OCTOBER 12, 2000:
CONEY
ISLAND,
GATHERING FOOTAGE
Depreciation is what came to mind as we walked along the boardwalk. I know, it's off season, and it's SUPPOSED to be empty; still, there was an air of decay and decomposition around that spoke of more than just lack of people.
This was an area that was designed to be fun, yes. And you can almost hear the echoes of the kids playing, squealing on the rides, the lovers walking along the beach (though all we saw were a few joggers and some older fishermen and street vendors). My voice, as a youth, was among the echoes; I have vague memories of my parents taking me here when we lived in New Jersey.
(AJ and I even sang the prerequisite verses of "Under the Boardwalk" as we walked along.)
The problem was, there was no longer a feeling of joy. Things were getting run down; paint was peeling, the rides looked almost menacing as they hid behind the high fences. There was a combination of snake oil and sleaze to be seen here and there, in the grimacing leer of a mermaid over the boarded-up bar or in the false merriment of a food vendor.
(By the way: look at this picture. We've got icons, drop down menus, even blinking lights. That's what it is: the web is based on Coney Island! It's just a theory, but I could probably get O'Reilly to publish a book on it...the seagull book?)|*|
We also discovered that bees like coffee. Doesn't matter if it's got sugar in it or not; they really like it. AJ in particular had to fight them off with her camera...
And, of course, amongst all the people here there is no subject to talk about except for the potential conflict between the two major populations here in NYC, with demonstrations and banners and even clothing shouting out the loyalty of the members to their own particular faction. I did find one symbol of unity between the two groups, though, along the walkway....
All in all, a beautiful trip...but disturbing. Especially when I looked at the menu, promising chili-cheese hot dogs and rasberry lemonade, and I could almost taste them, the way I did long ago when I came here to see the rides and play in the ocean.
But he was out of chili. And there was no lemonade. So I had a cheese dog and a Pepsi.
The moral of the story: just cuz it's on the menu, don't mean you can get it. And some things in your youth you can never get back.
Or maybe it's just: Coney Island in October really sucks.
|*| If you didn't get this joke, be
grateful; it's a geek curse to actually know what O'Reilly and animals
have to do with each other.
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