One of the great remnants of early 20th century New York, Coney Island remains a resilient place, even if it's infamous amusement park has met an untimely end. With modern-day freak show attractions such as "The Fire God" and "The Illustrated Man" as well as an annual
Mermaid Parade, the
Coney Island Museum, a thriving boardwalk, beach, and Russian immigrant community, the neighborhood remains a terrific destination.
Few American places of entertainment have been studied or written about as Coney Island has, a park that occupies beachfront area formerly dotted with luxury hotels in the late 19th century. The former Dreamland and Luna Land amusement parks on the site gave way to the present Astroland, where you can still watch the amazing side shows, eat cotton candy and hot dogs. Oh yes, and ride the world-famous 1927 wooden roller coaster: The Cyclone might seen ancient by today's roller-coaster standards, but its breathtaking initial 90-foot drop makes for a thrilling ride; we still love to take it every summer. And returning in 2006 is the Parachute Jump, a 250-foot attraction that spent four decades rusting in the salty air. The ride has been totally overhauled and painted its original colors. Brooklyn's proud borough president Marty Markowitz calls it "Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower."
