The Comet Gets Bagged
Last month we posted on a series of Buffalo-related hand and messenger bags that Clutch on Elmwood was commissioning. At that time, the storeowner, Sue Morfino, told me that she was expecting another interesting bag to come out in February. Sue called me yesterday to notify me that the new bags were in, and the feature landmark was the old Crystal Beach Comet. I stopped in to take a look at the latest arrival, and just seeing the image on the bag brought back a ton of memories from my youth.
Even thought the Comet is no longer with us, I guess it's nice to know that it is still in operation. Lake George, New York is the proud owner of the Comet, and ever since the roller coaster left this area, I still hear people talk about the ride quite often. I've heard stories about when it was reassembled… someone told me that there were a bunch of leftover parts that no one knew what to do with. I've also heard that the ride is not as scary as it used to be since it is no longer running along the edge of the water. Regardless of these claims, Lake George is fortunate to have such a memorable wooden coaster in its possession.
Thanks to Sue and Clutch, we now have some pretty neat bags to remember the coaster by. Just imagine the conversation piece at a party... and the bags look really solid with 'crystal' clear images. Hey Sue, can you get an image of the Wild Mouse applied onto one of the messenger bags? For more information on the styles and prices, check out January's post on the map bags.
Clutch 814 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo - (716) 881-5118
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sbrof
pretty cool! Too bad I was too young to ride the roller coaster before it closed down.
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TownLine
What a relic of olde time Buffalo. The comet is a pretty famous ride in the roller coaster world. Its definitely known as one of the best classic wooden coasters out there. Its also the only roller coaster that has actually been completely rebuilt twice in its history. The ride started in the 20s as the Crystal Beach Cyclone - a lot of people believe that was probably the scariest coaster ever constructed. Then, in the 40s, the Cyclone was disassembled except for the lift hill, which was left standing and remains as the lifthill of the current Comet Coaster. The majority of the rest of the disassembled parts from the Cyclone were used in building the layout of the Comet. Then, of course, the Comet was disassembled when CB closed. It was stored at Martin's Fantasy Island for a few years, and there was hope that they would reconstruct it there, but it was eventually shipped up to Lake George and rebuilt for the Great Escape. Its too bad it couldn't have been kept local, but its great that it still exists.
Check out the following link for a picture of the Cyclone....
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/designer/traver5.shtml
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yeahright
I think those snow globe people should make one of the comet! I love my city hall snow globe and get so many complaiments on it. Who are they ? How do I submit a suggestion? I couldn't find it in your links.
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sjacct
Is there a site online where I can buy this?
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Clutch
sjacct, Unfortunatly we do not have a website yet. Since we designed the bags for our store, that is the only place to get them. Here is our hours and address. If you are not in the area, please call us and we would be happy to ship you one. Thanks for the interest in the bags.
CLUTCH 814 Elmwood Ave 716-881-5118
Mon 11-5, Tues-Sat 11-6, and Sun 12-4
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Auburner
If you can not make it to Lake George, try the Coney Island Cyclone in Brooklyn. Not as large and impressive as the Commet but it sure is fast and very exciting ride. It too is wooden. It moves so fast it whips you around in your seat. Kind of like the Wild Mouse and Commet combined.
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beersponge
As an avid coaster enthusiast , and long time rider of the Comet, I am also one of the designers of the City Hall Snow globes. The Comet &Canadiana, are on the list for possible future snow globes. We are open to suggestions. Stay tuned, for the soon to be announced arrival of the next limited edition snow globe. Snow globes will be available from the Floristry, www.thefloristry.com 1385 Delaware Ave Buffalo, NY 14209 (716)-885-6043, toll free (800) 237-3285
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scsa35
I am from the Lake George area originally, and have had the pleasure of riding the Comet. The park created a large mural in the "loading area" that riders can read while waiting to get on-board. Of all the coasters I've ridden, the Comet is still my favorite.
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SurfKing
I loved that coaster that last time was when I was 15 but ,you all can pay uncle sam for passports or that birth license, to drive up to Canada -first get hasseled at the boarder,then go up to Chrystal Beach to look threw the bars of a gated condo comunity :-)
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