# Floating Into July By [Sunday Bunch](https://paragraph.com/@bunch) · 2024-06-30 --- This week, on a special Summer Edition of Sunday Bunch: a tribute to one of mankind’s greatest inventions, the water park. Specifically, a defining feature of any great water park, **_the lazy river_**. ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b9ccee8016e411fdc938287a200428d9.png) The first man-made lazy river opened in 1983 at the Wet N’ Wild water park in Arlington, Texas. [As the story goes](https://grantland.com/features/the-wet-stuff-verruckt-waterslide-schlitterbahn/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july), Wet N’ Wild founder George Millay–also the founder of Sea World–was in Jakarta, Indonesia, walking through a theme park called Ancol Dreamland, when he observed “a circular canal with people in it.” For Millay, it presented the perfect innovation for his growing water park empire: an attraction that helped people stay cool, kept lines smaller, and could handle hundreds of guests simultaneously. Millay returned home, told his engineers to “build me a river.” ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/28c7749aadbd5c4d2285b6d21734201f.jpg) After some initial confusion (“why build a ride that has no beginning or end?”), engineers developed a 15 foot wide pool that installed jets every 100 feet to keep the water circulating. Guests would be able to float on a tube or walk along the river. Upon opening in ‘83, the lazy river was a huge hit with guests, and quickly became a staple at all Wet N’ Wilds. Mr. Millay trademarked the term “Lazy River,” but the number of parks using the name got so large it was impossible to keep up. The lazy river quickly became a central feature of water parks around the world, and the rest is history. 40+ years later, these are some of the greatest achievements in the medium: ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d8705bf710ef4a68a213fb34d7b8d5a2.jpg) Marriott Marquis — Houston, Texas ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9e148990085872aa354844525dcd8119.jpg) Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya – Tulum, Mexico ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/027f79f465a86913521128adb27489ac.jpg) Waikolohe Stream, Aulani — Oahu, Hawaii ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8236fcb8854e172b8293dbcc335dbea6.jpg) Grand Resort Deck, Galaxy Macau (the world’s second longest) ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/7b3122a206a4dbbb7995f90c5a47c1fb.jpg) MGM Grand – Las Vegas ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9814994c3cf99f591fff9bd3812e133b.jpg) The Current, Atlantis Paradise Island — Bahamas ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c6069ee14a7aac25c71ab7bb59d6a2cb.jpg) Leisure River, Louisiana State University — Baton Rouge ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/36fe0f4f49c90a42d1a361563dda0f08.jpg) Shangri-La Singapore ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/06e74bcadc7f6dd52052fbfa8bc44046.jpg) Las Ventanas al Paraíso – Los Cabos, Mexico ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8f0dba187868825bfbcf6989436258de.jpg) BSR Cable Park — Waco, Texas (the world’s longest lazy river - 1mi) ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/bdc39e4dfc28221f5382f1804a996e52.jpg) Ocean Park Water World – Hong Kong ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e7f21aa47865fb933643004e8febb665.jpg) JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/35acff78e0bf99f51fd6b1f27f41c661.jpg) Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa – St. Lucia ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/d42bfedd3977cb9249fc0e47b4340179.jpg) The Falls at Schlitterbahn – New Braunfels, Texas ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/7cc4220066a78b87de365dec6faaab0f.jpg) Aquaventure, Atlantis The Palm – Dubai ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/615633746f15f2d2f6701579b16b9906.jpg) Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa * * * ![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/4c3165302273b1aaf6a6d7cbff23bf34.png) ### **RECOMMENDED READING** Here are a few books and newsletter/blogs to provide the perfect post-4th hammock reading for a nice long weekend: #### BOOKS [**_Status & Culture_**](https://www.amazon.com/Status-Culture-Creates-Identity-Constant-ebook/dp/B09JVG323B?crid=3HHPYDIUSWZ7J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ou0SH5Kp-2jnJV3dvTZHRLMblxOczAT08UXL2aEgvZ8mBnKPNw41dRDmvSGHETjM_b5ZY1k4UeZJ20QOn5ErwAGpaJ_OIASvcpIBGt6v95B65nKseKAK_WFwR6FHlRY-9-Xv-Wj5UDN4ycI3MgWt6i1UyDH0mbpsO2qPclnlO2vKWiz7_389-y-Rk3PQngl369cjAONrOQ1ofOt4PbxuX2qRn3Td6pMq6lX6hHB4sRXjt1YSYTWHUCd_hA6PIMXA15m0xAAPSWH22KJh2QUqWXdpV86YFXIQLhS-KFMMbAc.Psm-5j0SyzCytc2Ju5yONceXWrV7862aeJuLaFodIWE&dib_tag=se&keywords=status+%26+culture&qid=1719339284&s=books&sprefix=status+%26+cultur%2Cstripbooks%2C152&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=sundaybunch-20&linkId=65061906ac2a9990b02b8f21f1c68bd4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **- W. David Marx** **and** [**_Filterworld_**](https://www.amazon.com/Filterworld-How-Algorithms-Flattened-Culture/dp/0385548281?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.A7LbNdMFxRUo9t_Wzw0HPotPQD5P3QN1BCXctYHS69wcajKWC3uNOW7TzGPPjgw_AxcOBmvOlC8ZBzcaIlThTQ.rSh95DoVTrn8uTN7p9_qdFH_d91lMZcY-cT9-mWJAIo&dib_tag=se&keywords=filterworld&qid=1719339309&s=books&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=sundaybunch-20&linkId=a06e824404f49fa0e811b6eb4ac25c54&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **- Kyle Chayka** I recently (re-)read Marx’s excellent _Status & Culture_, which was my favorite book of last year. I happened to read _Filterworld_ immediately after, and discovered they make perfect companion pieces. Read in sequence, Marx starts you off with foundational mechanics of how culture is created, including the status-driven underpinnings that shape so much of what drives us individually and as a collective. Then Chayka comes in with a detailed picture of how those cultural markers of status are then systematically fed to us via algorithmically-filtered platforms. [**_Sport’s Coming Storm: An Industry Now Totally Adrift_**](https://www.amazon.com/Sports-Perfect-Storm-Industry-Totally/dp/B0CPTJBHSV?=&linkCode=ll1&tag=sundaybunch-20&linkId=1484858b91f72218f16cb697305f2376&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **- Roger Mitchell** As many of you know, I spent a good percentage of my career working in and around the business of sport. If I had to teach a course on the subject, this would be our textbook. Roger Paul Mitchell has been a journalist for Sky, a CFO for EMI Italy, and the CEO of the Scottish Football League. He’s also one of the only people writing pragmatically about the business of sport, where breathless cheerleading is the norm. In _Sport’s Coming Storm_, Roger does an excellent job of outlining the potential implications of recent money pouring into sport from sovereign royalty funds and private equity investors, and how the expectations of returns will eventually collide with a less-than-rosy longer-term picture for growth. [**_Project Hail Mary_**](https://www.amazon.com/Project-Hail-Mary-Andy-Weir/dp/0593135229?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uiV2f4PxnYUEUh7_cDUqYNOSTGE5ArKgh2IbeSZuklMcx9fHk-DSZSra1zAbf1MyekIxF9HIMn-X0qFEyFJ5VnYs0myXjidUYXvDJliKpOiFbMtoScxSptAS1Y4m1LYpBs9OLFN7dKt4TWRV1wWtMvdAux2Y8ogxjUTx7XGjrOuWEsh8Y2BUnkiy7COB_Sy9-tz3_gR8XE0E6rAeLLuzWw6Y26Y55Mg1aBsKCZg_lr57JkrPTV_J2_COS93Afe1vzeP0GLhC5ZDzzeva4ZNHD0QtYsad_cUGapsNEMk_Z_c.FgPkaqzQV3gEPMlnRy_vX05w8MiIA28flNYTnOK163A&qid=1719339351&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=sundaybunch-20&linkId=ec79590d34cea4e6fdef2f0f0d8aad93&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl&utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **- Andy Weir** What’s that you say, real life feeling a bit too real these days? Let’s try some fiction, with a generous side of science. Weir wrote _The Martian_ and this one has a lot of the same “solving problems in space” dynamic but gets much weirder (think giant talking spider). If it doesn’t find its way to your reading list, you do have the option to wait for the movie, currently in production by Phil Lord & Chris Miller (_Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse_, _The Lego Movie_, _The Afterparty_), starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller (_Anatomy of a Fall_). * * * #### BLOGS / NEWSLETTERS Two of my must-read newsletters of the moment come from two of the authors I mentioned above: [**_Culture: An Owner’s Manual_**](https://culture.ghost.io/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **– W. David Marx** For members of the creative class or the cultural commentariat, Marx’s [Manifesto Towards a New Creative Class](https://culture.ghost.io/culture-is-an-ecosystem-part-one/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) is required reading. [**_One Thing_**](https://onethingnewsletter.substack.com/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **– Kyle Chayka** Less an extension of Chayka’s expansive cultural writing, as the title suggests, this is a quick-read appreciation of one thing each week. (You might notice [the “cutre” post](https://onethingnewsletter.substack.com/p/spains-word-for-cool-tackiness?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) I shared a few weeks back.) [**_The Honest Broker_**](https://www.honest-broker.com/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **- Ted Gioia** Gioia is a cultural critic, author, music historian, record producer, jazz pianist, and former Stanford professor. He’s also emerging as one of the most astute observers of the business of creativity and culture. A few good places to start: * [Is Silicon Valley Building Universe 25?](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/is-silicon-valley-building-universe?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) * [How the Music Business Can Tame the Dangerous AI Dragon](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/how-the-music-business-can-tame-the?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) * [The 6 Laws of Dying Hollywood Franchises](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/the-6-laws-of-dying-hollywood-franchises?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) * [Crisis in the Culture: An Update](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/crisis-in-the-culture-an-update?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) * [CEOs Go to War Against Creatives](https://www.honest-broker.com/p/ceos-go-to-war-against-creatives?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) [**_Channel 6_**](https://channel-6.ghost.io/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) **– Spencer Hall & Holly Anderson** Spencer and Holly have been two of the funniest living sportswriters, going back to the early days of blogging and the legendary college football blog, [_Everyday Should Be Saturday_](https://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july). Channel 6 is the evolution of their work, featuring bangers like [An Appreciation of NCAA 2K14](https://channel-6.ghost.io/38-days-an-appreciation-of-ncaa-2k14/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) and [Meet the Marvel Mascots of the SEC](https://channel-6.ghost.io/meet-the-marvel-mascots-of-the-sec-2/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july). Any college football fan needs to [subscribe to the free version](https://channel-6.ghost.io/?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) at a minimum. Have a great week and an epic 4th 🇺🇸. I will catch you at the tail end of the long weekend. Thanks again for being here. Cheers, [BUNCH](https://kylebunch.com?utm_source=sundaybunch&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=floating-into-july) --- *Originally published on [Sunday Bunch](https://paragraph.com/@bunch/floating-into-july)*