the cyclone is a pilgrimage point for me, a holy "spot" on the end of little piece of land hanging off of one side of a continent on a small but nonetheless colorful planet full of many holy and joyous "spots." but for my life and experience, though, the metal and wood lattices, the death drops and the sinewy bends of cyclone are a defacto geometry of enlightenment, higher consciousness and pure joy. there are few things that can so easily give me a thrill and change my nervous system into a buzzing and whirling pinball machine made of love for the universe. i guess that there are certain things ive tried in life that created some extraordinary sensations in me, but they werent terribly safe or legal, and the point here is the cyclone, and the cyclone is a very special thing. cyclone is that unique phenomenon, a relatively ancient outcropping of a fast changing pop culture that was not destined to recede as other articles of past popular fascinations have. it is actually a great work of art in a field that is seldom seen as an "artform." it is now a national heritage site, its also widely regarded as a significant part of our world culture and, in my humble and probably not very normal sounding opinion, an inadvertant gateway to the vast and mysterious realms of hyper space and universal intelligence. ok, there, i said it. so now you know that hrry is a beatnik. but allow me to discuss the ride a bit, because i love it THAT much. cyclone has the greatest first drop on any coaster anywhere. you are treated to some freaky and outrageous air on that drop. i have been on millenium force, phantoms revenge etc, some serious and crazy drops for sure. but theres something about the way cyclones drop was engineered...its just not right. you wont be finding a sickly parabola like this on any modern coasters and wont ever again. in the rear car, you dont hit the zenith of your airtime until youre near the bottom of the hill, and then you suddenly slam down at ground level and if you had your eyes closed youd probably think the coaster deposited your arse flat on the sidewalk, cause thats pretty much what it feels like. each subsequent hill is a messy monster of violent and gorgeous air unto themselves. its really indescribable in words, but theres something so crude and raunchy about cyclones hills. there are also many uncomfortable pullouts from the drops which provide you with some heavy and madly vibrating positive Gs. after many back seat rides these pullouts had me going a little swimmy, but in a good way. and of course no discussion of cyclone is complete without mention of the laterals which are totally magnificent. cyclone is a master of the "lats" and "air" combo drops. if one combines the abrasive speed and alien G forces of the cyclone, the strange ebb and flow of the ride, the pain and pleasure, you find that cyclone is something of a zen paradox - a sublimely imperfect perfection. the madness of this ride simply cannot be improved upon. each lurch and spasm in its course cannot be considered a flaw. i have visited cyclone on four occasions in the last eleven years. on each of these occasions i sought companions to accompany me, all of whom had never rode cyclone and two of which had never even heard of it. each time after one ride, these four people were transformed into smiling zombies and started forking over cash for rerides. they couldnt stop THANKING me for taking them to cyclone. a ride on cyclone will make one feel closer to friends and lovers - my trip to cyclone yesterday had me and my girlfriend kissing and smiling like wood nymphs afterwards. ITS THAT GOOD. my own first experience with cyclone reminded me of drinking coffee for the first time in europe after a teenagedom full of dennys and dunkin donuts coffee - "o my god, THIS is coffee." i had no idea coffee could be so good. well thats the revelation of cyclone - "o my god, now this is

Anyone that even remotely considers themselves a fan of roller coasters has to experience The Coney Island Cyclone; it is the "holy grail" of rides. A wicked white-knuckle experience for the uninitiated, if you are not spiritual you WILL find religion quick on this ride (Jesus-Allah-Buddha! I love you all!) There are so many things about The Cyclone that makes it a great roller coaster experience; the urban/beach setting, the station that looks unchanged since 1927, the ride operators (who look like they would be at home at one of Brooklyns social clubs, with names such as Tony Two-fingers or Nicky Fats), the big comfy trains with a locking pin that lets you know you arent falling out, and the wonderful smell of the chain grease as you ascend the lift (someone should make car fresheners in this scent!) The ride itself does exactly what it was designed to do - thrill. Some may complain that the Cyclone is too vicious and rough or poorly paced during the first half of the course, but it is these features that help define the ride. An incredibly steep first drop is followed by a creeping fan turn that gives you just enough time to think about what you just experienced, and ponder what is to follow. From there you are thrown into the maelstrom that is The Cyclone. I hadnt been to Coney Island in about 10 years, so this past June when I had to travel to Queens on a business-related trip I couldnt pass up the chance take the 30 minute or so drive down to get a Nathans hot dog and take some rides on the Cyclone, Wonder Wheel and Break Dancer (but not in that order - the Break Dancer is best ridden on an empy stomach.) It was a tremendously hot and humid Thursday, and the beach was crowded. It was great to be back in line for the Cyclone with a rather eclectic mix of riders; a father taking his daughter on a ride his father surely took him on; guys with their dates hoping their girl would grab onto them tight during the ride; an aging punk wearing a thread-bare "Dead Kennedys" T-shirt. I started off with a ride in the front to regain my "Cyclone legs", then immediately moved to the back to bear the full brunt of this ride. Fantastic! Intense! Unforgettable.

I must start off by saying that the Coney Island Cyclone is a classic for a reason. It holds the best first drop for any wooden coaster Ive ever been on. It is so steep that the laws of physics almost force you to stand as the train barrels down the first drop. Then the train tosses you into the heavily padded seats as you turn around and plummet to the ground again. After this, one of the best airtime hills ever created reaches its apex under the lift and really tosses you. Without a seatbelt stapling you to the bench, there is a major gap between you and the train. Thats a rare find these days. The cycle continues to throw you into and out of your seat. What makes the Cyclone so amazing to me is that every drop is so intense and the turns are so out-of-control, yet the ride still operates after so many years of high-quality service. On hot days, youll fly along its track. The Coney Island Cyclone is a “can’t miss” for anyone who considers themselves a coaster enthusiast.

Great ride! Dont sit in the very last seat, that is a very unenjoyable ride. (The only reason it got a 9)

I will not dwell on the history and lore of the Cyclone; these topics deserve a book of their own. I will also refrain from turning this review into a memoir of my own experiences with the ride. Suffice to say that most who have lived and worked in Brooklyn would have their own stories to tell; Im no exception. The real question is, does the Cyclone live up to its rep and provide a ride that will satisfy the modern thrill-seeker? The answer is emphatically yes. Is it a coaster everyone will love? Probably not, and Brooklynites wouldnt have it any other way.

If you were born after 1985 and your paradigm of a kick-ass roller coaster is Nitro, then you may not understand the fierce allegiance people have to the Cyclone. Swoopy magic carpet rides are fun, no question, and theyre great for when you have a hangover. But some prefer a more...untamed experience, one whose thrills are not simply a function of height and speed but of the illusion that youre riding something thats out of control, that maybe somehow somethings wrong this time. This is the genius of the Cyclone. People think it feels this way because its old or poorly maintained. Theyre wrong.

The reason the Cyclone has been around so long is because riders since 1927 have been thinking exactly the same thing. It feels like this because it was designed to scare you. It does this by dropping you down hills that you can hardly see over the front of the car. It does this by flinging you into the person sitting next to you around each turn. It does this by catapulting you out of your seat over the crest of a hill and shoveling you into the floor at the bottom. It does this by letting you smell the chain grease and hear the shriek of the wheels and see the glasses go flying off the head of the person in front of you and taste that Nathans hotdog in your throat and feel the train impossibly gain speed during the final quarter of the ride.

The Cyclone is great not just for what it is but for what it is not. Its not dangerous; no one has been seriously hurt or killed on it. Its not rickety; its mostly steel and few coasters are as carefully and expertly maintained. Its not gratiutously punishing; although like the rest of Brooklyn, its not there to coddle you either. The Cyclone is the illusion of physical danger folded into a footprint not much larger than a suburban skating rink. If youre willing to let a coaster get a little physical with you, you will not do better than the Cyclone. Start in the front, and when youve got the hang of it, try the back seat for THE essential roller coaster experience.

Somehow, miraculously, the Cyclone has survived urban decay, urban renewal, lawyers, insurance adjusters, drunks, sissies, macho men, debutantes, punks, the Giuliani Adminstration, hypercoasters, season passes, and linear induction motors. I almost hate to mention the Cyclone in public, for fear that the irresistable forces of mediocrity and conservatism that pervade the amusement industry (and most everything else) will somehow realize theyve overlooked it and tear it down, or worse, try to "modernize" it. Until that sad day comes, thank God for the Cyclone, and thank God for what it says about the human spirit that its lasted this long.

This ride is a masterpeice. Not only is there insane airtime in the back seat, but there are some strong lateral g-forces on all of the turns. The first drop is brilliant. Words can not describe how much air you get in the back seat on that drop. The forces are enough to make you pass out, as I saw happen to the older guy sitting in front of me. (He ended up fine though) Every drop on this ride is spectacular. Easily the best wooden roller coaster that I have ever ridden.

Absolutely sweet. Nothing can quite compare even after over 75 years. Youve graduated from coaster beginner to enthusiast if you can take an infamous back seat ride and still enjoy it. Great airtime, great laterals, great drop, great feeling, great nostalgia. Just overall great. Even with the incredible padding, this ride has quite a bite to it. A back seat and front seat are absolutely essential to experience this ride. Your best shot at getting a front seat ride is to pick a middle seat that is available and keeping buying re-rides until the front seat opens so you can grab it before the guests on the loading platform can. What can I say? This ride is way better than rides twice its size.

Truly the epitome of a roller coaster. Still an excellent ride after all these years.

I knew about all the hype surrounding Cyclone and thats the only reason I didnt give it a 10--its a tad bit overrated. It didnt look very tall, Im guessing 85 feet or so, so I was shocked that it was just as intense as the Comet in Hershey Park, the Great American Scream Machine in Six Flags over Georgia (90 feet) and the Georgia Cyclone, supposedly identical to the one in Coney Island, also in Six Flags Over Georgia (95 feet). This Cyclone is very very rickety and it seems like the wood is going to chip off. The drop doesnt look impressive, but its steep and has just enough air time and weightlessness. Maybe Im just saying its overrated because my expectations were so high.

Ah. Theres nothing on Earth that can compare to Cyclone. Just arriving at Coney Island on a sunny, summer day is an experience in itself. True to its reputation, the Cyclone is the greatest example of a classic rollercoaster. The nostalgic feeling one gets when riding this coaster is so unique. The views from the lift hill are outstanding. Off back to the right is the massive New York City skyline, to the side is the Wonder Wheel, out in front is the beach, and all around is the atmosphere of the boardwalk. This coaster is a blast from the past, taking you back to a time when this was the greatest thrill ride in the world. This coasters history is enormous. It is now a national landmark and serves as a symobl of the first golden age of rollercoasters. The coaster is so popular that a whole class of woodies posseses the "cyclone layout." Viper at SFGAm and the Gerorgia Cyclone at SFOG are just two of the coasters that holpelessly attempt to immitate this masterpiece. However, nothing compare to a day at the boardwalk riding the Cyclone.

The one thing I didnt expect out of the Cyclone was for it to be a great coaster. Just looking at the structure makes you think it will just collapse. But boy was I wrong! This coaster might be nearly 80 years old, but it still packs tons of thrills. I never really thought that first drops gave lots of airtime, but the first drop on Cyclone provides phenomenal airtime. In fact, better than many hypers Ive ridden. There is tons of airtime throughout the ride and tons of G-forces. The track constantly cuts back through the structure and twists around it. The trains are great. The seats are like small couches with a single lapbar for two passengers. After all these years, the Cyclone still packs a great punch.

There is not much that can describe the Cyclone other than a masterpiece that has inspired the coaster industry more than maybe any other ride. Fabulous.