Believe it or not, we had last Sunday (13th of December), 21 degrees in New York… Amazed by this un-usual weather, we decided to go the beach. Out of the different beaches that New York has to offer, one that I never tested was Coney Island. Located just a few miles from the Verrazano bridge, Coney Island is the closest beach from the city, that you can also reach with the underground.
A bit of history first (Wiki…)
Coney Island is a peninsular residential neighborhood, beach, and leisure/entertainment destination on the Atlantic Ocean in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, New York City. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by land fill. The residential portion of the peninsula is a community of 60,000 people in its western part, with Sea Gate to its west, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach to its east, the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and Gravesend to the north.
Coney Island is well known as the site of amusement parks and a seaside resort. The attractions reached a historical peak during the first half of the 20th century, declining in popularity after World War II and years of neglect. In recent years, the area has seen the opening of MCU Park stadium and has become home to the Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball team, as well as the opening of a new amusement park among several adjacent ones.
My advice for a day trip on Coney Island. You first want to park close to the seafront (or come with the underground). Have a walk all along the seafront. Obviously I was there in winter so most of the shops on seafront were closed. Admire the sea, listen to latin music and watch the fisherman’s trying to catch something (not sure what kind of fish would swim around New York City harbour…).
You need then to make your way to Nathan’s for a Hot dog. Nathan’s is a real institution in New York and know for his best hot dogs in the US. This place also host the annual Hot Dog Eating contest ! This year Matt Stonie beat all records by eating 62 Hot Dogs in 10 minutes (don’t try this at Home…)
Another place that you should not miss is Totonno’s, New York best Pizza ! Located just a few blocks behind the seafront, this place, opened in 1924, has not changed in a bit !
Final stop, on Brighton Beach, known for his large Russian community, is to have a quick lunch at Tatiana, for amazing Russian dishes, looking over the sea !
You won’t be disappointed from your journey on this side of the coast, I tell you !
A few shots below from the different places, mentioned above:
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