It’s 11:03 am, I hear the sound of my own shoes clinking against the wooden boardwalk. There is construction all around me. I pass by a man fixing the Luna Park entrance sign. “He must be preparing for the most popular season at Coney Island,” I think to myself. I hear the screwdrivers and the hammers pounding nails into the signs and adding the finishing touches. Although it is fairly early, I hear tropical music playing that directs me towards a bar. I wonder why the bar is open this early? Do they actually get customers? It is a little chilly outdoors and I am wearing a jacket. My hands are in my pockets seeking warmth. Wasn’t it just 80 degrees a few days ago? I start walking down the boardwalk when I begin to notice many people passing by in small groups, all wearing royal blue t-shirts. They seem to all be jogging. I read one of their shirts as they pass by me and it says “HODS”. This is a Jewish organ donor society and there is a marathon going on in order to raise money for this organization. The ages range from young children to elderly women and men. Families are running together which I think is an excellent way to start off family fun day. As I walk I notice that I recognize a lady in the royal blue shirt. She is my grandmother’s close friend. She tells me that it is a beautiful day and she couldn’t imagine a better Sunday morning. I notice the presence of a lot of police officers which I later connect to the organ donor society marathon. I also make the observation that there are many people strolling by on the boardwalk, yet none with the intentions of going into the shops. Most people are enjoying the view and getting in their morning exercise. Nathan’s hotdog stand is completely empty which is understandable because I don’t expect people to be having fries and hotdogs for breakfast, but who knows these days…
The next place I go to check out is the freak bar on Surf Ave. Walking into this bar makes me feel like I’m in an arcade. I see a pinball machine and a lot of cool vintage posters and signs on the walls. This place is extremely historically rich and so I can’t help but to interview the bartender. I interrogate him and explain to him all of my curiosities. He tells me that he has worked in the freak bar for “far too long” and has noticed that not much has changed, only the performers have been replaced. I ask him what the freak show entails and he says that there are ten acts in a sideshow and the sideshows run from 1-7pm. Each sideshow is 10$ and the show lasts approximately 45 minutes. They have a wider variety of hours during the summertime because everyone’s on vacation so there are more people on Coney Island and therefore more customers. He also tells me that he loves the mermaid parade and he works on that day and people are in costume. He informs me that he also likes to dress up occasionally because it’s a lot of fun. The mermaid parade started out with three cars of people and now there are millions of people who parade down Coney Island.
