bunny_hugger and I got to Michigan's Adventure just the one time last year, on its closing day of the season. This saved her from missing the whole season there for the first time in ages; me, I seem to have missed it in 2011, but I was coming from farther away. But we wanted to get to a park sometime soon, and they were opening up, and after some debate about whether we'd go to the Cedar Fair parks often enough for it to be worthwhile (Michigan's Adventure and Cedar Point are the ones in day-trip driving range, although Cedar Point stretches the limit) we bought season passes. I've never had a season pass to a park before, that I remember; the logical one to have would have been Great Adventure, when I was a kid or teen, but back then a season pass would be some impossibly expensive thing, maybe like sixty bucks or more, which doesn't sound like much until you remember I was one of four kids and parity requirements mean that really adds up fast. (Later, when I might've bought one on my own, it was either the season I worked in the park, or when I was working as many hours as I could at my summer job.)
On the way in we stopped at a supermarket, mostly for a bathroom break, but it was one of those faintly upscale supermarkets. You know, the ones with floors that look wood-paneled and granite counters at the deli and all that. So we thought we might be able to score foreign candy bars or some exotic-type foods at least. (This would make a good lunch, too, since we hadn't really eaten.) Unfortunately, apparently, west of Grand Rapids mildly upscale supermarkets haven't got into stroopwaffles and StarBars; they'd reached the level of hipness to have plastic-wrapped sushi and that was it. We got some egg salad sandwiches and soda and got back on the road.
I'd had thoughts that it might be somewhat packed, what with it being opening day and all. It was a somewhat overcast, cool day, threatening steadily to rain, which surely would discourage attendance but still, opening day. No, though; the main parking lot was empty, and we were able to park in this little island of spaces right up beside the front gate. We'd been braced to spend upwards of forever in line to get our actual season passes, but that, too, was quicker than it took me to get my county library card. They did take photographs of us, but those aren't printed on the passes, just called up when the gate attendants scan us in, and the passes don't even have the name of any specific park on them, just the whole Cedar Fair chain.
Still, it gave us the chance to sneer at the ``Fast Pass'' (or ``Fast Lane'' or whatever it's called) offers, which give one the chance to give Cedar Fair more money in exchange for shorter lines.
Trivia: In 1946 Americans individually contributed over $789 million in cash and goods to European relief. Source: Winning The Peace: The Marshall Plan and America's Coming Of Age As A Superpower, Nicolaus Mills.
Currently Reading: The New Space Opera 2, Editors Gardner Dozois, Jonathan Strahan. Oh yeah, and it has Cory Doctorow's story in which a snarky blogger courageously makes fun of Star Trek until Captain Kirk cries.