Detail of Coney Island.

Something pretty to look at.

The silhouette, a technique I have rarely attempted in photography, at least intentionally, can be effective if done right. Again, Coney Island provided the perfect back drop, so with a few adjustments on my manual setting, this is what the camera saw.

Finally, after about a year and a half of living here in NY, I made it to the American Museum of Natural History. It’s said that the museum’s dioramas are the most renowned anywhere because of their attention to detail of animals in their habitats. One afternoon is hardly enough time to see all that the museum has to offer so I’m sure I’ll be back again soon to frolic with the animals.

The Wonder Wheel at Coney Island offers spectacular views but it is also cool to have a closer look at the old ferris wheel’s construction while one is riding it.

I admit, I have fallen for the park that was once the playground of the world. Is it because the Cyclone is made entirely of wood and not steel? Or is it the wistfulness one feels on a cold weekday in spring where the only people around are the homeless seeking shelter under the boardwalk and a handful of Russians walking the vast beach? Maybe because, in some ways, it’s a haven for those who don’t want to conform to today’s way of life. Or maybe it’s because I know that everything that is Coney Island now won’t be there in a year. Every picture I have taken and will take is my way of preserving a place that has managed to shrug off change.

So many pictures have been taken of this ride, but this one beats them all. There is only one Coney Island and only one roller coaster that can elicit this kind of reaction. Once again, this hidden gem of an amusement park did not disappoint.