A Great Day at Coney Island

[SfanGoch]

 Since Junior is, for all intents and purposes, done with school for the year, we hopped on the subway early yesterday and headed to the people's playground,  better known as Coney Island. Coney is just a shell of its former self; but, there's still plenty to see and do. We spent the day strolling on the boardwalk checking out the sights......hot chicks in bikini tops and cut-off shorts topped the list of attractions on a beautiful, sunny day. A short tour of Coney Island:

One of the most iconic sights is the world famous Cyclone roller coaster. 

This landmark is celebrating 90 years of operation,  thrilling millions of people and leaving them with sprained necks in the process.If you ever had the incination to experience riding in a trainwreck, this is the closest thing to being in one. It's the first thing you see from the train as it pulls into the Stillwell Ave. station.

Another famous landmark is the Parachute Jump tower. It was originally built for the 1939/40 New York World's Fair and was purchased by the Tilyou family, owners of Steeplechase Park, and was in operation from 1941 until 1964. During WWII, much of the city adhered to nighttime blackout rules; the sole exception was the Parachute jump, which stayed lit and served as a navigation beacon.

 

I actually had the pleasure of going on this ride, courtesy of the U.S. Army Airborne School in Ft. Benning and didn't have to buy a ticket.  

 

Looking west along the Riegelmann Boardwalk

 

Ruby's Bar & Grill is the last remaining dive bar on The Boardwalk. The oldtimers and regulars who hang out here really give you a sense of what the real Brooklyn is like. A great joint open year round. Every fourth round is a buyback.

 

Two dietary staples of The Boardwalk, funnel cake and Cherrystone clams on the half shell.

 

Deno's Wonder Wheel, one of the largest Ferris Wheels ever constructed, is another landmark. It has been operating since 1920 and boasts a perfect safety record. The inner gondolas are cool because they slide inward on a snaking track and fall outward as the wheel rotates.

 

The Coney Island Museum on Surf Avenue, is the ultimate depository of the odd, eccentric and absolutely tasteless. That's swell in my book. I highly recommend it.

 

The interior of the Eldorado Arcade. If countless hours of simple, time wasting fun is up your alley, this is the place to go.

 

Skee-Ball alley. Nine balls for 50 cents. The higher the score, the more tickets you get. 

 

You can trade the tickets in for really cheesy prizes. Sure, it's kitschy; but, hey, that's the charm of Coney Island  

 

Nah, this isn't a strip bar entrance. This is the Auto Skooter Bumper Car in the Eldorado Arcade.

 

Of course, no trip to Coney would be complete without a stop at Nathan's Famous. We got two large orders of frog legs, clam strips and fries to munch on at home. 

 

 

 

 

[High octane]

Looks like a great time, but where are the photos of the hot chicks in bikini tops and denim shorts?

[SfanGoch]

Didn't want to get the post deleted for "inappropriate" material.     

[Ramfins59]

Wow Joe, I don't think there are many bars that give buy backs anymore...... and,  you went to Nathan's and didn't get hot dogs and their great french fries...!!!

[SfanGoch]

Hey, whoa, hey! I ain't no flyover state interloper on playcation! We did get them great crinkle cut fries (large, natch) with the clams and frog legs, Rich. No fries from Nathan's is like Abbott without Costello. We had hot dogs at Feltman's earlier. Besides, I keep a few packs of Nathan's dogs in the fridge for grilling (and a bag of Nathan's fries in the freezer) and Sabrett's for dirty water dog style franks.

[cobraman]

Looks like a fun place. Nice pics.

[peter31a]

Cool! I've heard of Coney Island but it's nice to see what the place is really like. Thanks for the tour, Joe.

[Ramfins59]

1 hour ago, SfanGoch said:

Hey, whoa, hey! I ain't no flyover state interloper on playcation! We did get them great crinkle cut fries (large, natch) with the clams and frog legs, Rich. No fries from Nathan's is like Abbott without Costello. We had hot dogs at Feltman's earlier. Besides, I keep a few packs of Nathan's dogs in the fridge for grilling (and a bag of Nathan's fries in the freezer) and Sabrett's for dirty water dog style franks.

Oh man...... Do I miss the New York "dirty water hot dogs"......  They just don't taste the same when I make them at home......  Of course it's because I don't use real hot dog cart "dirty water".  For those that aren't familiar with dirty eater hot dogs,  The NY hot dog cart vendors have a "tank" on the cart that they boil the hot dogs in.  At the end of the day, they park their carts in the "cart warehouse or garage", and the next day they relight the "fire" under the tank, breaking up the grease or fat that solidifies at the top of the water.  It eventually melts down into the water...... Believe it or not it adds to the taste of the dogs...  Just add a nice soft bun, a good slather of mustard, and either sauerkraut or cooked onions in a tomatoey sauce... or both kraut and onions...  Yummmm...

When I was a young kid (less than 10... in the mid 50's) I lived in the Inwood section of northern Manhattan.  There was an old Italian guy who would push his cart with the Sabrett umbrella on it around the neighborhood on the weekends.  When we saw him coming down the block I'd call up to my Mom who was in our 4th floor apartment from the courtyard.  She'd throw me down a quarter and I'd get 2 hot dogs with mustard & onions and an orange drink...... What a feast for only 25 cents...!!! 

[peteski]

Thanks for the virtual trip on the famous Coney Island!  Hey, is Asbury Park in NJ still around, or did it get washed away in that great hurricane few years back?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Too cool. I haven't been there since I was around 10 or so. We have Nathan's dogs in the Publix down here, and I still think they're the best. 

[Rodent]

Just had some Nathan's. Beef hotdogs are one of the things that the 7 year old  great niece  will eat that comes from an animal.

[peteski]

2 hours ago, Rodent said:

Just had some Nathan's. Beef hotdogs are one of the things that the 7 year old  great niece  will eat that comes from an animal.

I guess nobody told her about "pink slime" or "lips & a$$holes".   Don't get me wrong - I like wieners too!  I don't care what they're made of.

Edited June 26, 2018 by peteski

[crazyjim]

Thanks for the tour.

[SfanGoch]

My pleasure, Jim. It ain't the Coney of my youth; but, it still has that wonderful, grimy feel to it.

11 hours ago, peteski said:

Thanks for the virtual trip on the famous Coney Island!  Hey, is Asbury Park in NJ still around, or did it get washed away in that great hurricane few years back?

The Steel Pier is still going strong, Pete. 

[Tom Geiger]

12 hours ago, peteski said:

Thanks for the virtual trip on the famous Coney Island!  Hey, is Asbury Park in NJ still around, or did it get washed away in that great hurricane few years back?

 

57 minutes ago, SfanGoch said:

My pleasure, Jim. It ain't the Coney of my youth; but, it still has that wonderful, grimy feel to it.

The Steel Pier is still going strong, Pete. 

Asbury Park is still there but a former shadow of itself.  It wasn't hit in the famous hurricane Sandy. Other Jersey shore towns were devastated. At the height of the storm Long Beach Island was completely underwater with such force that underground utilities and roads were destroyed.  Some areas still aren't habitable. 

The town is going through a renaissance with the downtown area now being trendy.  The boardwalk area should be coming back.

Steel Pier is in Atlantic City... a whole different animal! 

[peteski]

It is sad, but nature is a force beyond our control.

[NYLIBUD]

Its amazing,I've lived on LI my whole life so far,and I've never been to Coney Island.Maybe this summer.

[SfanGoch]

Ya gotta go at least once, Ron. If not for the amusements, hit the boardwalk and grab some brews at Ruby's,  Place to Beach or Tom's Restaurant. Plus, there's a fireworks show every Friday night. Say, did you ever hang out at Malibu's in Lido Beach when WLIR used to do the Friday night parties?

[Rodent]

Born and raised Californian here. I am not too far from the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and I love the Santa Monica Pier. That said, I absolutely loved this old PBS documentary on Coney Island. 

https://shop.pbs.org/american-experience-coney-island-dvd/product/CONY601

 

[SfanGoch]

Disneyland/World, Six Flags, Universal nor Vegas could replicate the magic of Coney Island in its glory days. 

 

Besides Luna Park, Dreamland and Steeplechase Park, there was Coney Island's The Bowery. 

The Bowery was a raucous, rowdy area where the cops frequently looked the other way as gambling, drinking and other less than moral activities took place well in to the night.Coney's appeal was that anyone could find the experience they desired. For those searching for the louche, The Bowery was the place to go. One could find saloons, music halls, casinos and brothels, all open 24/7. All this, and more, packed into only three blocks

[SfanGoch]

Here's a film, made in 1953, by Raymond Abrashkin, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin titled "Little Fugitive". It's about a little boy's day in Coney Island. It's a fantastic time capsule view of Coney, and Brooklyn street scenes, in the early '50s. The more things change, the more they stay the same. You'll even see the Parachute Jump in operation.  

Details about this wonderful movie here.

 

[Muncie]

Thanks for the tour. I probably won't get to see it in person, but I'm enjoying the visits.  I hope you do more.

[Rodent]

On 7/8/2018 at 12:15 PM, SfanGoch said:

Here's a film, made in 1953, by Raymond Abrashkin, Morris Engel and Ruth Orkin titled "Little Fugitive". It's about a little boy's day in Coney Island. It's a fantastic time capsule view of Coney, and Brooklyn street scenes, in the early '50s. The more things change, the more they stay the same. You'll even see the Parachute Jump in operation.  

Details about this wonderful movie here.

 

I watched this in its entirety last night, and found it charming. I am your age, and scrounged more than a  few deposit soda bottles for model money in the very late 60s, so I laughed at Joey's entrepreneurial spirit. Was pixxed when MPC raised the price to $2.25 from $2.00. Had to have "the talk" with the neighbor about the price of his lawn service. Sorry Ralph, I am going to raise my rate 50 cents a week so I can buy models and have extra money for paint.