Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park may no be Coney Island's biggest as this image taken from the wonderful Wonder Wheel shows, but Coney Island will have lots to offer for the coming summer season. And if Thor Equities does a better job this year of filling the huge lots they by now have deliberately emptied we hope it's because they have the public in mind.
Image courtesy of Capt_Nemo (Coney Island USA message board)
Image courtesy of Capt_Nemo (Coney Island USA message board)
Image courtesy of Capt_Nemo (Coney Island USA message board)
Image courtesy of Victoria Belanger (Flickr.com)
Brooklyn Borough President will hold a public hearing for Coney Island's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure at the Court Room at the second floor at Brooklyn Borough Hall located at 209 Joralemon Street. The public hearing will commence at 5:00 pm on Monday, March 30th 2009.
The Coney Island History Project's Exhibition Center under the Cyclone Roller Coaster will open for the Cylone's opening day from Noon to 3pm and will officially, reopen for their regular opening day on Memorial Day Weekend.
Sunday, April 5th at Noon is the opening of the Cyclone Roller Coaster. And if you're the among the first 100 riders you get to ride on free.
Robert Sievert, an artist who's had a lifelong passion for painting the human figure has had his imagination captured and inspired by last year's Mermaid Ball. His will exhibit his painting this week at the Blue Mountain Gallery in Chelsea.“What a privilege and inspiration. To be frank I was overwhelmed by these events which I can only describe as a ‘feast of flesh.’ Decorum was not a feature. The acres of skin on display were not those of a fashion shoot and peak physical condition was certainly not a prerequisite. Idiosyncrasy was the keynote. The superabundant visual exuberance and excess on display had a profound effect. My participation in these events totally inspired me to create this body of work: THE MERMAID BALL.”
Coney Island job opportunities are now available at the New York Aquarium. So, if you are a NY resident here's your chance to make a difference if you're unemployed at this very moment in this terrible economic crisis. If you're one of those who want more jobs for Coney residents and find your self currently unemployed here's your chance to work and not have to bare the commute that most other NY residents do. Just take a short bus ride to the Aquarium to work. And yet for those who really love to commute...take a look..they also need Country Project Director for Afghanistan and a Marine Director right over there in Papua New Guinea.
A roller coaster and theme park enthusiast loves to build replicas of actual roller coaster and other amusement structures. And if you love amusements you can't pass up Coney Island. John A. Hunt joined ACE (American Coaster Enthusiasts) in 1982 and has since visited most parks across north America. He showcases his work on his website: RollerCoasterModels.com.
Throughout the years, I have learned a lot about the amusement park industry and have constructed many scale models of roller coasters and other amusement park attractions.This website features many models that were built over the past several years -- most of them are wood coaster replicas and some are original designs.
Announcement from the Coney Island Film Festival:indiefilmpage.com and Coney Island USA present the 9th annual Coney Island Film Festival October 2- 4, 2009 at Sideshows by the Seashore and The Coney Island Museum in the historic Brooklyn neighborhood Coney Island, New York!
Regular Deadline - April, 24, 2009 (postmarked) $25 entry fee.
Entry categories: Feature, Short, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short, Experimental, Silent Film, Animation, Music Video.
The Coney Island Film Festival is open to filmmakers working in ALL GENRES, SUBJECTS AND FORMATS.
Visit the site here form information.
Image courtesy of Rubys Host / KC Flickr Group
From the Gowanus Lounge:A memorial gathering to honor the memory of Robert Guskind will be held from 2 pm to 5 pm Saturday, April 4 at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 4th Avenue between Union and President Streets in Park Slope.
Please RSVP if you can. (There is an opportunity to sign up to speak.)
There will be an opportunity to donate to charities in Bob’s name.
Thanks to Eric Richmond of the Brooklyn Lyceum for generously donating the space.
The possibility of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus coming to Coney Island on one of the Taconic Investment lots was previously another possibility of having the circus pitch their tents on the former Astroland site, but negotiations with Thor Equities fell apart due to what they allegedly are calling 'greed', according to the New York Post.City officials said they're trying to iron out an agreement to bring the "Greatest Show on Earth" to a site off the area's fabled boardwalk after negotiations between Ringling Brothers and Joe Sitt, the amusement districts biggest landowner, felt apart two weeks ago mostly, they alleged, because Sitt was too greedy.
The three-ring circus wanted to play at Astroland, the fabled amusement park that closed for good in September. But officials contend Sitt who is battling the city over the mayor's Coney Island rezoning plan tried to nickel and dime Ringling Brothers by insisting his company, Thor Equities, be allowed to offer concessions during event days that compete with the circus own concessions.
Sitt, they said, also wanted a section of New York Aquarium's parking lot to provide circus parking, rather than offer parking on the 10.5 acres of boardwalk land he owns.
What sounded like a rumor reported on the Brooklyn Paper, ended up sounding more like a possibility reported on the New York Post - about talks to bring the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus to Coney Island for the full summer season.Steve Payne, a vice president for Feld Entertainment, which produces the circus, called Coney Island "an American icon" that is an attractive area for Ringling Brothers to consider expansion, but added "it's premature" to further comment.
"It would be premature to comment on plans for any new markets that are not finalized," said Steve Payne, a vice president of Freld Entertainment, which produces the venerable three-ring circus.
Image courtesy of Victoria Belanger / KC Flickr Group
It seems the Coneyinfo.com website has been around for over a year, but until know we came across it. Coneyinfo.com has a blog as well as events, map, guide, and advice - all about Coney Island. Check it out to keep up to date on all Coney happenings.
Lola Staar and the Save Coney Island group presents "Fight For Your Right to Coney" a rock & roll extravaganza, March 31st at the Bell House!Save The People's Playground featuring the music of sexy pirate rockers JOLLYSHIP THE WHIZ-BANG, sassy KISSY KAMIKAZE, the deliciously haunting TYBURN SAINTS and a fabulous array carnivalesque performers from the sultry sea of Coney Island!! DJ OLE KORETSKY will be spinning sensational dance party grooves!!
Proceeds will go to Save Coney Island, a grassroots community organization committed to the preservation of the spirit of Coney Island through the revitalization of the Coney Island amusement district.
Unfortunately, the City's plan, as it currently stands, would be a disaster for Coney Island. It would permanently diminish the amusement district, introducing high-rises of up to 30 stories in its very heart, threatening historic structures and leaving only a narrow nine-acre strip for amusements. Land that is not zoned for amusements will be lost to amusements forever.
To inform what some may feel looks like the Coney Island Surf & Turf Grill on Surf Avenue and Stillwell is closed half the time - Ruby's Host puts out the word on the Coney Island USA message board:People have been asking, since they see the gates down frequently, if they are closing. Surf & Turf Grill is open and getting ready for another summer of fun. Surf & Turf Grill is open year round but, winter is limited hours and menu. They are starting their weekend parties this weekend. Friday night is Limo Party Night with DJ playing Top 40's. Saturday Doors open at 10 pm for the Surf & Turf Club Party - free round of shots at midnight - Hip Hop & Rap. They are working on their summer band schedule.
Check their site on MySpace for more updated info or call Chris at Surf & Turf Grill or Surf Cafe at 718-513-6491Watch their promo video below
For those who love picture taking..add some Surf & Turf images at their Flickr group.
( Image courtesy of NY Daily News)A famed Coney Island pizzeria won't be tossing around the dough for a while after its coal-burning oven caught fire Saturday.
The blaze at Totonno's - which some foodies say serves the best pies in the city - broke out at 9:30 a.m. and spread to the roof, causing extensive damage, officials and witnesses said.
"I don't know what it will take, but it will reopen," he vowed. "It's part of the DNA of Coney Island.", said Chuck Reichenthal, district manager of Community Board 13.
The former Astroland website transforms into the new Cyclone Roller Coaster website. As many people already know, The Alberts, former owners of the late Astroland Amusement Park still have a contract with the city to operate and safely run the Cyclone Roller Coaster. They have changed their former Astroland website into the Cyclone Rollercoaster website.Astroland's owner, manager and staff thank you for your decades of support! Generation after generation have enjoyed countless hours of fun at Astroland, on the Cyclone and in all of Coney Island. though Astroland will not be opening in 2009!!
THERE IS STILL PLENTY TO SEE AND DO!
As you know the Cyclone is the most famous attraction in all of Coney island and on one of the most famous roller coasters in the world. Make it the cornerstone o fa trip to Coney island that includes the Beach, Boardwalk, Aquarium, games, great food and drink!
Image courtesy of Capt_Nemo (Coney Island USA message board)
Image courtesy of Capt_Nemo (Coney Island USA message board)
With the 2009 summer season around the corner, it looks like the Thor empty lots will be part flea joint and part nothing. There are no talks coming from them as they promised "Amusements galore" for Coney in '09. Thor Equities, which owns a total of 10.5 acres on Coney Island, including the Astroland site, is fighting the city's redevelopment plan. The company insists that it will fill the void left by Astroland by bringing in some sort of amusements, but details are sketchy. Meanwhile, local politicians and businessmen alike are becoming anxious.
* * * * * * *
Community leaders maintain that even without Astroland, the area will have plenty to offer this summer.
There is hope that Coney will still somewhat thrive, but with having to constantly remind people last year, attendance was still low. This year, with Astroland gone, Coney Island could be facing their lowest attendance in decades.
At Community Board 13's Wednesday meeting, Concilmember Domenic Recchia got up to rant and yell about how the CB13 is not a waste of time and the votes and recommendations will be heard by the Mayor and taken seriously because he is loved by the Mayor. The Village Voice has posted the audio of Recchia's rant.
All Image courtesy of Nathan Kensinger
In Brooklyn, even the hidden world under the Coney Island Boardwalk isn't safe from development. Recent repair work near Shoot the Freak has revealed and destroyed the Freak's domain. Luckily, there are still forgotten areas further down the boardwalk, stretches of quiet land that are home to tunnel lairs, foxholes, abandoned building entrances, discarded sharks, guard-doves, love nests and campsites. It is, as Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote in A Coney Island of the Mind -"a kissproof world of plastic toilet seats tampax and taxis/[...]and all the other fatal shorn-up fragments/of the immigrants dream come too true/and mislaid/among the sunbathers."
On a personal note - these photos are dedicated to Robert Guskind, who's encouragement and support, beginning with a single photo in 2006, helped inspire me to document Brooklyn's entire industrial waterfront. He was a generous friend who advised me in creating this website, and then wrote a story about nearly every photo essay on it for Curbed and The Gowanus Lounge, bringing thousands of people to my photographs.
Image courtesy of Neil deMauseThe CB13 land use committee, in its meeting on Monday, had recommended a "yes" vote, but accompanied by a bizarre hodgepodge of no less than 20 stipulations: Eliminate the "Wonder Wheel Way" that the city wants to build from the Cyclone to the Parachute Jump, retain the Keyspan Park parking lot instead of building on it, redevelop the Abe Stark ice rink, do traffic studies, create a Special Amusement Zone to protect ride operators from being forced out by development, refrain from using eminent domain, fix local infrastructure, build nothing that would "eclipse the height" of the Parachute Jump, create affordable housing, rebuild the Boardwalk, upgrade the Aquarium, provide better subway service, allow stores up to 10,000 square feet, provide funds for the Coney Island Hospital ER, create off-street parking, allow Gargiulo's to expand, fund job training programs, limit hotels to the north side of Surf Avenue, build a new school, and turn the derelict Shore Theater into a community arts center.
As the rezoning plan moves through the Uniform Land Use Review Process, Save Coney Island urges the City to fix its plan. The City needs to expand amount of land reserved for amusement uses beyond the shrunken 9-acre strip allotted under its current plan and keep high rises and generic commercial establishments outside the core amusement area.
Members of Community Board 13 met yesterday to vote on revisions to the city plan to rezone Coney Island. Though, CB13's role is only advisory, it's a first and important step in the public review process for Bloomberg's plans. The full vote is expected to take place tomorrow (Wednesday, March 11th at 8pm) at the Coney Island Hospital.For the Mayor to accomplish its plan, the city must acquire - by purchasing or condemning - 10 1/2 acres from Sitt, who has promised to own his own gleaming, tourist destination of rides, hotels an shopping. sources say the two sides are far from reaching a deal, as they have been for much of the past year and more.
Popular freakshow performer who left Coney almost two years ago, Edward Arrocha a.k.a Eak the Geek is returning his New York's east village old stomping grounds after a stint in law school. Whether he plans on returning to the sideshow has not been mentioned. Also, as to whether he will get tattooed again, he's not sure. Edward recalls his tattooing on the City Snapshot blog: “I go through phases every few years–getting more with new life experiences,” he says. With tattoos in almost every location feasible, what part of the body hurt the most? Eak can attest that his most painful tattoo is on the inner thigh".
Image courtesy of Deborah Matlack
The Wildlife Conservation Society is asking for your donations (here) in support of helping save wildlife and wild places like the living museums in New York. The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium face severe budget cuts and need your help! The cuts that these important institutions face are critical and could hurt the health of these living museums which in turn play a vital role in the state’s environmental agenda, which also generates millions of dollars into our economy.
The great Coney Island game of chicken between the city and Thor Equities continues as both sides still locked in a position of who buys or sells first. With Thor not looking like they're going anywhere soon, the city may need to break out of its shell and not be afraid to wave their eminent domain card over Thor.Seth Pinsky, president of the city's Economic Development Corp., said that despite what the document says the administration still doesn't "think [eminent domain] will be necessary," adding he believes deals will eventually be reached to buy the private land needed.
Because of this, many New Yorkers have actually called on the city in public meetings to take Sitt's land through eminent domain - a rare example in the Big Apple of support for the controversial tactic.
The New York Aquarium is proud to announce their new attraction, "Planet Earth: Shallow Seas™ 4-D Experience", at the aquarium.
