Fourth of July Weekend: Coney Island
Located some nine miles south of Manhattan and covering a space 16 blocks long and two blocks wide is Coney Island (“Coney” for the type of rabbits originally found there, “Island” because it was once an island). While its first hotel, the Coney Island House, was erected in 1829, it wasn’t until 1895 that the amusement park era began in earnest. As a testament to Coney Island’s irresistible and universal appeal, consider that the resort attracted millions of visitors a year—well before the first subway was built to reach it in 1920.
As difficult as it may be to imagine in the age of the space shuttle, many of the famed playland’s rides were originally inspired by some rather mundane modes of transportation. For example, historian John F. Kasson cites the Switchback Railroad as the forerunner of the roller coaster. “The creator of the Switchback, LaMarcus Thompson, had discovered an abandoned coal mine where people eagerly paid to coast down the shafts in gravity-powered coal cars,†writes Kasson. Next stop: the Cyclone.
Today, Coney Island still attracts sun worshippers, fun seekers, baseball fans, and anyone in search of real-time NYC history.
(Mickey Z. can be found here)
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