Welcome to ATZ’s Coney-centric blog finds, which we’ve come across recently and not so recently. We wanted to do this kind of feature for awhile, but our blog was launched at the beginning of Coney’s 2009 season and it’s been a hectic five months reporting from the trenches of the amusement zone. Now that summer’s over, we’ll have more time to explore the blogosphere. Unless we decide to run away with another carnival…
Diving from the Pier. Photo © Bruce Handy (Pablo57) via flickr
“What is Coney to you?” A Canadian photographer in Kevin Downs‘ 2009 Coney Island USA Summer Photography Workshop asked the group members at the end of the summer. Coney Island resident and ATZ contributor Bruce Handy/pablo 57 posted a 14 point “My Coney Credo” on the group’s discussion board on flickr. We like #5: “It is timeless, like baseball, Coney reminds me of 1940. Summer after summer they play the game, the players change, but the excitement, the mathematics of chance never changes. It’s a place where Zoltar grants you the wish to remain young forever.”
The summer season is over at the Coney Island Sideshow, but you can find out what Human Blockhead and Escape Artist Donny Vomit and friends are up to over at his blog. The Vomitorium was launched at the beginning of the 2009 season. Look for news about upcoming events, the new Krissy Kocktail documentary, behind the scenes photos at the sideshow taken with an antique camera, and Donny’s visual diary of a road trip to the Pima County Fair. More! More!
Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York followed up must-reads on Coney Island’s historic and endangered Shore Hotel and the Henderson Building with a look back at Lillie Santangelo’s World in Wax Musee, which was in Henderson’s until it closed in the 1980s. Featured are seldom seen photos by Costa Mantis of the wacky and macabre waxworks.
Lola Staar’s Dreamland Roller Rink and Boutique in the Childs Building is closed for the season, but her online boutique has been redesigned and is open for biz 24/7. According to Lola’s diary, you can shop for her Coney Island T’s and souvenirs at various flea markets around the City such as Green Flea and West Fourth Street and Sixth Avenue.
At Underwater New York’s launch party, Lawrence Kim and his Boss performed their original song (at 2:30 in the vid) “There’s a Dreamland under the ocean, there is silver under the sea…” The editors of the online anthology are seeking submissions of art, music and creative writing inspired by objects found underwater. Coney-related items on their list include Mermaid, Dreamland Bell, Island Growing on a Submerged Barge in Coney Island Creek, and 1968 Lincoln Continental found off Steeplechase Pier. The last one is new to us. “We are not looking for explanations, but rather for the stories these objects evoke, in whatever form such stories might take,” say the editors. “Tell us if you find an object to add to our list.” UNY’s bloggy new website was designed by our friend Adrian Kinloch of Brit in Brooklyn photoblog and features some of his photos of Coney Island Creek.
All summer long we’ve been cheered by blog reports about what visitors love about Coney Island. Here’s one of ’em. The blogger Wisconsin Girl in the UK, formerly known as Wisco Girl in NY, gave three reasons why she loves New York’s Coney Island. We’ll go with #2: “I always witness some bizarre activity going on while I’m there. Last time it was a group of Polar Bear swimmers in March or April and then this time some Jewish guy was reading his giant prayer book while throwing food at seagulls. The gulls went absolutely nuts and it was actually really pretty (I have photos).”
Thank you to everyone who visited this season despite the bad weather and rumors that Coney Island was closed for redevelopment! See you again soon…
Amusing the Zillion 