View from the ice cream store

The kid’s putting on his shirt in front of the ice cream store. It’s the beach, so I don’t think “no shirt, no shoes, no service” applies. He could be aiming for one out of two, though.

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Nathan’s is on the boardwalk

Nathan’s normal spot, on Surf Avenue by the subway station, is still being reno’ed after the hurricane damage, so this is the Coney Island location for hot dogs and assorted fried food you might be craving. Everyone goes here. This is the first fur-trimmed wrap I’ve seen on the boardwalk, though that is only because there’s no Mermaid event in cold weather.

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Coney Island is coming back

It’s unnerving to get off the subway at Stillwell and find almost everything closed, even Nathan’s. A few stores are starting to open up, though, and even a boardwalk bar. By next summer, we will see the old Coney again, I predict.

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By the Coney Island disco dance party

This couple, visitors to Coney Island, seem unsure about the disco dance party going on ten feet away. Come on! Get your feet wet! Everyone’s welcome to do some moving and shaking.

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Found object: Banana peel on boardwalk

If I was that worried, I could have picked it up. We don’t want to see someone fall and get hurt, but if someone slipped on the banana peel and things went flying in the air and everyone was okay, then it would be perfectly all right to laugh laugh, wouldn’t it?

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It’s always cooler @ the shore

Keep repeating, It’s always cooler at the shore, it’s always cooler at the shore… Our would-be heatwave seems to have passed. It’s supposed to be in the 80’s rather than the 90’s today, with less humidity. Fine with me.

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Another season @ the clam bar?

Will this old-timey lady with the strong arms and close-set eyes be back this season selling clams on the boardwalk? The facade doesn’t look so good, but I don’t write anyone off until after the Mermaid Parade. That’s when the high season begins at Coney Island.

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Thursday @ Coney Island

Hot and hazy on the Coney Island boardwalk. School was off yesterday (Brooklyn-Queens Day) – the beach was packed and the atmosphere was tense. Further down, in Brighton Beach, by Tatiana, there was a shooting that left a teenager dead and three others wounded. The gunman hasn’t been caught yet.

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Friday means Cold Beer

This charming lettering is painted on a wall next to the ramp to the boardwalk at Coney Island. What is it about the salt air that makes food and drink taste ten times better than they would away from the sun and sand? (Try a Nathan’s hot dog at a mall and you’ll see my point.)

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Mermaids’ Day

The Mermaid Parade was yesterday in Coney Island. Shell bathing suits and green body paint were popular, as were nautical costumes. It’s a day to fly one’s freak flag and share it on the boardwalk. Except for the crabs, everyone had fun. (Insert pirate laugh here.)

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