The Heavy Air of Donora, Pa.

My Bubbe Fanne loved what we western Pennsylvanians call "rolly coasters." Every year the entire family joined our small town's annual expedition to Kennywood Park near Pittsburgh to ride some of the best coasters in the country. I loved the thrill of sitting securely next to my large, soft grandmother while being dragged slowly upward, and then whooshing down so fast you simply had to scream to breathe. Once, when I was 5, as we staggered off the famous Jack Rabbit with its double-dip drop,