Goodbye, my Coney Island baby

Our final full day in New York sees us jump on the subway for the 45-minute ride out to Coney Island, the self-proclaimed Playground of the World.  We've been lured here by the promise of good, old-fashioned American family fun, an iconic boardwalk, and throwbacks to the roaring 20s, when promenades along the beach and all-in-one stripy swim suits were very much the rage.  By the looks of it, the seaside resort does get very busy in the summer months, as New Yorkers make the short trip out to enjoy building sandcastles and taking a dip in the North Atlantic, but on our April visit, a biting wind cuts across much of the sun's warmth, blowing sand into our eyes, and rendering the beach virtually out of bounds.  Nonetheless, the boardwalk has its own charm, and the variety of shops offer up a few different souvenirs for the discerning tourist.

Coney Island boardwalk

A Coney Island map

First stop, offering shelter from the wind, is the New York Aquarium.  Formerly situated in Battery Park (see Following the Immigrants) the aquarium moved to this coastal location in 1957, and is now part of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) which also oversees the city's other zoos.  The aquarium was rocked in 2012, when it suffered significant damage from Hurricane Sandy, flooding the facilities and shutting down the power supply.  Although staff who remained on-site at this time were able to save 90% of the creatures held there, the ramifications of the storm are still clear for all to see.  An enormous rebuild is therefore underway - even more than four years later - which understandably leaves some of the site inaccessible.

An old-fashioned aquarium mural

What the aquarium does have, however, is a wonderful array of tanks, amongst the very best that I have seen.  In Conservation Hall, we are taken on a journey around the world - the Amazon basin, the African lakes, coral reefs (the aquarium grows its own coral, aiding its sustainability agenda) and marine environments giving a flavour of the wondrous life that exists beneath the waves.  In fact, I've been so impressed by what I've seen, that I've since tried to remodel my own tank on their Amazon biotope.  Outside, there are penguins, sealions and otters, and a large circular tank housing small sharks, a temporary solution until the Ocean Wonders habitat is completed.  The aquarium is also planning an underwater viewing area for the penguins, an Explore the Shore coastal section, and an Alien Stingers exhibit.  Lots more to come back to one day, as they continue their recovery from the deadly force of nature.

A beautiful Amazon tank

A home-grown coral reef

Back on the boardwalk, and there's only one real choice for lunch - Nathan's Famous, who have been feeding this part of Brooklyn with old fashion hot dogs since 1916.  The brand is a popular one, and an American institution - they are the official hot dog providers to the New York Mets and New York Yankees baseball teams - located as they are in an unmissable yellow building, in front of which a sizable crowd is gathered.  We join the queue, and two cheese dogs later, we're pretty satisfied.  Looking around, we also realise that we've ordered on the lighter side, for the food is flying out of the kitchen, and some diners are tucking into weighty portions.

Nathan's Famous of Coney Island

Cheese dogs and fries

The rest of Coney island is dominated by Luna Park, a sprawling fairground with more than a hint of Paignton to its character.  Central to the park is the Cyclone, a rattling old wooden rollercoaster from the heyday of the amusement park.  A piece of history in its own right, it is known locally as the "Big Momma," with more than 2,500 feet of track and 12 drops.  Would I ride it?  Probably not, for despite its decent safety record and multi-million dollar investment in recent years, it looks a bit too rickety and dated for my liking!

Time is running out.  Evening sets in and, back in Manhattan, we catch the subway to 42nd Street, for the short walk to the Circle Line cruise terminal.  For our last evening in New York, we've made the decision to see the whole of Manhattan from the water, and as dusk sets in, we brave a chilly wind on an open-top boat, which takes us down the Hudson, past Ellis, Liberty and Governors Islands, across the harbour, and up the East River.  Watching the sun set and night take hold over the New York skyline is a special sight, and a memory that will linger for a long time.  It's also the perfect round-up from our trip, for playing out in front of us is everything we we've seen and done - the Financial District, the Brooklyn Bridge, the UN, the Chrysler Building, Southstreet Seaport, Battery Park, the Williamsburg Bridge, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and numerous others - bound together in this wondrous, magical city.  From here, I understand what Scott Fitzgerald was talking about, when he wrote, in The Great Gatsby: “The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.”  It provides the most fitting farewell and a fond reflection of our time, all the more so for us, as we leave the city having embarked on a new chapter in our own relationship, doubly enshrining our New York trip amongst our happiest of memories.