Hey, Coney Island Isn't In Nearly As Bad Shape As I Figured It Would Be

So Joe and I went to Coney Island yesterday and the place was in surprisingly good form. I was kinda expecting large piles of rubble strewn around the park, and maybe there was, just nicely hidden.

Guess I underestimated the draw of Barnum and Bailey, because they certainly brought in an army of families (making parking a real pain in the ass). The beaches were totally swamped, making those long bathroom lines especially long and intolerable (at least if you were a female).

Beer Island appears to have expanded and seemed really nice, instead of being just a ten foot wide circle like in years past, but I didn't partake in it this time. There also appears to be more food options on the boardwalk, which is also a good thing, though when I'm at Coney Island all I care about is Nathan's.

I had been curious about the new Flea Market since day one, so yesterday was my first chance to check it out. According to Joe, at Siren Fest, there was a decent amount of Willamsburg hipster selling silkscreen shirts and other overpriced goods that can be found on Etsy for tons cheaper. But yesterday, there was just one person of that sort, and the rest of the same swap meet funk you'll find anywhere else. At least one guy had a nice selection of Mexican wrestling masks.

What really surprised me was the plethora of sideshow acts. There was one right in the middle of Astroland and I initially thought that it was the same group that's always been near Surf Ave, but soon realized that it's a totally different outfit. There was like three additional acts in addition to the main one, which I think is pretty neat. Instead of seeing animals do stuff they normally wouldn't do, I'd rather see humans instead.

The only real negative is how my fave Ms. Pac Man machine, which is usually just a quarter, is now fifty cents. Oh the times we live in...