Shrisha and I went to Coney Island and it was a blast! Both our parents were thinking we were going to the End of the World all because we were going to Brooklyn. We went to Luna Park and the Deno's Wonder Wheel amusement park.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luna_Park,_Coney_Island
The original Luna Park was built in 1903!
There was a super popular ride called "A Trip to the Moon," and I wonder what it would've been like to ride it.
http://io9.com/5914655/in-1901-you-coul ... o-the-moon
I love old places. It had freak shows, the carnival games, old types of rides, and eventually things like roller coasters. There's also a boardwalk and the beach there, and we went on a great day to walk by the ocean!
On the way Shrisha asked me about law school stuff and I said, "I have no hopes, haha." She asked me why not and I said I just don't want to have any expectations and "What are the chances anyway? What are the chances that it's going to happen to me?" She said I will never know until it happens or not and I said I guess, but I just don't want to get any hopes at all. I'm at a point where there's nothing more I can do except wait, but I'm not going to get even slightly excited. She was really sweet about it though!
We sat for the train ride talking about Disney and other things. It took her a while to get around to loving Disney, and I gasped. I said I can't get over movies like Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She said about Sleeping Beauty that you don't see that level of detail anymore and I told her not to get me started on that. I always tear up at The Making of Sleeping Beauty! I love the comment that the movie is like looking at a beautiful painting on the wall! I also told her that the movie didn't make much profit even though it was a big success because that's how expensive it was to make, and they couldn't afford to make that type of movie again. I also went on about HoND and how great that was, the art, the organs, the chants, the themes. I also told her about Fantasyland opening up at Disney World and how the Beauty and the Beast castle was recreated, even the ballroom! Even the dishes have "Try the grey stuff..." written on them. That attention to detail makes me love Disney. Even the West Wing was recreated along with the stained glass windows! Be still my heart.
We got to The Edge of the World (Brooklyn) and ate a donut to hold us over. We decided to do the Steeplechase first to prep for later roller coasters. It was really pretty! We got the $100 ticket to have 155 credits and it was perfect.
We went on The Cyclone roller coaster and it was built in 1927! One reason I like Coney Island so much is that there are still remnants of the past. A lot has been torn down or burned, but there are still little things left like the Wonder Wheel, Nathan's Hot Dog, The Cyclone, the Astroland Rocket, the Parachute tower, the signs, etc. It has a weird vibe to it now. The Deno's Wonder Wheel area is the most old-fashioned, dated looking area, but in a good way. The Wonder Wheel was made in 1920! The area is in between, right in the middle of Luna Park, which is more modern, so it's odd!
They put old pictures up of what it used to look like back in it's glory days, and it's really cool. I suggest we go on a ride that I went on back in Shanghai and it's one that just takes you in circles in the air. It sort of looks like a carrousel. It's so colorful and it had pictures of old brochures on it along with the giant wooden elephant that used to be there until it caught on fire. I pointed that out to Shrisha and she thought it was neat and wishes it was still around.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elephantine_Colossus
We went on the bumper cars at Deno's and those were so much fun! It was blasting music as we drove and I felt like I was in a movie. My hair was flying and I was determined to bump into Shrisha. I felt so awesome. I hadn't done bumper cars in years! When I was little in Peru there was a place that had an arcade and bumper cars and I wanted to go to every time. It was really nice too because of the other people. You're all in it together for the fun, regardless of who you are and where you came from. The overall vibe was really nice.
She made some comments about exes while we were transitioning back to Luna Park and when I didn't really say much she asked, "You don't have any bad exes??" I didn't say anything and sort of laughed and she said, "You lucky girl!" I don't know, is that it? What can I really say? I unexpectedly met someone who came out of nowhere and brought a lot of good into my life, who I could be myself with, making me into a better person. I had conversations I hadn't had with anyone in years and I haven't had them since. I had thoughts I never had before and it was freaking me out. I was treated well on a whole other level and was even getting what I wished for sexually. I actually felt as if the entire time I was getting back in touch with things that made me me, like astronomy, extinct species, Beauty and the Beast, my elementary school, my political beliefs, and China became fun to talk about again. New York became lovely. I even made an origami frog and I hadn't done that in over ten years. I also met someone who loved onions with everything and who always ordered chicken and broccoli and could quote classical Spongebob. I thought he looked great in suits and in pajamas when slipping into bed with me. While walking he showed me the hospital he was born in and told me about his grandfather who served in World War II. He seemed to accept my quirks, moments of haughtiness, my old AOL email, me saying that climbing up the stairs was too much for me, and my nerdiness. He reassured me that I'll go to China and everything will work out for me. The little things done were overwhelming. He also opened up a date by saying he was reading a textbook for fun and asked if I'd like to hear what he learned about electricity. I was very happy, every date was something to look forward to, and it all started because I happened to be sitting there and he saw me. I've felt odd ever since. I don't know, I guess I'm lucky? I feel ridiculous that it all even remains on my mind!
At the Deno's Wonder Wheel park they have a bunch of "Zoltar Speaks" and "Grandmother's Prophesies." Those are so old-fashioned! I love the Zoltar Speaks machines. Here are my fortunes:
Grandmother's Prophesies wrote:
Your future life will be very sunny.
I see in it a chest full of money.
Be free to spend it as you see fit
Because there will be plenty more of it.
You are a fortunate person. You were born under a lucky star and that will carry you safely through all your ventures. In time your love life will be something for the world to talk about. You will be extremely happy. There will be those who will envy you and try to harm you. Just really learn who your true friends are and all will go very well with you. Your lucky stone is a ruby.
ZOLTAR wrote:
Recently you've had to make some judgements as others may be judging you. A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion. A mountain is composed of tiny grains of earth. The ocean is made up of tiny drops of water. Even so, life is but an endless series of little details, actions, speeches and thoughts... and the consequences whether good or bad of even the least of them are so far reaching. The more we judge, the less we love. Patience and thought will show you the right way."
After the Cyclone we went on the dreaded swinging ride... I said I had gone on it in Shanghai, but this was way worse!
It swung you back and forth, but what was different was it swung you completely over and stops you so that you're sitting upside down in the air for a few horrifying moments. OK, when that happened, I actually said, "Okay, this needs to be done now!" I can do roller coasters, thrill rides, and free falls, but that scared me! I was sitting upside down, looking down at the park, and I was holding on for dear life. It was not a good scary! After we got off Shrisha and I were both dazed and she said that was actually scarier and more intense than the roller coasters and extreme thrill rides. I'm not doing that again!
So we decided to go on the Wonder Wheel to calm down and I loved the views of the beach! The amusement parks have colorful tents, you see the roller coasters, and it was really nice! We went around twice and got great shots and relaxed. Then we went to White Castle and rested while talking. After that, to prep ourselves for Soarin' Eagle and The Thunderbolt we went on some of the less extreme rides. I went about in circles, flying through the air, in one. We went on the Glyding ride which was mainly for kids, but it had us lying down in the seat and we thought, "How much more relaxing can you get for a ride?"
We went walking on the boardwalk before we decided to ride Soarin' Eagle. It was a nice walk and the sun was out and the sky was blue again. I'm not sure why Coney Island and this area gets a bad rap. All I saw were families and kids and people wanting to have fun. I know it's not in the best area ever, but there's this overall good atmosphere at the parks and beach.
The Wild River one got us a bit wet at the end, but it was fun! It had no straps or anything really to hold you down so we were freaking out! It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be except for the big drop!
Soarin' Eagle was thrilling and I was scared I was going to fly out of my seat. I kept thinking, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE NOW! I CAN'T DIE NOW!"
Then I decided to go go-karting and I had never done that before. I was in last place when we all had to stop as someone's kart was stuck, so we all were in a clump. Our cars were shut down so I wasn't able to go despite pushing on my accelerator. After a few moments of waiting I pushed on my accelerator a little bit, my car was able to move, and realized we were all actually ready to go again. People thought the kart was still being fixed and were waiting around without trying and so without a moment to lose I pressed down hard and zoomed past the group, hair flying behind me, and I thought, "HAHA, SEE YA SUCKERS! AHAHAHAHAHA *cackles*" Ah, what a victory~
Then... it was time to face The Thunderbolt. Shrisha decided not to do it so I faced it alone. I was so nervous! The line was long so the anticipation was killing me. Then once I was in it we slowly, I MEAN SLOWLY, moved all the way to the top, and I thought I was going to die. We got to the very top and when we dropped down, oh my God, it was thrilling! Even while we were riding through it I thought, "I love the thrill of this! The adventure!" It was awesome and I was laughing the whole way through! That's how I normally am on rides.
Every time we got on a ride Shrisha and I said to each other, "It was nice knowing you. It was a nice 22 years of life. I had a good time. Say goodbye to my family for me. At least we died having fun. It was a real nice time on earth"-- things like that, haha!
There were fireworks and everything lit up in pretty colors when night came. I haven't seen so many colors at night since Shanghai.
At the carnival-ish area we walked through this guy came up to me and said, "Pretty girls get free shots on the house!" and handed me some darts to throw at balloons. Then this other guy yelled at us, "GIRLS. GIRLS... I guess you're not girls." We decided not to do any of the games, haha, maybe next time!
We decided to do bumper cars one last time and it was still just as fun. Our train ride was longer since the Q decided to become local at that point, and we realized we were at Coney Island for 9 hours! We sat among three couples and a rapping black girl. We talked about sea shanties and I don't know what else.
All in all, it was a really great day. I don't know why people don't go to Coney Island more often, but it's a fun place to go to. It's old as heck, there's a lot of history there, there's the beach and boardwalk, there are a ton of restaurants, and there are fun rides and games for any type of person and even fireworks every night.
Some swashbuckling photos:
Now to watch Jurassic Park... Man, it brings back memories of the Jurassic Park world at Islands of Adventure. I love going there every time! I really liked going to the Walking with Dinosaurs show with my dad too!