Tindall Morring
12/13/13
Places
like Coney Island really affected the lives of people. When people had jobs
like working in factories they would only get Sundays off and they would spend
that time at home just resting. People believed that if you had enough leisure
time to go out do things you were not working hard enough for your family and
you were lazy. Coney Island helped to change all of that. Work hours finally
became shorter and people began to go to Coney Island, get out of the house, have
fun and escape the big city. These people were no longer looked at as lazy and
more people began to visit. Leisure time slowly began to change and people
started spending their time of work at places like Coney with friends and
family rather than in their own homes just resting.
Coney Island
started off as nothing but a long strip of beach outside of Brooklyn New York.
Coney was created as a place where people could escape their everyday life and
get away from everything. It was only a train ride away from the city and very
quickly became of a hot spot for upper class people. In a quote by James
Gibbons Huneker he says, “When you are at Coney you cast aside your hampering
reason and become a plain lunatic.” And that was exactly what began to draw
people to Coney. Coney Island not only was an amusement park full of big rides
and many games but had luxurious hotels right near the beach and great
restaurants. The long strip of beach also drew many people to Coney when it was
warm to swim and lay on the beach after hours of riding rides and playing
games. Coney Island having hotels became a huge change for people back then
because instead of just staying the day people would come and stay the weekend
away from their own homes, it was like a weekend getaway. People called Coney
the “Playground of the World” and that is what it was. Coney Island was where
people could get away from the stress and craziness of the city, let their hair
down, relax and just have fun. Coney was one of the first things that really
changed people view of leisure at the time. People began to go out to places
like Coney Island with friends and family instead of just staying home and
resting during their time of work. As times began to change and people had more
time off of work leisure time was no longer looked at as lazy, people looked forward
to it and this only brought more and more people to Coney Island.
Coney
Island had evolved so much from what it used to be in its beginning years. Coney
is still the “Playground of the World” and people still come to escape the
stress of the city but a lot has changed. After World War II Coney Island was
neglected and began losing lots of business but it never died. The park built
itself back up and is still becoming bigger and more popular. People said after
it was neglected for so long it almost had a renewed sense of hope as it began
to build itself back up. To this day there are now 64 rides in total inside the
park. They are so many new games and new restaurants too. People now travel
from all over the country on vacations to visit Coney Island to ride its huge
roller coasters and stay in the amazing hotels. Unlike it used to be, Coney is
now open all during the week so whenever people need that escape Coney is only
a car or subway ride away. It is also open all throughout the winter now and
even though the beach are cold and the rides are closed people can still walk
all along the beach boardwalk and enjoy the ocean view. Coney Island is open on
many popular holidays now like memorial and labor day weekend and they even
have a new event called, “Halloween in Coney” There are so many events going on
all the time at Coney, things like outdoor concerts, film festivals and many
fireworks shows. The B&B Carousel is the last remaining historic carousel
in all of Coney Island. When Coney began to grow they restored the carousel and
moved into the new Steeplechase Plaza, where it now sits today. Coney Island is
bigger and much more modern today but people still visit it for the same
reasons, to be with friends and family and just have fun.
Coney Island still has the same effects on
people modern day as it did back in the beginning of its life. People’s views
of leisure time have changed a lot since and Coney helped to change that but changed
it for the better. People still visit the Island to escape the stress and just
enjoy time with friends or family. Coney has grown a lot over the years but
that has only drawn more people to it. Its luxurious hotels are always filled
with people and there are always crowds waiting in those lines for the rides. It
is still only a short ride away from the still and people still return in their
leisure time. Coney will always be an escape from the city and where people can
come to relax, not worry about anything and have a great time.
Works Cited
Coney Island. The parachute pavillion, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.vanalen.org/parachutepavilion/background.htm>.
A Coney Island Education. Sarah Lawrence Collge, n.d. Web. 12 Dec.
2013. <http://www.slc.edu/news-events/archived/2010-2011/2010-10-04-a-coney-island-education-mag.html>.
Coney Island History Site. Westland, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.westland.net/coneyisland/>.
Fun Guide. Coney Island, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013. <http://coneyislandfunguide.com/Attraction/BB-Carousell.htm>.
History Reference Center. Alabama Virtual Library, n.d. Web. 12
Dec. 2013.
<http://web.ebscohost.com/hrc/results?sid=99d66b38-b4af-4ee2-9cfe-2dfca3cba003%40sessionmgr4002&vid=2&hid=4106&bquery=coney+island&bdata=JmNsaTA9RlQmY2x2MD1ZJnR5cGU9MCZzaXRlPWhyYy1saXZl>.
modernization of America. wed.edu, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
<http://web.wm.edu/americanstudies/370/2007/sp8/history.html>.
Princeton.edu. Princeton University, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Coney_Island.html>.
http://goldenagedames.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/vintage-new-york/
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