Originally Posted By Dabob2 <Magic Pagoda was a really weird attraction. Like a funhouse, but with not much going one.> Exactly how I remember it, Jim. Vague memories of Buddha, glass, and not much else going on. But at least they tried.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: The greatest fear my sisters and I have in regard to Magic Mountain closing is where the 'gang bangers' and 'unruly teens' will end up without another theme park to baby sit them. ORWEN: Oooooh! I shudder to think they'd all end up at the Happiest Place on Earth!! ORGOCH: Well, if'n they DOES end up at Dizzyland, they all better know how ta frog hunt er else they'll answer ta ME!! ORDDU: In other words, the frog population at Disneyland will suddenly increase by the cart loads...
Originally Posted By indysoarin19 "Not that this is the complete reason, but I believe Rapid Transit can deposit riders at Magic Mountain but cannot at Cedar Point. That might be one cause of the "gang bangers" or kids that hang out there." Santa Clarita Transit, the local rapid transit I use, does serve MM, but "gang bangers" haven't used it the times I've headed there. Cedar Point can't because of the causeway that connects the park to the mainland. As some have said in previous posts, a crucial problem is management. If a park with 17 coasters has a bunch of teenagers in management positions, problems will ensue. Another crucial problem is customer satisfaction. If major coasters like Batman, Goliath, and Riddler are running only 1 train when they are designed for 3, people will complain.
Originally Posted By Nobody And now, back to The List. Any list that includes Japanese Village and Deer Park would have to include Enchanted Village as well, wouldn't it? To add to the upcoming extinctions, I heard that The Balboa Fun Zone was planning on selling it's few attractions. They are making room for the Nautical Museum that currently resides in the old Reuben E. Lee paddle-wheel boat restaurant.
Originally Posted By oc_dean I just discovered this little discussion on the Magic Pagoda...... <a href="http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==2852" target="_blank">http://www.roadsideamerica.com /tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==2852</a> What's just so interesting to me ... All of Magic Mountain that I remember from the 70s .. all had these outdoor "metal" rides. And at the top is this, lone, fully enclosed attraction. I seem to remember water channels on at least one side of the walk path ... and I think I remember fog effects. I beleived the Magic Pagoda lasted well into the mid 80s. Considering Magic Mountain opened in 1971 .. It lasted a while.
Originally Posted By berol When I was there, they had a few attractions on top of the hill: Funicular, Dragon, Pagoda, the tower, whatever they called the skyway, Japanese Garden... Ok, so they really had 1. A channel cut thru Pagoda for Chinatown and you crossed it twice, lots of neon and wash hanging on lines and stuff I barely remember. A webpage says they open it for the Halloween stuff, but I didn't see it open a couple years ago.
Originally Posted By Autopia Deb I was just there yesterday. While in line for Log Jammer I got a little misty over the Magic Mountain of my youth. Of course the line was filled with reasonably well behaved teens which reminded me of the trips I'd taken with my friends as a teen. It made me sad to think the park wouldn't be around for my son and his friends when they are old enough for a solo trip.
Originally Posted By deadmentellnotales From what you were saying earlier, maybe the Devil could buy it since it's hotter than H E double hockey sticks
Originally Posted By bean Anyone remember the other amusement park that used to be on the north side of the 60 fwy next to monteray park and Montebello? It was all hawian themed. It closed down because of fire hazards. It used to be just west of Paramount blvd near where the cemetery is now.
Originally Posted By dresswhites i must say when i went with fellow cms to Magic Mountain, I was prepared to absoulutely hate it. I was slightly suprised though by kind of liking it. Yes it was ghetto and dirty, and I wouldn't go on half the ride even i was paid. It was till kind of fun. Maybe because it is the exactly the opposite of what makes Disneyland so special. I really liked the Ninja ride. It was alot of fun In a lot of ways i found Magic Mountain to alot better than Knotts Berry Farm. I thought knotts was really ghetto. this all said, I think Disney would be pretty silly to buy Magic Mountain. It is not anywhere near the Anaheim property so it would be hard to sell as a package. I enjoyed Six Flags, though if it torn down for houses and things I am not going to be sentimal or sad.
Originally Posted By believe >>>Anyone remember the other amusement park that used to be on the north side of the 60 fwy next to monteray park and Montebello? It was all hawian themed.<<< Tahitian [Gardens?] on Potrero Grande. I never actually went there, but I think it was more of a hawaiian themed restaurant rather then an amusement park - kind of like Tahitian Terrace at DL.
Originally Posted By believe >>>Anyone remember the other amusement park that used to be on the north side of the 60 fwy next to monteray park and Montebello? It was all hawian themed.<<< I found this <a href="http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/location.cgi?loc_id=302" target="_blank">http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin /location.cgi?loc_id=302</a> The Tikis was a massive entertainment complex, elaborately landscaped with tikis and volcanos, and featuring a polynesian show. The Tikis could accomodate groups up to 1,500, and was able to entertain up to 3,000 people in one night. In the late 60s, owner Danny Balsz divorced his wife, Doris Samson, and The Tikis closed. Balsz attempted to recreate The Tikis in nearly Lake Elsinore, but he was never able to reopen.
Originally Posted By Hans Reinhardt I'm probably jumping ahead here, but I wouldn't be too surprised if Universal (or its parent GE) sold off its park operations in the US. Attendance in both California and Florida has been dismal, and management has been cutting back on expenses to keep profits up. Have any of you seen this: <a href="http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/hollywood/website/vi_freeshuttle.html" target="_blank">http://themeparks.universalstu dios.com/hollywood/website/vi_freeshuttle.html</a> Smacks of desperation to me.
Originally Posted By Westsider I'll be sad to see Magic Mountain close. But not because I enjoy going there. Rather, because Magic Mountain and its employees make Disneyland and its CM's look so much better in comparison. Last time I went to Magic Mountain, about two years ago, with a group of fellow CM's, we almost wet our pants laughing because the park was so horrible and the employees there were so abysmal at their assigned tasks and duties. It was as if they were purposely trying to do a bad job, and the park management was purposely trying to run the entire facility into the ground. And this was a few years ago, when Disneyland was still saddled in a haze of neglect and quiet decay left over from the Pressler/Harris era. The Magic Mountain queues were filled with trash and tagged with graffiti and gum, and the planters had old chicken bones and food debris piled up in them all crawling with ants and roaches. Disneyland sweeps their queues every hour or two, and hoses down and pressure washes the entire park every night. Magic Mountain looked like the cleaning crew had been on strike for months and no one had thought to pick the trash out of the planters and the corners of the queues. Magic Mountain has slid so low, and brought new meaning to the term "dirty, unsafe amusement park" that no company with half a brain would ever try to take it over and fix it up. It's just gone too far, and slipped too low for anyone to ever save. It will be sad to see Magic Mountain go away, as will invariably happen in the next 18 months, because it makes Disneyland look even better by comparison. Magic Mountain is the anti-Disneyland.
Originally Posted By oc_dean So if it's all gloom & doom for Magic Mountain ... what would be the approximate date it would close?
Originally Posted By TP2000 By the looks of the Six Flags corporate finances, and the huge Billion Dollar debt load they have coming due by the end of the summer, the sooner they sell off that property to the highest bidder the better. This could easily be the last summer for Magic Mountain. Sometimes these things happen quickly.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORWEN: Hmmmm....us Cauldron girls were actually thinking of flying our broomsticks out to Magic Mountain in early September of this year--for one last peek at the place. Hope we make it before they close it down.
Originally Posted By Jim in Merced CA A BILLION dollars is a lot of Season Passes -- even if you distribute it over 6 parks.
