Summer Memories
By Andy Bartsch
Summer is coming to a close, and I eagerly welcome the Fall season. The colors of the fallen leaves, my favorite holiday, Halloween, hoodies, pumpkins, horror movies on special at Walmart, my birthday (a birthday list will be provided to all, send all presents to GGR in care of Andy Bartsch). But here at GGR, we love sharing the things we love with everyone, so I am going to share my favorite summer memory with you all.
Okay, which summer should I talk about... Hmm... is it the one where my folks got a cocker spaniel in order to help alleviate my fear of dogs? Hey! I was five, and every dog I’ve ever come in contact with chased me with the anger and fury of a thousand demons! Don't mock me! Ya know what...? Shut up... Oh! There was the summer when my folks and I went on a road trip and I was constantly dehydrated and going to the bathroom as I first showed signs of dia...be...tes..... Ugh... This isn’t going so well...Okay, I got one, and it’s perfect for our readers at GGR.
Way back in Summer of 1999, my parents and I took a trip to my birthplace of Orlando, Florida. What trip to Orlando would be complete without a visit to the amazing theme parks? So we went to two of the three Disney parks: MGM Studios and the Magic Kingdom. As fun as those parks were, nothing could compete with Universal Studios’ newest attraction, the Islands of Adventure. At the time, the Islands consisted of three themed sections: Dr. Seuss, Jurassic Park, and of course the one I was looking forward to the most, Marvel Comics.
Keep in mind, this was before Marvel made it big with it’s success on the big screen and before the Ultimate stories began. So all the emphasis was on the original comics, and the original comics ALONE. There was an amazing purity and celebration dedicated solely to the comics that I unfortunately seldom see anymore.
There were shops that sold comics and trade collections. Soda’s were sold in cups shaped like the Marvel heroes. Characters in comic-accurate costume walked the park and interacted with fans. And the rides! Not only were the rides unbelievable, but somehow, Islands of Adventure made the long, 45 minute waits in line very entertaining. For the Spider-man 3-D ride, we walked through Peter’s apartment, his darkroom (which had footprints on the ceiling!!!), the Daily Bugle, and watched a really cool original cartoon that set up the context for the ride and got us hyped up as we waited.
Then there was the Incredible Hulk Gamma Coaster. There was almost no wait for the ride, so I got to ride it at least three times in a row. The most amusing part was the “You Must Be THIS Tall to Ride” sign, which was the Hulk’s footprint! I was bigger than his foot, obviously. This was the first roller coaster I went on that went upside down and didn’t feel like it was trying to shake my head out of my shoulders.
"Maybe this Hulk colonoscopy ride wasn't such a good idea..."
But when my dad and I went on the Dr. Doom Fear Drop (which was guarded by Doombots!!!) my mom opted out, and took a break on a bench nearby, where apparently, she made a new friend. She was admiring the sights of the park when all the sudden she felt something leap onto the bench. She screamed in surprise and turned to find Spider-man, crouched down on the bench and holding his hand out.
“Hi,” he said. “Name’s Spider-man!”
Right after the ride ended, my dad and I returned to the bench where my mom was waiting, only to find her having a friendly chat with Spider-man. My mom spotted me and shouted, “Andy! Look who I met! Isn’t Spider-man your favorite superhero?”
As you all know, Superman is my favorite superhero, but Spider-man comes in at a very close second, especially back in those days.
“Come on!” my mom shouted, waving me over. “Let’s get a picture!”
The stubborn fifteen-year-old me wasn’t having it. I’m not taking a picture with some dude in a Spider-man costume. What am I, five years old?
Then, Spidey turned to me. My heart skipped a beat.
“I’m your favorite superhero?” Spidey asked. “Well, this calls for a picture! Come on, kid!”
As much as I tried, I couldn’t contain my smile. I turned into that giddy five-year-old. Spider-man wanted to take a picture with me! He just saved my life on the Amazing Spider-man 3-D ride a few hours ago. The least I could do is take a picture with him. I still have that picture to this day. If only I could find the friggin’ thing!
"Bartsch! Get over here and get in this damn picture or so help me...!!!"
What some of your favorite Summer memories? Do you have a favorite vacation destination or do you like to take Griswaldian road trips? Let us know in the comments below. Meanwhile, be sure to like us on Facebook, and check out these great products from our good buddies over at Amazon.com!
Andy Bartsch is a feature writer here at GGR (and apparently, the Hulk's former proctologist).
