Hello everyone, I hope you had a happy and safe 4th of July. I don’t think it would have worked out any better with the 4th falling on a Saturday as it gives all of us a chance to recover with a lazy Sunday before getting back on the weeklong grind tomorrow. I ended up getting to Jones Beach for their annual fireworks celebration, their first in six years. I really enjoyed the fireworks and there isn’t anything that compares to being on the beach with your girlfriend watching fireworks on the boardwalk.  Unfortunately, however, the fireworks celebration was run terribly.  You would really think that over the six years in which Jones Beach didn’t do the fireworks, they would find a better way to handle the traffic. The fireworks show ended around 10PM & we didn’t get out of the lot  until it was close to midnight.  I understand there was some 100,000 people who attended the fireworks spectacular but 2 hours to get out of the lot is inexcusable. To make matters worse, there was nobody in the lot to offer any sort of assistance. This led to people getting into accidents, fights breaking out and of course people shooting fireworks everywhere you turned. Fireworks were another major problem as there were people setting off fireworks in the middle of the boardwalk and causing a major disturbance for everyone. Sure, setting off fireworks can be fun but they’re incredibly dangerous and there’s no place for that at a family event. It was a real shame for me who grew up on the tradition of the Jones Beach Fireworks and couldn’t wait to give my girlfriend and her kid brother to the experience. If the Jones Beach fireworks are back for good, I hope to see an uptick in security next year and they really need to hire some extra help to control the parking lot crowds. Even if they put people there to guide the cars in order, then you wouldn’t have hundreds of cars trying to get to the exit at the same time.

 – Really interested in seeing the MLB All Star Game Selection Show Tonight if for no other reason than to see how many Kansas City Royals get to start the game for the American League. I am actually pulling for the team to consist only of Royals and Mike Trout like it looked like it was going to be just a few weeks ago. People will complain and some may even whine about how this makes the all star game a joke due to home field advantage in the World Series being on the line here but I have no problem with it. I feel that if you’re ever going to take the voting power away from the fans, they should just put all of the statistically best players as the starters but that’s not as much fun. It isn’t as if the city of Kansas City is the biggest city in the US, every other fan base had an equal chance to send their players so if the Royals fans voted all of their players into the game, then they should be rewarded.

– Last Wednesday night i went back to the Adventureland Amusement Park in Farmingdale, NY for the first time in about a decade. I had grown up going to Adventureland and so it was cool to return there for an impromptu visit. My girlfriend and I brought along three kids including our two year old god daughter and there was plenty for everyone to do. What I like about Adventureland is that despite being a little smaller they’re always trying to find ways to differentiate themselves. The new Turbulance Roller Coaster is like nothing I’ve ever rode before as its a coaster that features spinning cars. Thus, you’re spinning the entire time you’re riding the coaster which is a real blast. Likewise, the Crocodile Run water ride is really unique (and my favorite attraction) as you control your own ride as you stand on a rotating platform while trying to avoid different waterfalls (or going under them intentionally if you’re inclined to get drenched) by controlling your individual pod. Though I really enjoyed the new rides, I was glad to see some of the classic rides like the water flume, the classic Ferris wheel, the ladybug roller coaster and the pirate ship were all still there. Speaking of the pirate ship, I couldn’t believe that after all these years the mermaid on the pirate ship has finally been covered up!

That’s going to do it for me today, I’m on my way currently to New York City to try out the new Hunger Games exhibit in Times Square! Keep your eyes pealed for that but until then feel free to visit Adventureland.us for more information on the theme park!

Editor’s Note: I never did post this yesterday so sorry for the delay.