Ok, this one is kind of a cop-out. We were supposed to go to the Essex Studio Walk, but a friend asked if we wanted to join her for a late run to Kings Island. And since we are pass-holders, we decided it was a good idea.
We didn't do much but get our first look at the 2011 edition of the park... it's a lot like the 2010 edition, but with a very large tower of a ride that isn't operating yet, and an animatronic dinosaur to greet you just inside the front gate.
Immediately, we headed to Boo Blasters so that Jerry could school us in the art of shooting a laser at a target. First round scores: Jerry - 1410, Gina - 510, Marilee - 420. Jerry made sure to point out that at least he didn't triple my score.
We then made our way through Kiddie Land to Rivertown, just taking in the sights. A quick dinner of Potato Works Fries (did you know that "Rivertown" spelled backwards is "Potato Works Fries"?), and we were off to the Beast. I made sure that we didn't ride over a wheel, but the ride still beat us up pretty well. I swear it's been sped up! And riding in the dark but with the lights in the tunnels on is not awesome!
We made our way through Coney to the Racers - which still both go forward :(
A quick walk through Action Zone made us (me and Marilee) realize that we only really like Drop Tower any more. We're getting so old.
We stopped to ride Der Viking Fury. Jerry chose the seats, and unfortunately, he selected seats directly in front of 3 screaming girls who basically told us once we were seated that we would be annoyed because they were cheerleaders and were gonna scream the entire ride. Also annoying: nobody does the "Tastes Great!"-"Less Filling" shouting match anymore. What is the world coming to?
After exiting the Viking Fury, we strolled through the Emporium, checked out the lighted area behind the Eiffel Tower and decided to end the night with Jerry beating us once more on Boo Blasters.
Except he didn't!
Final Scores of the night:
Jerry - 420
Marilee - 589 (something was wrong with her last digit)
Gina - 710
Take that, husband!!!!!
Next week, we will watch the Reds (hopefully) dominate the Cardinals, and collect Sparky Anderson bronze statues!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Keeping it Local: Demolition Derby
Jerry and I have always said that we want to find ways to incorporate more local activities into our lives. We try to find restaurants that are small local favorites (El Pueblo, anyone?) and participate in activities that are uniquely Cincinnati. It is my hope that I can add a local weekly feature to the blog. I need to get better about actually updating it more often though!
Actually, a few months ago, I applied for a new job (shocking, I know) with the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network. I was even in the process of creating a blog to highlight all of the local things that we do and show my love of this city. That didn't work out so well. Before I had even chosen the design of the blog, I was informed that my resume was not moving forward. No biggie... it was a little bit bigger job than I was probably ready for anyway.
However, as Jerry and I try to invest locally, I thought that it would be a nice addition here as a small segment rather than a dedicated blog.
For a friend's birthday, she invited us to dress up in our hillbilly best - we went for fresh-off-the-farm chic (wish I had taken a pic because Jerry and I were cute!) - and join her to celebrate her birthday by watching automobiles slam into each other. The admission fee was only $10 per person and I think that it was $10 well spent!
The Derby consisted of 3 rounds: Tractors, Mini-Derby, and Full Derby.
The Tractor Competition featured 11 or 12 tractors customized for the event. One was driven by a little guy who appeared to be no more than 10 years old. He lasted a pretty long time, but ultimately came in somewhere around 4th or 5th. The entire Tractor portion might have lasted 10 minutes. The roars from the crowd as tractors flipped over and lost wheels were great! (I don't know why these photos are importing all funky, but here are some photos...)
Final round was the full derby. I think the entire field included 8-10 cars and it looked a little something like this...
Actually, a few months ago, I applied for a new job (shocking, I know) with the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network. I was even in the process of creating a blog to highlight all of the local things that we do and show my love of this city. That didn't work out so well. Before I had even chosen the design of the blog, I was informed that my resume was not moving forward. No biggie... it was a little bit bigger job than I was probably ready for anyway.
However, as Jerry and I try to invest locally, I thought that it would be a nice addition here as a small segment rather than a dedicated blog.
Keeping it Local Adventure #1: Demolition Derby at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds.
For a friend's birthday, she invited us to dress up in our hillbilly best - we went for fresh-off-the-farm chic (wish I had taken a pic because Jerry and I were cute!) - and join her to celebrate her birthday by watching automobiles slam into each other. The admission fee was only $10 per person and I think that it was $10 well spent!
The Derby consisted of 3 rounds: Tractors, Mini-Derby, and Full Derby.
The Tractor Competition featured 11 or 12 tractors customized for the event. One was driven by a little guy who appeared to be no more than 10 years old. He lasted a pretty long time, but ultimately came in somewhere around 4th or 5th. The entire Tractor portion might have lasted 10 minutes. The roars from the crowd as tractors flipped over and lost wheels were great! (I don't know why these photos are importing all funky, but here are some photos...)
After the tractor competition, came the Mini-Derby - 3 smaller cars and a quick competition. Again, the crowd roared as engines smoked and cars were crumpled. I can't remember who won, but I wanna say it was 701.
Final round was the full derby. I think the entire field included 8-10 cars and it looked a little something like this...
 |
| The field as the derby begins. |
 |
| It would appear this guy is missing a tire |
 |
| But if you look closely, his axle snapped (It's now sitting on the hood of the car) |
Post-derby, we headed to Quaker Steak & Lube in Colerain for some wings. I tried the boneless wings with Buffalo Blue Dry Rub. I have to be honest, I didn't really enjoy them. But I did enjoy my mini mason jar full of alcohol. Apparently, I am making a mason jar collection. Jerry opted to use my Joe's Crab Shack jar for his beer yesterday. And he liked it!
Next local adventure possibility..
- Essex Studio Walk (and visit to American Sign Museum)
Next local adventure possibility..
- Essex Studio Walk (and visit to American Sign Museum)
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