Even though I spent those years wishing we were going to Elitch's -- the old Elitch's — these days I'm all about Lakeside. I even spent my thirtieth birthday at the down-on-its-luck park last year, and I'll be torturing myself on the Tilt-A-Whirl again this summer. There's something magical about the run-down art-deco buildings, the gracious old trees, the tiny train that still runs around the lake. Sometimes rides are closed for maintenance, sometimes you wish rides were closed for maintenance, but there's never a dull moment — because there's never a three-hour line. Heck, there's rarely a five-minute line. Sure, I wish Lakeside management would clean up the old racetrack so the park's neighbors across the street in the tiny town of Mountain View would quit complaining, but the sight doesn't bug me so much that I'd ever skip Lakeside for the new Elitch's. I went once, and found the creepy Batman, Bugs and Taz trying to touch me and take pictures were a lot scarier than the Cyclone stalling on its tracks. — Amy Haimerl
