The Cyclone and Astroland

The Cyclone and Astroland
Originally uploaded by david_lewicki.

My pilgrimage led me here: to Coney Island. In this photo (carefully taken with my Nokia camera phone), you can see two of Coney Island's landmarks: the 1927 Cyclone wooden roller coaster and Astroland, one of the last of several small independent amusement parks that lined up along the boardwalk by the Atlantic Ocean.

Coney Island's being re-developed, but what it is is every bit as good as what any developer might dream: it's a place where real people go for good, cheap, American fun. As we got off the train, we were surrounded by dozens of New Yorkers of every color and race and class. Many came as families, three generations, carrying coolers full of sandwiches (or tamales? or dumplings?). In a day at Coney Island, you can play in the surf, walk the boardwalk, eat hot dogs and funnel cakes, ride a roller coaster, visit the aquarium, and throw your money at games of chance all for the promise of winning a giant pink plush dog.

I walked the beach and boardwalk for an hour.