Coney Island Essay

On a normal day driving over the Verrazano Bridge onto the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, you will typically find yourself stuck in boisterous amounts of traffic. As you drive past the Lower Bay of the Hudson River, you will begin to see a giant red tower looming over the apartment style houses. As you get closer, this mysterious, red tower looms closer into sight. This red tower is an old, non-functioning Parachute Ride located in the world-famous amusement park, Coney Island. Located in Brooklyn, New York, on 1000 Surf Avenue lies arguably New York’s most thrilling place to be, Coney Island. Coney Island is made up of three different parks, with rides ranging from rollercoasters to a children’s log fume. From the beginning, Coney Island became a very popular tourist destination due to its proximity to an ever-expanding Manhattan. Coney

Many different parts of Coney Island were opened including Steeplechase, Luna, Dreamland Amusement Parks. These different parks created a vast number of rides and attractions and increased the popularity of Coney Island. By 1955, a record 1.5 million visitors came to Coney Island on just one day. Coney Island became one of the greatest places to be in New York City. However, by the 1960’s, a series of fires destroyed most of Coney Island. These fires and the resulting financial problems of the owners, caused Coney Island to go into decline. Many of the former tourist attractions were taken down or were not renovated causing a major decline of the park. However, despite the deterioration, three rides remained: The Cyclone, The Parachute Jump, and Deno’s Wonder Wheel. All three rides were designated as City Landmarks meaning that they cannot be taken down. In addition, these three rides withstand the length of time because of their old age and significance to the park. These three rides symbolize Coney Island’s ability to withstand time and preserve its