International amusement giant Zamperla may be turning Coney Island into a generic shopping plaza you could find anywhere in Anytown, USA, but that's just fine by our old rich white male officials, who will no doubt feel more comfortable posing for photo ops at a shiny new sports bar than a place like Ruby's Bar and Grill. So it goes. Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and others journeyed to Coney Island today for the opening of The Scream Zone, which is adjacent to Luna Park and is accessed where Shoot the Freak used to be. You'll recall that Zamperla was fined by the Buildings Department for razing the popular attraction without a permit.
According to a press release from Zamperla, "Scream Zone is part of the second phase of Central Amusement International’s joint effort with the City of New York to revitalize Coney Island. Following on the success of Luna Park, Scream Zone is a brand new amusement park aimed at adrenaline junkies, with four new heart-stopping rides... Scream Zone introduces visitors to the first major roller coasters in New York City since the iconic Cyclone opened more than 80 years ago, with 'Soaring Eagle' and the 'Steeplechase Coaster,' named and themed after one of Coney Island’s earliest and most memorable rides." Unlike last year, Bloomberg and Markowitz didn't go on any of the rides. An observer at the event today tells us, "I think they were afraid someone would push go if they got on the rides."
Bloomberg, Markowitz and others watch the Scream Zone go (NYC Mayor's Office)
The Scream Zone will operate on weekends through Memorial Day, then daily all summer. Visitors will be able to pay per ride—between $7 and $20 for a single ride—using refillable “Luna Cards.” The mayor's office also announced that "a number of new attractions will be added to the boardwalk area this summer. The Cyclone Café, a counter-service restaurant with diverse food offerings opened last week... Coney Cones, a new ice creamery on the boardwalk, will open later this summer." And this actually is cool news: Rooftop Films will launch a new Coney Island Film Series with movie screenings on the beach this summer.
It's the last summer for Ruby's and other longtime Mom and Pop boardwalk institutions—Zamperla plans to replace them with a big sports bar and restaurant managed by another big foreign company, Sodexo, which has been fined by New York State for overcharging New York students and denying black employees promotions. “It’s wonderful to see the continuing revitalization of Coney Island," Congress Member Jerrold Nadler said in a statement with, we imagine, a straight face.
Anyway, here's first-person POV video of the Slingshot. We gotta say, it looks pretty awesome. Skip ahead to about the 45 second mark:
Untitled from Johanna Zaki on Vimeo.
