THE END OF THE LINE FOR CONEY ISLAND? ; For as long as anyone can remember, it has been a 'poor people's paradise': a place of arcades, freak shows and dilapidated charm. Now the developers are moving in. David Usborne reports ++ New York tradition in peril

From: The Independent (London, England) | Date: July 12, 2007| Author: | Copyright information

It's grubby, grotty, bad for your health and possibly downright dangerous with its antique Cyclone rollercoaster and a beachside boardwalk that has become so rickety multiple lawsuits are pending from visitors who have tripped on twisted planks or slipped through rotting holes. But there are few places left in New York City nowadays that elicit as much affection from its residents as Coney Island.

"Let's go to Coney Island!" is the cry that rises at a thousand breakfast tables when summer is here and nostalgia takes hold for a day of cheap and cheerful fun otherwise missing in a city of ...

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