I frequently take the F-train to Coney Island to visit my friend Rose who recently had knee replacement surgery.
Currently she's staying in a rehabilitation hospital on 29th Street and Surf Avenue. Her room has a nice view of the ocean, the beach and the boardwalk.
I usually take a $2 cab from the Stillwell Avenue subway station to the hospital. But on my way home I always walk on the Boardwalk back to train.
Yesterday was an utterly blue-sky gorgeous day. Clearly I wasn't the only one who had the idea to walk on the Boardwalk. By 2 p.m. the beach was crowded and the Boardwalk was filled with walkers, bikers, and sunbathers.
There was such a strong summer at the beach vibe—amazing for an urban beach just blocks from City housing and a neighborhood in the midst of a controversial transition.
Up by 29th Street, people make quiet recreational use of the Boardwalk for jogging, walking, biking. Russian couples sit and read newspapers; the elderly take in the sun; young lovers make out; loners like me take slow, meditative steps.
The blue and white RIngling Brothers Circus Tents add a festive feeling to the Upper Boardwalk. I noticed signs yesterday about a cafe and animal viewing area open every day until 9 p.m. Then there's Keystone Park with signs about upcoming games and the Wilco/Yo Lo Tengo concert coming up on Monday July 13th (doors open at 6 p.m.).
A large swath of the beach has been closed off for a stage and stadium seating for the 2009 Village Voice Siren Festival. This year's concert features Built to Spill, Spank Rock, The Ravonettes, Tiny Masters of Today and many more bands and will happen on Saturday, July 18, 2009 from 12:00 noon – 9:00 p.m.
As I got closer to what's left of the amusement park, the Boardwalk throbs with energy—even on a Tuesday afternoon. Radios balring Michael Jackson, girls parading around fearlessly in skimpy bikinis, boys in low cut surfer shorts, children slathered in suntan lotion.
I strolled into the area that used to be Astroland and was disgusted to see the poor excuse for an amusement park that the City (?) has put in there. There's a freak show thing as well with huge vintage looking circus posters about two headed ladies and babies. One exhibit boasts the world's largest rat. Gross: that one really freaked me out.
The new Flea By the Sea seems to be getting off the ground slowly. I've been there a couple of times and found it hugely disappointing with a scant number of vendors. Pretty pathetic. But an OTBKB had this to say.
off VERY slowly but it is now up and running and this weekend was a huge
success…If you already went to the flea market when it
was first opened please give it another chance, it is very, very
much improved since those first days. I am not
one of the people running the flea market so I have no ulterior motive here but
to let everyone know there is a great thing happening in Coney Island.
I think about my own Brooklyn relatives, living and dead, who surely spent time on the Boardwalk in their youth.
And now I am a regular walker there, too. Visiting my friend Rose and always enjoying my stroll from 29th Street to the Stillwell Avenue train. Taking in the breeze, the sky, the atmosphere on a summery Brooklyn day.
That definitely not a rat, it doesn’t even have a tail.
Try a Nathan’s hot dog next time-nothing like it!
The giant rat has been on display before, it is more like some rain forest creature in the rat family..
Walk down to the Brighton Beach end sometime, that is a cool long walk, and suddenly you are in
Mother Russia. Make sure you check out the great Russian chachka shops on Brighton Beach Ave, and of course Tatiana or the other boardwalk cafes…
Cheers
Brooklyn Beat