Amusing the Zillion

Lucille Fornasieri Gold’s Coney Island Photos from the 1970s

October 2, 2011 by Tricia

Shores of New York at Chelsea Market: Two Dog Taffy, Coney Island 1970s by Lucille Fornasieri-Gold. Installation photo by Amusing the Zillion

Passing through Chelsea Market last week, I happened to see the above photo of dogs napping in front of a Salt Water Taffy sign in 1970s Coney Island. Don’t know the dogs, but Philips Candy’s storefront is instantly recognizable and a delicious trip back in time for anyone who came and went to Coney via the old Stillwell Terminal. The image is part of “Shores of New York,” an exhibit of Lucille Fornasieri-Gold’s photographs of Coney Island, Brighton Beach, the Rockaways and other local seaside places in the 1970s and ’80s.

Shores of New York at Chelsea Market: Eating Under Handwriting, Coney Island 1970s by Lucille Fornasieri-Gold. Installation photo by Amusing the Zillion

Lucille Fornasieri-Gold’s Coney Island subjects include ticket sellers, musclemen, members of the Polar Bear Club and people hanging out in their favorite spot by the sea. The images also afford a glimpse of vanished attractions like the candy shop and a funhouse. “While I didn’t intend to document New York City, they allow us a comparison to today,” says the photographer, who is now 80.

Born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, Fornasieri-Gold was first exposed to art through her father, a professor of architectural sculpture, according to her bio. “With the birth of her last child in 1969, she received her first camera and took pictures intensely for a ten-year period. In 2002 she retired to work only on her photography. She shoots frequently, and processes her negatives digitally.” Her photographs are in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society and Brooklyn Public Library.

Shores of New York at Chelsea Market: Funhouse, Coney Island 1970s by Lucille Fornasieri-Gold. Installation photo by Amusing the Zillion

“Shores of New York,” Photographs by Lucille Foransieri-Gold, on view through ~~mid-October~~ October 6, 2011 at Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue, between 15th and 16th Streets, New York, NY 10011. Doors to the market are open Mon-Sat from 7am to 10pm, and Sun from 10am-8pm.

Last Live Show at Soon to Close Cha Cha’s of Coney Island

October 2, 2011 by Tricia

On Saturday, friends honored the memory of “JT”–John Thomas–longtime manager and music promoter of Cha Cha’s of Coney Island and the former Club Atlantis, who died last year. His ashes were scattered off Steeplechase Pier for the second time and the band Neptune Jam played a tribute.

Today, hardcore punk bands will be playing their last live show at Cha Cha’s of Coney Island, which closes forever this month. The scathingly satirical poster by Mike SOS and Friends says it all: Mayor Bloomberg is suited up as a commando with an Uzi. A comic book character of a girl assures her guy: “Soon Coney Island will be a safe place for us!!” The message in the background is “Gentrification brought to you by your pals at Disney, phizer and Bloomberg news radio.”

Our theory on the upcoming gentrification of the Boardwalk is that it’s the City’s first step toward making the neighborhood attractive to the type of people who might buy the condos slated to be built in the future. The rezoning plan approved by the City Council in 2009 put 26 high-rise residential towers and 5,000 new units of housing in Coney Island, including beachfront condos on Taconic Investment Partners 5.5 blocks of vacant land just west of MCU Park.

The bands that will be playing at the farewell tribute to good ol’ Cha Cha’s of Coney Island include The Nones, Ritz Riot, Social Standards, Abject, Psycho Enhancer, Dealin’ With It, Red Eyed Devil, Setback, The Blame, Skum City and Megabush. As the promoter Mike SOS says: “Come out and pay your respects to the end of another NYC landmark!” The free show starts at 2pm.

March 15, 2011: Hail, Hail Garland Jeffreys! Coney Island Has a New Anthem

February 17, 2011: New Construction: Coney Island’s 1st Private Beachfront Condos on Boardwalk

January 4, 2011: Dance Video: Coney Island Poker Face by Charles Denson

November 1 2010: Out With the Old in Coney Island: Only 2 of 11 Boardwalk Businesses Invited Back

Posted in Events, Redevelopment | Tagged Cha Cha's of Coney Island, Hardcore Punk | Leave a Comment »

Coney Island Poem from the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project

September 29, 2011 by Tricia

Coney Island 1980. Photo © Barry Yanowitz via flickr

Coney Island

Created by Betty from the JASA poets in Coney Island, on June 15th, 2011 with Amanda Deutch and Gary Glazner of the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project.

So much happened in Coney Island.
My mother never had to look for me.
Some people didn’t think much of Coney Island.
My mother said, “If you meet a good boy, don’t tell him you are from Coney Island.”
One time I had a date, I was very nervous,
I got off at Avenue U so he wouldn’t know where I was from.

I was happy to be from Coney Island.
The people are friendly and nice.
It’s a beautiful place to live.
The story of how Nathan’s began is interesting.
She made some Knishes.

I was always an outside girl.
I lived close to Neptune and Surf.
I walked on the sand.
I walked by the ocean in my boots.
On the coldest days we sat on the rocks.
On the coldest days that’s what we did.
You can even have a story about the pier.
I used to watch them fish.

When I was married on Mermaid there was a rainbow in the window.
I used to see a rainbow from my window.
Mother would say, “See that sky.”
You have to find beauty.

You can go down one of those hills.
You’ll have a long life.
When you hit the top all of sudden you couldn’t catch your heart.
It’s wow!

When Luna Park was burning I never saw such a sky in my life, a red sky.
I heard the fire trucks; I looked out the window.
The next morning, I learned Luna Park had burned.

I could see the moon from my window.
The moon was better than being on earth.
I wanted to stay up there.

* * * * * *

The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project was founded in 2004 by Gary Glazner and has served over 9,500 people living with Alzheimer’s disease. They have also developed poetry workshop models for early stage dementia groups. For more information on this award-winning project, visit their website http://www.alzpoetry.com. Glazner is a poet and author whose books include Sparking Memories: The Alzheimer’s Poetry Project Anthology and Ears on Fire: Snapshot Essays in a World of Poets.

Amanda Deutch is a teaching artist and poet whose mother and grandparents lived in Coney Island. Her poetry is published in dozens of literary journals and her poem “30,000 City Windows” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is the founder of Parachute: the Coney Island Performance Festival and recently launched a Poets Walking Tour of Coney Island.