Coney Island.
Coney Island is the classic neighborhood with an amusement park and boardwalk. It lies on the beach-end of the subway system, and is recognized for its boardwalk, beach, wooden roller coaster and amusement park streets. In this article, I will discuss the history of the area and some of the top things to do.
Serious development in Coney Island began in the 1800s. In 1823, the Coney Island Road and Bridge Company was established to create a bridge over the creek making the area easily accessible by rail, and the company built Shell Road and the Coney Island House, a hotel, which began the summer resort business. More hotels were erected throughout the century with many celebrities and politicians spending nights at the hotels. Some of the most luxurious hotels were the Manhattan Beach, Oriental and Brighton Beach Hotels. People slowly became accustomed to the water as they became more comfortable with swimming in the salty ocean with strong currents, and as a result, volume grew each year and these hotels became the summer headquarters for many NYC clubs. It became known as: “Heaven at the end of a subway ride.” However, many shady characters became involved in Coney Island in latter half of 19th Century, and crime and prostitution was prevalent part of the ocean-side society [1].
In 1884, Lamarcus Thompson built the first “amusement railroad” in the world: the Switchback Railroad was the first wooden roller coaster. And the amusement park scene began. Regular fires forced the region to modernize constantly to the concrete and steel jungle it is now [1]. Luna Park kicked off in the early 1900s and is the current amusement park with carnival rides (previously it was Astroland until 2008). The park is open seasonally and ownership had changed hands a few times. The major classic wooden roller coaster is the Cyclone, which is still being utilized. You will find heavy metal viaduct subway rails, old arcades and food stands on the main street a block away from the sand. There is a small aquarium and plenty of boardwalk for walks and piers to fish. The boardwalk passes residential houses, Luna Park, aquarium, residential apartments and concrete parks.
And finally, the beach is decent, in my opinion. The sand is fine, clean and comfortable. And the water is refreshing in the middle of the summer. You can bring your beach things by subway or car, and enjoy a few hours near the water. During the evenings, Luna Park gets lively with games, lights and rides, and people walking along the boardwalk. And there are fantastic fireworks occasionally during the summer that you can watch from the boardwalk, or with your feet in the cool sand, or within the bustling streets.
By Nick Borak
Places to Visit
Luna Park
The historical amusement park area with games and rides for children and adults. Nearby, the streets have junk food stands and arcades.
New York Aquarium
A small aquarium practically on the beach that is great for children.
Sources
AN INCREDIBLE SOURCE ON CONEY ISLAND : AUTHOR COULD NOT PUBLISH BUT HOSTS SITE.
[1] Stanton, Jeffrey. Coney Island History Site. Last Updated on 6 September 2013. 18 October 2017
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