a collection from coney island and brighton beach
ConeyIsland Sangram Kachwaha
“It is with roses and locomotives (not to mention acrobats, Spring, electricity, Coney Island, the 4th of July, the
eyes of mice and Niagara Falls) that my ‘‘ poems’’ are competing.” E. E. Cummings (1894-1962)
Coney Island, New York. My first experience with Coney Island was at the Mermaid Parade in June of 2000, right after I relocated to Manhattan. It was exhilarating to say the least – the smell of grease from the fast sea-food joints mixed in with the ocean air; neon-colored cocktails on the boardwalk; eclectic costumes in the parade; and, of course, the unmistakable amusement park music from Astroland. Over the years, I have visited often to: take pictures, walk on the boardwalk, play skeeball, or ride the Wonder Wheel before getting back on the F. T he past few years have made me realize how valuable all my experiences in New York are. As I see Coney Island enter its next phase of evolution, I am a tad melancholy to see all the history and character gradually disappear. On my visits these days, I feel the same nostalgia as I do walking around Manhattan as I reminisce about live music venues or diners that have been forced to close. Worse, they are replaced with condos or chain retail stores; and, at the same time, Times Square gets a little more Disney-fied each year. In Coney Island’s case, it’s: the disappearance of Astroland Park, the closing of long-running t-shirt and tchotchke boardwalk stores, or the eviction of local vendors as the area is cleared for the planned hotels and residential buildings. I am not quite sure what Coney Island will feel like a few years from now; but, today, I am happy to see that Coney Island is still special because people are bringing the same energy and sense of wonder and adventure that countless have brought before. Sangram Kachwaha, 2009
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