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Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat Is On Twitter!

Posted in Animals, Coney Island, tagged amusement rides, cats on twitter, Coney Island Arcade, Coney Island History Project, Cyclone, OPening Day, Target the Cat, Wonder Wheel on March 27, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat on Opening Day 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Coney Island’s 40 rides and diverse attractions start up again for the 2010 season in just one day! Since we work in Coney, it’s been so hectic getting ready for opening day that we haven’t had a minute to blog. Not so with Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat…

Our favorite cat has started microblogging as ConeyICat via twitter! But he has quite a ways to go before he catches up with Sockington, a Massachusetts cat with 1.5 million followers! Please follow Target if you are on twitter. His latest tweet:

Coney Island Arcade & Games open on Sunday too! http://bit.ly/bXBgAA We need players to have winners--That means YOU!
— ConeyIslandArcadeCat (@ConeyICat) March 27, 2010

Target the Coney Island Arcade Cat Has Something to Say... Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Also opening on Sunday…Coney Island’s Cyclone Roller Coaster, Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park (22 rides), McCullough’s Kiddie Park (a dozen rides), 12th St. Amusements (Polar Express and 4 other rides) and the Eldorado Bumper Cars.

The annual Blessing of the Rides is set for 11:00 am at Deno’s Wonder Wheel. Then at 12 noon, Borough President Marty Markowitz will break a bottle of homemade egg cream on the Cyclone’s first car as the Hungry March Band toot their horns in celebration. The first 100 people to arrive to the party will ride the Cyclone for free. The Coney Island History Project on Surf under the Cyclone will host an Open House from 12-3 pm. Free admission to one and all!

For more info on what’s open in Coney Island and a listing of upcoming events, sign up for the Coney Island Fun Guide newsletter or follow them on twitter.

See you tomorrow, March 28th at 12 noon?

Manny Cohen of Coney Island Arcade with his World-Famous Cat Target. © 2010 Manny Cohen. All rights reserved

Will MTA Ever Fix Burned out “E” in Coney Island Sign at Stillwell?

Posted in Coney Island, Photo of the Day, tagged Brooklyn, maintenance, MTA, MTA Chairman Jay Walder, Stillwell Terminal, subway station on March 12, 2010| 3 Comments »

CONEY ISLAND is CON_Y ISLAND! Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

CONEY ISLAND is CON_Y ISLAND! March 11, 2010. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

How many MTA employees does it take to change a light bulb? How many months or years does it take them to get the job done? Or did alphabet lights get slashed from the MTA’s budget?

Last night we took this photo of the entrance to the MTA’s Stillwell Terminal, the largest above-ground subway station in the world and the gateway to Coney Island. It would be a postcard perfect shot except for the fact that the “E” in CONEY ISLAND is burned out and has been burned out since last summer. We con you not: the photo below of CON_Y ISLAND was taken in July 2009.

When we phoned the MTA’s customer service line in June, the rep dutifully took down the info. But he just didn’t get it: “You can still read it,” he said of the burned out “E.” Personally we think it ruins an iconic photo op. We called up a friend who has a job at the MTA and asked him to pass the word along to the correct department. He wouldn’t and couldn’t. Told us it was against protocol.

Dear MTA Chairman Jay Walder, please send a crew over to fix the “E” and replace the other burned out bulbs asap before Coney Island’s opening day! That will be March 28th, just 16 days away. And while they’re here, get them to straighten out the “L” in ISLAND, which looks like somebody gave it a whack. Millions of visitors will arrive and depart via Stillwell Station this year. We want the new Coney Island to put her best face forward. Burned out lights say who the hell cares.

UPDATE March 17, 2010:

Yesterday we received a message that the “E” in CONEY had finally been fixed and was two-third’s lit! And the crooked “L” in ISLAND had been straightened out, too! Yay and hooray! We’re almost tempted to say the repair of the Stillwell Terminal’s signature sign after months of neglect presages the rebirth of Coney Island. See “Photo of the Day: The “E” is Relit in Coney Island Sign at Stillwell”

Welcome to Con-y island! All Aboard! Coney Island, NY. Photo © Tricia Vita/me-myself-i via flickr

Jan 30: Country & Bluegrass Jamboree to Benefit Save Coney Island

Posted in Coney Island, Events, tagged benefit, Bluegrass, Brooklyn, fundraiser, Galapagos Artspace, Save Coney Island, weekend event on January 28, 2010| Leave a Comment »

Didja ever notice the first three letters of fundraiser are F-U-N? Saturday’s benefit for Save Coney Island is “Guaranteed to be a raucous good time!” The Save Coney folks have “Gone Country for Coney” with a Country/Bluegrass Musical Jamboree, Wild West Variety Show and chow from Jake’s BBQ. Extra Added Attractions include a Burlesque Show After Party. It’s all happening this Saturday from 3 till 9:30 pm at Galapagos Artspace in DUMBO.

Tickets are $20, $15 till 5 pm. The fundraiser benefits Save Coney Island, a volunteer, non-profit organization committed to restoring Coney Island as a world-class amusement destination for all New Yorkers and visitors. For additional info, visit SaveConeyIsland.net