Coney Island

We don't have many P-days left in New York, so today we decided to venture out to Coney Island....located on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn.

Coney Island is known as a seaside resort...

...and a site of amusement parks whose peak was in the first half of the 20th Century. From 1880 to WWII, it was the largest amusement area in the United States. Since then, it's been rescued a few times from becoming extinct!

Today it looked like it was full of people and doing well. We walked out on the Steeplechase Pier and looked back on the beach .

Walking along the Boardwalk, we found a Nathan's hotdog 'stand'. In 1916 a Polish immigrant, Nathan Handwerker, started selling his hotdogs made with his wife, Ida's, secret spice recipe on Coney Island for 5 cents a piece. The rest is history. Today, Nathan's hotdogs are sold in all 50 States.

Since the early 70's, thousands gather every 4th of July on this sight of the still existing original Nathan's restaurant in Coney Island for the National Hot Dog eating contest. Contestants try to consume as many hot dogs as they can in a 10 minute period. The record is held by Joey Chestnut at 69 hotdogs (and that includes buns)!

Coney Island is also the home of the 'Cyclone'...one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in America...and scariest when you stop and think that almost a dozen people have been killed on it over the years.

'The Cyclone' was built in 1927 at the cost of $175,000 ($12.3 million in 2015 dollars!) and cost $.25 to ride ($3.50 in 2015 dollars). See the green sign on the left? It was made a New York Landmark in 1988 AND a National Monument in 1991!

I have to admit....it WAS scary to ride. It's loud and rickety and you hope it will stay together.

There's an 85 foot drop at a 60 percent angle. No big deal, you say?

 Well...these are the seats. Need I say any more? It was one WILD ride....but I was glad I did it!

 Through a Chinese part of Brooklyn on the way home riding an elevated subway, we passed this nice chapel. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints can be found everywhere! I am proud to be a member of this world-wide Church.