Kennywood excitement
Much anticipated by me on a day at Pittsburgh's beloved amusement park Kennywood is this view from the Olde Kennywood Railroad of the Edgar Thompson Works on the other side of the river.
I guess it's a combination of my industrial background and my interest in Pennsylvania history that make me lean over the train car side to snap a picture of this steel mill.
The small train travels along a ridge high above the Monongahela River, with this steel mill directly across the waterway. This steel plant has been in existence since the 1870s. It is still in operation today. Its history includes the Homestead Strike, the creation of US Steel, and the introduction of the Bessemer process to the United States. Manufacturing and history--what more could you want at the amusement park?
Oh yes...
After the jump, additional photos from Kennywood with more conventional excitement.
Kennywood is known for its old rides, like the Whippersnapper, built in 1921 as a smaller version of the older and still popular Whip.
Most of the day we were in various stages of wet/damp/drying because two of Myles' favorite rides include water. If after riding the Pittsburg Plunge (yes, without the 'h') one isn't quite soaking wet, it's possible to stand on the walkway next to the ride and get hit by the splash the boat makes at the end of the 50-foot drop.
The park is also known for the roller coasters, once my favorite rides of all. This year I had to pass again on riding. Someday at least one of my kids will be tall enough AND not terrified so that I may be back in the restaints again.
My nephew, now a thirteen-year-old afficianado of thrill rides, spent a great deal of his day being swung high above the park grounds. Fortunately, my stepdaughter was there to ride these with him. On the Aero 360, they were swung around to upside-down.
And then on Kennywood's newest ride, The Black Widow, they rode a giant spinning pendulum.
I am really unable to describe this ride accurately, so below are Kennywood's official words. Oddly, only twenty years ago this would have enticed me to ride it. Reading it only after we were at the park earlier this week, I am still happy that I did not get on.
I guess it's a combination of my industrial background and my interest in Pennsylvania history that make me lean over the train car side to snap a picture of this steel mill.
The small train travels along a ridge high above the Monongahela River, with this steel mill directly across the waterway. This steel plant has been in existence since the 1870s. It is still in operation today. Its history includes the Homestead Strike, the creation of US Steel, and the introduction of the Bessemer process to the United States. Manufacturing and history--what more could you want at the amusement park?
Oh yes...
After the jump, additional photos from Kennywood with more conventional excitement.
Kennywood is known for its old rides, like the Whippersnapper, built in 1921 as a smaller version of the older and still popular Whip.
Most of the day we were in various stages of wet/damp/drying because two of Myles' favorite rides include water. If after riding the Pittsburg Plunge (yes, without the 'h') one isn't quite soaking wet, it's possible to stand on the walkway next to the ride and get hit by the splash the boat makes at the end of the 50-foot drop.
The park is also known for the roller coasters, once my favorite rides of all. This year I had to pass again on riding. Someday at least one of my kids will be tall enough AND not terrified so that I may be back in the restaints again.
My nephew, now a thirteen-year-old afficianado of thrill rides, spent a great deal of his day being swung high above the park grounds. Fortunately, my stepdaughter was there to ride these with him. On the Aero 360, they were swung around to upside-down.
And then on Kennywood's newest ride, The Black Widow, they rode a giant spinning pendulum.
I am really unable to describe this ride accurately, so below are Kennywood's official words. Oddly, only twenty years ago this would have enticed me to ride it. Reading it only after we were at the park earlier this week, I am still happy that I did not get on.
The Black Widow experience starts with riders sitting in outward-facing suspended seats that form a giant circle with a total of 40 riders. With legs dangling freely, each rider is secured with a shoulder restraint. Then the thrill begins.For many, I'm sure, a day at Kennywood begins and ends at the Merry-Go-Round. Built in 1927 and equipped with a 1915 Wurlitzer Military Band, it is a treasure.
The giant circle begins to swing in a pendulum motion while rotating counterclockwise. At the peak of the swing riders will reach a height of 146 feet above the ground and experience that feeling of weightlessness coveted by thrill seekers.
The counterclockwise rotation and pendulum motion creates a variety of different sensations depending on a rider’s specific position. The combination of both elements results in a unique ride experience every time!
Black Widow will stand at 90 feet tall but will reach a height of 146 feet in full swing with an angle of 120 degrees from the center. The pendulum motion propels riders back and forth at 68 miles per hour.
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