On my 48-hour inaugural trip to New York City, visiting the historic Coney Island was a non-negotiable when planning the trip itinerary.
I knew I would only have a few hours at the stretch of shore home to the two amusement parks, Luna Park and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. Combined, the attractions are home to 11 roller coasters and many more flat rides of all thrill levels.
While I would have liked to have spent the entire day strolling through the area, riding all 11 coasters and other attractions like the legendary Wonder Wheel, I knew my time was limited. I had to be strategic.
I soon realized that I only had time for one ride. Of course, that ride was going to be the legendary Coney Island Cyclone, the historic wooden coaster that first opened in 1927.
Seeing the Cyclone in person was surreal. After seeing the coaster in movies, TV shows and other media since I was a child, I was finally standing in its shadows.
The plaque commemorating the coaster’s ACE Roller Coaster Landmark status was placed on its perimeter fence. At 95 years old, it’s earned every honor it’s received.
The Cyclone’s station — like the rest of the coaster — looks frozen in time.
The hand brakes in the station harken back to a simpler time in roller coaster design.
The front of the trains now sports a colorful front to celebrate the coaster’s 95th birthday.
The not-perfectly-straight lift hill stood 85 feet above the queue line — a tease of the fun to come.
Despite only operating one train, the line moved quickly. The ride packed a surprising amount of air time as sped at a quick pace through its 2,850-foot-long course.
The coaster was well=paced and maintained its speed all the way to the brake run.
I could immediately see why the coaster’s layout has been replicated so many times.
After my ride on the Cyclone, I traversed Luna Park and Deno’s.
Luna Park, opened in 2010 on the site of the former Astroland park, was designed, developed and now operated by Central Amusement International, a subsidiary of the Italian amusement park ride company, Zamperla.
Zamperla’s ownership is apparent throughout Luna Park it’s packed with nearly 20 of the Italian ride company’s signature flat rides and other coasters, including Thunderbolt, which towers over the boardwalk.
The iconic tower once home to the Parachute Jump attraction appeared even taller than expected. I love that it’s been preserved even though the ride itself is long gone.
Even for those in your group who may not ride coasters, Coney Island is a sight to see. It’s a melting pot of New Yorkers and those from the surrounding area. The sights, sounds and smells — good and bad — are those that everybody should experience at least once in their lifetime.
I hope I can return soon and explore more of the area.
A ride on the Coney Island Cyclone is a must for coaster enthusiasts who find themselves in New York City. It’s worth the trip.
Have you ridden the Cyclone? Share your thoughts about the coaster in the comments section below.
As a native New Yorker from the Bronx, who is 81 and now living in Charlotte, NC,
my first roller coaster ride was on the Cyclone at Coney Island. I’m also a survivor of the now defunct parachute jump. Coney, as we called the park, was a summer treat. It was the rides that attracted us kids; never the beach. And then there were cobs of corn and Nathan’s Hot Dogs.