Fun at Luna Park
By Lucas Compan
Luna Park is synonymous with summer. Summer means fun. Hence, Luna Park equals fun. A lot of fun. It's an oasis where adults become kids, and kids go crazy. Luna Park is located in Coney Island, which is a great spot in Brooklyn and it's just a subway ride away. Coney Island is well known as Times Square – but is way more fun. Watch this video and take a fun tour.
Watch "Summer at Luna Park"
Coney Island is a dreamland of fun. It's one of those magical places where a vivid past – known from movies, books, collective American memory – still lives here. When you go to Coney Island, you see the Boardwalk, the distant beach, and four blocks of amusement park – Luna Park.
Our imagination adds what our eyes perhaps miss: the raw immigrant energy, a kaleidoscope of old New York, old people, young people, lovers' kisses, children crying, dogs barking, couples screaming. It's a soup of memories, even if you are too young to have come to Coney Island in its heyday.
Wonder Wheel dates from the 1920s. photo: lucas compan
Coney Island offers plenty of ways to spend a day or an afternoon only. It attracts a mix of tourists, locals, working people, artists, eccentrics, bohemians, and parents with kids. Coney Island is a little too tacky but maybe that's exactly where its charm resides. And if you are wondering, it's one of the safest places in New York.
How did Coney Island get its name? The story goes back when the Dutch first discovered this area. It was overrun with rabbits. They called "Rabbit Island" – in Dutch, Konjin (Coney) Island. Funny and ridiculous at the same time, right?
A look at Brooklyn’s Coney Island through a split-screen tour of its iconic landmarks: Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, the Cyclone roller coaster, and the beach.
Cyclone: 90 years of fun. photo: lucas compan
By subway you get to Coney Island taking the F, D or N train to Coney Island/Stillwell Avenue, the B train to Brighton Beach or the Q train to either Brighton Beach or Coney Island/Stillwell Ave stops – and any of the two stops in between (Ocean Parkway or New York Aquarium/West 8 Street). Always check out the MTA New York City's subway schedule or download their app to your mobile device. The Cyclone, the almost centenary roller coaster, the Wonder Wheel and the Parachute Jump are official New York City landmarks. Both the Cyclone and Wonder Wheel date from the 1920s and are still in operation.
Coney Island Boardwalk is a kaleidoscope of old New York, old people, young people, lovers' kisses, children crying, dogs barking, couples screaming, musicians playing, performers doing their stuff, immigrants, tourists, locals, working people, artists, eccentrics, bohemians, parents with kids, summer romances – and more.
The boardwalk is a unique environment. photo: lucas compan
coney island boardwalk and the parachute jump. photo: lucas compan
People from all five boroughs of New York (Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island) and from all corners of the world come to Coney Island to spend the day or an afternoon of real fun.
five boroughs of new york. photo: lucas compan
five boroughs of new york. photo: lucas compan
Built in 1927, Coney Island Cyclone is a roller coaster that runs on wooden rails. It may be old, but it still stands as one of the most thrilling rides
Coney Island—home to the Cyclone, a wooden roller coaster that, this year, celebrates its ninety-first birthday. photo: lucas compan
