The city denied the permits for most of the businesses on the boardwalk, thereby ushering in a new era for Coney Island. I say: THANK GOD. Although Coney Island has always had an allure as a once-prosperous resort area, it has been awful for years. Go into the bar and there's a prostitute with a snake around her neck; lay on the beach and there's a syringe under your blanket. I understand that baby boomers view Coney Island an as enchanting neighborhood, where you could once drink a soda pop, listen to some doo-wop, staying clear of the greasers. Face reality: the city put a s*$t-load of projects there in the 70's and since then it has been a crime-ridden ghetto. It still may have some charm, but that's only because visitors realize what it once was. Keep some of the history intact, save the wonder-wheel and other rides that were made 100 years ago and give you a feeling that you're about to die when they bounce around and make weird noises. Other than that, lets clean it up. There's nothing glamorous about a shi%ty-ass neighborhood that was exciting once-upon-a-time before your parents were born.
Will you really enjoy it more once it is full of hipster families drinking coffee and eating "artisan" cupcakes?
ReplyDeleteI say put some casinos and some beach front reality and it all good.
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree!! remember how awesome Time Square USED to be.....??? Now it's like fucking Disney Land sweltering with assholes who don't know how to walk down the fucking block because they are too busy staring at a giant neon billboard of an M&M. Not to mention the the pointless stores like Billabong! Billabong?!?! does anybody in NY surf anyway??? I'm sorry but give me the Pissy train stations and cheap beer ANY DAY... At least the tourist are afraid to come there.
ReplyDeleteLets not forget the that the R, N & D train that YOU take home already packed with unhappy travelers in the sweltering heat during rush hour will be even more UNCOMFORTABLE with the plethora of new travelers making their way down to the island to have there go on the new and improved state of the art tilt a Wirl
ReplyDeleteWhy change it? I mean, who's paying attention anyway at this point?
ReplyDeleteThat's the point: the city has a great resource on it's hands - a place where tourists visit just because of it's history. Yet, when people visit the area there are limited things to do because the area is so shitty. I say keep some of the history in tact, save some of the major landmarks, but clean up all the nonsense that has no positive affect whatsoever on the neighborhood. There's this trend nowadays among liberals (which I don't understand) that we shouldn't improve certain areas just because of the fear of it being labeled as gentrification.
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