The Coney Island amusement district—the Cyclone, Deno's Wonder Wheel, Luna Park, et al—officially opened for the season on Sunday, much to the delight of a smattering of people. Crowds were sparse up and down the boardwalk, except at Nathan's, but those folks who did turn out enjoyed a sunny Sunday with unusually short lines—especially after the speeches and ceremonies were done and they could get in there and scream their heads off.
The honor of being first on line for the Cyclone once again belonged to Erik Knapp, who secured his spot by showing up at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. This was Knapp's ninth "first" in the past ten years, and he estimates that he's ridden the legendary coaster some 2,000 times in all. Sadly, Knapp's "first" status is open to interpretation, because a handful of VIPs cut the line and took a ride before it opened to the general public. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams scored the coveted seat in the head car, but didn't actually ride the Cyclone—the BP stayed on only long enough for photo-ops, then retreated to safety after smashing the ceremonial bottle of egg cream on his first try.
Meanwhile, Reverend Debbe Santiago delivered the Blessing of the Rides over at Deno's Wonder Wheel. Santiago, the Pastor at Coney Island's Salt and Sea Mission, said that while the affairs of an amusement park might seem trivial, meaning can be found in the joy felt by the children who come to Coney year after year, especially those in this city who have very little joy in their daily lives.
Almost all of the rides in Deno's and Luna Park were up and running, including the truly frightening ones at the Scream Zone, though the much-anticipated Thunderbolt loop-de-loop monster coaster, promised to us this summer, looked a long way from being done. The independently run games and food booths in Coney's back alleys—the park's gritty core, fighting to stay alive in the expanding shadow of Applebee's and the Nets megastore—were also open for the first time, more or less.
The Cyclone, Luna Park, Deno's Wonder Wheel, and the rest are all running every day this coming week, for spring break at NYC public schools.
