Coney Island, New York

Coney Island is one of the landmarks of New York City, in fact, it is one of the landmarks of the United States. That’s why it is such a shame the place will soon be bulldozed to make room for expensive condos and other yucky things. I made my way to the boardwalk for the first time a few days ago, and it was great. Sadly, there were few of the freaks and mermaids on hand, as my visit was during the week. It was still worth the LONG train ride from Jersey.

Once we finally arrived at the “island,” I was STARVING. Of-course we had to eat at the Famous Nathan’s Original Hotdogs. I decided to eat everything bad for me. I had a hot dog with cheese fries and a HUGE beer. It went down pretty well from our bench on the boardwalk, despite the panhandlers who just HAD to interrupt our meal. Once they found out we weren’t tourist from Australia or Poland or someplace, they decided to leave us alone for the duration. Good thing. I can’t stand having people shove tickets to some crappy jazz bar in my face for a “bargain price.”

The carnival rides at Astro World, while interesting to look at, didn’t look up to code so I passed on riding anything but the tower thing that just takes you up in the air to get good views of the area. We did, however, take a spin on the Cyclone. I haven’t ridden a roller coaster in AGES and I’m not much of a fan of the old wooden coasters. If I want to get slammed around like that, I’ll hop in a mosh pit. But it’s a classic, so I had to do it before it’s too late. The picture we received at the end is SPECTACULAR. My roommate looks TERRIFIED! I love it. I actually forked over the $7 to buy it, but I haven’t had the chance to scan it in.

So then we had a funnel cake and more drinks. The beach was CROWDED and I wasn’t able to get in the water. For one thing, it’s too cold for my blood. But also, I’m pretty sure the young guy sitting next to us was just waiting for me to leave our bags for a minute so he could take off with them. Seriously, if you go, watch your stuff.

The atmosphere at Coney Island is something that can’t be beat. Even the restrooms were dressed up for the holiday. The people watching is SPECTACULAR and I would love to hear the stories behind some of the old timers hanging out around the place. And much like Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium, your time to visit is running out. If you have a few extra hours in the city, head on over. It isn’t that bad of a train ride from Manhattan.

If anyone has great Coney Island memories, I would LOVE to hear them!