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Coney Island is one of our favorite spots to visit in NY.  An active seabed, some nibble on local bites (like the original Nathans), troll the sand for treasures (many with old-school metal detectors), visit for the thrill of the ride (or take a dive with the Coney Island Polar Bear Club).  If you opt out of sunning on the sand, visiting the aquarium, or decreasing your life expectancy at the amusement park, you will feel fully satiated with a boardwalk stroll and some of NY’s best people watching.  A brief history of the people here before us…

Coney Island was in its heyday in the first half of the 20th century, but hit a decline after WWII.  Once a barrier island, it was transformed into a peninsula after being connected to the mainland with landfill and Belt Parkway construction.  It was inhabited by the Lenape, followed by the Dutch, who named it Conyne Eylandt (Rabbit Island), and later Conney Isle by the English, which turned into Coney Island by 1733.  For more info visit the Coney Island History Museum.

Photos by NY local Steven Siegel

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