Coney Island is a former island located in the south-western tip of Brooklyn. It is now partially connected to the mainland by landfill. But you can still sense that is used to be a small island - by the great beaches made of sand, which stretches around about 2/3 of the peninsula.
However, the best thing about Coney Island is not the beaches, it is the boardwalk. And the amusement parks. Here you can find the oldest roller-coaster and ferris wheel in the world. Most of the parks were built prior to WWII, and then expanded after the war. These places represent a totally different world from what we are used to. In the modern amusement parks everything is fast, furious, shiny and full of adrenalin. Sure, the old ones at Coney Island are a bit dilapidated and tedious, and to be honest, a bit ghetto. But you can see that they are made by, and kept running by, people who share a great love for them. It is a special charm to these old, tired and almost forgotten places.
Unfortunately, Helene and I were still a bit shaken after Six Flags, so we decided to only take the ferris wheel. It seemed like a calm and peaceful way to see the place from above. In good faith, we chose to sit in a "swinging-wagon", which slid down rails inside the ferris wheel, as it moved. From the ground it looked very cozy. But up there, it was actually quite frightening, since the wagons moved much faster than first assumed, and the rails were much steeper than we thought. Still, it was a fun way to experience the park from above.
After our surprising tour at the ferris wheel, we decided to enter the boardwalk and the beach. It was quite nostalgic to see the sea again, hear the sound of seagulls screaming and the feeling of sand under my feet. After some photographing at the beach, we headed up to the boardwalk for some ice-cream.
Then we headed home, since it suddenly got very windy, and dark and heavy clouds of rain was gathering above our heads.
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