As a person who has 16 different plants in her apartment, I would certainly say I was looking forward to talking to the man whom everyone working on Jurassic World VelociCoaster kept referring to as, “The Tree Guy” — Neal Diebold.

There haven’t been many interviews over the course of my career that I needed to acquire steel-toed shoes, a hard hat, and safety goggles for. Then again there also haven’t been many that I walked the construction site of a brand-new, 1,556 meters, 70 mph roller coaster inspired by a global blockbuster phenomenon from my youth.

Growing up in a large family, theme park visits were a BIG deal for me and my siblings. Theme parks were (and are) the ultimate vacation destination. My family would save for months — sometimes years — for these trips so that we could maximize our stay at a theme park resort. Staying close to the parks felt so special to us, almost like the hotel was our new home, even if it was for just a few days. It meant more time for thrills for us kids, and a resort experience for my parents.