I wish I would have thought of that

SANDUSKY — How many times have you gone somewhere or seen something and said to yourself "why didn't I think of that?" Jody and I went to Cedar Point Monday night. Every time we go there I am amazed by how the place works. From start to finish there is something that is perfectly placed or well thought out. I've been going to Cedar Point for more than 50 years. When we were younger, my uncle Pat worked there with an insurance company and he used to get us tickets. That is when you got in for free but had to use tickets for all of the rides. I remember he used to meet us with a fist full of tickets. I miss those old rides. I miss the boat ride when the Indians would shoot at you. The driver would always say "Don't worry, they won't hit anything. They are Cleveland Indians." I guess you can't use that joke anymore. I miss the Earthquake and the Mill Race, the Paddlewheel Excursions and Pirate Ride, the Space Spiral and the Turnpike Cars. I don't miss the Demon Drop. I miss the aquarium and Cedar Point Cinema and Jungle Larry's Safari. But things change. Cedar Point is a place to spend the day and spend lots of money. Every time I go to the back of the park I love to look around the water rides. What a setup. They sell you a rain poncho before you go on the ride. Then they rent you a locker to put your valuables in. After the ride they sell you a towel to dry off. Then you can rent a spot in the family drying room where you stand under a heat lamp. Who thinks of all of that? They hit you with all of the games when you walk in, then spread others around the park. They hit you for a couple of bucks here and a couple of bucks there. The best game is where the person guesses your weight, age or the month you were born. Just think about it. There is a 14-year-old kid getting paid $20 an hour to guess your weight. Isn't this a great place? People win a big stuffed animal or basketball — then have to carry them around the rest of the day. How about the people who sit down and have somebody draw a picture of them? Now you have to haul that thing around the rest of the day. I just like to sit back and think about all of the money that changes hands each day. It's a little different now that most people have the $99 passes for the 150th anniversary. We bought ours at the end of the 2019 season. Because of the pandemic, we used it just once last year. I even bought a drink pass so I can get another Diet Coke every 15 minutes. Do you want a food pass? You can get one of those. With so many people buying those passes, the money isn't coming in like it used to for parking and park admission. That means Cedar Point has to make its money once you get into the park. Overpriced? Sure it is. But people stand in line to spend their money. That is called supply and demand. I wrote this a couple of years ago before Sawmill Creek was sold. It is a perfect setup. Cedar Point bought the hotel and is fixing it up. Once it is ready I can see hotel guests parking their cars and keeping them there. There will be buses going back and forth to the park. I'm guessing it won't be too long before Cedar Point basically owns Ohio 6 from Huron to Sandusky. Eventually they can eliminate some of the parking lot and put in another roller coaster. It will be the Disney World of the north coast. It's a great setup and I enjoy every time I go there, whether it is for the rides, the water park or the beach. It is a treasure for this area and it just keeps getting better. Every time I go there I just look around and say, "Why didn't I think of that?" Joe Centers is Reflector managing editor. He can be reached at jcenters@norwalkreflector.com.