…She’s my Coney Island giiirl. Tom Waits songs aside, Coney Island is a place of fable and legend. At least what’s left of it is. Ask a seasoned New Yorker about its history, and you’ll get an earful of freaklore, circus fairy tales, and nostalgia, along with anger at the merciless gentrification that’s been eating the peninsula alive since before WWII. Between the tearing down of amusements to make room for housing projects and resorts [and funnel out the “tawdry” entertainment and its community] to recent waves of family-friendly zoning, it will be a wonder if any of Coney Island’s history will remain in place five, or even two years from now.

This is a big part of the reason I asked Molly to show me around the remaining bit of old-school, carnie-owned boardwalk park during my recent visit to NYC. Despite it being a gray, rainy Sunday afternoon, things weren’t as doomy and decrepit as I’d been warned by numerous in-the-know friends. On the contrary, the rollercoasters were chugging, juicy corndogs were abundant, and the cotton candy sent us on the sugar-fueled adventure we hoped for.

Still, it’s hard to avoid feeling a little gutted when faced with the city’s newest erection, Luna Park. Named after one of the original, long-gone Coney Island amusement parks, Luna Park is tooth-achingly homogenous and exceedingly SFW, with shiny expensive rides, a proprietary font on every ride’s title,  and zero originality, or anything at all to reflect the spirit of Coney. A long fence separates Luna Park from Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park – this family-owned kiddie park and fun zone with 25 rides has been around for 90 years, and is far more entertaining. I had the pleasure of convincing Molly to take her first ferris wheel ride, stuffing my face with every king of junk food I could get my hands on and exploring. Turns out, there’s still more to discover and enjoy. Here’s hoping!

If you’re interested in more in-depth Coney Island coverage, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/10/AR2007071002042.html?hpid%3Dtopnews&sub=AR, and http://gothamist.com/tags/coney to start. And be sure to check out http://www.coneyisland.com/ for updates from an arts and advocacy group in charge of the freakshow and the famous Mermaid Day parade.

Words and photos by Zoetica Ebb