Lately, I started thinking that I wanted to see how Coney Island was doing in the winter. So, there I went. So, how’s it going out there? Pretty much nothing’s happening…at least on the weekend I was out there.
Or, one can make the case that it is doing a whole lot. The place is shut down, but what does this picture suggest to you?
To me, it looks like the long promised re-building has started. And there a few signs talking about the plans, but it’s the closing of Astroland after 2008 that will be the real event. Here’s a shot of the closed-for-the-season Astroland.
As I understand it, by 2011 or so it will be completely revamped into a new park. In the meantime, the Wonderwheel and the Cyclone will still operate.
But in the meantime, it is closed for the season until April or so.
As I was walking along, I found there were some residents…some rather protective residents.
I can tell you that they weren’t happy to see me. Hungry, maybe; but not happy. And they weren’t the only protectors in the area.
The boardwalk was nearly deserted. It was a cold noontime and there were precious few of us in the area.
And the beach had the traditional guy with a metal detector hoping to find lost dubloons, or maybe quarters.
I did get to Nathan’s though.
As usual, it was jammed. They closed all of the outside vendor windows so everyone crowded inside. It was one of very few open places in the whole area, but they were doing a booming business. I went in and discovered their service is as bad in the winter as it is in the summer. After 10 minutes I left. In my line, only one customer had been served and only a couple of others from other lines had also gotten their food (and I was maybe 5 back in line). In honesty, it probably isn’t just their fault. People were calling out to each other to order additional hotdogs and the like.
-H
Famous Ankles 