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« on: November 25, 2018, 07:51:05 AM »
We drove down from Iowa for the weekend and had a great time, but Friday’s weather was our saving grace. We got to the City around 3:00 on Thursday and the line for the Thanksgiving buffet stretched from the Mine/Mill/Ruinion Hall almost to the turnstiles. We waited just about 3 hours to be seated. I probably wouldn’t have, but it’s tradition, so what do you do? After that, though, the crowd was pretty well dispersed and we didn’t really have any issues. The park felt full but not crowded.
Friday was wonderful. The rain kept the crowd away, but it really only rained off and on a bit and we managed to get inside each time it was more than a mist/sprinkle. The temps didn’t bother us at all (48 is a lot nicer than what we’re getting in Iowa in late November), and the rain made the lights even prettier. We were probably at the City from 10:30 or so until 7:00 pm. When we left, the weather had cleared and there was quite a few people coming in, so I’m not sure when that 7000 attendance number was officially reached.
Saturday was bonkers from the word go. We arrived at 9:00 am or so and the line for the $40 after Thanksgiving tickets stretched from the ticket booths all the way back to the stop sign where trams come up from stops 2/3 (I still refer to the stops by letter, which annoys my wife and entertains my kids... “lot C is for Car”). Luckily we had our season passes and we’re able to get right in, but everything was full, if not yet crowded, already. We had to wait in line for literally everything - bathroom, cashiers, food, rides (of course). We ended up taking our time to see what we wanted and then left the City at 2:00. At that point, the cars were at a standstill in both lanes on Indian Point Rd back to the stoplight at 76. I’m interested to hear the official numbers for the weekend.
A few quick notes tag aren’t attendance related:
Time Traveller is awesome. Very smooth and the rotating didn’t bother me at all.
As everyone else is saying, FM and FITH *really* need work. It’s sad to see them in such a state.
For the first time EVER (I’ve been going to the City for 32 years), the lights didn’t work for Grandpa’s story (on Friday). Not sure if the rain caused issues, but about half of the lights were stuck on and none of them ran through the sequence.
Christmas in Midtown, to me, is just too much (this was my first time seeing it in person). I’m not a fan of the “sheets” of LED lights and false second stories. I MUCH prefer the traditional outlining of buildings, doorways, etc. My 12 year old agreed.
As mentioned, the City really needs to do *something* to address crowds. I just worry that we’ll lose the atmosphere that makes SDC special.
Thanks for listening.
Tom
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