Riverview and Me

Are you a Disneyland enthusiast?

Think you know amusement parks ?

To really claim expertise, you have to have gone to Riverview in Chicago, Ill. My mother and father actually met there, as did more than a few Chicago couples. I used to nag my parents to take me to this wonderland of adventure. Because that is exactly what Riverview provided: True Adventure!

None of this gentrified amusement park stuff such as we have today! Actually, Riverview had something for all ages, from toddlers to elders. It attracted families and had a wonderfully festive atmosphere, but it had a some what sleazy aura as well. There was an element of danger, and I was cautioned not to wander off. It was torn down many years ago, but I remember it well.

There was a section of the park devoted to small children where the rides were much smaller and safer, an area that included a small Ferris wheel with enclosed seats and a miniature tilt-a whirl. As I recall, there was also a pint sized merry-go-round and a train that could accommodate both parents and children. It was here that I began my Riverview days. However, my brother was eight years older than I, and could go on the “real rides”. How exciting it was when my parents deemed me old enough to ride with him on a regular roller coaster!

I can still remember the name, the Blue Streak. Of course this was the tamest coaster in the park, but I felt I was accepted into a new phase of maturity. The next level to follow was the Silver Streak; the rails were much steeper and the turns more exciting. I was definitely progressing! Yet I still had to look up to my big brother.

He routinely rode on the highest and scariest coaster in the park: The Bobs! This was accomplishment in capital letters indeed, and his name being Robert, it was even named after him! It seemed I could never hope to reach such heights.

And then one day it happened. I looked up at the white posts of the Bob’s platform that seemed to reach into the sky and heard the delighted screams of the daring passengers as they twisted and turned in the clear blue air.

This was the day. Yes, I could muster up the courage to stand in line without embarrassing myself by running away at the last minute,… or could I? As I waited on the platform, it seemed like eons before the returning roller coaster racketed up to a stop and discharged its passengers. This was it! Too late to run!

I found myself climbing into the Bobs seat and looked around to see if anyone else looked as terrified as I felt, but everyone was chattering and looked as happy as pie. Suddenly, the steel pole that clamped us into our seat banged shut and slowly, slowly we clambered off. Rickety, racket up and up.

I knew the first drop was the killer, and my heart was racing. I closed my eyes when we reached the top. And then it was as if the earth dropped away and we plunged into the air, down and down and then up and up and then down and down again.

The sharp turns of the car threw us to the side with amazing force over again and again, punctuated by the thrilling drops for which the Bobs was known. And…before I knew it we were clacking back to the rides platform. A safe return to Mother Earth!

A little dizzy, I climbed out and looked around at the other passengers … and then it hit me. Wow! What a feeling! I had stared death in the face and survived! “Look out world”, I thought, ” here I come!”