Information
The United States National Park Service recognized the Giant Dipper as part of a National Historic Landmark also covering the nearby Looff carousel in 1987. It was named an American Coaster Enthusiasts Coaster Landmark on May 5, 2007. The ride appeared in many television commercials and movies, including The Lost Boys, Sudden Impact and Dangerous Minds.
The Giant Dipper, which is located between walkways 3 and 4 at 400 Beach Street in Santa Cruz, California, was designed by Frank Prior and Fred Church, with a double out and back layout similar to the Mission Beach Roller Coaster built in 1925 in San Diego, California. The Giant Dipper was built by Arthur Looff (1888–1970) in 1924 in just 47 days at a cost of $50,000. It replaced the much tamer miniature railway ride designed by LaMarcus Adna Thompson. Looff described his plans for the coaster as a, "combination earthquake, balloon ascension, and aeroplane drop." Looff's father, Charles I. D. Looff, built the carousel on the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in 1911; both attractions continue to operate today.
The ride originally cost riders 15 cents per ride. As of 2010 it costs $5.00 (5 tickets) for riders who do not have an all-day wristband. It also originally had an outdoor station; the indoor station and the tunnel at the beginning of the ride were added later. The trains have been repainted several times from the original green. For example, in February 2007 the fronts of the trains were covered with a "100 Years" sign and the sides were painted red and blue. The signage remains, despite the anniversary being several years earlier.
Read more about this topic: Giant Dipper
Famous quotes containing the word information:
“English literature is a kind of training in social ethics.... English trains you to handle a body of information in a way that is conducive to action.”
—Marilyn Butler (b. 1937)
“When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b. 1929)
“Computers are good at swift, accurate computation and at storing great masses of information. The brain, on the other hand, is not as efficient a number cruncher and its memory is often highly fallible; a basic inexactness is built into its design. The brain’s strong point is its flexibility. It is unsurpassed at making shrewd guesses and at grasping the total meaning of information presented to it.”
—Jeremy Campbell (b. 1931)