| In
1884, Coney Island became the site of the first 'roller coaster' in the
world. It consisted of two parallel wooden tracks each about 600 feet
long. The 'train', starting at the peak, ran down the undulating slope
until it finally stopped on the upgrade. Then the passengers got out and a
waiting crew pushed the train to the top of the second track. The
passengers re-boarded the train and zipped back to the starting point.
Thrill!
It quickly became
obvious that this was indeed a money maker. Additional 'scenic railways'
with steeper slopes and increasing complexity appeared. It wasn't long
before someone figured out the expedience of uniting the two tracks into
an oval and installing a mechanical hoist to pull the 'train's to the peak
of the ride.
Originally, Coney
Island was a playground for the rich. With its horse racing, high-end
betting and great private beach there was no question you had to have
money to go out to the island and lose it. By the arrival of the 20th
Century the beach had become public but it wasn't until the BMT subway was
completed in 1920 that Coney Island was truly accessible by the general
public. . . and it didn't take long for them to make up for lost time!
Packed trains hauled them out there is hordes; during holidays the beach
would groan under the sun-starved bodies of well over a million New
Yorkers!
Though the amusement
device owners didn't really need more incentive, they were now viewing a
virtual gold mine. Horse racing had dried up due to the anti-gambling fervor
of the age but amusement rides were absolutely legal and financially
rewarding. And up they went. Bigger, scarier and more expensive - what
ever the traffic would bear, was the recipe. The depression came - and
went. Coney Island seemed immune to the economic vagaries of the rest of
New York
The crush of the
public also had a significant impact on prices. The 'common folk' couldn't
afford the fifty cents here and there required for the various amusements,
- so they didn't buy. Prices dropped and finally hit bottom at a 'nickel'.
The subway cost a nickel, hot dogs cost a nickel, - about everything cost
a nickel. Folks arrived on the Island with pockets full of nickels which
helped coin the many 'nickel' jokes that were the rage for so many years
since. |
By
the fifties the decay spread. It looked like the Island was doomed as New
York's unofficial play place. Amusement parks were spring up everywhere
and Disney ushered in the age of theme parks. But they did charge the
popular nickel - even the subway fares had gone up. This was a new age.
But old joys don't die easily.
In the Sixties, an
existing, almost defunct, amusement park was rebuilt and expanded with new
European rides. Christened "Journey to the 21st Century", it
featured the 'Cape Canaveral Satellite Jet', a ride that created the
effect of a rocket trip to the moon. Passengers watched the launch via a
short cinematic projection while flight sensations were experienced with
the aid of seats that vibrated, bounced and twisted. No one had ever seen
such a ride and it was an instant hit. More followed, of course. The 'new'
park became 'Astroland' but saw the addition of many, old-fashioned,
non-space-age rides, e.g., the 'Indianapolis Speedway' populated with
gasoline-powered midget racing cars.
Many millions of
dollars were being pumped into Astroland and the payback certainly seems
to be there - it is still around for folks to enjoy. Some of the adult
rides include:
- Cyclone roller
coaster
- Mystic Express - a
fast circular, flat ride
- Break Dance - a
fast, tilted ride
- Astrotower -
offers a great view of park
- Go Karts -
gasoline powered go-karts on a closed track
- Tilt-a-whirl -
another tilted ride
- Water Flume - a
water slie like those so popular now around the country
- Dante's Inferno -
another tracked ride but in the dark
- Enterprise - a
spining flat ride that lifts to vertical position
- Pirate Ship - a
large swing with the occupants in a boat-like cage
There are, also,
about a dozen scaled-down rides for children.
For more information
about this old - but still existent - American landmark, view:
www.coneyislandusa.com
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