The Frogs legs at Nathans REALLY did taste like Chicken. I loved the B-B-Q on a Bun, and the Chow Mein on a bun. And I just about lived on the Bumper Car Ride right next door, Nickle a ride, then a dime, then a quarter. Would stay on it for hours And playing Skee Ball, which I sucked at, but would still get enough “points” to win an occassional back scratcher.
I’m suprised that no one has reminded Mike of the name of the little theater,(little in more ways than one),remember the dwarf & midget clowns that would chase people around the stage wacking everyone on the posterior with sticks that made aloud smacking noise that sounded like it had to hurt. In fact you could barely feel it. They would chase the women around until they stood over a little spot on the stage where they could blow strong gusts of air under the unsuspecting females dress, you guess the rest. Hence,the name,”The Blow Hole Theater”.
I remember traveling to coney island for the first time alone with two of my friends(jason lemangelli and dana mckormick)when i was eleven. We took the bus from nostrand and kingshwy to the train station on 16th street and hopped aboard the dline,,,it was kinda scary at first for three 11 year old boys to be traveling out of our own neighborhood but we all gotta grow sometime. Dana paid for our fun time we all had at coney that day(where he got $75 that day still remains a clue?)our first stop was nathans for the best dogs and fries in the world,only a true brooklynite would agree.next was some of that bannana custard that is allways part of a trip to coney island,,,now for astroland,,i will make this part of my story short cause rides that spin fast dont always agree with junk food filled stomachs(dana,lol) . a swim in the ocean is the best part of the day,,especially seeing your first pair of naked boobs,,lmao! that was a day with some of my best friends that will always be remembered.I now reside in kunkletown pa with my wife and beautifull 17 month old son,,pa sucks but with memories like this one,brooklyn will always live on in me!!!!!
Tuesday night FIREWORKS from the Boardwalk and Shatzkins knishes and the best Pizza ever! Making out UNDER THE BOARDWALK and the kewpie dolls and the FREAK shows……The parachute ride was the best…remember having to take your sandals off before you rode up? The terrific view up and the SCARY ride down, and how it ‘bounced’ when you landed? I live in Orlando, now, but the Coney Island of my childhood is forever in my mind, forever in my heart.. Suzie
Who remembers Washington Baths at Coney, and Bay 15 and 16? I had a friend whose mother nursed the mother of George Tilyou who owned Steeplechase. As a result we would get passes to the park often that entitled us to 12 rides. I was about 11 years old when my friend coaxed me onto the parachute ride one summer night. After the first couple of rides up and down, I got over my fear and rode all night until the park closed.
We lived in Luna Park and my Mom would take my brother and me to the beach everyday during the summer. After spending all day at the beach,we would head right to Nathan’s for supper. She would give us $1 each and we would eat like kings and still bring her back change! Fries were .15 and .25.
The Coney Island Boardwalk was always a place of fascination. Two and a half miles long with something to see all along the way. It starts at Bay 1 (where Manhattan Beach ends and Brighton Beach begins) and gets to Bay 7 (Ocean Parkway where Coney Island begins) and then to the end which is Bay 35 (the beginning of Sea Gate). Bay 2 was where you made your date for Saturday night. It was wall to wall blankets, and the sand was hot so you’d stop at a blanket with the pretty girls on it, and start up some conversation. Back to the boardwalk … there was the Coney Island rides section off the Stillwell Avenue train station, then moving west we had Silvers Baths, and a few bungalow colonies where people vacationed to escape the summer’s heat. And remember, one wasn’t allowed to walk on the boardwalk unless adequately covered … police were always looking for such infractions (that’s when there were rules of “proper conduct”). What went on under the boardwalk was a world unto itself … the police were above looking for improper dress. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/7448/
My Mother and Dad and their friends took me to Coney many times in the 1920’s when I was little..never allowed in the water and never learned to swim..Mom and Dad were really strong swimmers..I played with my sand bucket..imagine that? We had fun..Dad drank wine with a relative and they both got ‘smashed’..really common in those days of Prohibition…that was a stupid mistake banning booze.’ John
Many times after whatever weekend night activity we had a few of us guys would meet late night at Nathan’s ususlly we had fries and a chow mein sandwich, but in the winter i’d warm up with their CLAM BROTH (of course this grossed my friends out)but I still like a good cup of clam broth!