I'm Ira Glass. So we're going through the gate here into the park? Yeah, we're going-- this is our morning-- this is the morning walk into the park. See, everybody will split up into their different sections and get the park open. And we'll start putting out prizes and We're going to be spending the entire hour today at amusement parks. It's five minutes before opening, and I'm walking with Cole Lindbergh, who's 25 with permanently-mussed hair and the cheerful vibe of the Bosom Buddies-era Tom Hanks.
He's been coming to this park since he was a little kid, started working here as a summer job at 14, and then basically just never left. It became his real job. I love amusement parks. Any time my family would go on vacation, we'd schedule it around an amusement park, because I love roller coasters.
I loved amusement parks. I mean, I've walked-- this pathway that we're taking right now-- I've walked it thousands and thousands and thousands of times. When he was little, his family had season passes here, and they would come a lot. He'd travel to any new roller coaster to try it out, daydreamed about a job where he would design parks and build roller coasters.
And when his dad drove him here at the age of 14 for a job interview-- he wore a suit to that interview-- just sitting inside the park's offices, which are utilitarian-- picture the principal's office at a public high school-- even that was exciting. I remember being like, oh, wow. This is the inner sanctum. This is the inner workings. This is where all the cool stuff happens. And then the first time actually getting in the uniform, actually working at the park-- I remember, to me, it was like, wow.
This is surreal. I'm actually working in an amusement park now. And to me, that was kind of, like, awesome. That was awesome.
