ANA BERNSTEIN  PHOTOGRAPHY

Coney Island Always

With its beach and amusement parks, Coney Island is a fascinating place: a mix of family leisure destination and sheer carnival; a piece of true Americana.
Stroll the boardwalk on a summer afternoon and you will find a multitude of people sunbathing while kids splash and play in the water, couples moving sensually to the rhythm of music played by large boom boxes and live bands, a religious choir singing to the passing audience, women with burkhas watching their children play, and a man sleeping it off on the boardwalk oblivious to his surroundings while a young boy plays magic tricks for money. Bars and restaurants advertise (perhaps not so) fresh clams and corn dogs, Italian ices, and funnel cakes.  Sunsets come with hot dogs and sweet lemonade.
Inflatable toys and stuffed animals are everywhere and frame the entrances to the amusement parks where a window sign tells you that for a mere 25 cents you can feel good and fall in love. Why shouldn’t we? Delighted young children ride old carousels with indefatigable horses and spin entranced in revolving teacups. The wooden frame of the 82-year old Cyclone roller coaster squeaks and creaks at every turn, simultaneously scary and fun. The less brave set foot to the Wonder Wheel.  No longer working, the Astro Tower still stands its ground, defying the high rises in the background.
 “Coney is frankly devoted to fun, the fantastic, the gay, the grotesque”, Frederick Thompson, one of the creators of the famous Luna Park, wrote. Standing at the edges of Coney Island, a Circus Sideshow promises mesmerizing performances with “live freaks”: fire-eaters, sword swallowers, and snake charmers thrill and amuse the audience with bizarre acts. On Friday nights, fireworks light up the sky and a Burlesque stages old revues with scantily dressed girls.
These photographs were taken during the summers of 2007-2009, a time when all I had to do was walk around to have fun and feel good.