|
It was on a
beautiful day of about seventy-five degrees that
I made my first visit to Coney Island in almost
three years. CI (Coney Island) is now more
vibrant than it was during my previous visit.
Even though CI suffered from the harmful effects
of Hurricane Sandy, it nevertheless seems
pristine to me and was well worth a visit. Three years ago
there was no Luna Park (not the Luna Park of
decades ago, but nevertheless one filled with
many rides that will be of interest to children
and other young people. There are also a number of
new enterprises there, including a Mexican
restaurant (the PTB Mexican Grill) and a nearby
carousel. Nathan's now has two
locations where one can indulge in its
historically famous hot dogs and French fries
and more (Nathan's has been in CI since 1916!). One
Nathan's is open on the boardwalk
itself; the other is located on nearby
Surf Avenue.
Note that Coney Island itself is
located on Surf Avenue, a block from the beach. One can search for
parking in the area on the side streets (if you
dare), but it is my preference to
simply pay the ten dollar full-day parking fee
in the MCU Parking Lot on 19th and Surf Avenue
(fifteen dollars on Saturdays, Sundays and
holidays). The lot is adjacent to the baseball stadium where the minor-league
team, the Brooklyn Cyclones, begin to play games
again this
summer -- so the ballpark is right next to
ballpark, which is quite a location. Parking
here (if you possess a Cyclones ticket is only
five dollars during the day of the game). It
would be a day well-spent to take an early walk
along the Boardwalk, stop off at Nathan's or
another eating establishment for lunch, and
attend a baseball game, all in the same general
area. You might even like to spend an hour or
two laying out on the beach!
Lest I forget,
permit me now to give you directions to CI, its amusement
parks and the parking lot (directions according
to the Cyclones website):
By car: From East:
Take the Belt Parkway to Cropsey Avenue Exit
(6S). At light, make right onto Cropsey Avenue,
and proceed approximately 1 mile, as Cropsey
turns into W17th Street. The ballpark (and
parking lot) is directly ahead.
From West: Take Belt
Parkway to Cropsey Avenue Exit (6). At Light
make right onto Cropsey Avenue, and proceed
approximately 1 mile, as Cropsey turns into
W17th Street. The ballpark is directly ahead.
By subway: Take the
D train, F train, N train, or Q train to the
Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue. At the corner of
Stillwell and Surf Avenues (where Nathan’s is
located), turn right. Walk two blocks west along
Surf Avenue to the ballpark.
By bus: Take the
B36, B68, B74 or B 82 bus to Stillwell Avenue
and Surf Avenue. Then, walk two blocks west
along Surf Avenue to the ballpark.
Returning to the
report of my CI trip, its famed amusement park
(a much smaller version of its former self, but
still impressive), its boardwalk (2.5 miles
each way) and its beach:
Especially on a
beautiful day like today, walking a complete
loop on the wide boardwalk of 5 miles is a pleasure.
From the parking lot, one may ascend to the
boardwalk and choose to stroll either eastward
or to the west (to the west, from W19th St. to the
end at W37th Street, one can walk for approximately a mile
until the end. In this direction, one will enjoy
a nice tranquil walk, surrounded by beach and ocean to
the left, apartments/condos/co-ops/open areas to
the right. This is the shorter part of the
Boardwalk which takes you through the Sea
Gate section of Coney Island.
If you head to the
east from the lot, i.e. from the area
corresponding to W19th St., you will be able to
walk approximately 1 1/2 miles to the
boardwalk's easternmost point, passing through
the Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach parts of
CI. In this direction you will pass all the
eating establishments, all of the amusement
rides and the entrance to the Coney Island
Aquarium. Along the way -- and especially in
Brighton Beach -- you will be treated to hearing
the Russian language being spoken quite often. There
is a great Russian presence in this area of
Coney Island.
Of course, as you
head eastward from the parking lot, you will
pass many eating establishments (see the photos
on the following page) very near to the start of
your eastward walk. To your left, you will first
see the very old Parachute Jump. Though it is no
longer used for its original function, they are
repainting the entire structure to make it look
its best. This ride was originally built for the
1939 New York World's Fair and was the first of
its kind.
In Luna Park are
many kiddie rides, and a bit more to the east
stands the formidable wooden roller-coaster, the
Cyclone, which I remember riding on during my
last visit, when I bought a series of tickets to
ride it multiple times -- first in the middle
car, then in the rear car (more "lift" when
descending!), and lastly in the front car (no
one in front of me. Yikes!!). It was a thrill,
but during today's visit, I only took photos of
it....
Ah, Steeplechase
Park at CI -- I remember many decades ago
walking through the "mouth" of the "smiling
face" entrance into the park, trying to walk
through a rotating cement "barrel" from entrance
to exit (while the "barrel" rotated in a
circular fashion. Then there were the bumper
cars, the "horse" races, etc., etc.).
So, memories are
made of these times of our youth, aren't they? I recommend that you visit
CI when you can (maybe bring the kids or
grandkids), take a stroll along the boardwalk,
listen for the sounds, smell the smells and
imagine how it was many decades ago when our
parents or grandparents (or us) visited there.
In the days when there was no air-conditioning,
when folks sat outside their tenement till late
at night to keep cool, when it wasn't so easy to leave the City for
another state or country (though many did go
upstate to Catskill resorts and bungalows), CI
was the place to be, to escape the summer heat
with one's friends and families.....
If you have any
stories of your experiences at CI and would like
to share them with others, please send them to
steve@museumoffamilyhistory.com for possible
posting.
Have a great Spring
and Summer!!! next, the photo page....
next
►►
Regards,
Dr.
Steve Lasky
Founder and Director
Museum of Family History |