Coney Island

I have a soft spot in my heart for Coney Island. It's a little kitschy, a tiny bit touristy, a little old. And after Hurricane Sandy blew by last October, it was a little battered as well. I've been seeing lots of subway advertisements showcasing the newly rebuilt Luna Park lately, and so I decided to go take a peek on this sunny warm Sunday.

The boardwalk always greets me with a wonderful combination of smells. The first to reach my nose is inevitably the heavy grease of fried food. And as I step up to the actual boardwalk, the salty tang of the ocean blows my way. It never fails to put a grin on my face, and is something I uniquely associate with NY and NJ beaches.

The boardwalk was beautifully restored, and bustling with visitors.

The Wonder Wheel stands tall and proud, an old relic built in the 1920s.

The famous wooden coaster, the Cyclone. It's also been around since the
1920s, and has been declared a National Historic landmark.

Lots of shopfronts and rides looked brand spanking new, which made me feel surprisingly wistful. The appeal of Coney Island to me has always been the aura it had, the layer of time that had settled over everything. With everything so shiny and clean, it was almost as if history itself had been washed away somehow.

Lots of families taking advantage of the hot day

I still do a mental eye-roll every time I think about it, but many beaches in the tristate area are not free! Unlike Florida beaches, where you can just park yourself right on the sand, a lot of the beaches here are cordoned off by a boardwalk and you have to pay to get in. Coney Island is a rare free beach, and so it often gets VERY crowded during the summer.

Difficult to see from the picture, but the pier is still under reconstruction.

The very well-known Nathan's hot dogs, with a sign reminding us that
it is only 10 days until 4th of July, when the hot dog eating contest
will take place!

Coney Island has a unique charm. As I stood there soaking in some sunshine (but not too much!), I listened to children laughing gleefully, either playing in the sand or running off to the rides. It seems like a reflection of childhood itself, of an easier time. Spending a few hours there is a lovely reminder to stay in touch with the kid in all of us... and a convenient excuse to gorge on funnel cake and cotton candy!