Everything Was Closed at Coney Island

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“Everything was closed at Coney Island, and I could not help from smiling.”

The song ‘Coney Island’ by Death Cab for Cutie has long been a favorite of mine. Because of this fact, I always thought it would be fitting that my first visit to the famous Brooklyn boardwalk & amusement park would be when it was closed. Knowing I’d be heading out to Long Island in late November for a cousin’s wedding, I couldn’t pass up the chance to make a quick stop and live out these lyrics.

“I can hear the Atlantic echo back. Roller coaster screams from summers past.”

My first order of business was to find The Cyclone, the famous roller coaster that is one of America’s oldest wooden coasters still in operation. The overcast day made a perfect backdrop for photographs of this famous ride.

“Brooklyn will fill the beach eventually, and everyone will go except me.”

Despite the fact that Coney Island was closed, the place was still teeming with life and personality…from men doing backflips off of gym equipment on the beach, to the gentleman who told me how he rode the Parachute Jump in the 50’s, to meeting a well-known Coney Island musician named Amos.

While it was exciting to see Coney Island for the first time in the mood that was so perfectly portrayed by one of my favorite bands, I can say that I’m excited to make a return visit with the rest of Brooklyn in the proper season. But until that time, I can honestly say..“everything was closed at Coney Island, and I could not help from smiling.”