Negative-G - Old Chicago Shopping Center Á Amusement Park - The Heart of Old Chicago

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Old Chicago Shopping Center & Amusement Park, Bolingbrook Illinois

My first encounter with the Chicago Loop was when the lead car was on display at a local fly-in at an airport. The three year old me who loved airplanes quickly forgot about anything other than the coaster car. This amazingly futuristic thing sitting there on a few blocks of wood completely captured my attention and I was hooked. My Dad tried unsuccessfully to tempt me from the coaster car with planes but my attention was captured. He eventually went on to check out the planes while I crawled all over the car. I'd pull the restraints down, squeeze out of them and release the restraint by pushing down on the release pedal at the back of the car. I crawled under the car and played with the wheels, messed around with the chain dog, and let my mind wander about how this amazing vehicle would take me speeding through the heavens.

Even though the Chicago Loop fascinated me when I finally got into the park to see what it did I was more than a little terrified of riding it. Looking at the scant structure holding it up I was certain that it was all going to break the time I rode it. Despite being terrified of riding coasters (something that didn't go away until 1986) my parents took me on it and I survived.

Old Chicago really used all of the 283,000 square feet of park that they could. Here they have the Toboggan coaster between and under one of the Chicago Loop's inversions and a Tilt-A-Whirl under the other.

My Mom always lived the feeling of flight so whenever we visited Old Chicago we'd take the Yo-Yo for a spin. Behind the Yo-Yo is Old Chicago's Super Round Up, a Trabant, and the Windy City Screamer "Enterprise" ride directly behind the Yo-Yo.

The Rotor was a favorite of everyone but me. For those not familiar with a Rotor the ride is a giant bucket. Riders line the walls and the entire thing starts spinning. Eventually when centrifugal force held people on the walls the floor would drop out leaving them suspended there. When Old Chicago wasn't as crowded they would allow people to go up around the ride to watch people sticking to the walls. While my sister and step-father rode once my Mom and I watched them. This was a big mistake as watching the tub spin I was immediately hit with motion sickness and I lost the contents of my stomach into the ride. That pretty much ended that visit to Old Chicago.

Off to the left can be see some of Old Chicago's kids rides under the umbrellas and off in the distance is the Chicago Cat coaster which was a Pinfari Zyclon and the Super Round Up.