I suggested that we reserve a Zipcar so we didn't have to take the 1.5 hour subway ride to the beach. Jeff nixed the idea, insisting that a trip to Coney Island was only authentic if we took the subway. After minute 5 on the subway he was eating his words...
I wish I had Pro Tools and a catalog of sound effects so I could create a "Coney Island Subway Ride" mix for you. In front of me was a little boy playing games on a PSP that was set at maximum volume. At 3 o'clock there was a woman wearing one hundred bangle bracelets who cast her crying, sneezing toddler aside to change her shoes. At 5 o'clock were four people shouting in a harsh, Chinese language (Well, I assumed that they were shouting because of how loud they were speaking, but when I looked at them - correction, glared at them - they appeared to be having a civil conversation.). Directly behind me, two Chinese speaking teens who were talking at a rapid fire pace, also shouting like the person next to them was a mile away. Across the train was a little girl singing in Spanish and a couple debating something in some Eastern European language. Jeff and I were the only people speaking English on the train, and we weren't actually speaking...more like exchanging exasperated sighs and eye rolls at each other over the kaleidoscope of sounds.
So basically it was a relaxing ride that set the tone for a laid back day at the beach.
After an hour and a half, we finally arrived at the Coney Island stop on the train.
Once we were off of the train, our spirits lifted. The subway station had colorful, stained glass windows of the different attractions (sorry no pics). The street was crowded, but not suffocatingly so. It was hot though. The sun was beating down with no shade in sight so we bought an umbrella for portable shade and were on our way.
We decided to walk along the boardwalk for a bit before tackling the amusement park. There was lot to take in on the boardwalk. People of every shape, color and size were strolling down it (I swear there were some people so tan that they were purple.). There was a DJ and a troupe of dancers...well, a troupe of people closing their eyes and swaying from side to side to the music. There were plenty of places to buy hot dogs with no lines and then Nathan's with a Mardi Gras size line in front of it. We chose Ruby's Grill - Jeff had a hamburger and I had a corn dog. We shared a picnic table with two women singing to the top of their lungs to a man with one tooth, two annoying girls my age who were eating raw clams...from the boardwalk...on Coney Island. It wasn't the best lunch experience, but it left a lasting impression.
This guy cut Jeff's hair once and competed on America's Got Talent.
We bought slushies here...in case you care.
There are rows of carnival games that no one is playing (mainly because they are $5 a pop). A band, complete with topless dancers (they wore tassels on their nipples), performs for an audience of two. There are rides operating at 20% capacity. As sad as the amusement park is though, it is also charming. And beautiful. And it makes you feel like you've stepped back in time.
I'm so glad that I remembered to take my camera with me to capture our trip.
One of the abandoned arcades
The Wonder Wheel was my most popular subject of the day.
I love it when you call me Big Pop-pa.
Imagine running into this guy alone at night...creepy.
Imagine running into this guy alone at night...he-ey.
Sadly, Zoltar didn't turn us into Tom Hanks.
A picture from the glory days...
On the Wonder Wheel. It was the best part of our day. Partially because of the breeze and the view, but mainly because we were far away from all of the dirty people.
We chose a non-swinging cart.
I wish that I had known about the pay toilets before I used the public toilets on the beach. The public toilets were the worst I'd ever been in...until I used the Coney Island subway terminal toilet. I'm still shuddering at that experience.
Earlier in the day, Jeff was saying that it would be a shame if we fell in love with Coney Island. What if today was the day that we realized what we'd been missing for 8 years? I said that if it's fabulous then it's better that we realize it now when we still have 2 months to go back.
As we were leaving Coney Island, Jeff said with complete confidence that he will never return. I told him that he can't be sure of that, and he asked me to give him an example of a situation that would cause him to return. "Well," I said, "what if your brother, Greg, decides to become a competitive eater and competes in the 4th of July Coney Island Hot Dog Eating contest?" Jeff agreed that this scenario is both likely to happen and would definitely bring him back to Coney Island.
The subway ride back to the city was much better than the one at the start of our journey. The car was cool, almost empty, and - aside for the chronic farter two rows down from us - the ride was generally pleasant.
Jeff even got to catch up on his reading. He's still delighting in the breakup of Pewartson (pronounced Poo-artson)...
Home, sweet home!
We spent almost 3 hours at Coney Island. All in all, it wasn't the best day, but it wasn't the worst. And we got some cool pictures and memories out of it...
