Six Flags New England: My Bloated Coaster Con XXXVI Road Trip Report - Part IV

Okay, guys!!!! Coaster Con XXXVI is officially in session!!

Host park Six Flags New England has created non-stop buzz in ACE ever since Superman - Ride of Steel opened in 2000. Superman made SFNE one of the U.S.'s must-see large parks, and 13 years later I've finally answered the call. I was very curious to see what shape this Six Flags flagship park was in (I've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly at Six Flags parks of every size). How does the park & its centerpiece coaster measure up? Let's find out!

After getting lost in the wretched purgatory that is Six Flags New England's parking lot, we found the park's entrance!

Looks like they're ready for us!

The park's entry midway is HUUUGE!!! Probably one of the longest entry walkways I've seen. It really makes a nice threshold for this much-larger-than-I-was-really-anticipating park.

I knew Riverside had really grown as a Six Flags park, but I was blown a way. As I would soon find, the park's main street is directly proportionate to the size of the rest of the park. Compare that to, say, Six Flags Over Georgia, which, while colossal, has an entry midway that's about the size of a Dollar General parking lot.

I REALLY like this park already. :}

I want to be the woman on this sign when I grow up.

For whatever reason, THIS Six Flags park has succeeded where most other Six Flags parks have failed: atmosphere continuity. All of this park's themed areas are well-maintained, vibrant, and completely free of Warner Bros and DC Comics cross-contamination. Batman, Bugs Bunny, and all of their Time Warner friends are strictly relegated to the park's 3 cross-promotion-specific areas. 

Oh God, not this sh*t again. 

You may recall my experience with the Mind Eraser last spring at Elitch Gardens. Seeing all this again gave me a little twinge of PTSD.

Elitch Gardens and Riverside were pups of the same litter back in the 90s. Both parks were snapped up by Premier Parks in 1996, and in 1997 Premier slammed Vekoma SLCs in both of the parks (as well as fellow litter mate Darien Lake). The parks have since parted ways, but evidence of the Premier Parks days are still exceedingly evident. 

There's a certain amount of delusion that comes with preparing for a Vekoma SLC. The delusion wasted no time with us.

Believe it or not, Six Flags New England's Mind Eraser was surprisingly decent! Actually enjoyable in places, unlike its flaming sh*tpile counterpart in Denver.

The side effects of actually enjoying an SLC is the reverse effect of anticipating one. Lost focus and drained colors have given way to superior sharpness and some kind of hemorrhaging of the spectral continuum.

I'm glad you guys enjoyed your ride. I'm sort of freaking out right now.

Oh Jesus. I think I need to go to the hospital.

After a trip to the emergency room, we headed back to the park to ride more coasters! Credit #24 was surprisingly good. What will credit #25 entail?!

LOOK! It's the Caped Crusader!!

*sings Batman theme music*

Ok, boys! Let's get our B&M on!!

We loved Batman: The Ride The Dark Knight! Its strengths are really in its proportions; a small ride calls for tight transitions, sharp curves, etc. It really reminded me of the Batman inverts, but on a floorless. While not Dominator at King's Dominion, I'd actually rank this little guy over Superman: Krypton Coaster and Medusa (west).

WOOOOOOOO! :}

Designated Smoking Sections

Pros: Nicely landscaped, located conveniently around the park.

Cons: The smokers kind of look like an exhibit at the zoo.

Okay guys, enough fooling around. Let's do what we came here to do.

Watch cartoons!

And read the paper!

And ride Superman: Ride of Steel Bizarro!! 

Bizarro has received the Betty seal of approval! It must be a very good ride. 

This is the best hill on the ride. It's a *little* sharper than the 3 before it.

Ok. So. Bizarro is effing amazing. All in all, I rode the ride 16 times during Coaster Con, and after some careful deliberation, I decided that, while exceptional, it does not outdo Phantom's Revenge. It did, however, earn itself a respectable #2 ranking for me.

Credit #26 of my Year of 100 New Coasters AND my 350th coaster. :}

Also in the area is Batman: The Dark Knight Roadrunner Express Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape From Arkham Asylum

and Poison Ivy's Twisted Train Catwoman's Whip.

Bizarro is just frickin' awesome. 

And Déjà Vu Goliath is frickin' closed.

Wanna talk about Déjà Vu? If I had a nickel for every time I saw one of these damn things closed at a Six Flags Park, I'd at least have enough for a gumball by now. In their defense, this time is different. The new trains are a nice gesture for the ride & will probably be worth all the trouble when it's all said and done.

Mr. Six's Pandemonium is open for us, though! Also, it needs a paint job in the worst way.

The park's skyride is neat. It's like bubbles floating around!

Time for an American Classic!

Steve and Tom are ready to ride!

Also, nonchalant nose-wiping or gang sign? You decide.

Cyclone is awesome! It's an intense, quirky ride. 

Credit #27 is also sporting some sexy new topper track on the high turnaround.

Gotta love these maypole supports on old wooden coasters with wide laterals. Classic!

Our catered meals & events were hosted in the park's picnic grove, which is TOTALLY secluded. You would never know that there's a park anywhere nearby.

Our inaugural Coaster Con meal was donkey.

Just kidding! We had fresh lobster and clams!!

Our registration came with Six Flags season passes, and the park set us up with our own season pass processing center! 

Next was after-dinner rides on Thunderbolt, the park's classic 1940 woodie.

Thunderbolt is superb. Easily on par with Kennywood's old woodies, honestly. The ride just runs like butter & it looks stunning (take my word for it for now; I have pictures of it later). Six Flags New England's pair of woodies definitely gives Six Flags Over Georgia's pair of woodies a run for their money! Credit #28!!!

OK! Time for some nighttime fun in the DC Comics Universe!

Bizarro closed to the public 45 minutes early so that we could get a head start on our ERT!

I don't know what's more beautiful: Bizarro, or the sign in front of Bizarro's entrance telling the public to go away. lol :}

I kid you not, this picture is 100% au naturel. It looks like I used the TRON filter on Instagram or something! (totally made that up).

Gotham City Gauntlet: Escape From Arkham Asylum is probably the best coaster name ever. And all for a wild mouse!!

Gauntlet, while a new experience, is not a new credit for me. I rode it during its past life at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom. I know a lot of people count coasters a 2nd time if they move to a new park, but I've never felt compelled to do so. I do, however, count racing/dueling coasters as 2. Everyone's got their own house rules.

Night rides on Bizarro rule. I can't say the same about Phantom because I've never had night rides on it, sadly.

ERT snack: Sour blue razzberry Dippin' Dots with mini gummy bears!

Yeah, we're also going to need more nighttime rides on Thunderbolt!

Looks like we've been here before!

Definitely one of the best entry marquees I've ever seen.

And Michael agrees!

That's just the tip of the iceberg, folks! I just finished talking to the crew working on the next day of Six Flags New England coverage, and it's looking like a 100-picture update! I hope you're ready for an extensive Bizarro & Thunderbolt walk-back tour, a Hurricane Harbor luau, and scads more ERT!!