodgems

White Water Canyon

Backlot Stunt Coaster

I tried to sneak some of the Coney Mall flats in there as I needed a break from thrill rides and lines were pretty short save for White Water Canyon and Flight of Fear's atrocious line. Most rides were either walk on or per normal for a Tuesday in June. However, the air started to feel really warm and muggy after lunch, which combined with some of the more intense rides, did a number on me. I didn't get sick or anything, but after I got off of Backlot, I was drained. I probably should have looked at going to Soak City today. Overall though, it was a fun day and nice to have a spin on some of the Coney Mall flat rides I usually neglect to ride. I also took a break after WWC and spent $4 in quarters blasting people with water cannons, which is always a fun diversion.

There are a few rides to note though. Beast had a bit of a temper today with the heat and all the faster turns were a bit uncomfortable. Diamondback on the other hand ran absolutely great today. Rode in 3-2 today and the floater air was out of this world.

There was also some digging going on at the base of Vortex's lift as well. Don't know what that was all about.

[silver2005]

I think I may be going on October 4th as its the only good day I have to get to the park before the off-season. Planning on getting there at opening and just making a few last rounds on bigger rides. I'm not one that's a fan of the Haunt or Halloween altogether, so no Haunt mazes and the like for me. I've also made it a tradition to eat at the Kings Mills Skyline before for my last visit. Also might try and get some dusk construction shots of Banshee.

[silver2005]

Have a bit of a running itinerary for my upcoming Belk Bowl trip with the UC band. Leaving at 10:30 on the 26th to get there at a decent time. Should be about a 10-11 hour bus ride not counting pit stops. A few battle of the bands with UNC's band are thrown in plus a big pep rally the night before. Should be a pretty short and sweet trip of sorts.

[silver2005]

Just got back from the Belk Bowl trip. Sure, UC did get throttled by UNC, but I had a blast regardless. PTR to come tomorrow.

[silver2005]

So here's my Belk Bowl PTR.

The trip began on the 26th of December. It was a bit different than the year before, whereas last year we had to leave at about 2 am so we could do some performances straight off the bus. This year, we had an extra day (last year it was on the 27th, this year on the 28th), so we had that extra night to sleep before a rather busy day on the 27th. There was a minor short coming as the last 2 buses (one of which I was on) fell back too far from the first 3, and thus we took a wrong turn and spent an extra 40 minutes cruising through South Carolina before we turned around back towards Charlotte. We stayed at the Omni Hotel. We also had $50 in spending money provided by the bowl. We initially had more, but we used it to stay the extra night so we didn't have to go straight back to Cincy after the game, which was the original plan.

On the 27th, we had an early morning rehearsal at 9 am. A local HS, which was also where the team practiced, was where we went, and they even had the right hash marks on (there are 3 different sets, HS, NCAA and pro, the HS had the NCAA marks while the stadium had NCAA and pro marks, they are vital to making the pictures you see bands make). In any case, the sun glare was so fierce that it was hard to see the marks at all. After a 3 hour break for lunch back at the hotel, we did a little battle of the band contest with the University of North Carolina Band. I have to say, I liked their style. A very southern-y style band, and though a little top heavy (more higher pitched instruments for sure), they sure had a lot of energy and they had a heck of a trumpet who was just wailing away. There wasn't a winner declared, but it was just nice to see another college band perform.

We then had dinner and I was in a special 50 piece band that performed for the special pep rally they had that night at a plaza area called the EpiCenter. They even had a bar for UC fans selling Skyline coneys and 3-4 ways. It was a pretty intense rally too. We traded songs again with a small group from UNC's band. Unlike last year where we outnumbered Duke's fans, UNC definitely had more presence than the Cincy crowd. Probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. Found a great NY style pizza place for dinner that night as well.

Now onto game day on the 28th. Got a noon start after a boxed lunch at 11 am. We hardly used the buses other than the rehersal as everything was within walking distance, so we mostly walked everywhere, including to battle of the bands which was by the NASCAR HoF and Bank of America Stadium, also the home of the Carolina Panthers. Got to the stadium at about 1 pm so we could get situated and prep for pre-game.

Also got a few shots of the team. (might be a tad blurry, the net made focusing a bit tough).

So...the game...where do I begin?

Both the O-line and D-line let UNC run through them all night. 2 big plays let up by the special teams, a botched kick return and a UNC run back for a TD, really hampered us early. They had momentum from the get go and never let up. Final score Tar Heels 36, Bearcats 17. After the game, we walked back to the hotel and I went out for a few drinks with friends as well as a nice steak dinner. I usually try to have at least one nice dinner at each of the bowls, and I saved this nice meal for the end. We left at 10 the next morning and arrived back in Clifton a little after 7:45 pm. Overall a pretty decent trip.

Also, I have news that the UC band will be at the Bengals play off game this Sunday vs the Chargers! I'll post that part in the marching band thread as its not much of a trip.

[The Interpreter]

Thanks for sharing with us. I truly enjoy reading these band reports. I was on the speech/debate team in high school, and we certainly had our moments, but nothing like this!

[silver2005]

Since Cincinnati State decided it'd be a good idea not to have a Spring Break since switching to semesters, I will be signing up to go on one of the tournament trips (either the AAC tournament or, likely, the NCAA tournament) come March and adding in one of my own. Seriously, I needed ALL of Thanksgiving Break in the fall, I don't get why C-State didn't put in a spring break (UC gets one BTW). I'll likely be doing a PTR. I have no guarentees as, obviously, a lot of people in band want to do this.

Other than that, I hope to be posting a KI trip report come mid-May or so. Gonna wait until a Friday in the middle of May so there are less crowds for my first venture on Banshee.

[Diamondback FOF]

Are you a Cincinnati State, and not UC, student...?

[silver2005]

I'm currently at Cincinnati State, but am a member of the Bearcat Bands up at UC (there are several colleges including NKU and Thomas Moore that allow that). I will be going to UC in fall of 2014 though. It's a very long story why I've been at Cincy State.

[Diamondback FOF]

Gotcha. Go Cats!

[The Interpreter]

And on that we can agree.

Terp, who sees blue.

[silver2005]

Maybe the basketball gods will smile and set up a Bearcats/UK Wildcats match up.

[silver2005]

So as I said in the NCAA basketball thread, I will be with the band that goes with the Bearcats for their NCAA Tournament run. I've sorted things out with my professors at Cincy State that I will be able to do the first weekend as well as the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 round should UC make it that far. Obviously won't know where we'll go or the opponent(s) until Selection Sunday. I will be posting a trip report with photos, all from a band's perspective during games.

Here is a link to the tournament trip locations.

The NCAA range for flights is 400 miles, which all of the second/third round games are beyond that range.

[silver2005]

I'm glad I don't fly a lot, I'd hate having to sort through these TSA regulations all the time. At least NCAA trips are charter flights so I don't have to waltz through normal airport security (which is nice). The last few trips we flew out of Lunken (once in a 737, we needed the entire runway to take off and land).

Right now, doing some initial research on each possible city. I may be asking for pointers since I get the feeling that most of you have been around more than me (especially because I've never been to any of the cities on the list). We'll find out more come 7 pm tomorrow. I could really, really use a bit of time away, March has been dreadful for me.

[Kat]

I graduated from Cincinnati State in 09 when they were still on "terms" and they didn't do spring break then either. You would get a week or so off between terms but it never ever lined up with anyone else's spring breaks so you could forget hanging out with them. Christmas break you were off the 23rd through the 1st and on the 2nd you went back. So no real Christmas break, either. It's a good school and cheap way to get an Associate's degree or certificate of training but no real breaks suck. They had been talking of following UC'S schedule if they went to semesters to make it easy for students since a lot of them continue on to UC after graduating at C State but clearly they didn't...

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

[silver2005]

Well, I'm only at Cincinnati State through the end of this semester. I transferred from UC as I had a lot of medical issues (which I may go into that here, but at another time, its a LONG story) interfere with my studies to the point where UC had to take time to clear my grades as I'm a fairly unique case, not to mention a LOT of red tape to go through. During that time, starting last year, I wanted to keep up my studies and switched to Cincinnati State to accomplish that end. I just got things cleared at UC over this past winter break, but I wanted to get a fresh start in the fall, so that's how that ended up (I'm at a point where I have the luxury to be patient about things). I can't stay at CS anyhow as I'm majoring in psychology (which CS doesn't offer). Despite all the crap that goes on in Clifton like the crime and so forth, I'm very happy being up there. I'm really excited about how the area is growing off of campus, like along Calhoun/McMillan Streets. Of course, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I've been able to remain a member of the UC band during all this crazy stuff which has been invaluable in helping me get back on my feet from the medical stuff.

[silver2005]

So yeah, UC is going to Spokane, Washington. If by some off chance anyone has been there, I'm open to tips (keep in mind- college students, limited transportation, etc). Weather is looking to be in the mid-40's with lots and lots of rain. As said, I will be posting a trip report with pictures, possibly from the hotel each night. A lot of 'experts' are picking UC to lose, but hey, that's why you play the game, so to speak. I like our chances to at least make it to the round of 32. It'll get interesting from there.

LET'S GO BEARCATS!!!

[silver2005]

Leaving at 7:30 today! WOOT!

[silver2005]

Just landed safely in Spokane (which I've heard about 3 different pronunciations, I believe its Spo-Can, not Spo-Cane). We're at a hotel called the Double Tree by Hilton. A 4 star-ish hotel. Got $90 in allotment money, which is a tad low as it used to be $45 a day, but I'm told the pricing for food and such is fair. Got 2 days to kill before game time on Thursday. As I'm told, we leave on the day we lose or finish, so if we lose Thursday, we leave Thursday. After that 4 hour flight, I'm dreading the jet-lag coming back. My body doesn't like long flights. Might check out a distillery. We also were invited by Harvard's band to have dinner with them, which we're taking them up on.

As for transportation, we took a chartered 737 out of CVG. There was an AWESOME full moon at our back, the clouds illuminated at night looked spectacular!

EDIT: I do apologize for quadruple posting.

[jcgoble3]

Have fun!

jcgoble3, saving silver2005 from quintuple posting

[silver2005]

thedevariouseffect might be happy to know we're playing a gig at Fairchild AFB tomorrow morning, apparently with a small tour as well.

To alleviate multi-posting, I'll do one big edited post until someone replies.

[rcwizard13]

I believe that in this thread it would be acceptable for you to double, triple, or quadruple post. That way all we have to do is see an unread post to check this thread rather than continuously checking and only perhaps being greeted with an edit.

[LoraX]

I double posted, quadruple etc on my own trip reports.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jcgoble3]

I believe that in this thread it would be acceptable for you to double, triple, or quadruple post. That way all we have to do is see an unread post to check this thread rather than continuously checking and only perhaps being greeted with an edit.

Agreed. When it's been long enough since your last post that many people will have already read it and thus marked it as read, there's no real issue with double-posting. Otherwise those who have already read it are likely to miss the new information.

[silver2005]

Thanks for clearing that up. I just wanted to double check.

EDIT: So here's my day 1 report from Spokane.

Had an early morning meeting before setting off. Not much to it as Tuesday was uneventful in terms of performing. We did learn we have a gig Wednesday morning at Fairchild AFB, with a possible tour in there. We'll see how that goes. So we split up and my group found a French-esque diner a few blocks from the hotel. It's likely to be our go-to breakfast spot as there isn't much to choose from within a reasonable walking distance.

Afterwards, we just walked around aimlessly for the most part. We checked out the Spokane River with a few water falls and we partook in some shenanigans along the banks. Then we headed back into town and hopped around between shops, 2 of which we spent a few hours in looking at some rather interesting books. About 4 pm, we headed back to hotel and grabbed a bite at a local Chili's. A lot of us were still tired from the flight, so we decided to call it a day. I didn't get any pictures due to that fact as well, making sure to take it tomorrow though. Gotta be up at 9 tomorrow for the gig. Probably an early report time Thursday as its a 11:20 tip off, but we are within walking distance of the arena (known as Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, capacity 14,000). Saw a few fans from other teams, including Harvard and Michigan State. The Oklahoma team/band/fan buses pulled into our hotel as we came back.

[silver2005]

Just got back from the AFB gig. gobearcats.com already has the photo gallery up from the trip.

http://www.gobearcats.com/view.gal?id=157594

We got to tour a bit of Fairchild AFB, including an up close look at a KC-135. We got a pizza buffet for lunch and played for AF service members as well as the elementary school on the base who were observing one of their own with bone marrow problems. I have to admit, this trip has a bit of a Blues Brothers' 'mission from God' type vibes to it. Its been a very interesting and rewarding trip.

Gotta be up by 8:45 to head to the arena.