Upon receiving this assignment and selecting this neighborhood of Coney Island, I was not exactly eager to begin the journey. It was winter, snow was still upon us, I get awkward in front of people, and above all: I already knew Coney Island.
I knew of the freak shows, I knew of Luna Park, I knew of Nathan’s Hot Dogs, I knew of some Elephant Hotel. But I did not know of the three other parks, of the competition between them, of Nathan’s not being the leading brand but only opening to be affordable for all, of Topsy the elephant who tirelessly and literally built the parks herself, of the fires, of the infrastructure, and above all, of the people.
The very first field trip we took to our site was fun, but nothing too exciting. As I mentioned earlier, it was more or less quiet. Ironically, the quiet motivated us to be loud and outgoing, and we interviewed whomever we encountered. We went sliding on the ice, saw a man on the beach, saw another man in shorts, and caught a cold. I found a fresh cigarette butt, which excited me to know that there was life on this otherwise desolate boardwalk. We had not done much of a history check before this, and we learned that in the cold, you cannot exactly feel your sense, never mind use them.
The second field trip was much more exciting. The boardwalk was alive. Wherever we walked, without even speaking to people, we heard stories. Stories of the old, stories of the young. Of the natives and of the visitors. And yet all of us were here, on this very boardwalk, essentially doing the same thing: enjoying ourselves, enjoying the atmosphere. We are so different, and yet we are the same. It was quite unifying. We all just want to have a good time. At this point i had done some research. Coney Island was initially a destination that appealed to the lower class. It was in the “slums” of the nieghborhoods, it was affordable pricing, and not super safe or clean. Today it is iconic. On the website lunaparknyc.com I read how some rides like the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel even became official landmarks! And the Mermaid Parade is the largest parade in the Nation! This is definitely something to feel proud of, an emotion we definitely sensed, not with our noses or ears, but with our hearts, when talking with Coney Island natives.
Eventually we did use our actual senses. What a delight that was. I smelled the outdoors, I smelled the grass growing in, I smelled cotton candy, I smelled the ocean. Mainly I smelled hot dogs. That Nathan’s line was long as anything, with people lining up to get their first-of-the-season hot dogs. Those same hot dogs that have been around as competition with a higher end brand, to be affordable for lower class. As mentioned before, Coney island, Boardwalk and parks, were initially intended for the lower class. And to see everyone here now together is incredible. All around us were people laughing, smiling, playing music, bouncing balls. As we walked, we approached an older woman playing Stevie Wonder on her speakers. Immediately I was drawn to her. We chatted, and Ruthie, Rachel, and I gained some insight from this woman. She’s lived here all her life, comes to Coney Island frequently to unwind, and over the years has seen a change in attitude and atmosphere. She tried explaining what she meant, and although we were not quite sure we understood, we did understand that this is the feeling of Coney Island: magic resides within you; it leaves you with a feeling and emotion you cannot explain, but it makes sense to you. Coney Island meant home. At home, you are free. At Coney Island, everyone is anyone, and everyone is free. And this interview and chat with this woman only solidified my previously mentioned thoughts upon doing research on the web and in-person. But it did not end there.
After we spoke to the “Stevie Wonder” lady I had done some research. On the New York Times website I discovered an article relaying Coney Island’s recent renovations and upgrades. Joseph Berger tells of the resentment and anxiety regulars have over these changes. The people who live here, who have stuck with Coney Island through thick and thin do not want to see it change. They do not want to see the grime get replaced with the glitz. This is Coney Island, not Disneyland! New rules are trying to make it a more family-friendly atmosphere, and clothing or displays of profanity or rudeness may warrant an expulsion from the park. The city wants to revamp the Boardwalk and its shops. The Boardwalk that has been there for 80+ years! It is no wonder the natives are upset. Although while their upset is understandable, so are the motives for the renovations. I then related this to another website I had stumbled across, The Heart of Coney Island, giving insight to Coney Island’s history and the disputes. So above all, I find this argument most interesting because back in the days of the original Coney Island, a huge part of George Tilyou’s success with Steeplechase was that he was family oriented, clean, safe, and friendly! Ironically, that is the look the regulars are fighting against!
Overall my experiences have only been enriched by my further knowledge of the parks, of the Boardwalk, of the people. And the fact that I know such issues are still very much alive today, people still care about their beloved turf on Surf [Avenue] because it represents all notions of freedom of them. Notions that fortunately I was able to experience.
