After racing against the clock for the past couple months, workers finished assembling the new Luna Park on Coney Island just in time for Memorial Day weekend. This morning Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and other functionaries gathered at the amusement park to celebrate the opening. They rode one of the park's 19 new rides for an amusing photo op (note how Bloomberg is the only one holding on). Then it was on to the recently-reopened Totonno's, which Markowitz not inaccurately called a "pizza mecca." (And note how Bloomberg's wearing an apron, but not Marty.)
The opening of Luna Park marks a milestone of sorts for the torturous development, or lack thereof, of Coney Island's amusement district. The 6.9 acre park is located on the site of the old Astroland, which sat vacant for much of the year (there was a flea market there last summer) until land baron Joe Sitt finally agreed to sell the parcel to the city for a sweet $95.7 million of your tax money. For more on how Sitt and the city are collectively draining the area of its last remaining drops of character and individuality, find twenty minutes to read this excellent Village Voice cover story about the whole shady situation.
On Sunday, Dick Zigun, the Officially Unelected Mayor of Coney Island, will give his annual "State of Coney Island Address." Like many, Zigun sees Luna Park as a vast improvement over last year's mess, but has problems with the generic direction both the city and Joe Sitt intend to take Coney Island, and worries about the fate of the important historic structures that remain intact in Coney Island's historic district. (Sitt wants to tear them down.) Zigun's address will take place at 4:30 p.m. at the Coney Island Museum at 1208 Surf Avenue.
Below, check out a time elapse video of Luna Park from vacant lot to today. It opens to the public at 11 a.m. Saturday. Admission is free; rides cost between $3-$5, with a $30 for four hours of unlimited rides.
