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Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, PA

Lady in the front seat please put your cell phone away.  If you want a "selfie" please take it when you are not on a ride.  I think Pittsburgh must be the "selfie" capital of the world as I saw more people at Kennywood taking photos of themselves on rides than anywhere else.

The Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster at Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, PA

The Jack Rabbit is fun but here is where it becomes amazing.  With just a seat belt (it used to be just a thin leather strap) holding you in the Jack Rabbits plunges down from the lift before leveling off about half the way between the top and the bottom of the ravine.

The Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster at Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, PA

After leveling off at speed the Jack Rabbit falls out from under you as it plunges all the way down to the bottom of the ravine.  Eventually you catch up with the train but the moments while you are hanging there suspended in air are pure bliss.

The Jack Rabbit Roller Coaster at Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, PA

Without the double down the Jack Rabbit is still a great ride but that extra moment of extreme air while not being stapled down by a restraint makes this ride legendary.

Kennywood Park, West Mifflin, PA

Part of what I really like about Kennywood is how you might have an art deco food stand over here and an oriental looking one over there.  Alone the design styles don't fit but thrown into a wonderland like Kennywood where we get to leave the real world behind and be a kid again it works.  As with many of the old and long gone parks like Riverview in Chicago Kennywood was meant to be an otherworldly magical place where everyone can get loose and relax.  Thankfully Kennywood has bucked conventional wisdom and instead of "modernizing" the park they have preserved what made Kennywood special.



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Paul B. Drabek