Coney Island new york stories

Coney Island, a section of Brooklyn, is known as one of the great American summer spots.

Its boardwalk, hot dog stands, beach, and amusement parks are at the center of movies, books and songs.

But the Coney Island of today - as evocative as it is of the American summer - is not what it once was. From the mid-1800s to the end of World War II it grew into a force that found a way into our collective memories and still inspires us. The last thirty years has been spent trying to place those memories back in the present.