Things to Do in NYC - Coney Island

I had a friend visit me from out of town last week, and it was a great excuse to hit up some touristy, NYC things that I've never seen before, like going to Coney Island.

My list of Coney Island references was pretty short: A Mitch Albom book, a Death Cab for Cutie song, a vague Boardwalk Empire image....and that's about it.

Its a very charming park at the southern tip of Brooklyn. The immediate area around Coney Island is a bit depressed. There's a strange feeling there - it was once a major attraction in the early 1900s, and now there are mostly skeletons left. Once we got into the park area, the mood lifted a bit, and it felt like any other beach boardwalk.

The rides are beautiful to look at, thought I'm not sure I'd want to take a ride. The Wonder Wheel was built in 1918, and the Cyclone is one of America's oldest operating wooden roller coasters.

I had to take a vegetarian-hiatus and try a Nathan's hot dog. It was worth it.

The beach was pretty clean, and fairly busy. I'm always surprised at how nice New York beaches are. Summer is finally here!