Monthly Archives: March 2023

Getting To Know/History

Photography facts

Leave a comment

By: Julia Yang

I’ve learned that not a whole lot of people know about the photography rules and history, so I’ve come to tell fun facts about it.

Did you know that when taking photos of wild animals, photographers aren’t allowed to interact with them in any way? It’s true, photographers cannot interact with the animals whatsoever. There are several reasons for this rule:

  • Reason #1. If an animal loses its fear to humankind, it could fall victim to hunters.
  • Reason #2. Depending on the animal, it could be very dangerous.
  • Reason #3. To not disturb wildlife.

The most viewed photograph in all of history is the Windows XP default wallpaper. Isn’t that crazy? Out of all the photographs ever taken, that’s the one people have seen the most. What a time to be alive.

Funny cat pictures have always been a thing. Ever since 1870, Harry Pointer was taking photos of cats. Walter Chandoha was more well known than Harry though, and his career lasted for over 70 years. Can you imagine? 70 years of just cat pictures.

Not-so-fun fun fact, the most common subject people took pictures of in the 1800’s are corpses’. It wasn’t creepy or anything then. Of course it is now, though. In the 1800’s it was a way for people to remember their deceased loved ones.

Pictures with filters or effects on them will less likely be in a family album because the pictures then wouldn’t reflect reality.

Photography is a worldwide art form, in fact, it’s the world’s most popular art form.

Photography is one of the few jobs that are not taken over by robots. Robots cannot take pictures the way that humans do, scientists haven’t found a way to do that yet.

For more facts, visit the following websites:

Travel/Food

Best tropical places to visit in 2023

Leave a comment

By: Calla Fragrassi & Mackenzie Malek

With spring break coming up everyone needs a break from Minnesota’s hard and cold winters. Here are the 10 best tropical places to visit in 2023.

  1. Santorini

Santorini is one of the many Greek islands and one of the most famous islands in the world. Santorini is known for its beautiful views and hosts one of the few active volcanoes in Europe. Many people have theories that Santorini is the home to the lost city of Atlantis. The island is also known for its beaches and is made up of two different inhabited islands and multiple smaller surrounding islands.

  1. The Azores

Just off the coast of Portugal are the nine islands of Azores. Azores is one of the Europes safest destinations. There are many activities to do in the Azores including hiking, diving, bike tours, canyoning, bird watching, surfing and much more. The Azores’ islands are very sustainable because they preserve resources and opportunities for tourists to be eco friendly.

  1. Bali

Bali is a small island within the country of Indonesia. The country is known for its beautiful mountains and volcanoes, and is known for being a “surfer’s paradise”. The surrounding coast is filled with coral reefs and is perfect for family vacations. On the very famous Kuta beach you can find many hotels, restaurants, and shops along with many different water sports for anyone to enjoy!

  1. Galápagos Islands

The nineteen Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean. These islands are known for their unique wildlife such as sea turtles, sei whales, marine iguanas, and much more. Some activities you can do on these islands are snorkeling, which is a highlight for many tourists, sea kayaking, surfing, horseback riding, etc. If you are interested in relaxation don’t even worry, there are beaches perfect for disconnecting.

  1. Hawaii

Located in the central Pacific Ocean, known for its beautiful beaches, are the five main islands of Hawaii: Kaua’i, O’ahu, Moloka’i, Lana’i, Maui. Some of the most common things to do in Hawaii are visiting the Pearl Harbor museum, if you’re into history, or if you are into hiking, visit Diamond Head which is the most recognized landmark in Hawaii.

  1. Aruba

Aruba is a country south of the Caribbean Sea. This country is most known for its white sand beaches and bright blue ocean water. Some things to do are the butterfly farm, basically you are walking through a tropical rainforest surrounded by butterflies. Eagle Beach is a very popular beach to visit because of the white sand and turquoise water.

  1. Bora Bora

Bora Bora is one of the 118 islands of Tahiti. What makes it special is the scenery and culture. Like many other places on this list, Bora Bora is known for the vibrant blue water and white sandy beaches. The top sites are Matira Beach, Bora Bora romantic tour, the Tohora Bora Bora snorkeling lagoon tours, and whale watching.

  1. Maldives

Maldives the smallest country in Asia, located in the southwest of Sri Lanka and India. This beautiful place is most known for its amazing culture and interesting landmarks. Maldives is also famous for water sports like scuba diving, surfing, and water skiing. Maldives may be costly, but is one of those places where you only have to be there a few days to get the most out of your vacation.

  1. Dalmatian Islands

The Dalmatian Islands are a strip of 79 different islands along the Adriatic Sea. The three most famous and largest of the islands are Brač, Pag, and Hvar. The islands are all surrounded by beautiful high limestone cliffs, each with their own unique beaches and sights. This is the perfect destination for unforgettable beach trips, with one of a kind landscapes, and scenic views.

  1. The Isle of Skye

*Note, this one is not tropical, but still worth the visit.

The Isle of Skye, also called Cloud Island, is popular for its medieval castles and beautiful mountains, cliffs, and history that brings in tourists from all over the world. The island is rich with fascinating culture, scenery, and wildlife. Past visitors commonly say the land looks almost “untouched by the modern world”. If you’re looking for an exciting vacation with plenty of greenery and vibrant culture, The Isle of Skye is the place to be.

All 10 of these beautiful tropical places have something different to offer, along with great tranquility. While traveling to a tropical island can be spendy, and planning can seem like a lot of work, everyone deserves a break from the real world. Booking that trip can open many new doors and adventures that lead to many amazing experiences.

Editorials/Student Voice, School Life

Day in the life of a high school student

1 Comment

By: Caden Kipfmueller & Toby Martin-Kohls

Webster’s dictionary defines senoritis as: an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades. Senioritis is very real and affects at least one student at Highland Park Senior High annually. We chose to follow one such student around for a day and dive deep into the psyche of a slacker.

In order to minimize the time spent in school, this particular student has opted in for a late start. This option, as well as early release, are only available as an option for seniors.

Not only has he obtained a late start, he has managed to fit his class schedule into working for a double late start. This is a remarkable feat of laziness, and it should be appreciated largely because this is a decision that the counselors usually try to steer you away from taking. Somehow, the student we followed managed to convince the counselors to allow him to take this unique opportunity, although we have no clue how (potentially bribery?).

As the writers of this article are also seniors, we also want to note that the current Late Start/Early Release form only includes Period A1, B1, A4, and B4. So, this particular student took the time and energy to talk to the counselors about a course selection alteration to make his schedule easier for his last semester of high school.

After sleeping in well after 10am, this student arrives for his first class, which is Honors Band. This student plays the trumpet. They had a special guest give them a lesson. When interviewing this particular student about his thoughts and feelings about band class, he replied “Uh yeah… we suck.”

After his first class of the day, the student has first lunch. He opts to pack and bring lunch from home. His meal includes a singular slice of ham on two pieces of white bread. No cheese. Just ham. He also packed a brown, sad looking, once-green pear. Personally, I would have not touched that pear with a 10-foot stick. He then moves onto the next part of his meal. He has packed two protein bars. He ended up dropping one on the bacteria filled high school cafeteria table and still proceeded to eat it. What a way to support the elimination of food waste. Kudos to such an environmentally sustainable move!

When interviewed, this student said, “I enjoy lunch because I get to refuel my body for my last class of the day.” Such great words to hear if you are his Chinese teacher!

His last class of the day is IB Chinese. But wait! First, he needs to head to the CCRC (College and Career Readiness Center) to print out his almost late IB Physics IA. This is quite an important assignment, for those who don’t know, IA stands for Internal Assessment. We take a nice walking trip around the first floor, and as we get to the CCRC, he notices the red sign on the door noting that they are closed for advisory. He exclaims “!@#%! Hopefully the library is open?” I don’t say anything and let him ponder about his struggles. As a senior, it is surprising he doesn’t know how the school operates.

We make it to the library and log in on the slow computers. He struggles with getting to Google Docs, so I have to step in and help him navigate. After around 15 minutes in the library, he has his 4 page Physics IA. He quickly runs up to the third floor, only to find that Mrs. Hedwall’s door is closed. He knocks, and interrupts a class of juniors. The class is dead silent as he walks in and awkwardly hands his fresh off the printer IA. But, he’s managed to do the hardest thing of the day, getting his Physics IA in.

Our student walks in late, but the teacher does not seem to care. When prompted by the reporter about his tardiness, the student replied “I don’t care.” His class is preparing for the IB Chinese exams. His class was rowdy and energetic, but ultimately focused. Our student talks in Chinese sentences about the family in a picture, showing off his multilingual abilities.

Our subject is not perfect, however. The teacher asks him a question and he struggles to answer for a second before replying in Chinese. This response is met with laughter, though this humble reporter is not fluent in the language and thus does not understand the joke he made. At the end of the class, our student asks for clarification on the homework. His teacher makes a joke about how he wants to do two assignments instead of one.

The day ends, and our student is ready to go home after a long, tiring day at school. One of our reporters asked him about the latest history assignment on WWII, and our student revealed himself to be pro nuclear bombs. What an awesome day at school!

It should be noted that this article is 2 weeks late, showing that senoritis truly affects everyone.

Music/Concerts

Extremity in music: What makes something sound heavy?

1 Comment

By: Charlie Boone

In 1965, 17-year-old Tony Iommi was working at a sheet metal factory when a large press dismembered the tips of two of his fingers, leaving him unable to play guitar without homemade plastic prosthetics and lower gauge, detuned strings to suppress the pain. These accommodations gave his playing a deep, metallic strength that ended up inadvertently changing music and culture forever when he formed what is widely considered the first metal band, Black Sabbath, in 1968.

This innovation that focused on darker themes, lower tunings, and fuzzy distortion presented a new challenge for young musicians, pushing the boundaries of music and honing in on extremes to create visceral new sounds. Heaviness, extremity, brutality, are all subjective terms, representing different things to each listener, but I’ve narrowed it down to three factors: Speed, subject matter, and dynamics.

In terms of speed, the obvious logical conclusion is grindcore. Popularized in the 90s and derived from both the death metal and hardcore scenes respectively, grindcore’s sole focus is speed and aggression in short bursts. In fact, the shortest song ever recorded is actually a grindcore song called “You Suffer” by one of the staple bands in the original British scene, Napalm Death. Grindcore is inherently rough around the edges and typically features more raw, unpolished production. For some people, this adds to the aggression and brutality of the sound while others prefer a more tight and refined style of extreme noise terror in that of technical death metal. As implied in the name, the focus here is pure technicality and skill, so, still blisteringly fast but not typically as raw or pissed-off.

What is often sacrificed for speed in technical death metal is dynamics. If an entire four-minute track is all at the same face-melting tempo, it gets tiring to listen to and the visceral feeling of the speed wears off. To put it simply, if everything is fast, nothing is; and the same thing goes for volume. Juxtaposition of soft and hard sounds increases the sense of dynamics and makes the heavy parts of the song hit that much harder.

A subgenre that better understands this juxtaposition while staying mind-bendingly heavy is brutal death metal. First achieved by Suffocation with their 1991 album, ‘Effigy of the Forgotten’, brutal death metal combines raw production reminiscent of grindcore, with the technicality and speed of death metal, and an added element of groove and bounce.

There are also bands that take speed to the exact opposite extreme and play as slow as humanly possible. Early sludge metal bands like Grief and Melvins played with this idea, but no sound truly embodies the feeling of being crushed by a gigantic boulder like funeral doom metal. The slow, hypnotic melodies of this style were directly inspired by funeral dirges, adding another layer of heaviness through the exploration of themes like grief, depression, and solitude. In a style saturated with gore and demons, extra weight is carried when the horrors being described are true. Good examples of this style are Bell Witch, Ahab, and Mournful Congregation.

Further listening: If you are interested in looking further into the world of extreme music, here are four modern records that I think embody each of the factors of heaviness mentioned earlier.

Nails – ‘You Will Never Be One of Us’ (2016)

Ridiculously brutal grindcore that makes use of the iconic HM2 chainsaw guitar sound present in classic Swedish death metal.

Whitechapel – ‘The Valley’ (2019)

Emotionally dense and progressive deathcore, overall fantastic and dynamic record. The only record on the list to feature clean vocals as well as growls/screams.

Cerebral Incubation – ‘Gonorrhea Nodule Mastication’; (2012)

Quintessential slam/brutal death. A solid midpoint between raw and polished production with the classic high-tuned pingy snare and guttural vocals.

Archspire – ‘Bleed the Future’ (2021)

Some of the most extreme and balanced technical death metal out there. Every member of this band is inhumanly talented; insanely polished and tight performances.

Travel/Food

Sakana vs. Yumi

Leave a comment

By: Rose Ramadan & Thea Berg

In this article, we will be comparing two different sushi restaurants that we visited last Saturday. The first sushi restaurant, which was Sakana sushi, was loved and appreciated way more by us. Although, we both did appreciate Yumi sushi, we have both decided it was not the best, and we will not visit there again.

Both restaurants are located in the Highland area of Saint Paul. Sakana is on the corner of Cleveland and Pinehurst, and Yumi is on Selby and Arundel St. Yumi sushi is not the only one, it has multiple locations with one also in Edina. Sakana is more local and it does not have other locations. There are other competing sushi restaurants in Saint Paul, but Yumi and Sakana are the main and more popular ones.

The restaurants give off very different vibes. Yumi sushi has more of a sports bar vibe. It’s a bigger space with many TVs and open seats around a big bar in the middle. It’s very dark there as well. It seems less like you would get sushi and more like you would get burgers or bar food.

At Sakana the vibe is a lot calmer and it’s much brighter. There are many windows and natural lighting along with less seating around a bar and more seats at tables and booths. Sakana has a much smaller space, but it fits the vibe of getting sushi more than Yumi does.

At both places the waiters are very nice and welcoming, the environment created by the workers is great, and we have not had a rude experience.

At Yumi sushi, we ordered the honeymoon sushi roll. In this roll is spicy tuna, shrimp tempura, snow crab, avocado, cucumber, wrapped in soy paper, and topped with honeymoon sauce. We really liked the way it tasted, but we felt the bites were almost too big for our mouth. They were completely packed and each roll seemed to have a different amount of meat and vegetables. We wouldn’t order it again based on the price, it was not ideal and not what we were expecting. However, we really enjoyed the spicy taste and the honeymoon sauce was to die for.

At Sakana sushi, where we have been a lot, we ordered two different orders. First, we ordered a simple California roll. They are always tasty and one of our favorite types of sushi. However, we feel as though it didn’t have enough sushi on the plate for our liking. This is fine, though, for it was still cheap enough for us to enjoy.

We also ordered Thai lettuce wraps. These included wok seared Thai basil, diced chicken and vegetables, with hoisin sauce. They are an absolute go-to order for us. They taste delicious and you can add as much or as little of the vegetables into the lettuce wraps as you want. We would also like to say it is a fairly healthy meal.

In the end, we would rate Sakana 9.2/10 on sushi restaurants. They have good prices, good flavors, good environment, and a good location for us to go to.

We would rate Yumi Sushi 6.7/10. The vibe wasn’t something loved by us; it was too bar-ish and we didn’t feel comfortable there. They were also very expensive which was a big turn off for us. Their flavors were great, but their portions were too much and each bite was different. We would recommend this restaurant to an older audience.

Yet, Sakana will always be our favorite and we will recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick sushi stop any day.

Fashion/Make-Up

Upcoming trends in 2023

Leave a comment

By: Lauren Kottke & Ella Sutherland

Each year there are new fashion, beauty and lifestyle trends. Last year some popular trends were low rise jeans, baggy clothes, platform shoes and many more. And every year the trends change. What are the top predicted trends for 2023? Let’s find out!

A trend that has been popular the past few years is 2000s and vintage clothing. This style trend is mostly fueled by Gen Z. We saw the low rise jeans, short vintage crop tops, 2000s sunglasses and much more. And this trend isn’t expected to stop, but expected to grow even more. It’s predicted that this year we’re gonna see mesh or sheer tops, leather skirts, leather jackets and funky print tops. The 2000s style can be cute, but sometimes can be tacky. So, we think you just have to do it the right way.

Another trend that is predicted in 2023 is ballet pumps. They have already made a comeback and have been a hit. You can wear them to the office or to run errands. They’re a great option if you want a more elegant pair of shoes but want to be comfortable.

An unexpected fashion trend that is predicted to come back is the skinny jean. The past couple of years, the trend that has taken over is baggy and oversized clothing. That included jeans. People stopped wearing skinny jeans and instead started wearing baggy jeans. But it looks like we’re gonna see a comeback with them. Some people have started to steer away from the excessively baggy jeans and gone back to a more fitted jean.

The fourth trend we’re going to see is denim maxi skirts. This is a trend personally, we’re not too fond of. Denim skirts used to be very popular but recently haven’t been as popular. We like short denim skirts but we don’t like long skirts as much.

Another denim trend that’s predicted is denim on denim. We’ve seen more and more matching denim sets.

Headbands are also expected to make a comeback. We’ve seen celebrities like Bella Hadid and Matilda Djerf wearing them. We’re not gonna be seeing the skinny plastic headbands that are uncomfortable, but the fabric ones. We’ll start to see thicker headbands. Personally, we like this trend. We think it’s a cute way to add accessories to your outfit. And it’s practical!

The next predicted trend for 2023 is ruffles. It’s predicted that we’re going to see shirts and dresses with ruffles or rosettes. It’s a great way to make the top or dress more exciting and interesting. We think they will be very popular this summer.

A trend that we think will make a comeback is tube tops. We’ve already seen this trend before, but we think this time it is going to be different. Before we saw straight cut tube tops, and they were cloth. But we think the new tube tops we’re going to see are going to have a sweetheart neckline and will be made out of different materials.

The new tube tops are going to be crocheted tops. Over the past few months, crochet tops have become more popular. So, with summer coming soon, we think crocheted tube tops are going to be very popular. We think these tops are very cute and we will definitely be wearing them!

Trends are like a wave, they go up and down. They’re in and then they’re out. We think some of these fashion trends are really good, but others not so much. But it’s all about what you want to wear! That’s what makes fashion so great. You can wear whatever you want and shouldn’t be judged!

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

New York City food review

Leave a comment

By: Audrey Smith

On Presidents’ Day weekend, I visited my sister at Fordham University in the Bronx. We went to Manhattan many times and tried many different types of food. Some good and some bad. Here’s some of the highlights and lowlights of the meals we had.

First we got Neapolitan style pizza. If you have ever had Punch Pizza or Tonos here in the Twin Cities, it’s almost the same idea, however this pizza was even better.

The crust wasn’t tough at all, and it almost melted in your mouth. The cheese was full of flavor and didn’t disappoint.

I got the margarita pizza and my sister got the Alfredo pizza. I would say that although the margarita pizza was an 8/10. It had a nice crust, red sauce, mozzarella chunks, basil, and whatever other seasonings were included. I did love this pizza and would purchase it again in the city, however there wasn’t enough cheese.

The Alfredo pizza was a 10/10…or even higher. It was the best pizza I have ever had. It wasn’t a classic pizza with red sauce, it had an Alfredo based sauce with cheese, truffle oil, and more. I liked that this had a
cool spin on the original idea of pizza. I would rate this place a 9.5/10.

Next we tried kimchi at a fast casual Korean restaurant called Rice Kitchen. I had never tried kimchi prior to this trip, so it was my first time ever having it.

The price at the restaurant was very reasonable, which was nice. This kimchi included beef filling, egg, seaweed, rice, pickled radish, carrot, and cucumber. It also had a really good sauce that came along with it.

We got Kimbap along with it, the beef was really good but chicken was a downer. I would rate the kimchi a 9/10 for the flavor and reasonable price. I would rate the Kimbap a 7/10 between the beef and the chicken. I would go there again and I recommend it. Overall 8/10.

The last place I’m reviewing is Cava. This is a chain restaurant that’s in big cities, but they don’t have any near the Midwest. Think of Chipotle but Mediterranean…and better.

The kid’s meals were just a main course but smaller, although they were pretty big. We both got a kid’s meal. The price was reasonable for the meal and it was really good.

They had a pita full of lamb and fried pita on the side. You can get many other things at the restaurant but what I got was amazing. I would rate it a 10/10.

Books/Art

Review of ‘The Wandering Inn’

Leave a comment

By: Tasha Cudinski

‘The Wandering Inn’ is a web novel written by an author by the alias Pirateaba. ‘The Wandering Inn’ is about a young woman named Erin Solstice who gets stranded in another world. Erin is a young woman from Earth, she lives with her family and is getting ready to go to college. She is pretty happy, she spends time with her friends, and she plays chess which she is very talented at. One day, without warning, she finds herself in another world.

In this world, humans are just one of many sentient level species, and technology is still at the level of medieval times. This world also has: magic, monsters, classes, and Skills. Erin ends up stumbling upon a run down and abandoned inn, where she decides to stay.

The inn slowly gains popularity, as well as a reputation for insanity as there is almost always some kind of drama happening at the inn at all times. In most Isekai genre stories (stories in which a protagonist from earth ends up in another world) the main character ends up being some ultra powerful guy who can just punch all of his problems in the face, but Erin never ends up being a super powerful wizard, or a strong warrior, instead she becomes powerful via soft power.

Erin’s power is that she is a kind, and helping person who absolutely refuses to stray from her morals. Because of this, Erin meets goblins and necromancers and Antinium, all of whom are considered to be monsters. Most people see them as being incapable of anything but violence and have no qualms about treating them as the monsters they are perceived to be. Erin looks at them and decides to treat them like they are people, and because of this she ends up befriending all of those who have been scorned and hunted.

Over the course of the book, Erin amasses an army of friends, all of whom are willing to fight for Erin if she needs them to. While Erin’s story is the main focus of the book, it is not the only one, as she was not the only human from earth who ended up stranded in this other world.

As the story progresses, we meet more and more earthers and eventually they start meeting each other. While Erin managed to survive and make friends, many others were not so lucky and ended up dying before they could even figure out that they were in another world.

Overall, ‘The Wandering Inn’ is a fantasy genre story with slice of life and action as its secondary themes. Pirateaba is currently writing book nine. The books are well written and the story is engaging with almost no dull moments.

The main drawback of the book is its length. If you are looking for a book to read in a week, and be done with, then this book is not for you. The book has over 11 million words and counting.

‘The Wandering Inn’ is well written and well paced, with believable characters and world building, so if you are looking for something to occupy your time for a while, then ‘The Wandering Inn’ is a good choice for you!

‘The Wandering Inn’ can be read for free at its official website: thewanderinginn.com.

Editorials/Student Voice, National

Amazons underperformance on its drone program

Leave a comment

By: Joseph Nelson

It’s been almost ten years since Jeff Bezos announced Amazon’s drone delivery program, but we still haven’t seen any sign of commercial delivery to homes. In fact, Amazon has only made 10 successful deliveries between the two states of Texas and California. Now, why is that number so low and where are our drones?

Now, Amazon isn’t trying to at all hide their underperformance as Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti doesn’t deny any of the numbers brought to her in an email from The Verge. But those numbers aren’t completely Amazon’s fault as there is a bigger factor in play than just Amazon, it’s also the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) stating to Amazon that the pilots cannot fly over roads without a pilot or a third party present. That means that the unmanned drones need to be supervised if the drone were to go over any type of road which brings a bigger challenge to the future of drone delivery.

But, this all seems odd right? I mean, we are again almost ten years from the first announcement of the program and now we are still trying to cross the street? The very future of air delivery is being held up by the laws of the roads.

It feels as though the battle between the FAA and Amazon is going at a snail’s pace. In fact, Amazon just last November, got the green light to fly its drones outside of sparsely populated areas. The drones couldn’t fly within one-hundred feet of buildings, and the requirement of drone pilots being required to have a piloting license to fly a plane, just so they can fly a drone, has completely hindered Amazon’s pilot count. Which hurts a lot when you need more than six pilots to fly just one drone.

But these training wheels the FAA put on Amazon might not be completely a bad thing, as of February 1st, there have been five drone crashes on Amazon testing sites. One of these crashes caused a twenty-five acre forest fire on the site.

But Amazon isn’t backing down from the fight whatsoever, they are pushing the FAA every day to get their drones up in the sky and deliver packages to your doorstep. As of the start of February, the FAA had approved more flight areas in Texas and California.

So, as to answer the question on where are our drones? Well, they are being held up by air laws but I still believe that we should see them in the coming years.

For more information, please visit:

Travel/Food

Best rides at Disney World

Leave a comment

By: Sophie Johnson

Expedition Everest was one of the rides that I re-rode multiple times when I was in Disney World in December of 2021. This is one of the fastest roller coasters in the park. While on this coaster, you speed over mountains and through caves where BigFoot is lurking in the darkness.

This ride has some unexpected aspects to it as well, including when it appears to be a dead end with a broken coaster track. You creep up to the edge and then zoom backwards in the opposite direction.

I also loved this ride so much because it was night when I rode it, and right as we were rolling over the mountain, the firework show started and it was a very memorable moment.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a short but very gripping ride in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This ride is based on the film series ‘The Twilight Zone’. It includes many surprising sharp turns and extreme drops. The Tower of Terror has windows that open to the outside and when you are suddenly dropped, you can see flashes through the windows of the whole Disney park. I love the anticipation of this ride and it was definitely worth the long wait in line.

Space Mountain is a thrilling indoor roller coaster in the dark. The theme of this roller coaster is outer space. While waiting in line for this ride, you walk through a dimly lit passage that mimics the inside of a spaceship. You can look out and see different stars and planets in the distance.

Once you get to the actual roller coaster, there are small, two person carts that zoom down a winding and spiraling track in the dark. The part of this ride that makes it one of my favorites is that you get very immersed in the experience. It is also exciting and scary because you can’t tell when the track will drop down really far or take a sharp turn.