by Kaden Washington
Six Flags Great America brightened the night with rides and attractions for 2025 high school seniors with special late night hours from 9:40 pm to 3:30 am. on Friday May 2nd in Gurnee, IL.
I along with my fellow seniors of ChiArts visited the amusement park in celebration of graduation. While everyone went on their own visiting and going on rides, I felt anxious that I would miss my ride back home. So I decided to roam the park on my scooter and observed the rides from afar.
There were two Batman rides and of course being a Batman fan I wanted to ride both of them. The first one, The Dark Knight Coaster, was an inside ride built like a subway station, it reminded me of the 2008 Batman Begins movie. I found that the waiting line for the ride was too long. I decided not to wait, rather I’d go to lunch instead of waiting. The second ride Batman: The Ride was an outside roller coaster. I still thought about going on The Dark Knight Coaster.
On the way to lunch I ran into my friend Sebastian Drotts, a ChiArts Visual Arts conservatory student who is a thrill seeker and avid theme park goer. When I asked him about the Dark Knight Rollercoaster, he said,
“That ride was terrible,” Sebastian Drotts said. “The other ride, Batman: The Ride was way better. It had a lot of its loops and drops.”
If I had to describe my time there I would say I’d go back for a couple of reasons. All of this took place at night into the early morning, and I would like to experience it during the day. I would be less anxious about missing my ride because I’m with my family. Finally I would enjoy myself more because I wouldn’t feel rushed. Maybe then I could consider myself more than a roamer.