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<p>Amusement parks are enduring vacation destinations for American families. The rides, the long lines for rides, the concessions, the long lines for concessions — these are practically familial rites of passage. Theme parks are also enormous moneymakers, with industry leaders such as Disney and Universal earning billions of dollars each year from their parks.</p><p>In this episode, Gilbert Cruz chats with Brooks Barnes, who writes about show business (including theme parks), and Mekado Murphy, a film editor and thrill-seeker who reports on roller coasters. They talk about the state of the contemporary amusement park and the ups and downs of roller coasters around the world.</p><p>On Today’s Episode:</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/mekado-murphy" target="_blank"><strong>Mekado Murphy</strong></a> is the assistant film editor for The New York Times, and its unofficial roller coaster correspondent.</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/brooks-barnes" target="_blank"><strong...