Coney Island Rides Hit Auction Block

Owner of legendary amusement park can't strike deal on lease

(NEWSER) - The iconic Astroland, one of two theme parks on New York’s Coney Island, will close for good on Sunday, the New York Post reports. Owner Carol Albert said she couldn't strike a lease deal with the 46-year-old site's developer and landlord. The park’s historic (and bruising) Cyclone rollercoaster will survive, a bitter victory for summer fun enthusiasts. The developer promises that a new park will be in place by next year. More»

Women asked to form 'ration lines'; men get none at all: New York Post

(NEWSER) - New York City’s financial woes seem to be taking a toll on its toilets: Public restroom attendants are rationing toilet paper on the Coney Island boardwalk, the New York Post reports following an on-site investigation. With dispensers left empty, women must form “ration lines” to get their squares, while men’s rooms simply have no paper at all. “Never in my life have I experienced anything like this,” said one bathroomgoer. More»

(NEWSER) - A good-hearted pet lover paid $4,000 to outbid a Coney Island operator to save a five-legged puppy from life in a freak show, reports the New York Daily News. North Carolinian Allyson Siegel, 45, called the owner of the Chihuahua terrier mix when she learned the puppy would be cooped up to entertain gawkers. "She is beautiful. She's not a freak, she's a normal little puppy dog and she should be just like all the others," said Siegel. More»

Fans grumble at cyclone-speed gentrification

(NEWSER) - Landmark Brooklyn amusement park Coney Island is set to undergo a major makeover as an upscale techno-theme park with ritzy retail space and timeshare towers, the Washington Post reports. Thor Equities bought much of the six-block thrill park and officials hope to launch the $1.5B renovation in 18 months—much to the disappointment of Coney Island purists. More»

Cars, bikes, public transit can coexist: Justin Davidson

(NEWSER) - Driving has become a sin, "demoted to a form of depravity": Holier-than-thou car-haters remind motorists that they're destroying lives, wrecking the planet, and boosting our dependence on foreign oil. But there's a time and a place for driving, even in New York City, writes Justin Davidson in New York . "Cars are too useful, too profitable, and too enjoyable to vanish." More»