We arrived at the park about 9:45 am, which in retrospect was a bit too zealous. The parking lot was nearly empty. We climbed on board the small tram that was pulled by a Ford F-150 which enveloped us in diesel fumes. It dropped us off near the long staircase. We climbed up and then crossed the bridge over Main Street, arriving at the entrance. When the park was first rebranded as Six Flags in 2000, the company in charge (formerly Premier Parks) had done a spectacular job with theming. Every area of the park felt unique and had special music to go with it, similar to what parks like Busch Gardens do. But now Six Flags New England was starting to look visibly worn, with streaks of dirt running down the buildings and sections starting to crack. The entrance used to feature fife-and-drum music to go along with the colonial architecture. But now there was just generic pop music throughout most of the park.

I asked Dave if he had brought his season pass that he bought on our last visit. He hadn't. We had to wait until 10:15 for Guest Services to open up. I bought him a new pass using my phone. It was just $65, cheaper than a day pass. I showed it to Guest Services, expecting that they would then give Dave a physical card. But they said they no longer used physical passes; everything had to be done on your phone. So I forwarded the pass to Dave's phone. At 10:30, the staff was ready and we entered the park. Nothing much had changed. I did notice many beautiful plantings throughout the park.

Dave was hungry. As usual, there was security positioned at Carroll Drive, blocking egress into the rest of the park until 11:00. So we entered the Riverboat Cafe (formerly Captain Rivi's). They also wouldn't open until 11:00. I checked out the menu on the screens. Nothing much had changed: hamburgs, chicken strips and pizza. They did have macaroni & cheese as a side dish, along with French fries and breadsticks. So that looked like my only choice. We waited and waited. Finally they began bringing out food. They loaded up the hot plates with chicken strips and hamburgs. Then pizza. I asked about the mac & cheese; they said it was coming. Dave got a slice of pizza and some fries and sat down to eat. I waited about 15 more minutes for my food. At least it was fresh. The mac & cheese was okay, a bit soupy. The breadsticks and fries were really good though.

I suggested we then head over to Quantum Accelerator before the line got too long. So we headed next door. The coaster seemed eerily quiet. We walked over to the ride entrance and discovered the reason: it was closed for the day. Dave and I looked around but we didn't see any maintenance workers. Was the problem staffing? We had no idea. But it was a big disappointment. For the heck of it, we walked up the hill to the dead end at the top of Crackaxle Canyon. There were just two rides there: the Opera House (Houdini) and Rodeo. Neither ride was open. The water features in that area also weren't running. Nearly all the shops were closed, including Coaster Creamery. So we walked over to the only operating ride in this entire section, the Stagecoach Bumper Buggies. The interior had been given a makeover, turning it into a sort of disco with flashing colored lights and big psychedelic projection screens. It didn't fit with the look of Crackaxle Canyon, nor with the steampunk re-theming of Quantum Accelerator. That entire section of the park seemed to have been stripped of its identity. If they wanted to make it steampunk (like other Six Flags parks had done) they could have acquired theming from the recently-closed Six Flags America, which had a similar area. At any rate, we took a short ride and then moved on.

Since we weren't going to experience the newest coaster, we settled for the best ride in the park: Wicked Cyclone at the far north end. It had the longest line I'd seen so far, as the park was quickly starting to fill up with people (surprising for a Tuesday). There was a hold-up while we were in line as the crew added a second train. After that the queue picked up speed and within a few minutes we were in the station. Fortunately, the park was still allowing guests to line up for whatever seat they wanted. So we headed for the front seat. The ride operators commented on my t-shirt and were impressed when I told them it was from the year the ride opened. Soon we were on our way up the fast lift hill and plunging down the seemingly impossibly steep first drop. The coaster had lost none of its punch, delivering intense air time and surprising changes of direction. It was truly one of the best coasters I'd ever ridden.

Dave wanted to take a break after that, and I was getting thirsty. So I spotted an empty table at Chop Six, the park's Asian eatery. Dave sat down while I headed to a nearby food stand for a "Frozen Fire", a mix of a cherry slushie with vanilla ice cream. After that refreshment, Dave wanted to get some sunscreen. So we headed back up to the park entrance where there was a gift shop that sold some. Once he purchased his bottle, I suggested riding the nearby 1909 Illions carousel. Next to that was the still-abandoned section of the park that used to be a Thomas the Tank Engine land. The carousel had some truly spectacular figures on it. But there were many others that were clearly in need of restoration. The ride itself was mild, with the deck spinning at a leisurely pace. They used an automated braking system and it took forever for the ride to come to a stop.

From there we decided to check out the venerable Superman. Although that coaster had been getting noticeably rougher in recent years, it was still a good ride. When we got to the queue line, though, it was nearly filled (one of the few times I'd seen it like that). That meant about an hour-and-a-half wait. So we passed on it and instead headed over to the nearby Gotham City Gauntlet wild mouse coaster, which had a much shorter line. In the past, the ride attendants forced us to both sit in the front. This time they were allowing guests to sit wherever they wanted, which was a welcome change. The ride operator had a funny spiel when he sent each car off. Each car was themed to a different comic villain and he would spout off a short poem about each character as the car was dispatched. I also heard another ride attendant (who seemed to be having a good time) tell him, "I only got one hour of sleep last night!" Not exactly the kind of thing you want to hear from someone working on heavy machinery. When our car rolled in, I took the front and Dave took the back. The coaster had the most extreme lateral forces I ever experienced. On each swift turn I was thrown violently either to the left or right. It wasn't painful but it was surprising. I guess with two people in a seat, you'd press against each other and wouldn't notice it as much. Afterward Dave said, "I think I'm getting too old for these things!" We then walked over to a much milder ride, Catwoman Whip, the Zeirer Tivoli-style coaster. The ride was basically a short figure 8 and didn't do a whole heck of a lot. But the extremely long train produced an enjoyable push/pull effect. When that was over, Dave said that he'd had enough. It was already about 3:30, and we hadn't really done all that much. So Dave sat at the gazebo on Carroll Drive while I filmed yet another walk-thru and then we departed.

Six Flags New England had so much potential. But it seemed as if it hadn't yet gotten the attention of the new Six Flags corporation. We saw plenty of other food choices in the park -- Mexican, Greek, the huge Take Six Cafe -- but they were all closed. So we were stuck with the park's pathetically limited menu. The only healthy food booth in the park, Fossil Fuel, was closed (as it always was). The only "healthy" offering in the Riverboat Cafe was, inexplicably, Brussel sprouts. I couldn't imagine that had many takers. How about corn? Green beans? Broccoli? Peas? Why Brussel sprouts? But I think the biggest question mark was the closure of the park's newest (and heavily advertised) coaster. Quantum Accelerator wasn't a hugely complicated ride. It didn't have a cable drive nor a magnetic launch. It had a tire drive system, an old and reliable launch system. I don't know what was wrong with it, but there didn't appear to be any urgency on the part of the park to fix it. Maybe they were waiting on a part. I don't know. But it certainly was disappointing.

It was ironic that I lived so close to the park and had a season's pass, so I could go there anytime I wanted for "free". And yet there was very little about the park that beckoned me. If it were still Riverside Park with its giant fun house, Laff in the Dark, train ride, Lost River, Sky Ride, flume and giant Ferris wheel, I'd be there several times a month. But standing for hours in the sun waiting for brief rides and having very little to eat or drink didn't make for a great day out. The lack of shade was a big problem too. I'd rather drive a few hours to Canobie Lake and have a much more enjoyable day. Maybe one day Six Flags New England will get the corporate respect it deserves. But until then, there were better ways to waste my day.