Erie, PA: A Priceless City in an Otherwise Bland State

***Jessica: If you read this post, I apologize in advance for completely tearing apart your hometown. I'm sure Erie is a wonderful place. If you are ever in Euclid, feel free to make fun of it all you want.***

***Those of you from Cincinnati: I don't apologize***

The title is somewhat misleading, and by somewhat I mean completely misleading. Erie may very well be a great place, but I did not get a full experience. I've only been there twice for their local attractions; Waldameer Park and Splash Lagoon. I went to Waldameer yesterday, and judging by the crowd in attendance, Erie can be none other than a high class town (Two words come to mind when I think of Erie: mohawks galore!).

We were a little hesitant about taking the trip since there was a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon (I went with my two brothers and one of my sisters). We go anyway, hoping for the best. Sure enough, as soon as we enter the great state of Pennsylvania, it starts POURING! I begin to get depressed knowing I just drove an hour and a half to the middle of nowhere and probably won't be able to ride anything. What a comforting welcome to a new state. Fortunately for us, mother nature was just messing with us and clear skies appeared as soon as we arrived.

Waldameer Park is a relatively small park, but is surprisingly fun. It is home to one of the best wooden coasters in the world: The Ravine Flyer II. This coaster and the Georgia Cyclone at Six Flags Over Georgia have changed my perspective on wooden roller coasters forever. Being a frequenter to Cedar Point, I have not experienced any good wooden rides. But now that I am expanding on my roller coaster knowledge, I'm slowly being won over by the wood.

On top of the Ravine Flyer II, other fantastic attractions include the X-Scream (a free-fallin drop tower), the Screaming Dragon (a roller coaster where the seat spins in circles while you ride), the Wacky Shack (a semi-haunted house), and the Seadragon (a giant swinging dragon, similar to the Ocean Motion at Cedar Point).

While waiting in line for lunch, I had a conversation with a man who was having a downer day at the park. Why so? He ran out of snuff halfway through the day and was just itching to get his hands on some more! I felt sorry for the man, but since I'm not into chewing tobacco, could not help him out in any way. After that convo, I knew there was no way this day could go wrong. To make it even better, he was wearing Crocs with socks! I was in heaven. Waldameer Park, on top of being incredibly fun, is ripe for blogging!

You should also know that I braved their Sky Ride, which was twice as frightening as any other one I have ever been on. It was basically a ski lift, with only a thin bar in front of me. I was on edge the entire time, but made it off safely.

So yeah...I won't bore you with every detail about the park, but it was fun. I would recommend it. There are a lot of rides that are sure to impress.

During lunch today at work, a few coworkers just so happened to mention amusement parks they have been to recently. One was talking about how the people are completely different going from Disney World one year to King's Island the next. He said compared to Disney, people at King's Island are incredibly trashy (since it calls Cincinnati as its hometown, I couldn't agree more). This man obviously has never been to Erie, PA. All I can say is, WOW. I thought the Dirty South was bad. I was pleasantly surprised by the locals. After being there, I 100% believe the Civil War only ended because the North was willing to take Erie from South. The South thought Erie was too trashy for them and decided to trade it for an end to slavery. The South totally won out on the deal. The North would be kicking themselves for several years after (I should be a history teacher). I felt like I was in the middle of a trailer park the entire time.

Next park on the agenda is Cedar Point again in August. I already posted about CP earlier this summer, but I'm sure there will be some stories to share, so I'll keep you posted.