by kristen bartley
For over a century Coney Island has established itself as one of America’s great cultural icons. This Brooklyn mecca has been a reoccurring subject in American pop culture from a mention in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, to the theme of songs by Tom Waits, The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, and Death Cab For Cutie. Even New Kids on the Block jumped on the bandwagon filming one of their videos at the park in the early 90s.
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What’s with the silly name? At one point Coney Island was actually an island. An island ruled by masses of rabbits, that the Dutch called it Conyne Eylandt, or Rabbit Island. Coney Island’s birth as an amusement destination began as early as the 1860s. In 1876 its first carousel was built and followed shortly by the Coney Island elephant (actually a large brothel built in the shape of an elephant) which greeted immigrants before Lady Liberty. Coney Island reached its heyday as a popular resort destination in the 30s and 40s and quickly fell into decline with the closure of its major parks and the rise of street gangs in the 50s. The rest of Coney Island’s history is parallel to the struggles facing Coney today, with the ongoing controversy of its development at the forefront.
Coney Island’s future presently lies heavily on the shoulders of developer Thor Equities, much to the distaste of Coney Island advocates who would like to see the gritty charm of the area preserved as opposed to being turned into a slick modern theme park. Coney’s more eccentric days were to come to an end at the end of 2007 with the closure of Astroland and the eviction of local businesses along the boardwalk. However, with heavy protesting from advocates opposed to Thor’s development plan and constant rezoning roadblocks, a trip to Coney Island today will still give one an authentic taste of this odd little slice of America and its evolution over the past 150 years.
Transportation: N, Q, F, D to Coney Island
Landmarks/Attractions: Nathan’s Famous (since 1916), Wonderwheel (1918), Cyclone (1927), Parachute Jump (1939), New York Aquarium
Events: Coney Island Polar Bear Club, Mermaid Parade, Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, Brooklyn Cyclones Baseball
