With its rollercoasters, annual hottest-dog-eater contest, and crowd iconic to the city’s diversity, Coney Island is New York’s most famous beach.
But the pandemic has considerably reduced this year the usual effervescence of its long walk with old-fashioned charm.
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The Ferris wheel stationary, unheard of for a century!
In 150 years of existence, never the district, located at the southwestern tip of Brooklyn, had not gone through such a difficult period, which raised fears for his future.
“It’s horrible, it’s depressing“Says Dennis Vourderis, 61, co-owner with his brother of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, all of whose attractions are closed. The year 2020 was shaping up to be a good year for his company, he said, with the 100th anniversary of its most prestigious merry-go-round, a 45 m high Ferris wheel.
But with the confinement and disappearance of most tourists, the Ferris wheel is at a standstill this season, for the first time since 1920. And the Vourderis brothers had to suspend an expansion project, in which they had already spent 12 million dollars. “Normally our revenues are in the millions of dollars. This year it will be zero. We have bad nights, for sure“, deplores Dennis Vourderis.
A little further on the boardwalk that runs along the sea, Ruby’s restaurant, open since 1934, also looks grim. “We do 75% less turnover than in normal times, outside the pandemic“Says its owner, Michael Sarrel.”We won’t earn enough to pay the rent this season. In fact, we are seriously considering selling.”
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The “people’s playground”
Coney Island, often nicknamed “the people’s playground“, is become a place of entertainment in the 1880s. Normally, some seven million people flock there each year, to sunbathe, bathe or simply stroll on the promenade, ice cream, cotton candy or a cone of fries in hand.
“There is people of all kinds, that blend effortlessly and show their joie de vivre“Says Lola Star, owner of a clothing store on the promenade.”It’s magic, and it’s very important for the city.“
Coney Island, after declining between the 1970s and 1990s, like many New York neighborhoods, has been experiencing a revival since the early 2000s.
But its revitalization also led to the disappearance of small family stores in favor of more chic brands, threatening the popular spirit of the place.
In 2009, New York City Hall, then headed by Michael Bloomberg, even bought nearly three hectares of land from a developer who threatened to evict tenants to turn the place into a Las Vegas-style resort with apartments. luxury. The city leased the land from an Italian amusement park company, Zamperla, allowing it to set the rents for Lola Star’s store and a few others.
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Will the site be able to bounce back?
One thing seems clear: the pandemic has weakened many businesses and government aid is not enough to make up for the shortfall, according to Alexandra Silversmith, director of the Alliance for Coney Island, an association of neighborhood merchants. A city hall spokesman said the city “worked with partners” for “maintain the charm” of the place.
Coney Island has already overcome other crises, such as Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed shops and covered attractions with sand in October 2012.
But according to several owners, the pandemic is even worse, between financial losses and uncertainty about the possibilities of reopening.
After being the city most affected by the Covid-19, part of New York’s economy has returned, with severe distancing instructions, difficult to apply on a merry-go-round.
In the meantime, at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, employees are busy repainting the attractions, and Dennis Vourderis strives to stay positive. “We’ll just have to wait until next year to celebrate the 100th anniversary“he said.
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