Joey Chestnut the Favorite for Annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest
It's Independence Day, time for the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest on Coney Island. American Joey Chestnut broke records with his win last year and is again the favorite to win the infamous...
View ArticleThe Strange Story Behind Coney Island's Lost Tribe
Today when we're looking to satisfy our curiosity about members of our own species we turn to on our computers or our televisions. But a hundred some years ago, before the advent of the internet and...
View ArticleCastles, Mermaids, Giants
Life’s a beach. Kurt Andersen hits Coney Island with musical guests They Might Be Giants. The band performs songs written specially for the seashore. Plus, a “sand sculptor” who takes castle...
View ArticleThey Might Be Giants
A few years ago Studio 360 spent the day at Coney Island with the Brooklyn-based indie rockers: They Might Be Giants. After a morning on the sand, they set up their instruments at the Coney Island...
View ArticleBoat of Car
They Might Be Giants perform another tune from Studio 360’s day at the beach.
View ArticleTaking the Plunge in the New Year
In 1966 Mao Zedong took a legendary swim in the Yangtze river. The famous swim came on the eve of the Cultural Revolution and was meant to show that Mao was still a leader with great vitality and...
View ArticleLuna Park Opens at Coney Island
Coney Island's new amusement park opens this weekend.Most of Luna Park's rides should be up and running by Saturday, but that depends on how many can pass safety tests.The Zamperla Group, an Italian...
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Gig Alerts: Harlem
Harlem"Gay Human Bones"Playing SATURDAY at: Siren Music Festival at Coney Island Boardwalk (Boardwalk and W. 10th St., Coney Island)Get: Tickets FREE | DirectionsCurtis O'Mara and Michael Coomers, high...
View ArticleCircus Clowns Aspire to “The Greatest Show on Earth”
Would-be clowns didn't run away to join the circus Friday morning - they took the subway to Coney Island. That’s where 17 bright-eyed performers auditioned to be clowns for Ringling Brothers and Barnum...
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Businesses on the Coney Island Boardwalk Receive Their Marching Papers
Many longtime shops, eateries and concessions on the Coney Island Boardwalk will close next season.They were denied lease renewals by Central Amusement International, the company that controls the...
View ArticleConey Island Businesses Mobilize in Attempt to Remain Open
Longtime boardwalk businesses in Coney Island are putting up one last fight in an attempt to stay open. Several boardwalk businesses were recently denied lease renewals by Central Amusement...
View ArticleConey Island Businesses Banding Together to Take on Landlord
The businesses on the Coney Island boardwalk that were asked to vacate last month say they'll be around in the new year and beyond. The businesses on the Coney Island boardwalk who were asked to vacate...
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Look | Coney Island Unveils First New Roller Coaster in 84 Years
Coney Island unveiled its first new roller coaster since the iconic Cyclone opened in 1927 on Wednesday.Calling Coney Island "America's great seaside attraction," Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand to...
View ArticleConey Island's Scream Zone Set to Open Saturday, Needs 'Finishing Touches'
Despite the fanfare surrounding the unveiling of Coney Island's Scream Zone Wednesday, the park's opening has been set for Saturday, officials said.A spokesman for Central Amusement International — the...
View ArticleMarkowitz Not Pleased About New Home for Seaside Concerts
Looks like Marty Markowitz’s epic battle against two Coney Island synagogues is over — for now.Since 1991, Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz has hosted the Seaside Summer Concert series in...
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Niche Market | Pigeons
New York is a city of specialists from foodies to academics, laborers to shopkeepers. Every Wednesday, Niche Market takes a peek inside a different specialty store and showcases the city's purists who...
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Chasing Crime With a Spot News Photographer
In honor of the latest Weegee photo exhibit at the International Center of Photography, titled Murder Is My Business, WNYC tagged along with a modern crime photographer from the New York Daily News to...
View ArticlePlastic Wood OK'd for Part of Coney Island Boardwalk
The New York City Public Design Commission voted to replace a stretch of the Coney Island boardwalk with concrete and synthetic wood, after a tense hearing Monday in which residents and...
View ArticleConey Island's Operator Hopes 3rd Season is the Charm
A sure sign that spring is here is the sound of the of the Cyclone roller coaster rattling in Coney Island. The 2012 season officially begins on Sunday and will be operating on weekends until Memorial...
View ArticleReigning Champs Win Hot Dog Chow Down
Some major eating was underway in Coney Island thanks to the annual hot dog eating contest, where the two reigning champions ate their way to victory.Joey Chestnut won his sixth straight Coney Island...
View ArticleAfter Delays, Coney Island Gets a Zipline
Coney Island’s zip line ride was supposed to debut in the beginning of July. What’s been holding it up? Well, according to Patrick Ingram, owner of a Michigan-based zip line company, Category 5...
View ArticleDispatch | Delivering Aid to Those Hardest Hit
On the fourth floor of 2727 Surf Avenue, a dapper man in his 70s tried to retain a sense of normalcy. He answered the door wearing a matching vest and tie, his gray hair smoothed neatly back. The...
View ArticleSandy Community Check-Ins
Mark Harrington, reporter for Newsday, talks about the resignation of LIPA's COO and recovery on Long IslandDawn Zimmer, mayor of Hoboken, on how the hard-hit city is recoveringDomenic Recchia, city...
View ArticleSandy Forces Nathan's To Shut For First Time
For the first time in its history, Nathan's Famous on Coney Island will be closed this winter.Sandy Forces Nathan's To Shut For First TimeFor the first time in its history, Nathan's Famous on Coney...
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Bloomberg's Waterfront Development Comes Under Scrutiny from Sandy's Impact
When Mayor Michael Bloomberg rezoned Brooklyn’s Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront in 2005, most of the attention focused on the height of the proposed buildings, and how the subway system could cope...
View ArticleA Glimpse Into the City's Lowest Household Median Income Neighborhood
A Coney Island neighborhood that stretches along the waterfront is where the city's lowest median household income residents can be found. According to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey,...
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More Schools Return Home Two Months After Sandy
At around 7:30 Monday morning, Suzanne Levy headed into P.S. 288 The Shirley Tanhill with an extra bounce in her step, a smile and a bag full of "fun things." "Fun things for the kids, fun things for...
View ArticleConey Island Health Clinic Damaged By Sandy Still Closed
The city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation is looking for a piece of high ground in Coney Island to replace a neighborhood health clinic irreparably damaged by Sandy.HHC has concluded there’s no point...
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After Months of Quiet, New York Aquarium Set to Make a Splash
The sea lions can't wait.After months with few visitors aside from their dedicated staff, the animals of the New York Aquarium seem to be looking forward to the May 25th reopening as much as the...
View ArticleThe Swaying Tower of Coney Island Gets Cut Down to Size
How low will it go?A 49-year-old iconic tower along the Coney Island boardwalk in Brooklyn continues to be dismantled.Once 275 feet, the Astrotower has been taken down to 145 feet since Thursday, and...
View ArticleMichael Daly Tells the Story of Topsy
In 1903, on Coney Island, an elephant named Topsy was electrocuted, and over the past century, this bizarre, ghoulish execution has reverberated through popular culture. But it really happened, and...
View ArticleConey Island with They Might Be Giants
Studio 360 hits the beach. Kurt Andersen visits Coney Island with They Might Be Giants, who sing an ode to that guy with the metal detector looking for … whatever he’s looking for. Plus stories about...
View ArticleDesign for the Real World: Parachute Jump
Design historian Steven Heller tells the story of the parachute jump, the seaside landmark known as the "Eiffel Tower of Coney Island." Originally built as an amusement ride for the 1939 New York...
View ArticleThey Might Be Giants
Kurt spends the day at Coney Island with John Linnell and John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants, who perform some of their beachiest numbers, and a Beach Boys cover for good measure. The band got its...
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Brooklyn Libraries Reopen For First Time Since Sandy
Six Brooklyn Public Library branches reopened Wednesday after extensive renovations.The Coney Island branch received a $2.7 million upgrade. The ceiling is made of salvaged pieces of the Coney Island...
View ArticleShoddy Public Housing Boilers Cost City $1 Million a Month
The 26 temporary boilers the New York City Housing Authority installed in 16 housing projects after Sandy are costing the city $1 million a month each to rent, according to NYCHA testimony at a City...
View ArticleThe Rebirth of a Coney Island Coaster
Summer might seem far away, but Coney Island is gearing up with construction of a new roller coaster and the promise of 800 additional seasonal jobs for the area, politicians and developers announced...
View ArticlePolice Officer Who Investigated Housing Project Fire Dies
A police officer who had been injured while investigating a fire in a Coney Island public housing building on Sunday has died. Housing Officer Dennis Guerra, 36, was investigating a mattress burning in...
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Summer Begins with Egg Cream Splash at Coney Island
Dignitaries officially opened the seaside park's 40 rides on Sunday by christening the Cyclone roller coaster with a bottle of egg cream. Italian tycoon Alberto Zamperla smacked the bottle against the...
View Article$108 Million in FEMA Funds to go to Housing Project Hit by Sandy
Nearly two years after Sandy, five buildings at the Coney Island Houses have been approved for $108 million in FEMA funds. The money will be used to elevate boilers, install back-up generators and...
View ArticleFEMA to Give NYC's Public Hospitals $1.6 Billion in Sandy Aid
Four public hospitals damaged by Sandy are in line to receive $1.6 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.The four hospitals — Coney Island, Bellevue, Metropolitan, and Coler — will be...
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You Survive Sandy, Only to Lose Your Lease…
Belarus Gastronom is a 24-hour deli in Coney Island, which reopened three days after Sandy. While the supermarket next door was dark, the deli ran on generator power. For hundreds of people stranded in...
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The One Thing Donald Trump Didn’t Inherit
If you want to understand the roots of Donald Trump the businessman, the personality, the candidate for president, start with a trip to Trump Village in Coney Island. This 40-acre housing complex, made...
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Coney Island on my Mind
Was I ever a habitué of Coney Island? Not exactly. The magic carpets and Ferris Wheels of my youth were located at Rye Playland, in the safe, well-scrubbed suburbs of New York. The rise of the suburbs,...
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Electric Eels Bunking with Tigers: The Itinerant New York Aquarium
On October 1st, 1941 Castle Garden in Battery Park shut its doors as the New York Aquarium. It would take sixteen years for the aquarium to find a new home at Coney Island.Operating under the aliases...
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Happy 90th Birthday to the Cyclone at Coney Island!
June marks the 90th anniversary of a New York City landmark: the famous wooden Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island.But at WNYC, it also marks the 20th anniversary of the time Richard Hake reported a...
View ArticleCompetitive Eating, For the Glory and the Gut
There's nothing like eating a good ol' hot dog on the Fourth of July. But what about eating 70 dogs (with buns)?That's the most recent world record, set by Joey "Jaws" Chestnut in 2016, at Nathan's...
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