Hi, Stacey!
Now that I’ve explained why I write at Six Flags, I’d like to tell you how I write at Six Flags.
First, I use a website called IsItPacked.com to find out when the park isn’t going to be busy. I like to go on days labeled “Ghost Town.”
I try to arrive just before the gates open. Ah, I revel in the minutes before theme park gates open. All the groups in line, eager for their special little days! And I love how every person manages their anticipation differently. There are parents trying to contain their children’s enthusiasm. There are parents stoking their children’s enthusiasm. There are competitive bros plotting their path to the most popular coaster. There are high school girlies trading lip gloss and taking selfies.
Stacey, I think you know I’m not, like, a studied cultural sociologist or anything. That said! I strongly believe Six Flags is the pinnacle of American culture!* People of every class, age, race, gender, body type, physical ability, sexuality, faith, and political affiliation go to Six Flags.** I’ve seen a beefy dude in a “blue lives matter” shirt share a ridecar with a Muslim woman in a burka. Queer people kiss openly. Families of every color take photos with Tweety Bird. Meet-ups for thrill seekers with Down Syndrome. Some 20somethings scrape together for a shared Sprite and others oversplurge on gift shop merch. Once an elderly Latine woman reached for my hand as we shot upside-down on X2. I tried to tell her it would be okay, but she didn’t speak English, so we just laughed as her tears dried.
After entering the park, I head straight to Full Throttle, one of my favorite roller coasters. I ride in the front row** to let the wind and sun jolt me from the waking slumber of capitalism. Then I am ready to write.
I’ve employed a variety of writing methods at Six Flags. Sometimes I write by hand in a small notebook that fits in my little purse backpack. Sometimes I jot notes in my iPhone Notes app. Sometimes, in a pinch, I scribble on napkins. Once I was working on an essay and chose to type into an email draft, like I was writing a letter to the person I was writing about.
I try not to listen to music in line because WOW the eavesdropping is fantastic. I’ve heard middle schoolers break up. I’ve observed betrayal in friend groups. I’ve been front row to lifelong sibling bonding. Without fail, every visit I overhear something that boils my blood, and also something that fills my heart so full it could pop. Either way, I don’t engage. Stacey, I, unfortunately, am a person who typically engages. But! I don’t go to Six Flags to change minds. I go to Six Flags to allow my own to be changed.
At around noon, I get a snack. Fan favorites include a soft pretzel with cheese and Diet Coke or a strawberry funnel cake. Once I got one of those egregious Pop-Tart milkshakes and didn’t technically regret it. Snack o’clock is also a useful time to sit and dig deeper on whatever project I’ve been picking at in line.
Post-snack I check wait times for my favorite rides, hit one more, then ride the carousel before leaving, by 2, to beat traffic home. (The drive, usually 35 – 45 minutes.)*** I’m often the only person on the carousel when I ride because it’s not super popular, especially at, whatever, 1 PM on a “Ghost Town” Monday. Sometimes the operator is annoyed by having to run the ride for just me, sometimes they don’t care.
On my last visit of 2023 I saw the viking ship was empty mid-morning and ran over to snag a seat. The employee was just the grumpiest old man. He didn’t hide his distain for me at all. And it worked. I felt guilty climbing onto the fake boat. And then I felt mad about the guilt! What crime had I committed! So I boarded the very last row and closed my eyes. The ship sailed into the sky, and I found heaven.
Waiting for a sign!
xoxo
Alice
*It’s possible “the mall” might be a higher pinnacle of American culture, but “the mall” is far more general, and I would argue, most malls end up being reflections of their small communities within America, unlike Six Flags, a reflection of America.
**My only consistent irritation with Six Flags is how employees on Full Throttle often encourage me not to sit in the front row. When the employee at the loading area asks, “How many in your party?” I’m like, “One.” And they usually clarify, “Just one?” And I’m like, “Yes, front row please.” (On some rides guests cannot choose their seat, but Full Throttle has a specific longer line for the front row.) About 60% of the time the employee is then like, “Uh why don’t you just do second row?” It’s so weird to me! I’ll watch the employee let every other group head to the front row with no concern. My best guess is they’re aiming to be efficient, and a single rider in the front row is not efficient. I could be reading too much into it, and yet patriarchy would have me never read into anything! So!
***As a writer, I usually try to edit out “boring” details from my work, but I’m not sure which details are interesting to you, Stacey. Like, most human people probably wouldn’t care too much about my commute time, but it occurred to me maybe processing time is significant to you.
Hi Stacey 
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