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Author Coney Photo TR, 8/10/06
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/17/2006 8:53:02 AM
Words by erinys, music by darkridrMD. I mean photos. Neither is responsible for the work of the other.

I don’t like children. I don’t like people much. Generally, I feel alienated by mainstream American culture, high or low brow. This is the background for my tale of Coney Island on August 10, 2006.

Did you know you can take a tunnel on the east side of southern Manhattan, yet end up on the west side of Manhattan in a fairly industrial area with street numbers that run approximately the same way as they do in Brooklyn? Add another 45 minutes to the drive to head back in the right direction.

Driving Ocean Parkway, we saw the charming (I do mean this) sights of Brooklyn, older Italian and Jewish ladies pulling groceries in carts behind them, older men with their pants cinched up to their breasts standing on the corner, chatting. Local cops doing their local cop thing. None of the up-tight, self-important, well-to-do, blue-haired suburban tourists we’d dodged around the theatre district. They were as scary/freaky as anything we ran into later this day.

It was extraordinary how quickly it turned from Brooklyn to Coney Island.



There were no miles of transition and hideous billboards like traveling to Wildwood, NJ or Ocean City, MD. Suddenly, you were just there, Surf Avenue. Everywhere there were touristy souvenir shops, vendors hawking food that will kill you eventually, and furniture and other stores with their names in Cyrillic letters. Parking was easy, although the two-hour meters were not a welcome discovery.



We headed to the Cyclone to meet darkridr & partner. The Zipper wasn’t moving. There seemed to be hundreds of school buses, all unloading little tikes. So we headed to Deno’s – maybe the little ones would have a nap time soon. The adult ride entrance, going down then inside in order to come back out was curious – it really set that section apart from everything else in the area, in a dark, shabby and well-worn kind of way. We navigated a couple ticket booths to get to the one where we could use our piddling coupons. A quarter to use the bathroom? Ok, if it keeps them clean, cool. And Deno’s restroom was far cleaner than I’ve ever seen the one at Rehoboth Beach’s Boardwalk.

The Wonder Wheel was peculiar and fascinating. Had it been a ‘load everybody, then run a couple slow revolutions,’ it would have been breathtaking. As it was, with the wheel stopping and starting as people came and went, it was novel but annoying – I wanted the car to really swing/roll. There was that moment of initial dread as it appears the car will slide past the hump in front of it, before you realize it’s not really riding on that beam. Still fun, but then more stops and starts. I don’t know what the mechanical limitations are, but I just wanted to spin.



We next visited Spook-a-rama, a very odd dark ride to me. The boys claimed my shrieks riding in the car ahead of them didn’t ruin it for them, but I’m not sure I believe it. The arrangement of the gags all in one room didn’t spoil it for me as I anticipated. Our initial ride was very dark, so it was hard to see what was in front of you, much less in front of someone else. Our cars didn’t come close enough to look like they would hit, and my hair’s too short for someone in another car to grab it. The initial tracking out into the sunlight before turning around towards the ride was depressing, knowing there had once been more but it was long gone. In our jaded world (refer back to my initial comment about mainstream American culture), the kids want Jason vs. Freddie, not goofie dark rides in the penultimate coolness of a Pretzel car.

[img]http://www.pbase.com/erinrounds/image/65300447.jpg[/iimg]

We had some rides tickets left at Deno’s, but coul
Message updated 8/17/2006 9:28:13 AM by erinys
hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005

Rank: Platinum Critic
8/17/2006 9:35:08 AM
i going saturday with my sister. i imagine if her husband was to go along there'd be lots of whining and such.

it is important to visit coney with people who are game for it.

also, i wonder which tunnel got you turned around in manhattan? it wasn't the battery tunnel?

nice pics by jay and humorous report courageously put forth by erin knowing all the coney droids on this site.
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/17/2006 9:51:26 AM
I envy you your visit. Yeah, it was the Battery tunnel - we didn't make a right when we should have. The guys tried to take it all in stride, but it's just not their thing. I think dark & I need to go it sans partners next time, although Thor & I will make it some Friday for full Sideshow & Burlesque.

Your upcoming trip sounds great!
adriahna
Posts: 4692
Registered: 6/4/2003

Rank: Site Moderator
Skooter Junkie
8/17/2006 3:31:39 PM
Well, outside of the flats, it sounds like not such a great time for you... c'est la vie. I'm sorry that the Cyclone didn't float your boat.
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/17/2006 5:57:44 PM
But what flats they were!

The jury is still out on the Cyclone. Next year we'll have a chance to go back without having to entertain partners who aren't enthusiasts. I'm hoping we somehow hit a particularly child-heavy day (there were pretty long lines for everthing until late in the afternoon, much much longer than anything I've experienced at Oc or Wildwood.)

Where is your Polar Bear Club sign? We looked but didn't see it, but weren't really sure where to look. Mr ridr's knees were bothering him a lot, so we couldn't take an extended leisurely stroll.

We really didn't have enough time, and after Tues & Wed in the city Thor & I didn't have a lot of energy or patience left. I think we got old sometime between last summer & this summer.
Message updated 8/17/2006 5:59:50 PM by erinys
adriahna
Posts: 4692
Registered: 6/4/2003

Rank: Site Moderator
Skooter Junkie
8/17/2006 6:13:57 PM
Oh, the sign is on top of the Grill House, along the boardwalk at Stillwell Avenue (straight walk from the subway station).

No need to worry - I don't think you guys got old, by any stretch. Time spent walking in the city can be seriously tiring, I can definitely understand that. Next time you're around, hopefully I'll be available for an adventure, and will enthusiastically show you around the architectural and cultural marvels/absurdities that Coney's so full of. Here's seriously hoping that they'll still be around for a few years!
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/17/2006 6:37:07 PM
I think we stopped half a block short of Stillwell.

I certainly hope that both you will be available to guide us and Coney's absurdities will be around for awhile! With the recent condo market bust everywhere else, I hope that pressure is gone from the Coney area. Somehow we were under the impression that the Museum was in the same location as the Sideshow, so missed that as well. Without a doubt we need a second trip.

Next time, a hotel in Brooklyn!
mrceagle
Posts: 13804
Registered: 6/9/2001

Rank: TPC News Minister
8/18/2006 8:33:21 PM
Great Trip report. There were some really good photos.

I can't Completely agree about Dante’s Inferno. While it isn't much compared to many park Dark rides it's very good compared to many of the haunted House rides I've been on at carnivals.
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/29/2007 12:55:23 AM
Pulling up this old report just to say "The Cyclone is MUCH better when ridden in the front wearing a sports bra than further back in the lateral whiplash section without one." Our recent trip moved it up a few notches on my list, so my previously ambivalence has been overcome.
hrrytraver
Posts: 1270
Registered: 7/16/2005

Rank: Platinum Critic
8/29/2007 9:05:36 AM
i'm bummed because i was supposed to meet adriahna at coney a few weeks ago. i had been doing a short tour with my band and the saturday night we played in new york (an awesome gig) we got sent to this squalid squat in bushwick at 2:30am in order to rest our heads. when we got there our host was passed out drunk and about 30 crusty rock and rollers were already crashing out there in the humid locker room scented warehouse. having slept awful the night before in philly and not feeling the love in that bushwick toilet, we decided to drive back to b-more in the middle of the night.

it was a one-two punch of sleepless grumpiness and deep remorse for knowing that our sunday in coney was washed. i was very cranky when adriahna called me that sunday to set up a meet time. sorry coney and adriahna! i miss you both like you can't imagine!
mrceagle
Posts: 13804
Registered: 6/9/2001

Rank: TPC News Minister
8/29/2007 11:17:44 AM
Nice Trip report. I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for sharing the photos also. Sounds like overall you had a good day.
erinys
Posts: 230
Registered: 9/28/2005

Rank: Bronze Critic
8/29/2007 4:57:41 PM
Quote:
hrrytraver said:
. . . about 30 crusty rock and rollers were already crashing out there in the humid locker room scented warehouse. . . .

Priceline, baby!
Sorry you missed out. Darkridr too is deeply bummed that I made it to Coney and he didn't.
Is there an opening in your schedule for a visit to Trimper's sometime?
What band?
See what I miss when I can't get past error messages on the main page!?!?

adriahna
Posts: 4692
Registered: 6/4/2003

Rank: Site Moderator
Skooter Junkie
8/29/2007 9:27:38 PM
Quote:
hrrytraver said:
we got sent to this squalid squat in bushwick


Oh, jesus effing christ, traver - BUSHWICK??? I told you you should have just called me up, regardless of the hour and the fact that I have nil furniture (at this point) to sleep on. I'd rather you guys have used my greyhounds as pillows than drive out to crap-ass Bushwick and subsequently drive back to Baltimore at such an hour...

Oy, vey...

--------------------
"I'm pulverized by this latest thing!"

- Edie Beale; "Grey Gardens"
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