Coney Island (Portraits of America Series)

Book Description
More than simply an escape from New York's sweltering summer streets, the strip of Brooklyn's south shore known as Coney Island embodied a new American attitude toward entertainment. Here, you'll experience the decadent delights of this magical land of ritzy hotels and penny arcades, where dance pavilions and freak shows shared space with sizzling burlesque and cooling ocean breezes. You'll meet George Tilyou, whose Steeplechase Park featured the Blowhole Theater, the Insanitarium and the Human Pool Table, and Nathan Handwerker, whose Nathan's Famous hot dogs became synonymous with summertime food. You'll ride the legendary Cyclone roller coaster and stroll through Dreamland and Luna Park, where generations of New Yorkers met and mingled in a place that came to define American fun.



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As the ultimate summertime destination for tens of thousands of New Yorkers during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Coney Island is famous not only for its historic amusement parks but also for its long stretches of sandy beaches and once-luxurious seaside resorts. Today￯﾿ﾽs New Yorkers continue to flock to Coney Island￯﾿ﾽs shores, boardwalk, and Bowery with the same enthusiasm and affection of the city denizens in days long gone. Filled with archival photographs-some dating back to the late 1800s—Portraits of America: Coney Island brings to life the glamour of Luna Park, Dreamland￯﾿ﾽs grandeur, and the excitement of the Bowery￯﾿ﾽs concessions. Within these pages, author John Berman recaptures the seductive playfulness that typifies this New York landmark, narrating the fantastic tales of the people and events that have contributed to Coney Island￯﾿ﾽs legacy.


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