The Jersey Shore's Bad Luck

Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

Today is to be wary of black cats, avoid shattering mirrors, and to stray away from bad luck.

Speaking of bad luck, the Jersey Shore has once again been struck with an unfortunate event.  Last year the Garden State’s shoreline was attacked by Hurricane Sandy. This horrific super storm tore through beach towns, scattered sand, swallowed homes, and flooded streets. To this day, there people living in disaster sections because of her.

However, New Jersey refused to admit defeat to this powerful hurricane. In a matter of months, campaigns were launched, claiming that we were "stronger than the storm." Boardwalks were rebuilt, businesses were reconstructed, houses were repaired, and hope started to surface along the Jersey Shore.

By summer of 2013, most of the locations hit by Sandy were restored. The Ocean City boardwalk was running and even receiving new rides, the Barnegat docks were able to host their annual 4^th of July fireworks spectacular, and even Long Beach Island’s Fantasy Island was working properly.  As for Seaside Heights and Park, their boardwalk, shops, arcades, and food stands were back and better than ever. However, they were still in the process of replacing rides lost in the super storm.

Beneath the scorching summer sun, the boardwalks thrived greatly. No sooner the summer season was completed did bad luck strike one of the newly constructed tourist attractions.

On September 12^th, 2013 Seaside Heights and Park, New Jersey fell victim to a fire started at the Kohrs ice cream stand.  The blazing wall of flames started at 2:30 pm and was considered a six (now ten) alarm fire. Within hours, the boardwalk from North Ocean Ave to Ocean Terrace was destroyed.

abcnews.com

Famous places like The Sawmill, The Beach Bar, and others were turned to ash. Even the Carousel Arcade which housed a historic merry-go-round didn't survive the destruction. Thankfully, no lives were taken in the ruin of Seaside’s boardwalk and the fire was contained. However, fire fighters and other officials have been injured. So far, no one knows the cause of the flames.

For many, watching the Funtown Pier slowly being consumed by the roaring blazes was heartbreaking. With every rumor of what was being exterminated, my heart sank lower and lower until it reached the soles of my feet.

Last summer Seaside Heights embraced me in its Jersey Shore boards and unveiled fantastic memories.  It was a great privilege to walk this almost endless stretch of beach and boards before the storm and fire.

I remember everything about this place; the scents of deep fried deliciousness, the chime of the carousel, the music tumbling out of stores, and arcades. It was a place that combined the old traditions and appearances with modern day culture.

I have only ventured to Seaside Heights four to five times. I regret not roaming there more as I have done with Long Beach Island and Ocean City. But the times I have visited there I was greeted with a special ambiance that couldn't be found at other locations. Seaside had its own unique flare of the past that seeped through the Kayne West raps and I Mustache You a Question shirts. The present seemed to house the past, like Carousel Arcade – astounding wondering eyes with modern video games while holding a 100 year old carousel.

Through the rebuilding process, the present even seemed to hold the future. On my last trip there, workers were putting up rides like a whale version of the Swashbuckler and a few others. This pier held the future of entertainment and enjoyment. However, no one could foretell the tragedy Seaside would suffer.

While the Seaside I have come to know and love rests in ashes, there is still hope for the burned down boardwalk. Like a phoenix rising from the debris, New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie vows to rebuild Seaside and make it better than it ever was.

How long the second rebuilding of Seaside will take no one knows but it can be estimated in about a year or more. Christie believes that we are more ferocious than the fire and refuses to let Seaside Heights and Park fade away.

                                                                  

A Whole New World

Greetings everyone and welcome to another installation of Disney Magic Monday here at The Magical Mystery Blog.

With time comes change and a desire for something new, improved, and fantastic. Out with the old and in with the new and for Disney, this is no exception. Disney likes to keep up with the changing times to satisfy its massive population. Below are a few renovations you might not know of that show that Disney is magically changing.

           1)      New Fantasyland – this is the biggest renovation which opened on December 6^th, 2012.  This new location dominates the eastern half of the Magic Kingdom and is based on the Disney princesses. Towering over the rest of the park is Beast’s Castle where the Be Our Guest character dining restaurant presides. This castle also serves as a staple to show the Belle section of the New Fantasyland which includes a meet and greet opportunity with her. I find that there are more eateries when it comes to this new Beauty and the Beast section. Along with Be Our Guest, there are two fast food places, and a tavern.

Oh and also Gaston. Cause no one forgets Gaston!

Next to this is Ariel’s area with her new ride, Journey of the Little Mermaid, and her grotto. While there isn’t much of her, I hope there will be more of Ariel in the future. By next year (or 2015 at the latest), the new Snow White Mine Dwarf coaster will be in full operation, and replace the Snow White’s Scary Adventures ride.  It will be located in the heart of the New Fantasyland and be just like Big Thunder Mt. only with ‘It’s Off to Work We Go’ blasting at every twist and turn. 

However, there are traces of New Fantasyland escalating in the original Fantasyland.  Just behind the castle is another area in construction entitled the Princess Fantasy Hall.  By late 2013, this section will be opened up to the public where thousands can meet Disney princesses such as Cinderella, Aurora, Jasmine, and Snow White. The only downside to this new character meet and greet is that they had to tear down Snow White’s Scary Adventures. Towards the end of original Fantasyland, just before Liberty Square, visitors are introduced to another new aspect of New Fantasyland. Looming over the Haunted Mansion in all its royal glory is Rapunzel’s tower. The area below houses restrooms and a comfortable relaxing area for those who have walked throughout the Magic Kingdom.

          2)      Dumbo – believe it or not, this is the one of the most popular rides in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom.  There’s something nostalgic and magical about taking flight on an elephant that children and parents adore. Over the years, this ride has had extremely crowded lines with a usual wait time of 30 – 75 minutes or more (unless you have a Fastpass).  After realizing that having people wait so long for a simple ride, Disney decided to do something about it. In March 2013, the Magic Kingdom opened The Storybook Circus as a part of their new Fantasyland. This particular section features not one but two Dumbo rides, the Barnstormer roller coaster (originally found in Toon Town but they moved it here), a character meet and greet, an indoor playground, and a miniature water play area.

Along with this new area, Disney also created a new way to board the Dumbo ride. As opposed to standing around and waiting for the line to gradually decline, ride operators now hand out pagers. The pagers flash and vibrate when the next ride is ready for boarding. While parents and children wait for the next available seats on Dumbo, they can relax in the large queue room. That’s right, you don’t have to wait under a canopy anymore. Instead you get to hang out in an air conditioned room themed to look like the big top circus from the Dumbo film. The only downside to this new renovation is that they had to eliminate Toon Town just to build it. 

          3)      Downtown Disney – while this renovation has not been completed yet, it is currently happening as we speak. In 2016, Imagineers are hoping to finish the new Downtown Disney or as it will soon be called, Disney Springs. The Downtown Disney we have all come to know and love, will be replaced by a Southern, Spanish atmosphere. The buildings will be redesigned to fit a Southern celebration theme with architecture similar to the Coronado Springs Disney resort.
 

      Disney Springs will also have separated sections, one for the overall marketplace (yes most of the stores will still be there including the Lego Shop and Once Upon a Toy), one for dining, and one for something else. Disney Springs was initially supposed to be the makeover of Pleasure Island but the Imagineers decided to take it a step further. Pleasure Island, I believe will also be a part of the renovation. 

           4)      Big Thunder Mt. Railroad – the ride itself did not receive a renovation. However, the queue line did. Since this is a popular coaster of the Magic Kingdom, the lines tend to be crowded. Sometimes the ride can even boast a 45 minute wait. People, especially children, tend to get antsy waiting in line for so long. In an attempt to remedy this, Disney added an interactive queue line which also added a story to the overall ride itself. Unlike EuroDisney where their Big Thunder Mt. story ties in with Phantom Manor’s, the Walt Disney World Big Thunder Mt. has a story all its own. Big Thunder Mt. was once a mining company owned by billionaire, Barnabas T. Bullion.

In his spare time, Mr. Bullion tried to make bouillon cubes out of bullion gold.  

       
As you make your way towards the ride, you venture through Barnabas’ office, tour through an explosives magazine room, and even get to help some of the miners out with their duties. You get to take part in mining activity by setting off some dynamite and even watching miners mine for gold through a subterrascope. This renovated line was completed this year and is in full operation.

          5)      Test Track – as mentioned in last week’s Disney Magic Monday entry, Test Track is a popular ride at EPCOT. On December 6^th, 2012 this Chevrolet sponsored ride was given a new, futuristic look.

You could say it's so futuristic it looks like Tron.

Now you can customize your own car and drive it through the test course. You decide what your car looks like, how it runs, how quick it responds to your command, and how much gas it saves by going green. The entire design phase is all done on a touch screen which gives you a whole new way of creating a car. Once you’re finished crafting your ride, you climb into a test car, and throughout the test run see how well your car does. When the ride is over, a screen will appear and show you how your car did. 

If there’s any information about any Disney Park (Disney World included) you would like to know about, feel free to comment, and I’d be more than happy to respond. Until then, have a little faith, trust, and pixie dust.