Thursday, June 29, 2006

Close Six Flags Magic Mountain!


We live near a theme park called Magic Mountain - Six Flags owns it so the place literally looks like Tijuana on the inside. The whole place smells like stale *something* and the walkways are so sticky you need to pack extra shoes just in case the soles rip off, and I haven't even begun to explain the type of crowd that goes there - basically rowdy wanna-be L.A. valley gangsters (and real ones too). I'm not sure what Six Flags was thinking when they deliberately took all the family stuff out (or left it to deteriorate) and installed Teen-Themed Thrill coasters (Slap black paint on the coaster call it "Batman"--that's "themed"?). Basically, the whole amusement park is an eyesore in the "family" community and nobody really talks about it (Sort of like admitting to watching 90210 in the early 90's - everybody saw it, but didn't talk about it). Unless, of course, you're talking about or visit the adjacent water park, "Hurricane Harbor", which somehow has remained nice as gangsters are afraid step foot in the water (I don't know - maybe the guns and crack pipes aren't waterproof?) so lots of families go there.

Just this week (or last?) Six Flags has decided it's putting the place up for sale...why? It's a big money loser. Duh? , Teens and gangsters don't spend as much money as families do? (Disneyland and Universal don’t do badly off families) They're spending it all on spinners for their "Escalades" or "Scions". So now there's talk about a developers razing the place to build more McMansions (there are allot nearby). The property is worth WAY more than any raunchy theme park any day.
I'm all for it for a few reasons -- the place is so bad not even Mickey Mouse, Shamu, and Bugs Bunny together as a "fellowship" can't save it. They would need to burn the place down (Chicago-mafia style) and start again. And those McMansions really bring up the property value way more than the current theme park does.

But I do hope they keep the water park Hurricane Harbor.

*Update*

LA Times did a story Sunday with the header "Close Magic Mountain? Residents Aren't Thrilled". I'm not sure who they're cherry picking, but all my neighbors and people I work with who live in the same area all want that place shut down.
I think the only think I might agree with is opening some business park or offices in place of homes (near a larger Hurricane Harbor water park of course.)

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I read that article too. Seems like media is playing their old trick at Six Flags Magic Mountain