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1 CONEY ISLAND
With its unique atmosphere echoing a bygone era of entertainment, Coney Island’s old school charm is enjoying a second coming, finds Anna Millar
I f the world was ending, I would grab a beer – and my loved ones – and head for Coney Island. Barely a half hour from Manhattan, it’s where time stops and life starts. A treasured Brooklyn outpost, Coney is gloriously picture imperfect, on a rainy day boasting more exuberance, with its faded colour, than the most technicolour Times Square hoarding. From Woody Allen’s Annie Hall to Nathan’s hot dogs; circus freak sideshows to the Polar Bear Club, its heyday – as New York’s original major beach resort and amusements playground of the early 20th century – is gone, but after years of post-war neglect its legacy remains.
In a city throbbing with the new, it celebrates the old. Step off the subway at Surf Avenue and you’re in a 60s-era postcard. A celebration of community and creatives, the notion of Coney Island we have today began in 1870 when the first carousel appeared on the Island. This summer, the beach borough has welcomed a considerable revamp, with the arrival of the multi-million dollar Luna Park, a shiny new version of the old Astroland funfair. But while the amusement park sits at its centre, Coney Island is so much more. Considered the quirkiest of New York’s neighbourhoods, fire-eaters, tattooed artists, hot dog eating contests and Mermaid Parades (playing homage to Coney’s early 20th century Mardi Gras) happily co-exist year- round on the boardwalk and surrounding avenues.
Known to locals as the bard of Coney Island,
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Nathan’s hot dog eating contest. Left: Mermaid Parade.
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singer Amos Wengler has provided some of the district’s finest ditties over the last two decades, delivering them during the Island’s infamous hot dog competition (last year’s winner set a new record of 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes, as witnessed by an audience of 30,000 people). ‘I rate Coney Island so much,’ explains Wengler, ‘because it’s the only place which puts me in a wonderful state of mind. I feel like I’m in touch with real life again. There are sights, sounds, tastes and pleasures that only Coney Island can offer.’
Certainly the area’s year-round programme weaves some eye-wateringly diverse charms. Highlights include the Sideshows by the Seashore season. Established in 1985, it promises freaks and human curiosities – and doesn’t disappoint. Then there are the weekly Old Skool Burlesque and Vaudeville escapades, or the Monday night jazz sessions. Film fans can enjoy screenings courtesy of the Coney Island Film Society, or music lovers have the annual Siren festival to enjoy, which this July welcomes indie greats including Matt and Kim, Surfer Blood and Holy Fuck. Those looking to literally take the plunge can check out the Polar Bear Club, famed for its cold weather swimming including a New Year’s Day dip. ‘Coney Island is a very unique place for me: it’s simply the centre of weirdness, at the heart of the universe,’ laughs Dennis Thomas, president of the Polar Bear Club. ‘There’s nothing more atmospheric than an urban amusement park right on the Atlantic Ocean.’
Sports fans looking to watch rather than participate can head for a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game. For food and drink, look no further than the Gyro Corner Clam Bar, Footprints Café, Luna Grill or Beer Island, all on or around the boardwalk. To see Coney at its very best though, simply grab a chilli dog at Nathan’s and wander. The jazz, freaks and frolics will find you.
ALTERNATIVE NEW YORK
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ANGIE PONTANI Burlesque performer and ‘Save Coney Island’ campaign mascot
Coney Island has a special place in my heart because it’s where I launched my performance career. In the early 90s, in advance of the burlesque revival, my sisters and I would put on big shows on the boardwalk, with friends’ bands, and get the most huge, diverse and wonderful crowds. It provided us with a fabulous springboard to start our careers from. It’s kismet looking back; a lot of fabulous things came out of Coney Island: the first hot dog, the incubator, the first rollercoaster. Coney Island has always been a place that inspires people to think outside the box; it supports wacky ideas then turns them into wonderful, unique Coneyesque treasures. Its history is so rich in things that you would never see any place else. Luna Park, Elephant Hotel and The Cyclone are all amusement parks that in their prime made other parks look like sand boxes, and all because of the originality that comes from this urban treasure. All the things that have come out of Coney, and many that still are, are just so unique. It inspires something, with its vintage charm, rich history and urban sass. At the end of the day, Coney is the
people’s playground: a place for everyone to be able to go to have a good time – and who doesn’t like that? It’s also a microcosm of the world, not just NYC. Like Jesus and Elvis, Coney is a phenomenon: everyone knows about it and has a certain idea of its legacy. On any given day you have people from all walks of life rubbing elbows on the beach, just there to have a good time. Upper, middle and lower class, all races, all religions, male, female, straight, gay and hipsters, next to old Italians: it’s fantastic like that. ■ www.pontanisisters.com
8–22 Jul 2010 THE LIST 19