Coney Island

Sea Gate is an isolated private community on the edge of Coney Island in Brooklyn. Boasting a private beach club, it is separated from the rest of the island by a big fence that is manned by private guards. Coney Island is best known for its beach and a boardwalk lined with pleasant, although sha... Read more  Sea Gate is an isolated private community on the edge of Coney Island in Brooklyn. Boasting a private beach club, it is separated from the rest of the island by a big fence that is manned by private guards. Coney Island is best known for its beach and a boardwalk lined with pleasant, although shabby, food stands, games and rides. In recent years, developers, with support from the city, have worked to revitalize this once deteriorating area with renovations, restorations, and new constructions. There is a new amusement park and the aquarium, which was really worn down when I was there last, is finally being renovated. People still go to KeySpan Park to root for the Cyclones. Families hang out at Kaiser Park. In Sea Gate, most of the housing is in the form of detached Tudor houses with two or three storeys. The population in Sea Gate is mostly Russian and Orthodox Jew, while the rest of the island is predominantly African American. In the rest of Coney Island, there are public housing projects, low cost housing developments, small private homes, and large co-op and condo buildings. In Coney Island, the housing, for the most part, is incredibly cheap. Prices have gone up over the past few years, particularly with the revitalization efforts, but they are still far more affordable than most comparable New York City towns. As far as the school district, P.S. 100 and Mark Twain middle school are supposed to be great, but the rest of the schools aren't too good.  Less

I honestly don't know anyone who lives on Coney Island, though apparently there are quite a few residents in the neighborhood (not an actual island, by the way). Coney Island has seen some massive changes in the past few years, and fun here has morphed into a more family-friendly state-of-the-art... Read more  I honestly don't know anyone who lives on Coney Island, though apparently there are quite a few residents in the neighborhood (not an actual island, by the way). Coney Island has seen some massive changes in the past few years, and fun here has morphed into a more family-friendly state-of-the-art kind of carnival thing - but it's still the best place in the city to get a hot dog by most accounts.

Even if many of the old school Coney Island tourist attractions have closed shop, it's still a grand nostalgic sort of place - and a must-see for anyone who has never been to the city. It's quite possibly one of the coolest spots in Brooklyn (though, admittedly not my personal fave).  Less