A dip on the Dipper

I don't like roller coasters. No, I don't! There have been many instances when I have stood in the que for an hour and then chickened out when the enormity of the fall has struck me (my husband would be more than willing to testify on that one). With those high falls, my heart skips not just one but many beats... I shout and scream... sometimes even pray that I come out alive! They are simply scary. (Don't take me wrong though... I sure have ridden many before coming to this conclusion!.. and yet... I sometimes do like riding one.)

But this one was different... I am talking about the Giant Dipper in Santa Cruz, California. A mid size, wooden roller coaster, which at some point in history was one of the giant coasters around in the United States... In fact, it was one of the few around.

This woodie was first built in 1924 and happens to be the 6th oldest roller coaster in the U.S., continuously operating in its original location.

Painted Red and White, it is a landmark of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and is a National Historic Landmark! It is said that the dipper would have hosted 55 million people at the end of 2007!

The coaster was built in just 47 days and cost $50,000. And, it cost $135,000 to paint it in 2001! Not just that...in 1924 the fare was only 15 cents; today it’s $4.50 for a one-ride ticket.

This roller coaster is quite a star as well. It appears in television commercials and videos for Mitsubishi, Ford Motor Company, Levi’s, Coors Light, the National Association of Credit Unions, Sony, U.S. Air, MTV, Yahoo, etc, etc, etc! It has also been featured in movies Sting II, The Lost Boys, Dangerous Minds, and Sudden Impact.

At a speed of 55 mph, the Giant Dipper has no loops and its drops are fun. when on the top one can see the Santa Cruz beach and the buzzy Boardwalk. And when the cars roll down the tracks, the rattling wood reminds the age of this structure.

It is said the Dipper works its magic on couples... tugging to my husband's arms...and screaming as my stomach tumbled inside...I was laughing as the ride ended... The Giant Dipper's charm sure worked on us.

Sheer Brilliance

Remember that scene from the 2005 Tom Cruise movie War of the Worlds? If you have seen that movie, you may also remember that in one of the scenes... a Boeing 747 crashes in a neighborhood. What a scene... what conceptualization... and what picturization... it sure makes one wonder!

On the first instincts, one may think that director Steven Spielberg must have shot the scene through CGI effects and with the aide of miniature props.

Think again, it wasn't just CGI effects. And it wasn't miniature props either. Our director extraordinaire had the sheer brilliance and thought of bringing in a real Boeing 747 and breaking it down to look like a crash to shoot the scene!

Wow! I had gasped when saw the set still intact and preserved in the back lot of the Universal Studios, Los Angeles. I could have never thought that it was a real plane... ripped apart with every detail to make the scene look real and believable. No wonder why a Spielberg movie is a must see!

The plane in the crash scene is an All Nippon Airways (Japan) plane. Its' tail fin was repainted in a flat grey tone because it originally bore the colors and logo of a real airline. Pilots flying over the Universal back lot apparently saw the staged wreckage, recognized the colors and symbol on the tail and began calling in plane crash reports to the FAA. The plane parts were then repainted and disguised in order to discourage further false alarms.

Interesting...isn't it?

God save your hands

I often think about this phrase. More often when I am in the kitchen. I learnt it in Istanbul, Turkey. My friend Ayfer had explained the Turkish tradition: "When someone cooks for you, you kiss their hands and say God save your hands." Basically you appreciate and honor his efforts to cook for you by doing this.

So I kissed Gulzaan's hands and repeated what I had just learnt! She had made veggie shorba for me..Turkish style.

But I think of the phrase not due to the tasty food that my friends cooked for me... going out of their way to feed me with something vegetarian for the many days I stayed with them...but because of their sensitivity. That one must thank the chef for the delicious food that one might be savoring.

For generally I can only associate "Bon Appétit" with good food habits. But that is essentially to say...enjoy your food...thanks to whom? the person who cooked...right?

I have often advised my friends to compliment the chef in kitchen for the great food on the dinner table. Precisely... this is for all the wives and mums who cook the delicious food day after day..for years! Until we ourselves take charge of the kitchen... God save your hands!

Pretty pretty pretty...

Isnt it simply beautiful?

Save that walk

I learnt a new and conveniently important lesson in travelling last week. I was on a trip to California and you see I haven't yet started driving in this country. So I mostly rely on local transportation and often have to walk long distances to reach a destination.

I was in Sacramento and wanted to see the Towe Auto Museum. This collection of vintage cars is located about 2 miles from public transportation... so I printed out the directions and took on the foot... though I walked for a while... almost a mile later I got to a point where the sidewalks ended and the only option was to walk on the road. With the scorching heat on my head, I decided to give up.

I sat on a bench and started scurrying through the museum's pamphlet, trying to console myself that I was not going to miss much. And, that's when I saw "Free Shuttle" service that they offered. I immediately called them up and ten minuets later I was picked up in a 1916 vintage car and taken to the museum.

Moral of the story: Many sightseeing and tourist places offer shuttle services from bus stops, train stations, hotels and malls. You may want to check it up by calling them before walking down unnecessarily.

Generation Gap

Latest Dell laptops sit atop 18th century mahogany desks in the California State Assembly in Sacramento....making the officials' work easier... no more scurrying through the piles of papers as they did in the yesteryears. the age difference between the laptops and the desks -- more than a 100 years!