Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Although not dirt cheap, if you're looking to bring back a memento the
Brooklyn Beach Shop
may be just your
speed. Newly installed at 1223 Boardwalk West, near Stillwell Avenue, this offshoot of the
Coney Island Beach
Shop
(
718/333-1110;
www.coneyislandbeachshop.com
) has a nice set of Coney-themed T's ($12-$20). Coney
taffy is $5.99 a box, or two for $10.
5
The Coney Island Museum & Sideshows
The
Coney Island Museum
(
718/372-5159;
www.coneyisland.com
) stands in proud opposition to the history-
shrouding changes planned for the area. A $5 admission provides entry to an evolving second-floor space. Fun-
house mirrors, old signage, and a creepy baby's coffin (complete with baby skeleton) exemplify the collection.
Rotating temporary exhibits reflect the love this organization has for Coney Island's vanished heyday.
Just around the corner you'll find
Sideshows by the Seashore,
run by the same people. It's the nation's last
10-in-1 freak show; step right up to see illustrated men and women, fire-eating, albino-serpent handling, and
even beds of nails. The theater is small and run-down, but there's 45 minutes of entertainment for $10 adults, $5
kids 12 and under. If you're patient, you may hear the barker hustle up some empty seats at a discount. Shows
run from Easter through mid-September. Shows are between 1 and 8pm, weekends only early in the season, mov-
ing to daily in mid-June.
Make a Date with Your Coney Island Baby
Coney Island after hours can be even seedier than the daylight spectacle, but that doesn't impede on the potential for a
great cheap date. The sight of the dark swells of the Atlantic and the cleared-out beach is pretty grand. The only thing
that could improve on it is free
fireworks,
which come around 9:30pm every Friday night from mid-June to late August
(and also a few Sat, thanks to the Cyclones). After the fireworks if you've got money to burn, check out Sideshows by
the Seashore's
BurlesquebytheBeach.
Troupes from around the city come down to shake various body parts. Campy
costumes and fire-eating round out the experience. Shows are Thursday nights at 9pm and Friday nights at 10pm; tickets
cost $12 to $15.
On Saturday nights, the same Sideshow folk unfold chairs in the
ConeyIslandMuseum
so they can project campy films
(p. 249). Coney Island-themed fare and other B-movie obsessions are the norm, and it's only $6. 1208 Surf Ave., 2nd
floor.
718/372-5159.
www.indieilmpage.com
.
Sat 8:15pm.
Time it right and you can save that $6. On Monday nights at dusk in July and early August, crowd-pleaser films
show on a 40-foot screen on the boardwalk at West 10th Street. New York's tourist bureau joins with
RooftopFilms
(
www.nycgo.com/rooftopilms
)
to do the hosting.
6
MCU Stadium
The return of baseball to Brooklyn certainly hasn't diminished local pride, and tickets to Mets farmhands, the
Brooklyn Cyclones
(
718/449-8497;
www.brooklyncyclones.com
)
, aren't that easy to come by. If the game
you're aching to see sells out, keep in mind that some standby seats are made available on game day outside the
boardwalk stadium. Seats are pretty cheap for professional sports: $9 to $17.
7
New York Aquarium
If you've really got your timing down, you can enjoy a cheap visit to the city's only aquarium: After 3pm on Fri-
days it's “pay what you wish.” See p. 107 for more details.
8
Bonus Round: Brighton Beach
If you want to leave America but neglected to pack a passport, there is a close-by option. A quick trip east on the
boardwalk will put you in the heart of
Little Odessa
in Brighton Beach. Between the strolling Russian émigrés,
the Cyrillic signs, and the clunky design on the sidewalk cafes, you'll be forgiven for thinking you've walked into
