Running head: CONEY ISLAND

Coney Island Jacqueline Gelbart Molloy College

CONEY ISLAND Abstract

This paper discussed the impact of Coney Island, on New York City. It focused on the history of some of the major attractions that Coney Island has to offer. The paper highlighted on Luna park: the Wonder Wheel, and the Cyclone. It also mentions Nathans Famous and the popular boardwalk. The overall idea presented is that Coney Island is an important part of Brooklyn, New York. Keywords: boardwalk, Brooklyn, Coney Island, Luna Park, Nathans Famous

CONEY ISLAND Coney Island

Coney Island is a major attraction of New York, often referred to as a honkey-tonk kind of place. Located in Brooklyn, Coney Island is home to many historical sights including the beach, the boardwalk, the amusement park, and much more that provides hours of entertainment. The first European settlers, the Dutch, named Coney Island. They named it Konijn Eiland after the rabbits they found there (Wright, 2008, p. 492). Coney Island does not only provide many activities, but the activities are also affordable for most of the population. All sorts of races and cultures can be found when walking down the Coney Island boardwalk. The beach, which currently stretches nearly three miles, is a great place to relax and cool off during the hot summer days. Among the many buildings in Coney Island there, of course, had to be a first. The first structure in Coney Island was Shell Road Tollhouse. It was built in 1823 [and was] located at the bridge over Coney Island Creek (Denson, 2011, p.12). Although the building was demolished in 1928, the original wooden toll sign was preserved by William Mangels and is currently on display at the Coney Island History Project exhibit center. On the fourth of July, there is an annual hot dog eating contest held in Coney Island, at Nathans Famous. Nathan Handwerker was a Brooklyn institution all by himself, an immigrant merchant whose hot dog establishment at the heart of Coney Island became known worldwide as Nathans Famous (Robbins & Palitz, 2001, p. 65). Travelers come from all over the globe to watch as contestants consume as many hot dogs as they can within the given time. Perhaps symbolic of the mix is Nathans Famous-the hotdog stand in Coney Island that all campaigning politicians feel compelled to visit (Glueck & Gardner, 1991, p. 11). For some, this activity is sickening to watch, but for many it is considered a favorable past time on Independence Day.

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Coney Island went through numerous changes over the years, to become what it is today. Americas most famed amusement park has gone through many changes, from a corrupt and lawless turf at the end of the last century to a daredevil playground by the sea that reached its peak of popularity during World War II (Glueck & Gardner, 1991, p. 163). It is well known for its amusement park, the era of Coney Islands famous amusement parks began in 1895 (Kasson, 1978, p. 3). Over a period of time, the theme park was owned by different people and called different names. It was originally known as Steeplechase Park (1897) (Wright, 2008, p. 492). In 1903, Frederic Thompson and Elmer Dundy put up Luna Park (Robbins & Palitz, 2001, p. 49). One year later, William H. Reynolds put up Dreamland across from Luna (Robbins & Palitz, 2001, p. 50) however, it burned down in the year 1911. Today, the theme park in Coney Island is, once again, known as Luna Park. Near the park are two major attractions of Coney Island; the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. The Wonder Wheel is a large Ferris wheel, the 150-foot-tall Wonder Wheel, built in 1920, was originally designed as a perpetual motion machine. The wheel has 16 swinging cars and 8 stationary cars and weighs 400,000 pounds. It is Coney Islands oldest ride (Denson, 2011, p. 47). The Wonder Wheel still operates to this day. The Cyclone, built in 1927 by the Rosenthal brothers (Denson, 2011, p. 98) was eventually sold to the city. It is still a popular roller coaster to this day: The ride became a New York City Landmark in 1988 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991. The Cyclone may not be the largest coaster in the world, but many consider the rickety wood-and-steel ride to be the most famous as well as the scariest. It was designed and built in 1927 by Vernon Keenan and Harry C. Baker. The 1-mintue, 50-second ride, 2,640 feet in length, has a top speed of 60 miles per hour, and features a terrifying first drop of 85 feet (Denson, 2011, p. 112-113).

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Another popular attraction was the Parachute Jump. Unfortunately, this ride is not longer operative, the Parachute Jump last operated in 1964 (Denson, 2011, p. 54). Along with the Wonder Wheel, and the Cyclone, this ride has also been named a landmark. Coney Island is most active during the summer season, during the winter months, Coney has the atmosphere of a ghost town that could be blown away (Glueck & Gardner, 1991, p. 163). However, once summer starts Coney Island is once again filled with many visitors eager for a day of fun. During this season, KeySpan Park, home of the minor league baseball team the Brooklyn Cyclones, provide another form of entertainment. They brought professional baseball back to Brooklyn for the first time since the Dodgers departed (Wright, 2008, p. 463). They have been using this park as their home field since the year 2001. The New York Aquarium is another attraction that Coney Island has to offer. When the [formally known as] Sea Side Aquarium opened in Seaside Park in 1879, its fishy aroma attracted more attention than its aquatic exhibits. The primitive facility did not last long at this location and closed after a short run (Denson, 2011, p. 17). In 1957, The New York Aquarium was opened across the street from the Sea Side Aquariums previous location. Coney Island is a well-known part of New York City. According to Robbins and Palitz (2001), its surely the most widely known part of Brooklyn. Indeed, it may be better kn own around the world than the borough itself (p. 46). At one point, people were turned off from visiting Coney Island due to Brooklyns reputation. [people] were still not interested in spending their leisure time in a dreary, crime-ridden neighborhood where New York City had stashed some of its poorest, most unfortunate citizens (Robbins & Palitz, 2001, p. 53). Despite the known status, Coney Island was able to slowly become a major attraction once again.

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After the devastation that was caused by Hurricane Sandy, with the help of many civilians, Coney Island was able to reopen. Throughout the years, Coney Island has had a major impact on life in New York City. It provides a place for hours of entertainment and amusement for people from all around the world who visit. It is also a place where most people choose to visit more than once. Aside from the attractions, Coney Island holds pieces of New Yorks history. There is much to learn about the greatness of, not only Coney Island, but also Brooklyn as a whole.

CONEY ISLAND References Denson, C. (2011). Coney Island and Astroland. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing.

Glueck, G., & Gardner, P. (1991). Brooklyn: People and Places, Past and Present. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Kasson, J. F. (1978). Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century. New York, NY: Hill & Wang. Robbins, M. W., & Palitz, W. (2001). Booklyn: A State of Mind. New York, NY: Workman Publishing Company, Inc. Wright, C. P. (2008). Blue Guide: New York. New York, NY: Somerset Books.