Coney Island
Brooklyn, New York
Saturday August 1, 2009
Page Thirteen




George Tilyou, founder of Coney Island's famous Steeplechase Park said in 1886 that "If Paris is France, then Coney Island, between June and September, is the world".



Sandwiched between Deno's Wonder Wheel Park and the Coney Island Cyclone sits Dreamland.  This is where Astroland Amusement park sat until last year.  The story is Thor Equities owns much of Coney Island including this land.  They want to build big box stores and luxury condos and hotels here so they refused to sign Astroland's lease for more than a year.  With that uncertainty the owners of Astroland decided to call it quits.  So instead of a great park on that site this year sat a few travelling carnival rides.  



While Deno's and the rest of Coney is nice and clean Dreamland was like walking down into a sewage pit.  Before I hit the bottom of the steps into it they lost me as a customer.  It was nasty.



Dreamland's coaster was a bit famous as it was once owned by Michael Jackson.  I guess it used to run at Neverland.  As Michael Jackson was a coaster fan I'm surprised he didn't have a cooler coaster. 

A note about Dreamland.  As I'm writing this in late August of 2009 Dreamland is now a dream.  Thor Equities moved in a week ago and locked the place up (including a bunch of animals) and refused to let anyone in over a delinquent rent payment.  So I'd look to see either nothing on this in the future as the city hasn't granted any zoning requests or Thor will bring in another flea market like they have on the other side of Coney Island or some other crap in hopes of filling their pocket as they prepare to destroy Coney Island. 



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Paul B. Drabek