Question Regarding Brooklyn Aquarium.

[demgurl]

I have a question regarding the area and how safe it is. Someone, who may have ulterior motives, has stated it is not a safe area around the Brooklyn Aquarium. I have reason to believe this person has their own reasons for lying but I also do not want to put my family in any danger.

Do any of you have experience in this particular area? Should I just forget about bringing my kids there? Thanks for any help.

[Catchawave]

1. Do you mean the "New York" Aquarium ?

Fabulous place, on the beach next door to Coney Island and the Brooklyn Hurricanes ball park!

This might be a great family meet-up spot !? Check your PM :hi:

Edit to add link: http://www.nyaquarium.com/

[HamdenRice]

2. Honest answer?

My SO of ten years is originally from Coney Island, so I've gotten to know the neighborhood well. Coney Island is one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York. But like other tough neighborhoods, most of the danger is deeper into the community, and happens at night, usually between people involved in shady activities who know each other, if you know what I mean.

The aquarium is in the safe part of Coney Island, near "the rides". Actually it's kind of on the border of Coney Island and the next neighborhood down, the Russian, Brighton Beach, which also has its charms and dangers.

Generally if you take the train to the aquarium, stick around the down town area and don't stay out too late, it should be perfectly safe to be in the neighborhood. And of course, as long as you are in the aquarium you will be fine.

The aquarium, btw, is so cool especially for kids. I hope you and your family go and enjoy yourselves.

[Karenca]

3. I would go........

I would go to the aquarium
and Coney Island Amusement Park...Don't forget to go the the original Nathan's while you're there!

And I would leave before nightfall.
My son just went there with his friends a few weeks ago (took the train from Manhattan), and had a great time.

[demgurl]

4. Thank you all, for your answers.

We have now put it into our itinerary and will leave before nightfall.

I had honestly thought about going to Coney Island but we are taking a family member and the admission is $50 per person. We are already taking her to King's Dominion on the way back so one amusement park will be enough.

This board is the best. I am so glad you all are here to help.

[Karenca]

5. Coney Island - Admission: Free

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:UaKf06x42IAJ:newyork.citysearch.com/profile/11323298+coney+island+brooklyn+admission&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=5

Coney Island is special.

[HamdenRice]

6. Coincidence -- just went to Coney Island yesterday

My SO was visiting some relatives in one of the housing projects on the west end of the island, and we decided to stop by the amusement park area, which everyone just calls "the rides".

Keep in mind that as the poster above mentioned, there is no admission fee to Coney Island. It is the oldest amusement park in the US and is set up very differently from modern ones. It is nothing whatsoever like modern amusement parks, and is as cheap as it gets. It is really like stepping back in time to the 1940s. There is no overarching "theme". There are lots of little independent booths and arcades, and a few big rides -- about $2 per ride. The best is the Cyclone, one of the oldest roller coasters in the country and rated by coaster enthusiasts as one of the best. Also, don't miss the ferris wheel. Some of the others are too scary to contemplate.

Also, unlike modern amusement parks, Coney Island is not designed to create a completely child oriented environment, which gives it a seedy charm. There is a "freak show" which you really should not miss, in which the performers do bizarre things, but also have a kind of ironic New York detachment from their own acts. Also, if you go up on the board walk, there are few bars that open onto the beach where you can drink beer and people watch.

Although you have been advised to leave before it gets too late, Coney Island is at it most charming just around sunset, when the lights of the rides and the new baseball stadium are contrasted against the darkening sky. It will be quite safe for a few more hours at that point.

One more thing. If you want to know exactly what Coney Island -- the neighborhood and the rides area look like -- including how tough the neighborhood was until a few years ago when it started being cleaned up and redeveloped, please rent Spike Lee's movie, He Got Game. It's a great movie set partly in Coney Island during the bad years of the 1990s.

[Karenca]

7. You have really summed up why I called it "special"

You can go to any amusement park, anywhere, in any state,
and it's basically the same thing over and over.....
like a trrip to a suburban shopping mall, or a Walmart.
Coney Island is quintessential New York.

Thanks for a great description.

[demgurl]

8. So it is free to get into the park.....

and I went back. Not sure where I saw that expensive ticket price but I now see this:

Coney's Classic Rides
All Day Ride Bracelet (4 & Up) $9.95
All Day Ride Bracelet (3 & Under) $6.00
After 4 p.m. $6.95

That does seem infinitely reasonable. Then the question is how long will the aquarium take? It seems pretty big so if we get there at 10, could we reasonably have enough time to explore the park before it gets dark? It is starting to get dark pretty late here.

If nothing else, I guess we could go our last day. I had planned a tour of the UN along with seeing the Declaration of Independence exhibit at the NY library. My kids are pretty young and I felt they could handle the UN but was not sure if they would cause trouble at the library. It would be so cool to see an original hand written draft of the Declaration of Independence. We could skip that and go to Coney Island. It would have been a nice lead in to the next couple of days when we will be doing an educational tour of Philadelphia.

Will the aquarium take all day? Should I just see certain things and then we will go to the theme park? I will bow to experience. How do you suggest I plan my itinerary?

Thank you.

[Karenca]

10. You'll have plenty of time to do both the aquarium and Coney Island

It get dark late here too, at this time of year.
And Coney Island is not huge, like the new megaparks.

I think your kids will love you for it. :applause: :woohoo: :applause:

The library might be difficult for little ones.....It's a city block wide--- If it were me, I would wait a bit on that.

I know exactly how you feel, being a tourist and
having to ask questions. If you want, you can check out my thread on the
United Kingdom board, and see how many questions I asked!.....I'm going to London, and I feel totally lost! :shrug: I can't even figure out how to get from the airport to my hotel!

The people on that board are helping me out so much....I wish I could take them all out for drinks!

[demgurl]

12. I was not sure about the library....

so your input is appreciated. We will be doing some cool things in Philadelphia. There is a show call 'Lights Of Liberty' that we will be watching. It tells the story of the history of Philadelphia in a way I think my kids will enjoy. They also have story benches (13) where you go from bench to bench around that city and they tell you neat stories about the history of Philadelphia. I guess with all of that, we will skip the library and do some other fun things.

London? How exciting! I have been to France but never London. That is on our list of places to go when our kids get old enough to appreciate it. I did Paris all on my own - no internet or anything! I remember arriving in the city and only half way being able to speak French. OK, so my French teacher was correct in asking me to pay attention in class! I did fine ordering in restaurants, though. It was an interesting exercise trying to navigate around a brand new city when all of the people speak a different language. I wish you well and just know that the DUers have given you the tools you will need to get around. I hope you have a great time. When are you going?

Thanks for all of your information.

[Karenca]

14. I'm staying in Kensington

which is convenient to West End.
I may go to Paris also, I'm not sure yet.
I did Italy, like you did France.......on my own,
well not totally on my own....just till about 3:00 PM
evreyday. It was pretty diificult for me...I was walking around with this huge map in front of my face
and saying to every Italian that passed by me....
"Help, sono Canadian, parlez-vous francais?" I was so lost!

I MUST HAVE SEEMED LIKE A CRAZY PERSON.

I hope you have a wonderful time in NYC....It is my favorite place.:hi:

[demgurl]

16. So you are also Canadian?

I am originally from Nfld. (thus my fondness for talking!) We want to go to Italy as well. Now I am jealous. I hope you have an amazing time on any trips you take.

Thank you for the well wishes of NYC and I know we will have a blast.

[Karenca]

18. No, I'm a native New Yorker

I figured I'de get more mercy if I said
I was a Canadian.....

Also, I know no Italian at all, but a little
bit of French--speaking French worked out much better for me.
I was able to get alot more help.

Don't be jealous---I'm not so young
and I am just starting to travel.

BTW, you should visit Greenwich Village --
it's so interesting!

[demgurl]

21. Any places, in Greenwhich Village,....

you would recommend? I still have not decided what we will do all of our last day and it might be fun to explore this particular area. Any places my kids might like or should we just roam?

Thank you.

[Karenca]

22. Greenwich Village PhotoTour

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:ArQMet-ezVgJ:www.nycgv.com/about.asp+greenwich+village+washington+square+park&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9

I would check out the Home page on this site too, it has some good information.

[demgurl]

24. Thank you.

You have been so helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Those are great photos and it is a wonderful site. I have read part of it and am leaving the rest until the kids are in bed and not underfoot!

[Logiola]

28. one fun thing to do the first day or two your are in new york

Is get a grey line bus tour pass. It is a great way to see allot of the main areas of new york and it makes it very convenient to get to and from. Pretty well, each neighborhood or tourist trap has a stop where you can get on and off. While on the bus (open roof double Decker's) the tour guide will tell you great info on the city and what you are passing. Then when you want, you just hop off the bus.. roam around that area, and then when you want to continue on the journey you just go to the bus stop and another bus will pick you up (I think they come every 15 mins) they have a few different "loops" up town (pretty well from times square up to Harlem) downtown (from times square down.. this includes stops in china town, lower east side, greenwich, ground zero area, flatiron, esb and more.. then there is also the brooklyn and night tours.. the night tour is great and they even take you over the Manhattan bridge and around a bit of Brooklyn on the night tour. (night tour you can not get off.. you start in times square and end up back in times square..

if you buy a two day pass you get unlimited on all the loops.. really worth the price, and you see soooo much.

you can take a peak off my photos from last year.. some of them were taken on the grey line tour.

www.limecreative.ca/nyc

[Karenca]

15. Oh, "WHEN" am I going, not

where am I going?:blush:

July 10-July 18.

[demgurl]

17. That's OK.

If you are as excited about your trip as I am, it is most understandable. A whole week will give you lots of time to enjoy. I will look at the UK board and hope you will post about your trip when you get back.

[HamdenRice]

11. I hope you are not going to be disappointed by its size!

Both the aquarium and the amusement park are urban versions of what you are used to, so they will be very small in comparison to other aquariums and amusement parks. Coney Island's "rides" are really no more than about 4 small city blocks. Originally Coney Island was a series of about 4 or 5 different amusement parks owned by several different companies, but now there is basically one left plus a kiddie park and a lot of booths and arcades. To get a sense of how big Coney Island used to be, you will see the parachute jump tower in the distance, which is all that is left of one of the deceased parks, and has been preserved as an historical land mark, but the amusement area used to encompass that area as well. It's very hard to describe its structure if you've only been in modern parks. The aquarium also is quite contained and urban and you should be able to see everything in about 3 or 4 hours, tops, or perhaps much less time. The rides are one stop away on the subway, but really within walking distance (you will see them from the aquarium).

In terms of overall planning, I would just stay flexible. You might find Coney Island gross and seedy and decide to see it all in about 1/2 hour. Or you might be doubled over in laughter at the old fashioned rides, the many crazy people, especially the carnival barkers and freaks; or you might get drunk on the board walk watching the Mambo dancers spilling out of the bars onto the board walk and stay for hours. It's hard to say how anyone will react to such a spectacle.

[demgurl]

13. I don't think I will be disappointed by the size.

We have been to the aquarium in Washington, DC. That aquarium is in the city and rather small. I guess the NY aquarium site makes it seem a little bigger than I first thought but that is fine. The fact that it is small will give us plenty of time to explore Coney Island theme park as well.

We will most likely walk to the theme park. I love walking in the NY area, there is so much to see! We, of course, will take the Subway to Brooklyn.

Hubby also stressed to keep it flexible and I guess that is all we can do. I hope we will enjoy the park. It really sounds like so much fun. You all are so lucky to have so many cool things all around you. I am very excited we have this opportunity to revisit NY.

[prodigal_green]

32. Aquarium=2.5 hours

more or less. It is quite compact. I love the Aquarium.

If you arrive at 10 a.m., spend a couple of hours at the Aquarium, then head over to the main drag for Nathan's hot dogs (or any of the dozens of vendors) and some rides. You MUST ride the Cyclone, the oldest continuously running wooden roller coaster in the United States.

After dark (it isn't THAT bad) you might check out one of the Russian restaurants for an eye-popping smorgasbord (or whatever the Russians call that sort of thing). The entertainment includes Russian musicians and dancing. Yes, the area does have Russian mafia, but as a tourist, you are of absolutely no interest to them.

I'm a native New Yorker and can tell you that the bad reputation of several neighborhoods is really archaic. Coney Island is currently a huge artists' enclave, the creative types having been priced out of other Brooklyn neighborhoods over the past five years. There are a couple of quirky museums there, that you can take the kids to. Be sure to ride one of the last brass ring merry-go-rounds (this one moves pretty quickly, so be warned) which is on the main drag.

[HockeyMom]

19. Cyclone is still there?

I rode it once as a kid with my Dad. In 1958. Blew my Nathan's after it. Never again. Me and roller coasters have never mixed. I went when my kids were young in the late 80s (didn't ride it then).

Nice, though, to know it is still there for "others" to enjoy.

[Karenca]

20. Yes it is still there

I too rode it once, (actually twice) I was too shaken to get off
so I rode it twice in a row. Never again for me either.

[Danmel]

31. Yes it is

ANd it is still a great ride -no whiz bang high tech stuff- just a great old wooden coaster. We took my daughter, who is a real coaster junkie there and she loved it. I grew up in Brooklyn- we went to the Aquarium and Coney Island all the time. The aquarium is great- Coney Island is fun- don't worry.

BTW- last year when we were in Canada, we inadvertently booked a hotel in Vancouver's downtown east side. Way worse that anything we have in NYC. Really seedy. Haven't been to Newfoundland, but are considering Nova Scotia and PEI this summer-let me know if you have any tips!

[demgurl]

9. I discovered where I found those high prices!

I found the horrific prices at the Season Pass area! Here is what they said:

You can purchase a Rides Only Season Pass
Single: $50.00
Family*: $175.00

At least I know I was not imagining the prices - that was driving me crazy.

[Logiola]

23. last year, i took my first trip to new york

and coney island was one of the highlights.. i loved it.. and highly recommend it.. I will also be in new york again in a few weeks, and coney island is on the itinerary again.

Nathans is amazing, and also pretty well the first thing you see when you get off the subway... i was silly and had two hot dogs and filled myself right up.. then when walking on the boardwalk i realized it was a mistake to have two.. the food at all the kiosks looked incredible.. :D


all in all, it just just a fun place to stroll around.. play some silly arcade games, do a little Flea market type shopping and then head back on down to the city.

one thing you must do is check out the Sideshow... it was a thrill..

it's the history of the place that really makes it special..

[demgurl]

25. logiola....

Thanks for the recommendation. It is definitely on our list of things to do. Also, thanks for warning me we should not fill up on the hot dogs. I am looking forward to exploring Coney Island.

I will check out the sideshow since so many people have said it is a must see.

We are leaving in two days and I am getting so excited!!!

[Karenca]

26. The weather has been better the last few days

But don't forget your umbrellas.

Have a safe, wonderful trip!

[demgurl]

27. Thanks so much.

We have many umbrellas since we always forget to take them on trips. I am adding that to my 'to pack' list right now.

I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip as well. Everyone here is so nice!

[Logiola]

29. you still have to try at least one Nathans dog..

and also, if it is hot.. just around the corner from Nathans is this little Italian Ice stand.. kind of like gelati, but more icy.. I got a Lime Ricky one, and boy was it tasty.. it was a combination of strawberry and lime.. heck, i crave that more then the hotdogs..

[Karenca]

30. Are you

still in NC?