My passion for parks and attractions began when I was but a wee lad at Revere Beach, the first public beach in the U.S. and the Boston area’s answer to Coney Island. I was enthralled by the amusements, especially the Cyclone roller coaster, and dreamed about operating thrill machines. That dream came true, albeit many decades later, at–wouldn’t you know it?–Coney Island. (Sadly, all of the amusements at Revere Beach are long gone.) Thanks to the great folks at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, I got to dispatch the new Phoenix coaster. And it was everything I thought it would be. Check out my USA Today article. (Note that the article requires a modest subscription to view it. Hey, journalists can’t live on dreams fulfilled alone!)
If I ran the coaster
