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Name: Tim, aka "Tim"

Web Site: http://www.moreyspiers.com

Posts by Tim:

    Where’d We Go?

    May 2nd, 2012

    Hmmm, so we really haven’t posted much on the blog in the last couple weeks. I wish I could tell you that there was some other reason other than we are just busy, but honestly I can’t. I have to admit that we let you guys down on this one.

    I received a email from Diane H. this morning asking if there was something wrong with the Beachfront Blog because the last update was over two weeks ago, and I wish I could say that it was a result of us building the new website, but I can’t so please accept our apology. But were back and there are lots of exciting things coming your way.  So in a nutshell let me tell you my top ten list of things that have happened since we went “Ghost protocol” on the 17th.

    10. We painted the Adventure River and boy does it look nice.

    River Work is Nearly Complete

    9. Truckloads, literally of furniture have arrived for the revamped Blue Palms Motel and the NEW Boardwalk Bungalow.

    8. I went to visit our new web peeps in Nashville and they gave me a peek under the hood of the new site.

    7. RipTide arrived, fittingly right after a storm! It floated across the beach and was lifted into place. I acted like a nervous parent as it was careening towards one of the posts. I would have been devastated had it gotten scratched.

    6. We’re getting ready to fill River Adventure…. Oh so exciting!

    5. The Fire pit went in at the Blue Palms… Can you say pool party?

    Ooga Chakka Ooga Chakka! Get This Party Started!

    4. We visited ABS signs to take a look at the new sign for Boardwalk Bungalows.

    Stay Tuned for the Down LOW on the Bungalows!

    3. RipTide’s Sunny C. Gull was painted and is on his way to ride on the bow of the boat.

    Sunny's Ready to Ride RipTide

    2. WipeOut is taking to the air, literally.

     

    From the Base Up, WipeOut! is Coming Along

    1. Did I mention the New Website… it’s so great it gets two mentions. We’re super excited because it’s designed just for you guys and we truly hope you’ll like it. If not we’re going to have to go hide under the boardwalk.

    So we’re back! Sorry for the break. It’s been a couple CRAZY weeks, but we love you guys, so if you forgive us, we’ll promise not to go MIA again… at least not without telling you.

    See you on the boards,

    Tim

     

    6 Comments "

    Utah!

    February 8th, 2012

    Jack found out that I was going to be in Las Vegas, so he said, “why don’t you stop by Colorado and check out Vail Resorts?” Vail does some pretty amazing things when it comes to creating unique experiences and since ski resorts are really amusement parks for the cold months I thought,” why not? I can check it out.” I was about to book a flight from Las Vegas to CO when Jack said, “don’t fly! you gotta drive!” in only a way that Jack could say. I thought he was nuts. That’s like 10 hours in a car!!!! After a little more persuading (and after all he is my boss so I can’t really say no) I decided that I would get a car and drive. All I can say about driving across the West is WOW. It’s so much more than I expected.

    The Scenery in Utah

    Beautiful Utah Landscape

    The scenic views are breathtaking. The sheer drops are amazing and the sunset… you just can’t beat it. So after 10 hours of driving, 2 tanks of gas and many, many stops along the way, we arrived in CO just in time for dinner and boy, was I hungry! But as the sun set and the mountains grew taller I began to think just how blessed we are to have such an amazing vista of our own, the Atlantic Ocean. I thought about how many people, including myself, take the view for granted, don’t really think about how unique the setting is and sometimes just never look past all of the fun and excitement of the Boardwalk. In reality one of Wildwood’s biggest assets is the view, the smell of salt air and the picture that it frames for a perfect Jersey Shore experience, this truly is the REAL Jersey Shore.

    So from the mountains of the west came a new appreciation for what really is so important, the abundance of amazing views of the Atlantic…

    1 Comment "

    Viva Las Vegas!

    February 1st, 2012

    Viva Las Vegas, the overused term. Since the company shuts down for two weeks over Christmas, Sean and I decided to head to Vegas for a weekend before all of the holiday chaos ensued. I hadn’t been there in about 3 years, last time for a convention, so I was looking forward to seeking all of the new “attractions.” Yes, there are other things than just gambling. Let’s see what was new, Palazzo at the Venetian, City Center, a couple Cirque shows, re-themed properties and many, many restaurants. I have always thought of Vegas as an adult theme park (many times too adult), but they seem to be changing that stigma. Although slowly, they are making progress.

    Vegas is an interesting place because much like the boardwalk, it’s bright, loud and in your face. What I love most are the big huge outdoor shows and the signs, neon, LED, flashing etc… It’s really a ramped up version of what signs used to be like on the boardwalk.

    Vegas Signs

    We are seeing more of these come back over time: Gateway Arcade, the spinning fish at Joe’s, new neon at the convention center… not to mention many of the hotels along Ocean Ave. all getting into the game after years of decline. I can only hope that over time the signs will get better, brighter and more intriguing. It really adds to the overall atmosphere of the boardwalk.

    So this year the biggest sign on the boardwalk is getting a facelift, and much like the signs along the strip in Las Vegas, the Giant Wheel will once again dazzle the night sky, letting everyone know that “our” boardwalk, the Wildwoods’ one, is a unique place full of fun and excitement for kids of all ages (even us older ones and our parents too)!

     

    2 Comments "

    Yea Haw! Ya’ll come back now!

    January 11th, 2012

    We found some new peeps to help us revamp our website, so… Nick (we miss you) and I decided to fly out to Nashville and do a site visit. So we flew in and out of Nashville in one day, met with our new team and got a small opportunity to take in a few local sights.

    But before we go too far, let me introduce Paramore, super cool peeps from Nashville that will be working on making the Morey’s Piers website better for you. So if you have any super cool ideas or features you think might work, let me know!

     

    Me and Amanda from Paramore at Bridgestone Arena

    Nashville is a cool city. I mean really it’s all about music, so there is not much tie-in with amusement parks. Well, both ASCAP and BMI music are located there so I finally got to see the building where all the money goes that we pay every year to be allowed to play all the tunes we do on the pier. That’s not what I was looking for, but I found them!

    The city is riddled with little honkey tonks on broadway and a beautiful arena inspired by a radio antenna. As I said, the town really is all about music, but just like Wildwood, Nashville is driven by its own unique culture. They are not scared to say, “we are all music and we mean it!” just like Wildwood is all about being America’s Boardwalk— not New Jersey’s boardwalk or Philly’s Boardwalk, but America’s Boardwalk. There is something for everyone and it’s “real”— not some themed environment. So what did I learn? The boardwalk needs to be true to its history, culture and environment to continue to be the unique place it has been and will be for generations to come.

    We didn’t want to leave our super cool new peeps in Nashville but we had to get back to the pier. We’ll see them again soon enough. Viva Las Vegas…

     

    4 Comments "

    Roadtrip!

    January 9th, 2012

    So I’ve realized I’ve taken quite a few road trips lately. Sometimes I fly, but overall at some point I’m driving somewhere on a whim to see something unique. You may recall that Lindsey and I went to Indiana for the Golden Tickets Awards back in September then continued on to the City museum in St Louis. But what I have realized is that there is inspiration just about everywhere and there might be just one thing to bring back to the piers to make them even more unique. All of us here are always looking for the next new idea, big or small.

    Pumpkin Chunkin’

    Jack has been talking about doing something similar in Wildwood for years. I thought, “what is he smoking? Flying pumpkins…” One brisk fall afternoon a few of us from the office decided to take the trek over to Sussex County, Delaware to check out what this all was about. All I can say is WOW! If you’ve never been, you need to go! It’s quite the experience! Be prepared to walk a mile or so after you park in the middle of a field to get close enough to see what all the excitement is about. The purpose oh Pumpkin Chunkin’ is to launch, shoot or sling a 8 lb pumpkin as far as you can, with many going nearly a mile!

     

    Pumpkin heads

    It’s quite amazing and many times they miss-fire, making ground pumpkin pie. You may think, “well how can this relate to Morey’s Piers?”  Well,  it’s basically the Screamin’ Swing and Sky Scraper launching pumpkins, so there is a similarity, but above all it’s super cool, unique and kind of tacky, which in itself is part of the piers. Were proud of tackiness ;-)

     

    Launch those pumpkins!

    The biggest take away for me as it relates to the piers and waterparks is the fact that sometimes things don’t need to be high tech to be fun; they just are fun plain and simple.

    The food was awesome and the crowd of about 30,000 people were fun and energetic. Unfortunately for Jack, I don’t think we have enough room to pull it off, but I wouldn’t mind putting a Morey’s Piers Pumpkin Chunkin’ team together.

    We all had a great weekend and realized that much like the boardwalk, the sum of the whole is greater than its parts. There are things that make both Pumpkin Chunkin’ and Wildwood good, but all of the pieces together make both GREAT! Next Stop… Nashville!

     

    3 Comments "

    Who Doesn’t Love a Coach Bag?

    December 30th, 2011

    We have a plethora of prizes up on the boardwalk in the stands from iPads, Kindles and Coach Bags. From the stands on the Boardwalk to the Arcade there really is a prize that fits just about everyone. Every Christmas Season we have our annual Holiday Party, a luncheon for all of the full time staff that works at the piers and we trade with other local businesses for gift certificates, prizes and services that we can give away at the party. Some of the gifts come right from the games that we have on the pier. So when Simon, our Director of Food, Beverage and Games came to drop off two Coach Bags from the Wheel Game I just couldn’t help but do a little modeling and show them off.

    Simon and I Model the Prizes

    Well in case you’re wondering, the bags found two great new homes at our Holiday Party. I hope the family members that may be getting these two great bags under the tree this year aren’t reading this…. And if you are, or think you are then you should stop reading this now…..

    But honestly congrats to the two employees who won the coach bags. I think they look much better on you than me, but in the end it’s not about the gifts or the party; it’s about spending time with coworkers that I can really call a family. My mother might be bummed she won’t be getting a Coach bag this year… (Mom I told you not to read this one)! It really was a great afternoon with a hundred of my closest friends, the people that I get to work with here on the pier.

    Lookin' Good!

    Congrats to our Winners!

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! As we are about to go spend time with our real families all around the country, it’s nice to know that after everything is over and all the holiday decorations are packed away we have a family to come home to here at the pier, and after all its only a few months away and well be getting ready for you to visit….

    Oh and one more thing, don’t forget your holiday sale tickets… lowest prices of the year and make great gifts… I know shameless plug… Happy Holiday wherever you may be and we’ll see you soon up here at the pier.

    No Comments "

    Whoa! One Holiday at a Time…

    December 9th, 2011

    SO I’m having a problem in the office. It’s December and out of the blue, meetings are popping up in my calendar for Halloween. Are these people that I call coworkers nuts?! I’m listening to Christmas music and they want to talk about Halloween?

    Well it may seem like it’s year away… well it is, but this really is the best time to start planning for next year. So many people ask what we do in the winter, and among hundreds of other planning, purchasing, rehabbing and painting projects that me and the team here at Morey’s are doing while the boardwalk is settled for its long winter nap, I would like to officially add planning for Morey’s FEARS!

    Christmas?

    Halloween?

     

     

     

     

    So holidays are just like deep fried Oreos around here; why only have one at a time when you can have a bunch at once? Well let me get back to my Christmas carols and Jack-O-Lanterns. The team here has a lot to do for next summer and fall!

    2 Comments "

    Work and Play

    December 7th, 2011

    Every year a team of us venture from Wildwood to Orlando, FL, a motherland of sorts for us amusement folk. Even though the true amusement park started along the coastlines in places like Wildwood, California and the Great Lakes, Orlando offers one of the most dense collections of theme parks, attractions and resorts in the world so it’s only fitting that a convention that brings teams from amusement parks and attractions all over the world is most often held here. It’s a great testing ground where, as an industry, we can see what’s great, what’s new and share ideas amongst each other.

    Will Makes Some New Friends at IAAPA

    The IAAPA Expo is several conventions that are held yearly around the world. The convention offers a great opportunity for us to talk with teams around the world from different parks and find ways to make your experience at the Morey’s Piers better. The five days really are an exhausting. I mean, a few of my fellow team members barely found time to golf for Give Kids the World (by the way, Will was on the winning team)!

    There are so many things to do during the week! We have to ride rides (I know, It’s exhausting), try new food (sometimes it’s like were on fear factor) and sit in boring meetings (with prizes). It really is a lot of hard work. It might not be as difficult as it sounds, but after all, amusement parks are about having fun, so why not have fun at the convention!

    SO we work all week to find fun things to bring back to you! Wether it’s that new ice cream flavor, a great new attraction or ways to enhance our existing fleet of rides and slides, the week really is about finding great new experiences that we can bring back and share with you!

    We found so many great things and Jack has talked about some of the new things coming for 2012… but don’t let your guard down we have a few more surprises up our sleeves! You’ll just have to wait to see.

     

    Me and Denise Testing A 3D Attraction

    3 Comments "

    A Museum of Play

    October 7th, 2011

    While on our trip to the Golden Ticket Awards, Jack recommended (okay, insisted) that we drive another 3.5 hours across two more states to visit a museum. I was like, “REALLY?” So I tried my best to get out of it, making excuses about having preexisting plans, not being able to change our airfare and the list goes on. In the end, I realized that Jack has never steered me wrong, so why not take a chance and see what all the hype is about.

    We arrived in St. Louis on a rainy Saturday night. Coming across the Mississippi we noticed a strange light moving on the roof of a building downtown.  Not giving it much thought we continued to the hotel located in the center of the city. When we looked out the window we noticed that same light. It looked like a Ferris wheel. Could this be the museum? YES!

    The City Museum is not like any museum that I have ever been to. It’s an eclectic hodge podge of artifacts from around the city that are arranged in a sort of jungle gym fashion where climbing, touching or breaking the rules are NOT frowned upon. The entire purpose is to showcase creativity, design and play. Whether you’re 8 or 80, it’s a place to stay. NOT what I was expecting at all. Caverns to climb through, a ten story slide, a pipe organ, a Ferris wheel, airplanes, buses, architectures, a skate park, all in a warehouse building; it’s a must see!

    After the City Museum, we were off to do a few other sightseeing things. We had breakfast in a revolving restaurant, took a trip to the top of the arch (I was terrified, not because of the height, but because of these tiny Austin Powers type vehicles that you have to ride up in. I really do not like tight places) and a tour of the museum at Jefferson Expansion Memorial.

    Looking back on the Golden Tickets and our trip, I can say that I realized a few things. First, being rated as the Best Seaside Park in the World only matters if our guests and fans believe we are. No industry award compares to the opinion of all of you. Secondly, never underestimate the power of play. It’s one of those things that transcends all ages and bridges every socioeconomic boundary. And finally, Morey’s Piers is truly unique. We are not a theme park, amusement park, museum, shopping center, outdoor space, etc, but rather we are all of these in one, unique, tacky, creative, fun and exciting place.

    So, here we are back at the shore, learning just a few things from our friends in the Midwest, we went to an awards ceremony, and came back with an even bigger award- a reaffirmation of just how much of a special place we get to work every day.

     

    3 Comments "

    Golden Ticket Awards

    September 27th, 2011

    For those of you not familiar with the Golden Ticket Awards, they are a series of awards that recognize industry excellence given out by an amusement industry publication, Amusement Today. Over the past couple years, Morey’s Piers has been ranked as the 3rd Best Seaside Park in the world and Ghost Ship as the 3rd Best Dark Walkthrough Attraction.  A panel of judges that are specially selected by the publication travels the globe and votes on several categories of excellence. This year the awards where hosted by Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari, a small regional theme park located in, get this…. Santa Claus, Indiana! The park has been recognized year after year as being one of the friendliest parks in the world, and the truth is, they are; the place is full of Midwest Charm.

    But back to the awards, Lindsey, our Marketing Manager, and I had never been to the Golden Ticket Awards before, nor had we visited Holiday World, so it was a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and really see what all the hype was about. We arrived at Philadelphia International on a sun filled Friday morning and 570 miles later, we landed in Louisville, Kentucky (Lindsey seemed to think we were in Missouri). Just a short 1.5 hour car ride (around a detour) later, we found ourselves checking into Santa’s Lodge, on Snowball Lane, in Santa Claus, Indiana (no, I’m not kidding, we have pictures to prove it).

    The experience of the park was unique in its own right; the park is charmingly themed and perfect for the surrounding area. The Koch Family, who owns and operates the park, is truly an inspiration. They are present in every aspect of the park- it really is a family affair. The park won several awards, including Best Wooden Coaster, Friendliest Staff and Cleanest Park, just as they have for many years. We rode Voyage, got a sneak peek at what makes Wildebeest (the worlds longest water coaster) work and met some really great people along the way.

    Crazy Coaster Bunnies

    And through it all, although we did not take away a first place Golden Ticket (this year) we were surrounded by other parks, big and small, and it really cemented (at least for me) that this business of amusement and waterparks is all about one thing- creating moments, memories and smiles, no matter how big the park is or where in the world it resides.

    2 Comments "