May 19, 2009
thor’s festival by the sea claimed last weekend as its grand opening. it wasn’t.
thousands came to see what the subway advertisements boasted – and they were met with signs blaming weather for the delay. the truth is mysterious – tent roofs have been dismantled – work seemingly regressed.
if you are passionate about the coney island area + how land is delegated, come to the Save Coney Island Volunteer Meeting tonight @ FUREE Headquarter: 81 Willoughby Street, Ste. 701 (7th Floor) @ 7pm
March 31, 2009
the cyclone re-opens for the season sunday april 5 at noon + the first 100 people ride free!
$8
thanks to having been declared a national landmark, the coney island cyclone is not going anywhere. it’s parked on 12th st between surf ave and boardwalk – residing on city property zoned for parks (read: thor equities can’t touch it)
this is a serious roller coaster – it is exhilarating: the drops are steep, the speed is fast – don’t let looks fool you; it’s old, it’s rickety and it’s frightening (and apparently once deadly).
$8 for the first ride and advertised $5 for a re-ride. although based on my personal experience, if you deny the first re-ride option, a second and third await you – at discounted prices. the further out the door you head – the more steep the price drop. $4! $3! they shout as you continue out onto the vacant streets of coney island -after all, astroland is now gone- so that’s my insider’s tip: decline first chance to re-ride + save yourself some washingtons.
i’ve only had the pleasure of riding the cyclone once. at 19 years old, richard rodriguez set a marathon record for riding it 104 hours – back in 1977. his most recent record for the longest marathon on a roller coaster (pepsi max big one) is 401 hours – that is practically 17 days. 1977 was a long time ago, and i think i may have 5 days to spare to break the WORLD RECORD – who’s with me?
thanks kinetic carnival
February 17, 2009
thor rendering
disney vs. london vs. bloomberg. today’s nyt article elaborates on the variances between 3 contenders’ hopes for iconic coney island.
first up, neighborhood villain*: developer Joe Sitt (Thor Equities). pictured above, thor yearns for time-share hotels to offset costs. what exactly are time-share hotels? and just last month it was high-rise luxury apartments. i suppose bloomberg’s third term had nothing to do with that.
imagine coney
secondly, civic group Municipal Art Society is urging for one major attraction to lure record number visitors to coney island. this was an effective approach with the London Eye – not so successful in Myrtle Beach.
lastly, dear residents, is Mayor Bloomberg. with his third term, bloomberg assures coney tenants that there is room for an expanded park as well as low and middle income housing. relief! check out his less fancy rendering, but sensible overlay:
mayor revamp
tonight at 6:30pm is Municipal Art Society’s final showcase of the IMAGINE coney project – featuring hundreds more artists’ renderings, concepts and visualizations. it is open to the public.
that’s it for coney tuesday. if you are yearning for more, the nyt article goes into further detail.
xo, my coney
*i named sitt villain to locals because previously, he had attempted to strong-arm bloomberg by raising rent and “ousting some of his tenants, including Astroland amusement park, adding to the desolate and vacant lots on the waterfront.”
