Results tagged “wonderwheel”

If you've ever queued up for a spin on Coney Island's landmark Wonder Wheel, you may have noticed that one of the cars is really going to the dogs. Well, one dog, at least: Sunny, a 12-year-old Rottweiler who guards the property by night and rides in car number four by day. Amos Crowley, who has worked at Deno's Wonder Wheel for the past 10 years, tells the Daily News, "Some people think it's funny, some people think it's cruel, but the dog thinks otherwise. We don't do it to be funny; we do it because she likes it. It's tradition. It's been going on for years and years."

The New York City Economic Development Corporation has reached a deal to buy the roughly one acre of parcel of land occupied by Deno’s Wonder Wheel kiddie park in Coney Island. Gowanus Lounge has the press release from the NYCEDC with details about the purchase, which is part of the city's controversial plan to rezone 12 acres of amusements as parkland and turn the management over to a "world class operator." Last May the Vourderis family, which owns the Wonder Wheel ride and other amusements, worried the city would force them to turn over control of the landmark Ferris wheel. UPDATE: The Village Voice stresses that the deal is for the kiddie park adjacent to the Wonder Wheel property, which the Vourderis family still owns. Now they will lease the property for the kiddie park through 2020. “We are delighted with the news that the city … will be our landlord,” said Dennis Vourderis in a statement.

Coney Island's 150-foot-tall spinning mistress, the Wonder Wheel, turns 88 today. One and all are invited to join in on the celebration at Deno's--some events are planned for the anniversary that should be lasting throughout the day and night. As for the history of the Wheel, it's been up and running since 1920 and each year the 400,000-lb. ride is overhauled and painted. Fun fact: "The only stoppage in the history of the Wonder Wheel was on July 13, 1977 during the Great NYC Blackout. Riders were brought down safely because the owners hand cranked the wheel." And as you may recall, it came into the Vourderis family when in 1948 "Coney Island hot dog vendor Denos Vourderis promised his girlfriend that if she married him, he would buy her the Wonder Wheel; 35 years later he’d saved up enough money to make it happen."

Another over-the-top Coney Island development proposal is in the works. Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a plan today to build the nation's biggest urban amusement park there, including 4,500 residential units (20 percent are set-asides for low- and middle-income housing) and some retail establishments. The proposal basically spells doom for Thor Equities' $1.5 million Vegas-style entertainment complex that can only get built if the city provides zoning for it. Don't worry, the Cyclone isn't going anywhere....

According to Carousel News, "The New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) is seeking a consultant or consultant team for restoration and reconstruction of the historic B&B Carousell."

There is a silver lining to all the talk of Coney Island redevelopment. With everyone worrying whether this may (or may not) be the last season of the Coney Island we all know and love, people are making sure to head there and enjoy it while it lasts! The Post reports that 11 of 12 businesses it surveyed have been doing great business.

Controversial plans for high-rise luxury condos at Coney Island have now been scrapped, with developer Thor revising its plans to instead include a glass enclosed water park and hotel space. The city's planning department was very concerned with condominiums being included in the plan, but Thor had argued condos would be critical in keeping the project profitable. Now Thor CEO Joseph Sitt explained, "This is our way of being responsible and putting out an olive branch to the community and city administration."

While it just opened for the season on Sunday, it looks like Astroland has a chance at staying open beyond the 2007 season. That's if Thor Equities, the company that purchased the land Astroland sits on, doesn't get its way on development plans. Astroland's status now depends on whether there are any delays to Thor's future plans. Joe Sitt of Thor told The Post that he's "willing to keep Astroland open" and "the last thing I want is for Coney Island to go dark."

It's opening day on Coney Island's boardwalk and there's still time to hop on a D,F,N, or Q train to Stillwell Avenue before things get started. 11 a.m. marks the Blessing of the Rides at Deno's Wonder Wheel with a ribbon cutting and live music. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz will break the ceremonial egg cream at 11:30 a.m. to open the rides and the first 100 people on the Cyclone get to ride free. The Coney Island Polar Bears will serve as a chorus at 2:30 p.m. in a live performance of an original piece of music titled "Save Coney Island." Theater lovers may want to drop by the Coney Island Museum at 5 p.m. for an adaptation of Herman Melville's "The Confidence Man" (tickets $10). And 12th St. and Surf Ave. is the place to be at 6 p.m. for the 2nd Annual Band Organ Rally. Full details are available at ConeyIsland.com.

The NY Sun looks at the $1.5 billion Coney Island plan Thor Equities is looking to bring to Brooklyn. Thor, which has bought 10 acres of Coney Island and has already told some tenants to go and others that they'll be able to stay another summer, is looking to remake the stretch into a "into a year-round destination, and [give] it the feel of Las Vegas, Orlando, or Atlantic City.":

New designs drawn up by the architectural firm Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn depict Thor's futuristic vision. A new roller coaster would dart in and out of new buildings along Stillwell Avenue, the first roller coaster in New York City since the Cyclone opened in 1927, according to the developer. Opposite the subway station, Thor is planning a vertical ride to the top of a 150-foot-high water tower that would be decorated with flickering holograms of whales and mermaids.

Continue reading "Coney Island Developer Wants Residential Zoning"

After this week's bizarre and somewhat alarming Roosevelt Island tram stoppage, people have been alternately thanking their lucky stars they weren't on the thing and wondering if they'd be stuck somewhere. So the NY Times decided to find out some answers about some possible situations:

In a spirit of public paranoia, The New York Times came up with five other places you would not want to get stuck and presented them to the Fire and Police Departments to see how they would respond. All the situations were unique to New York, and none were related to terrorism.

Ha! They are: Water Tunnel No. 3; The Wonder Wheel at Coney Island; Skyfari Tram at the Bronx Zoo while over lions; a commuter helicopter crash in the East River; and on faulty scaffolding on the Empire State Building. Apparently the FDNY asked the Wonder Wheel operators if they could do practice drills there, but the Wonder Wheel people said no. Gothamist would like to add a few other places we wouldn't want to be stuck: Any subway under the East River - that's a long walk; caught in the middle of North River Wastewater Treatment Plant - stinky!; and in the middle of Times Square on a nice Saturday - why do these tourists walk so slow!

Ladies and gentlemen, we're proud to report that Coney Island is now open! Yay, hot dogs, Cyclone, fun on the beach! Gothamist headed down to Coney Island earlier today as many of the rides opened up for the first time this year. We could even smell the fresh coats of paint as we stood under the Wonder Wheel. Marty Markowitz, ever the Brooklyn cheerleader was on hand as well. Also at opening day was the Hungry March Band, entertaining people as they were waiting for the Cyclone. We can't wait to get back to Coney during the rest of the season.

Also on his tape are the Museum of Natural History and footage in Central Park. All the scenes in New York included footage of his children and his wife. So the question is, are the tapes for surveillance purposes, or is this just a case of the Feds cracking down on a man that is acting suspicious and fits a certain profile.

Little Brooklyn, Burlesque Star