This past Monday, as a last hurrah of summer, we decided to take the kiddos to Pittsburgh’s legendary Kennywood Park. We were fortunate to get some discounted tickets from a friend, and we chose a Monday so we could avoid the normally large weekend crowds.

When I was a little kid, Kennywood was a magical place of rides and games, fries and funnel cakes. By the time I was a teenager, I still enjoyed the rides and the food, but I was way more interested in the hordes of teenage girls strutting around in their brand new Kennywood outfits.

Today Kennywood has an entirely different meaning to me. It means making family memories. It means seeing my kids’ faces light up and hearing their laughter as they make their way through Noah’s Ark or spin around on the Musik Express. And this is a good thing, because when it comes to amusement parks, for me the thrill is gone, so to speak.

With that, I thought I’d share some of my…

Random Thoughts at Kennywood

• We came on a BOGO ticket day? Oh joy. So much for a quiet Monday at the park.

• The Paratrooper is surprisingly terrifying! Who knew?

• The Racer, my a$$. This thing is fixed.

• Why do amusement parks always smell like popcorn mixed with dumpster?

• Do they sell beer here?

• You know you’re old when the Olde Kennywood Railroad is your favorite ride.

• Thank goodness for dramamine.

• $8 bucks for a couple Sierra Mists? That seems fair.

• Is this line even moving?

• No amount of money could ever get me on the Black Widow.

• I can’t believe I’m riding the Phantom’s Revenge with my baby girl! And I’m the one who’s scared.

• The park’s benches are my second favorite ride.

• I really thought they sold beer here?

• Following a group of screaming teenage girls through Noah’s Ark isn’t as fun as it used to be.

• A 40-minute wait for ice cream? What are they doing back there? Milking the cow?

• According to their performance at Hillbilly’s Shooting Gallery, both of my kids should be in sniper school.

• Dear Management: Maybe put a cap on admissions so I can get more than 5 rides in for my $43.99.

• My aching knees! My aching knees!

• The Garfield’s Nightmare boat ride would be a heck of a lot better without all this Garfield crap. And beer. Definitely beer.

• The kids sure had a blast. Man, what a great day.

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Copyright © 2016 Valentine J. Brkich