I grew up in Coney Island, it is such a pleasure to hear about the renewal. In the late 50's and all through the 60's we enjoyed the fireworks on Tuesday night in the summer, the arcade games on the boardwalk, Nathans, the Hurricane, and so much more. What a great reminder of tmes past, and now renewing!

Try Nathan's and Coney on July 4 during the Hot Dog Eating Contest. That's a crowd.

Asbury Park, the home of Bruce Springstein. This happening boardwalk attraction in NJ was thriving through the 70's and into the early 80's. Then this town took a turn for the worst. Eventually turning into one of the most run down places on the jersey shore.

Funding was put into renovations in the mid 90's but poor planning caused funds to disappear before the completion of buildings. This caused the town to look even worse as half built buildings stood for many years.

Luckily new funding has been put into the community(thanks to many gay couples who have ignored the risk and put money into renovating houses).

I am pleased to here the renewel of Coney island has been a success. Hopefully Asbury Park can have similar success

Don't forget Coney Island USA, home to the country's last remaining, traditional 10-in-1 Sideshow (right between the Wonder Wheel and Nathan's)! And their Coney Island Museum. And how about the Mermaid Parade (this June 25)! What a party! Happy to see Coney growing, but let's not forget the original purpose: entertainment for the masses! Go Cyclones!

Yuma, Arizona - on the upswing. Once a small desert town, now growing with Californians escaping what can only be thought of as an impending fear of earthquakes. The fear, real or imagined, is driving the growth.
Star Wars, Flight of the Phoenix, Star Gate, many more films..shot here, right over the Colorado river in the sand dunes just a few miles from main street. Rudolph Valentino made the place famous back-in-the-day with the Shiek, but that was long ago.
Now, the military trains here, two bases drive the economy, houses going up everywhere, 125000 and growing, the "boomlet" feel is here. I lived in Tucson 25 years ago, before the Hollywood feel grabbed that town and made it now unlivable. Yuma now feels like Tucson did back then. The economy is good all year round, especially during the winter.

Enjoy the old Coney while you can! While change and redevelopment could be great for Coney, it could also mean losing a lot of its remaining historical charm.

The B&B Carousel is going up on the auction block later this Summer! It will be a disaster if it leaves Coney, but even worse if it ends up being broken up into parts! Carousel enthusiasts are trying to rally to save it, but losing this could be a devastating blow to Coney.

On other frontiers, an investment group named Thor Equities has, or is in the process of buying up 8 parcels of land in Coney Island. Much of this is land upon which 1/3 of the amusement parks rest.. The 1/3 of the park that is inhabited by renters, that is. The renters long term fate does not look good. Thor is known for building high rise luxury housing and Shopping Malls. What designs they have for Coney remain to be seen, but the Go Kart tracks, Ruby's bar, Batting Range and Zipper all could be gone in a year.

Finally Coney Island USA, the nonprofit that runs the Mermaid Parade, the sideshow, CI Museum,CI Film Festival, Burlesque at the Beach, and many other programs is in the last year of their lease. They have been unsuccessful in negotiating to buy their building and are facing the prospects of moving.

Lets hope that the Coney Island Redevelopment Corporation is able to help preserve the existing amusement zone while helping Coney Island treasures like the B&B and CIUSA find permanent homes!