from last thursday – lots of coney island, brooklyn in the morning

 

some lou reed coney island baby would seem appropriate if you like

(set to cool old coney films on youtube)

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

aquarium kiddy crowd

 

 

 

 

brooklyn cyclones keyspan park

no baseball today, fo' shizzle:

http://www.bowerypresents.com/u/i/4/5bf5f1ea.jpg  :mrgreen:

 

during the last gasp of classic era coney island a child’s restaurant opened in 1924

for now the building is being used as the dreamland roller rink

 

 

 

 

 

 

easing away from ci

 

 

on the way to totonno’s  :|

 

beware - ny style pizza porn!!  :laugh:

 

newish coney island station

 

heading home!!

 

***under threat of white-washing gentrification - that’s it from ‘ol coney island in the morning***

 

I was there Saturday, so much fun.  Seeing it without people makes it look like pure trash, with people it looks like childhood fun.  Also, shoot the freak is the 3rd best thing there behind the Cyclone and Nathans.

Funnel Cakes & Ice Cream! Yum!

 

Looks like the ultimate in retro kitsch, with an abundance of traditional amusement-park food. What fun!

 

The murals and signage are fabulous.

too bad all this is going to change.

^ yeah i know. that's exactly why i took the camera along.  :|

 

I was there Saturday, so much fun.

 

i went back on saturday too. no camera that day, no way! yes tons of people & lots of fun. i always enjoy the siren fest, but my favorite is the mermaid parade.

It's sad that it's all gonna be torn down.. Astroland is going to try to keep some stuff and move further down.. but it won't be the same..

 

I mean where else can I pay $3 to shoot a human with paintballs?

I was at Brighton on Saturday, too. Very crowded on the beach. It was actually my first time to Coney Island (been to the beach before, just not to Coney) .. we walked through there on our way back to the subway.

 

I will say this. I'm not one to impede progress and development. But I will miss Coney Island a LOT. There's something so amazingly great about the trashy fun of this place. I can't think of many other areas in the US or anywhere that come close, and nothing will ever replace what it is today. :)

Sad and amazing.

 

Thanks for posting.

Fun thread!

What an amazing place.

How about the dunking booth man on Surf Ave who talks crap/makes fun of people who talk by.

The Venice Beach of...New  York.

say goodbye to Astroland:

 

Astroland Closes, This Time, It Appears, for Good

The New York Times

By CARA BUCKLEY

Published: September 7, 2008

 

Depression has no place in an amusement park, but a definite pall hung over Astroland at Coney Island on Sunday, even as the screams of thrill seekers — grade-school children, metal-mouthed teenagers and nostalgic, if slightly nauseated, grownups — tore through the air.

 

On Thursday, the park’s owner, Carol Albert, announced that Sunday would be the last day for Astroland, the three-acre space-themed amusement park that has been a fixture on Coney Island’s Boardwalk since 1962. Ms. Albert sounded a similar alarm last year, when it seemed that negotiations between her and the property’s owner, Thor Equities, had come to a standstill, only for a deal to be worked out. The Albert family sold the land to Thor for about $30 million in 2006.

 

But this year, Ms. Albert said, Thor Equities refused to meet with her to discuss her lease, which expires Jan. 31. While Thor Equities disputed Ms. Albert’s version of events, Ms. Albert insisted that at 9 p.m. on Sunday, the park’s midway lights would shut off, ride by ride, game by game, for good. Twenty rides from the park are listed for sale on the Web site www.rides4u.com.

 

And so, thousands of visitors poured into Astroland for what appeared to be the last time, pushing toddlers in strollers and aged relatives in wheelchairs, and taking a final look at a park that may have seen better days, but was still widely adored. Many people reminisced about their childhood days spent at Astroland, and shook their heads in disbelief that yet another vestige of old New York would be lost.

 

“The city has decided that anything that makes a buck is a good thing. We’re giving up everything that makes New York wonderful,” said John Jeannopoulos, 55, a lawyer who lives in Manhattan and began coming to Astroland soon after it opened. “Once you take down some something like Astroland, or Disneyfy Times Square, you never get it back.”

 

Astroland’s closing would not mean the end of rides at Coney Island; the Cyclone wooden roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel, which is part of Deno’s Amusement Park, are both city landmarks and will continue to operate next year. Thor Equities said it would also bring more amusement rides to the Astroland site next year.

 

The shuttering of the park would erase another attraction from the Coney Island Boardwalk, which has fallen a long way from its glory days, when it was home to attractions like Luna Park and the Steeplechase.

 

But part of what made Astroland unique was its accessibility, said Charles Denson, a Coney Island historian and author of the book “Coney Island Lost and Found.” Rather than being an expensive, glossy and distant amusement park, Astroland was a place that was reachable by subway, a place where a visitor could shoot a water gun at a clown’s mouth and win a prize, or venture on kitschy rides with names like Dante’s Inferno and Break Dance that, while arguably seedy, were still loads of fun.

 

“It wasn’t Disneyland, but thank God for that,” said Mr. Denson. “It’s open to people of small means, and it always has been.”

 

Indeed, youngsters living near Astroland said they worried now about how they would fill their summer days and nights.

 

“No one’s going to have anywhere to hang out anymore,” said Keyira Serrano, 14, who lives at the Coney Island Houses and said she spent every summer weekend at Astroland, usually with her younger sisters Dannierra Whitfield, 13, and Felicia Serrano, 9. “We’re not going to have nothing to do. So today we’re going to have all the fun we can, while it lasts.”

 

For the park’s 350 employees, too, the future is suddenly uncertain. Some held out hope that Astroland might somehow survive, though Ms. Albert said she could not continue operating Astroland without a multiyear lease from Thor Equities, which she said the company was not willing to give.

 

Jose de la Cruz, a 40-year-old Brooklyn resident, began working at Astroland eight years ago, and has operated its Pirate Ship ride since 2003. Mr. de la Cruz has worked at amusement parks since he was 16 and dropped out of high school, after deciding that he preferred a carny’s life to classrooms.

 

“Sometimes there are drunk people, and sometimes people toss their cookies in the air — it ain’t a pretty sight and I got to clean it up,” he said. “But I’m going to miss it. I enjoy seeing people having fun, being so terrified and then afterwards walking off, their legs shaking, saying ‘I did it.’ ”

 

Like most of Astroland’s workers, Mr. de la Cruz plans to help dismantle its rides over the next few months. After that, he said, he would apply for unemployment insurance, and then try to get a job at another amusement park. “This is my life,” he said. “It’s the only thing I’ve ever been doing, and I’m good at it.”

 

Other park workers said they were furious at the park’s planned shutdown. “Thor is putting 350 people out of jobs,” said Philip Englebert, a maintenance worker. “We all live here. We work here. What are we going to do now, in this economy?”

 

Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for Thor Equities, said in a statement that the developer had been in touch with “numerous amusement operators” to discuss setting up “permanent year-round development.” The city and Joseph J. Sitt, the chairman of Thor Equities, which is now the largest landowner in the area, have yet to reach an agreement on how to redevelop Coney Island, though locals worry that the neighborhood will become awash in generic chain stores, condominiums and hotels.

 

On Sunday, Walter McCoy, a maintenance worker in his 40s, watched his niece swinging high in the Pirate Ship as it soared toward the sky, screaming with her arms aloft. Mr. McCoy’s grandson Andre, 6, stood beside him. Andre was too small for the ride, and watched his cousin, enthralled.

 

Going to Astroland, Mr. McCoy said, had been a summer tradition in his family for decades.

 

“This place lets kids trust their legs, they don’t have to worry about cars, and neighborhoods are getting so rough,” said Mr. McCoy, who lives in East New York, Brooklyn.

 

“They’re closing down a legend.”

 

Definitely sad, but it will also be good to see new life in Coney, I love the gritty side of Coney as much as anyone, but the status quo is hardly what Coney was or should be. The Cyclone will remain, the Wonder Wheel will remain, the Parachute Drop will remain, and so will the freak show, the aquarium (which I hear they're discussing expanding and inreasing the visibility on the boardwalk), the boardwalk, and the beach.

 

The page will turn on Astroland just as it has Steeplechase and Luna Park, but at least they're zoning to create and encourage more entertainment in Coney. Maybe the new product can be even better than the nostalgic remains of a once great park.

They are moving more and more poor people to certain pockets of the city and displacing them.

 

When I was renting in Brooklyn Hts., they (the powers that be) had just started moving poor out of Ft. Green (near the park), Dumbo, Cobble Hill (the Columbia St. cooridor), Prospect Hts/Crown Hts./Brooklyn Museum area.

 

all those people were sent up to the bronx or out by Coney Island.  Now where will they go as the newer homes will be out of their price range.

 

I don't know how much longer I'll be able to afford NYC. And I live in the fucking Bronx already.

jpop you're not alone.  There is so much discussion, about those who live here not being able to live here. 

 

Service workers, building workers, can no longer afford to live in Manhattan, and now downtown Brooklyn, Western Queens, The Westside of the Bronx and northern NJ are soon to be of limits.

 

I'm lucky I got in when I did or I wouldn't be able to afford to live in Manhattan!  Only the Rich will be able to afford to live here.

 

North American Tourists cannot afford to come to NYC any longer.  When a hotel room is $550 a night, you can't afford it.  Lots of conferences have left NYC because they can't justify the budget.

 

This week for example, there aren't as many fashion week parties or events as in the past years, as many people are here for a show and back home.  They can't afford 600 (or more) a night for a hotel.

 

If not for the European tourist, the NYC economy (along with DC) would be in the crapper!  Leisure cities like Miami, Las Vegas and Orlando are all hurting.

Does anyone know what percentage of each borough is rent controlled, and to what extent? Any time I saw young people walking around Chelsea, SoHo, etc I automatically assumed they were trust fund kids because I don't understand how any young person with a budget could even make it viable. You could hear loud parties and the smell of weed coming from some of the buildings (we were either in Chelsea or upper west side) and I'm thinking to myself how the hell can anyone have time to party like that when anyone else that age would have to work 100 hours a week to survive.

 

Then you have the latest trend of professional people wanting to raise kids in Manhattan because of the "diversity". Parents think Manhattan exposes kids to the "real world" because they're surrounded by different languages and religions. I wouldn't consider most parts of Manhattan in touch with the "real world".

 

As upscale as Manhattan is, with its high end retailers, the service workers have to come from SOMEWHERE and they shouldn't have to come from an hour and a half train ride!

Does anyone know what percentage of each borough is rent controlled, and to what extent? Any time I saw young people walking around Chelsea, SoHo, etc I automatically assumed they were trust fund kids because I don't understand how any young person with a budget could even make it viable. You could hear loud parties and the smell of weed coming from some of the buildings (we were either in Chelsea or upper west side) and I'm thinking to myself how the hell can anyone have time to party like that when anyone else that age would have to work 100 hours a week to survive.

 

Then you have the latest trend of professional people wanting to raise kids in Manhattan because of the "diversity". Parents think Manhattan exposes kids to the "real world" because they're surrounded by different languages and religions. I wouldn't consider most parts of Manhattan in touch with the "real world".

 

As upscale as Manhattan is, with its high end retailers, the service workers have to come from SOMEWHERE and they shouldn't have to come from an hour and a half train ride!

 

David, I don't have that information.  But I can tell you that those kids cannot afford that.  I wouldn't say Manhattan is "upscale", its just unique to North America.  If you looked inside those apartments you would see 2 bedrooms and four roommates.  And that is being generous.

 

Why do you think there are so many people on the streets, they don't want to be cooped up in there little apartments.

 

 

If you looked inside those apartments you would see 2 bedrooms and four roommates. And that is being generous.

 

That's very normal, actually. I have several friends who have lived in similar situations at some point or another in their time here. If it ever gets to that point for me, I'm outta here.

Ugh. It's  the dorm life all over again. 4 guys in one room and the subtle "get the #$%^ out of here" hint when you bring girls back. (Go street life!) :clap:

 

Jpop, how much is the rent in the Bronx (or a ballpark) if you don't mind me asking? I know it probably gets more expensive closer to Manhattan; I'm just wondering what I could be dealing with in the future.

Great pictures! I saw them in google images search and had to join the forum.

thx vinny and welcome. we get around to plenty of brooklyn here....and we dont slack on the other boroughs either! please do post your own photos too.

boo hiss  :|

 

http://gothamist.com/2009/01/27/scenes_from_a_coney_island_restaura.php?gallery0Pic=14#gallery

 

ugh -- somebody took this sad shot recently

 

so glad i got to visit several times last summer

i saw this today --- the water flume being taken down and away:

 

 

more:

http://www.coneyisland.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1237148120/15

 

 

So sad.... An amusement park for regular people is destroyed so that the city can continue its never-ending quest to be an amusement park for rich people.

 

I don't know how people can afford to live in this city anymore... I make decent money at my job, and yet I still live in a shoebox-sized studio apartment and have to listen to gunfire, loud stereos, and car alarms outside my window every night. I'm counting down the days until I can move back home to Cincinnati and can get a much bigger apartment in a much nicer neighborhood for only a fraction of the rent.

So sad.... An amusement park for regular people is destroyed so that the city can continue its never-ending quest to be an amusement park for rich people.

 

I don't know how people can afford to live in this city anymore... I make decent money at my job, and yet I still live in a shoebox-sized studio apartment and have to listen to gunfire, loud stereos, and car alarms outside my window every night. I'm counting down the days until I can move back home to Cincinnati and can get a much bigger apartment in a much nicer neighborhood for only a fraction of the rent.

 

First, I love your name.  I just picture SueEllen Ewing passed out at the wheel of the station wagon.

 

Where in the city are you?

I'm currently in Washington Heights, Manhattan. At various times I've also lived in in Morningside Heights, East Harlem, Bushwick, Sunset Park, and Inwood.

I'm currently in Washington Heights, Manhattan. At various times I've also lived in in Morningside Heights, East Harlem, Bushwick, Sunset Park, and Inwood.

 

WH??  Yeah.  Sounds like you live in the 180s. I'm surprised you live in such a small apartment, the apartments in WH are generally HUGE in comparison to other NY apartments.  One of my assistants live in WH and his Apartment is massive it's about 1200 square feet.

 

You've picked some really interesting neighborhoods to live in!

I live in the low 190's just off Broadway. The art deco buildings built in the 30's generally have pretty huge apartments, but the earlier apartments are only slightly larger than anything on the Upper West Side.

 

In terms of finding an apartment, it's not just a matter of what you can afford in monthly rent, but also what you can afford upfront just for the security deposit, broker's fee, etc... Not to mention what's available out there when you're looking. (Bushwick and Washington Heights are the only places I've lived for more than six months; the rest were temporary housing situations.)

 

When I was growing up in Cincy, I remember when One Lytle Place was built downtown. When that building opened, it was the address in town; if you had an apartment there, you knew you had made it. On a whim, I went on their website and discovered that their most expensive one-bedroom apartment costs less than what I'm paying for my studio in NYC. Arrgh!

I live in the low 190's just off Broadway. The art deco buildings built in the 30's generally have pretty huge apartments, but the earlier apartments are only slightly larger than anything on the Upper West Side.

 

In terms of finding an apartment, it's not just a matter of what you can afford in monthly rent, but also what you can afford upfront just for the security deposit, broker's fee, etc... Not to mention what's available out there when you're looking. (Bushwick and Washington Heights are the only places I've lived for more than six months; the rest were temporary housing situations.)

 

When I was growing up in Cincy, I remember when One Lytle Place was built downtown. When that building opened, it was the address in town; if you had an apartment there, you knew you had made it. On a whim, I went on their website and discovered that their most expensive one-bedroom apartment costs less than what I'm paying for my studio in NYC. Arrgh!

 

You live in Merengue-ville!  192 & B'way is pretty loud.  In regard to Real Estate NYC is in a world of it's own.

 

It is what it is, you know it's expensive before you get here!

Comparing NYC real estate to anywhere in Ohio is apples and oranges.. you don't live in NYC for a huge apartment, you live here for everything else.

Comparing NYC real estate to anywhere in Ohio is apples and oranges.. you don't live in NYC for a huge apartment, you live here for everything else.

Speak for yourself whippersnapper!  :P  Some of us like to be comfortable.

Comparing NYC real estate to anywhere in Ohio is apples and oranges.. you don't live in NYC for a huge apartment, you live here for everything else.

Speak for yourself whippersnapper! :P   Some of us like to be comfortable.

 

Yeah, some of us have lives outside of work and don't go home immediately from the office :P

Comparing NYC real estate to anywhere in Ohio is apples and oranges.. you don't live in NYC for a huge apartment, you live here for everything else.

Speak for yourself whippersnapper!  :P    Some of us like to be comfortable.

 

Yeah, some of us have lives outside of work and don't go home immediately from the office :P

 

This is true.  However, when we arrive at our homes, whatever the hour, we want to live in comfort.  Humph!

You don't live in NYC for a huge apartment, you live here for everything else.

 

Like what, being accosted by thugs and filthy panhandlers on the subway, dealing with the shitty attitudes from the clerks behind the counter at Duane Reade, or having to wait 20 minutes just to get a seat at your favorite diner for Sunday brunch?

 

Museums and Broadway shows are nice, but I could take advantage of that stuff a couple times a year as a visitor without having to shell out a fortune in rent... And Cincinnati is no slouch in the arts and culture department, for that matter.

 

Right now I'm fortunate to have a decent job that I usually enjoy, but that's pretty much the only thing keeping me in NYC at the moment. This time next year I'll hopefully be preparing to start grad school at UC (admissions committee willing, of course).

 

Don't get me wrong: NYC is an incredible city, but it's not for everybody. Now that I'm rapidly approaching my mid-30's, I find that quality of life is becoming a much bigger priority for me than being in the middle of all the action.